[Bear Hands]

-If I am thinking and not doing anything else, I start walking.

-At the beginning of my day, I fill 5 liter bottles with filtered water. The first is used before, during, and after my morning workout. The second I drink before noon. The third I drink by the time I leave work. The fourth I drink before, during, and after dinner. The fifth I drink before bed.

-I do not eat before 4 PM or after 11 PM. The water habit helps stave off the hunger, and the small window keeps me from excessive calorie intake.

-For every 200 pages of a book I am reading, I get up and exercise for 5 to 10 minutes. This started as prevention from being too sedentary but I have noticed I retain more of what I read since I started this habit.

A couple of my habits are what I call at-least habits. The idea is to set a minimum for myself that I am content with, but that I can exceed to feel like I got ahead in some way. Little wins add up.

-I eat at least one meal per day with an avocado. I am still in a weight-loss phase. These meals tend to be salads, soups, or something with eggs. The result for me is higher quality calories per day and less calories per day.

-I do yoga at least 5 days a week on a 13 week rotation with a week of rest, and I lay out a schedule of my workouts. I use one of the DDP Yoga programs which has 7 workouts of various lengths (21 minutes up to 65) and intensity as well as a short core workout that can be appended to the end of any of those 7. I must perform the 5 that I laid out for myself. I often perform more than what I scheduled by adding on the core workout or bumping a shorter workout to a longer, more intense one when I have the energy and time.

[scorpion]

In my experience one of the best habits to cultivate is actively maintaining a grateful perspective on life. Literally, count your blessings. Write them down on a list. For maximum benefit, start with the most basic and go from there. You're writing a list? Ok, that means you have eyes, fingers, a computer or a pen, and are literate. Guess what? You're already well ahead of many people. Extend out the list. Your family. Your friends. Your health. Your accumulated experiences and wisdom. The little quality of life things we often overlook (electricity, powered transportation, instant communication). Most guys here have had better than average success with women - that's something to be thankful for that many men never get to experience.

Think about the fact that each breath you take is a gift. Somewhere on earth there is a man breathing his last one, and he'd give anything for just a few more. When you take a complete inventory of everything you have to be thankful for - including every breath - you don't let the small things sweat you so much. You realize how blessed you really are, and your outlook and mood improve as a result. There are guys reading this post who are deep in debt, and some who are millionaires many times over. One guy might be living out of his car, another in a mansion. One guy is the picture of health, another is laying in a hospital bed. One man is a virgin, another has bedded scores of beautiful women. But even in the worst of circumstances, every man can find something to be thankful about. And cultivating this attitude is not only important for daily life, but for insulating us against the vicissitudes of fate. After all, there's nothing to say that the millionaire and the guy living out of his car can't be the same person, just at two separate points in his life. And we're all just an accident or diagnosis away from a hospital bed. Actively cultivating a grateful attitude will help you keep your frame of mind stable through all the highs and lows of life, and will also make you a more pleasant person to be around. It's definitely something I practice myself and recommend to others.

[CleanSlate]

The single most powerful habit I've adopted is writing a to-do list for the next day, the night before.

The key is that I prefer to write that list the evening before, rather than the morning of. It prevents me from wasting precious time trying to decide what's important for the day. The evening before, after I'm done with everything else, the important stuff is fresh on my mind and I write that down.

The next morning I just refer to the list and hit the ground running.

[redbeard]

1. I'm currently reading through "Getting Things Done." One of the biggest concepts is the "2 minute rule," that if something takes less than 2 minutes to do, you should do it RIGHT THAT VERY SECOND. This has eliminated many useless tasks in my life that I would usually put off. Now I knock it out and move on.

2. I used to hate eating vegetables so I "life hacked" my way into eating plenty.

I cook some beef at night (12oz-16oz, usually 85% lean, depending on diet), then heat it up and add it to a large bag of mixed greens with lunch. The fat and warmth from the beef make the greens delicious and I ignore the rough texture of spinach. I eat this everyday for lunch, no exceptions.

At night I'll eat chili, at least 3x a week. Chili requires no explanation because it's the most alpha meal on earth besides steak.

Between daily salads, chili, Barlean's greens added to protein shakes, and occasional juicing, my vegetable consumption is through the roof.

3. Drinking warm water when I wake up. When I'm eating the salads discussed in #1, I tell myself that I must eat all the greens along with the beef. This tricks my brain into desiring the greens (because it secretly just wants the meat). Same thing with water. I struggled to drink water in the morning, so I made a RULE to drink 3 glasses of water before drinking coffee.

Great posts in here so far, I'm sure I'll add more...

Setting rules for yourself, especially when there's a carrot dangling in front of you, is great motivation.

[General Mayhem]

(01-24-2016 02:42 PM)redbeard Wrote:  

3. Drinking warm water when I wake up. When I'm eating the salads discussed in #1, I tell myself that I must eat all the greens along with the beef. This tricks my brain into desiring the greens (because it secretly just wants the meat). Same thing with water. I struggled to drink water in the morning, so I made a RULE to drink 3 glasses of water before drinking coffee.

I've got a system for this I've been practicing for a few years now.

Put the water on your bedside table before you turn in for the night. When you wake up its right there. Stand up and chug the whole thing. I do this every morning and I've found it's a lot easier if you actually stand up to drink.

[Neo]

Wrote about some habits here: thread-51577...44932.html

Time boxing. I just wind that timer for 25 minutes and get to work. Using REBT to become aware of my thoughts when I wanted to procrastinate was essential.

In that post, I wrote that comparing yourself to others is a path that leads to a lack of fulfillment. I still hold that view, however competition is healthy. I say 'compete but don't compare'. There's definitely motivation to be had from competition.

[redbeard]

(01-24-2016 03:18 PM)General Mayhem Wrote:  

(01-24-2016 02:42 PM)redbeard Wrote:  

3. Drinking warm water when I wake up. When I'm eating the salads discussed in #1, I tell myself that I must eat all the greens along with the beef. This tricks my brain into desiring the greens (because it secretly just wants the meat). Same thing with water. I struggled to drink water in the morning, so I made a RULE to drink 3 glasses of water before drinking coffee.

I've got a system for this I've been practicing for a few years now.

Put the water on your bedside table before you turn in for the night. When you wake up its right there. Stand up and chug the whole thing. I do this every morning and I've found it's a lot easier if you actually stand up to drink.

I didn't fully explain - warm water is the key, so I heat up a mug of water in the microwave. Mark's Daily Apple or some hippy site said that warm water mimics the body's temperature, so it starts the body's processes again.

Also - water near the bed interferes with my other morning routine:

[thedarkknight]

(01-24-2016 01:38 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

Some great stuff in this thread already. I'll definitely be adopting a few of these habits (waking up earlier, writing down tomorrow's to-do before bed, and reserving certain cafes for certain types of work - food prep when I have a kitchen again). Most I've heard of, but helpful to hear members talk about experience with them.

(01-23-2016 10:31 AM)Phoenix Wrote:  

or just hiring an intense PT guy to wack me with a stick at 7am every morning and then drag me out for a hard 20 minute anti-lethargy jog.

I know this was tounge in cheek here, but there is some brilliance in this idea, actually.

I mean, maybe not an intense PT guy whacking you upside the head, but what if you just paid some kid in your neighborhood to come by and ring your doorbell every morning and make sure you get up to tell him you're up?

Kids' time comes cheap (he could do it before he heads to school), and him actually showing up might be a lot more effective than a phone call or alarm, which you can acknowledge without getting out of bed.

(01-23-2016 03:08 PM)Mentavious Wrote:  

Playing sports:

Which sports?

(01-23-2016 03:11 PM)Anabasis to Desta Wrote:  

Treating mental discipline like building muscle.

The workout program is simple. 10 reps per day only.

Force myself to do 10 things daily that i don't feel like doing or am procrastinating. I have a daily log on which i write down those 10 things i felt like not doing but managed to do.

Unique concept. Don't believe I've seen this one before.

Did you pick it up somewhere?

(01-23-2016 03:34 PM)thedarkknight Wrote:  

Keeping a diary. I've kept one for 6 years and counting.

Can you elaborate on your mechanics, rituals, content, format for diary writing?

When I feel emotional, I write about it on Blogger.com. I set it to private so only I can see and I can update wherever I am. When life gets interesting, I get emotional and I then write passionately. It's also good for year reviews and future plans.

[Mojorisin808]

I like to wake up every morning very early and bang some vagina before the gym. Usually anywhere from 6am to 8am. I try to plan it where I have the girl I'm seeing to stay over night, or if that's not possible, have her come over in the morning before her work, or classes. During the mornings I am extremely horny, and have an intense boner, so the best sex for me happens just as the sun is rising. Once I bust my nut, I am able to go through the day focusing on work, and other productive things that occupy my day without think about getting laid.

[the Thing]

This:

[CleanSlate]

^ How? In what way do you use ACV for maximum benefits?

[the Thing]

(01-24-2016 05:57 PM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

^ How? In what way do you use ACV for maximum benefits?

I'm not a morning person. I wake up tired and lethargic.

I take one tablespoon in the morning and I'm ready for the day.

I recover from sicknesses faster. I digest food easier. I'm more energetic.

Drinking ACV every day is the most powerful habit I've adopted since I joined this forum.

[CleanSlate]

(01-24-2016 06:38 PM)the Thing Wrote:  

Drinking ACV every day is the most powerful habit I've adopted since I joined this forum.

Just one tablespoon?

I have a full bottle sitting in my pantry...

[the Thing]

(01-24-2016 06:53 PM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

(01-24-2016 06:38 PM)the Thing Wrote:  

Drinking ACV every day is the most powerful habit I've adopted since I joined this forum.

Just one tablespoon?

I have a full bottle sitting in my pantry...

I try to drink another tablespoon at night as well but that's not yet a habit.

Speaking of which, I'll go drink it right now

[Beyond Borders]

(01-24-2016 12:18 PM)roberto Wrote:  

(01-24-2016 11:49 AM)Special1 Wrote:  

Morning Routine

1. Piss
2. Clean my tongue
3. Drink one glass of warm (almost hot) tap water.
4. Cold Warm Shower with natural black soap.
5. Brush teeth
6. A glass of apple cider vinegar with water (with or without breakfast) and fish oil.
7. Get dressed
8. Go to work

I start every day like this and feel amazing when i leave my appartment. Makes me calmer and more productive at work

I'd swap 5 and 6 around, ACV does your tooth enamel no favours.

I STRONGLY disagree. Brushing your teeth is the worse thing to do just after temporarily weakening your enamel with acid.

A rinse of the mouth can help, or drink through a straw. Better yet, a quick Google search says mix with baking soda and water to bring the acidity down without losing health benefits (research to see what else you can find).

In any case, wait a while before doing anything abrasive like brushing teeth.

[redbeard]

(01-24-2016 06:53 PM)CleanSlate Wrote:  

(01-24-2016 06:38 PM)the Thing Wrote:  

Drinking ACV every day is the most powerful habit I've adopted since I joined this forum.

Just one tablespoon?

I have a full bottle sitting in my pantry...

Just one bottle?

I have a full case sitting in my pantry....

[Bill Brasky]

Most recently (actually it's breaking a habit), not jerking off. I have gone almost 2 weeks (longest amount of time with no load shoot since I was about 14) and have seen a huge difference in my ability to focus, drive, and a significantly noticeable lessening of approach anxiety.

Jerking off became sort of an escape and made me lazy which I didn't even fully realize until abstaining.

[greekgod]

Bedtime routine, aww aint that adorable?

1. Chill music
2. Journal or brain dump
3. Rub some magnesium oil on the hoofs
4. Read

Just found this browser plugin. StayFocused, the other day. Allows you to set time limits for sites you visit within chrome. Really good for the time sucks like FB and other social media.

Batch cooking on Sundays.

Cross referencing actions with my goals/purpose for the year, if it doesnt advance the cause, its not getting done.

Less coffee, more focused. (on going battle)

[Filbert]

(01-24-2016 08:33 PM)mrbiggs Wrote:  

Most recently (actually it's breaking a habit), not jerking off. I have gone almost 2 weeks (longest amount of time with no load shoot since I was about 14) and have seen a huge difference in my ability to focus, drive, and a significantly noticeable lessening of approach anxiety.

Jerking off became sort of an escape and made me lazy which I didn't even fully realize until abstaining.

On a nonfap forum, I read an explanation of the benefit of abstaining from jerking off, as in the following abstracts:

The fluids elaborated by the testes, the prostate gland and the accessory sex glands are very rich in phosphorus, as are the spermatozoa themselves. The loss of semen must therefore lower the phosphorus content of the blood, for it is from here that these glands derive the phosphorus for the manufacture of their secretions. This must deprive the nervous system of an element so necessary for its nutrition and normal well-being. This explains the neurasthenic effects of masturbation and sexual excess, which are due to loss of phosphorus through seminal emissions. The same occurs in prostatitis, where considerable phosphorus is lost through the expelled prostatic fluid. Lorand points out the beneficial influence of phosphorus when administered in many brain disorders, which are accompanied by a diminution of the phosphorus content of the brain, as Marie found in idiocy and dementia praecox. In the brain phosphorus is present chiefly in the form of lecithin, a phosphorized fat.

According to this point of view, neurasthenia may be considered as representing a condition of phosphorus deficiency, or rather lecithin deficiency -- for lecithin is the form in which phosphorus is present in the myelin sheaths of the nerves, the nerve-oil whose burning keeps the fires of nerve vitality burning. Since lecithin is a prominent constituent of the semen, we can understand why excessive loss of semen can cause nerve starvation and all the symptoms of neurasthenia. When the lack of lecithin and organic phosphorus is more serious, the brain itself suffers lecithin deficiency and becomes disturbed in its functioning, just as any other starved organ is when deprived of the elements it requires for its normal nutrition and functioning. In this way, psychoses commence to manifest. From beri beri to polyneuritis, to psychoses, is only a transition or more graver nerve-and-brain-cell starvation of the vitamin B complex and lecithin, both of which are intimately related and to a large extent replaceable. (Foods rich in vitamin B complex, like the germ of grains, legumes, Brewer's yeast, etc., are generally also rich sources of lecithin.)

[Omad]

Besides eating real food which has been mentioned I've got into the habit of wearing blue light blocking glasses when the sun goes down. It really helps with sleep, especially for screen junkies that are in front of a screen until bed.

Something like this, you look like a dick but the results are good.

[262]

Something I need to do myself:

Not get bogged down in the "Everything Else" section of the forum

I should really just read it for news and laughs.

[Mikan]

Sitting meditation, 15-25 minutes in the morning and after dinner. There is a Meditation thread in this sub forum with more info. I occasionally practice walking meditation as well, but its not an every day habit.

[DJ-Matt]

(01-23-2016 09:18 AM)wi30 Wrote:  

The first habit you already mentioned. I wake up before 6 am every morning regardless of whether I have to be up or not. After a couple weeks, I naturally started waking up early without an alarm. Today, for example, is Saturday. I have no plans but woke up around 5 am. Made some coffee and caught up on a couple RVF threads. I then got some reading done. On weekdays I use the time to hit the gym before work. If you aren't getting up early, you are wasting the most productive hours of the day. I rarely get important things done in the evening.

I've always wanted to be "one of those people" and this finally inspired me to try it. I'm setting it for 5am and can hopefully work my way to that time. First day I got up at 6:45

[cascadecombo]

The job I have had for the past few years allowed me to wake up fairly late. However I forced myself to start waking up from 7am instead of the usual 10am I had been doing.

I'm now able to get my 3 cups of coffee in the morning.
Gives me a chance to communicate with friends and family back home, since they are typically off work and in their free time when I wake up.
Also gives me time to do a 3 minutes squat exercise.

Among any other morning exercise. I was a fan of handstand pushups before I injured my elbow, still waitign on that to heal.

Also gives me a good chunk of time to study Japanese for 30-60 minutes.

Also gym every day after work is a good chunk of time spent training or talking with like minded guys (for the most part) in the local tongue, so it's more welcomed language practice.

[Beyond Borders]

^ Can you explain the squat challenge in more detail?

Is it just 3 minutes of nonstop bodyweight squats?