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TABLE OF CONTENTS LIFESTYLE EXPERIMENTATION.................4
START SIMPLE................................................6
UTILIZE THE HABIT LOOP..........................8 KEEP A
JOURNAL...........................................11 MAKE
ADJUSTMENTS.................................13 ACCOUNTABILITY
PARTNER..................15 KEEP
EXPERIMENTING...............................18 EXTRA
GOODIES..........................................20 PAGE THREE OF
TWENTY ONE
LIFESTYLE EXPERIMENTATION
WhetheritwasfiguringoutthebestwaytoconstructsomethingoutofLegos or
finding the most efficient bike route to school, Ive been
experimenting since I can remember. I think its part of my curious
nature. Now as an adult I find myself experimenting just as much if
not more than I did as a child. Theres a big difference though
between the experiments of my childhood and the purpose driven
experimentation I use now to get more done and make healthy,
lasting changes in my life. In the past three years Ive learned to
use experimentation to fine tune the way I eat, work, learn,
consume, and live out my day to day life in a manner that helps me
be more productive and feel healthier than ever.
Thekeytousingexperimentationasapersonalchangeagentisbyembracing a
constant cycle of action, feedback, and tuning. Without each of
those elements, experimentation will at best result in short term
gains and at worst make you adopt habits that make you less focused
and unhealthy. In this short guide Ill cover the methods I use to
implement new healthy habits and Ill share the ten lifestyle
experiments that have benefited myself and other entrepreneurs more
than anything else Ive tried. Keep in mind that what works for me
is by no means guaranteed to work for you but the methods used to
implement habits can work as a framework for you to conduct your
own lifestyle experiments. PAGE FOUR OF TWENTY ONE
MAKE IT SO EASY THAT YOU CANT SAY NO. LEO BABAUTA
START SIMPLE I cant emphasis this enough, you must start with
small habits that seem ridiculously easy. If you want to start
meditating try doing it for 5 minutes right when you wake up. If
you want to get better sleep start with turning off your
electronics an hour before bed. These may seem easy, and they
should be, thats the point. Its far more important to get in the
routine of creating new small habits in the beginning than it is to
try and stop old engrained habits or create massive changes right
off the bat. Accomplishing simple changes is easier because it
takes less work and your brain is willing to try small new things
as opposed to large overwhelming changes that make your brain feel
like its losing control. Frequent small accomplishments also create
momentum and momentum is the key to creating long term change.
Writing this book has been a practice in small new habits for me. I
plan on writing a larger book in the next few months but figured I
should follow the formula that I know works and that means starting
simple. Writing consistently every day to create this book helps me
create the underlying habit and momentum needed to complete a
bigger writing project in the future. PAGE SIX OF TWENTY ONE
WE BECOME WHAT WE REPEATEDLY DO. SEAN COVEY
UTILIZE THE HABIT LOOP The habit loop is a research backed
framework for changing and creating habits. The term habit loop was
coined by Charles Duhigg in his best- selling book, The Power of
Habit. The habit loop consists of three steps. Cue, routine,
reward. Knowing how each of these steps contributes to your
existing good and bad habits is key to understanding how to hack
your habits. Heres an example of the habit loop in my life: CUE
Sitting down at my desk in the morning and starting to work reminds
me that I need to make a cup of coffee to get an initial energy
boost. ROUTINE Make a single shot of espresso with my Aeropress and
top it off with some almond milk to make an almond milk latte.
REWARD I get a substantial energy boost that helps me tackle my
most important tasks of the day. As you can see, the cue acts as a
subconscious trigger for the routine (the habit) and the reward is
the reason Ive gotten into consistantly making a latte every
morning. If I wanted to replace my coffee habit with green tea I
would use the same cue and consciously replace the routine with a
new habit that would result in a similar or better reward. To
remind myself of the new routine I may PAGE EIGHT OF TWENTY
ONE
Similarly, if I were trying to create a new habit I would first
write out a list of potential cues. These should be things youre
already doing on a daily basis. Walking your dog, brushing your
teeth, drinking your morning coffee, putting on your shoes, getting
into bed, etc.. Once youve identified your cue, choose a simple
routine to associate with the cue. Heres an example using a new
habit that Im trying to create: CUE Walk from my desk to the pantry
for a snack. ROUTINE See the kettlebells (I placed my kettlebells
next to the pantry to serve as a visual cue enhancement) and do 15
kettlebell swings. REWARD Slight energy boost and an overall sense
of well being from doing some physical exercise in the middle of my
stagnant work day. Success! PAGE NINE OF TWENTY ONE
THERE IS ONLY ONE CORNER OF THE UNIVERSE YOU CAN BE CERTAIN OF
IMPROVING, AND THATS YOUR OWN SELF. ALDOUS HUXLEY
KEEP A JOURNAL Daily journaling is a great way to measure
progress and see how your experiments are affecting you (positively
or negatively) over the long term. Measuring progress and recording
feedback on your own experimentation process helps you make
educated adjustments to your experiments. These adjustments will
make your lifestyle experimentation more effective over. A daily
journal can be instrumental in succesfully executing some of your
experiments.Forexample,trackingweight,foodconsumed,distancewalked,
sleep quality, location data, etc, can be important when
experimenting with lifestyle and health changes. Also, journaling
doesnt have to be done with a pen and paper. There are a plethora
of apps and hardware that help streamline the process of daily
journaling. Here are some of apps and hardware that can help you
track progress: MapMyRun, Strava, or Runkeeper All three of these
apps help you record distance ran, calories burned, and routes
taken. Jawbone Up, Fitbit Flex, or Withings Scale The quantified
self movement is in full force this year. Wrist devices like the Up
band and Fitbit Flex help you track your daily steps, calories
burned, and sleep quality. Heyday or Day One These apps help you
keep a general life journal with images and location data. PAGE
ELEVEN OF TWENTY ONE
TRUE LIFE IS LIVED WHEN TINY CHANGES OCCUR. LEO TOLSTOY
MAKE ADJUSTMENTS Dont be afraid to make adjustments to your
experiments. Lifestyle experimentation is called that because its
all about experimenting. Tinkering and tweaking is part of the
process. Thats why there is no failure or success in lifestlye
experimentation. There is only what is working and what is not
working for you. Never be afraid to change something that doesnt
feel right, even if it has worked for other people. Much like the
habit loop or the lean startup loop of innovation, the lifestyle
experimentation process can be thought of as a continuos loop of
experimenting, learning, and refining based on what you learn. PAGE
THIRTEEN OF TWENTY ONE
IF YOU HANG OUT WITH CHICKENS, YOURE GOING TO CLUCK AND IF YOU
HANG OUT WITH EAGLES, YOURE GOING TO FLY. STEVE MARABOLI
ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER According to the American Society of
Training and Development, meeting with an accountability partner
increases your probability of completing a goal by 95%. Thats a
huge difference when you consider that youre only 65% likely to
complete a goal when you commit to someone else that you will do
it. Meeting regularly with an accountability partner has been show
to help you become more self-aware, set better goals, discover your
strengths, decrease stress, and build confidence. Earlier this year
I met up with a friend of mine, Matthew Gallizzi, in Portland for a
week. Up until that point we had only had lunch together once. Our
only plan for the weeklong excursion in Portland was that we had no
plan. It ended up being one of the most profound weeks of our
lives. We wandered the streets of Portland talking about our
struggles, our life philosophies, and what we hoped to accomplish
in the next year and beyond. Then we got to work. When we returned
to our homes in Denver and Orange County, we started having daily
accountability calls to keep each other on track with the plans we
had made in Portland. Every morning, at 5 AM, wed Skype each other
to talk about what we were struggling with that day and what we
planned on getting done. PAGE FIFTEEN OF TWENTY ONE
It is amazing how much difference having a partner in crime
that I can trust and exchange mutual feedback with has helped me
tackle my most ambitious projects and lifestyle experiments. In
fact, the creation of this book was the result of a competition
between Matthew and I to both create an eBook in a week. Finding
the right accountability partner can be challenging as its
important to find someone that has similar accountability needs,
has complimentary experiences, and is open to feedback. Its also
best to find someone in a similar timezone since you should ideally
be meeting weekly or even daily. Here are places to look for
accountability partners: Meetups Meetup.com groups are great for
meeting like-minded individuals. Facebook Groups and Google+
Communities There are many groups dedicated to achieving different
goals. Accountable.us A free page Matthew and I created to connect
accountability partners. PAGE SIXTEEN OF TWENTY ONE
SUCCESS IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION. RALPH ARBITELLE
KEEP EXPERIMENTING Ive found that the secret to a happy and
succesful life is found through relentlessly experimenting and
finding out what works best for you. No one path is right for
everyone. Experimentation is how you create your own life path and
accomplish your dreams. Successful experiments become flourishing
branches that inspire us to do our greatest work. Failed
experiments create humility and resilience. They are pruned like
dead branches and the scars serve as a reminder of why we are who
we are. As long as youre experimenting, youre growing. Never stop
experimenting. PAGE EIGHTEEN OF TWENTY ONE
WHATS IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU HAVE A FAITH IN PEOPLE, THAT THEYRE
BASICALLY GOOD AND SMART, AND IF YOU GIVE THEM TOOLS, THEYLL DO
WONDERFUL THINGS WITH THEM. STEVE JOBS
LIFESTYLE EXPERIMENTS Experiments that have been beneficial to
me: CREATE A CREATIVE RITUAL The habit loop is also a great way to
create a creative ritual. A creative ritual is something you do
everytime before you perform you most important creative work to
signal to your brain that youre about to get into the zone. CREATE
A SLEEP ROUTINE Sleep is one of the most important activities you
do. Creating a healthy sleep routine has been one of the biggest
game changers for me. Start by turning off electronics an hour
before bed and getting 7-8 hours of sleep. DAILY MEDITATION
Meditation is a fantastic way to escape to clear your head and deal
with daily anxiety. Try meditating for 5 minutes right before you
go to bed or immediately when you wake up. EXPERIMENTATION TOOLS
Tools to help you accomplish your dreams and live at your best:
Lift App Lift helps you create and keep new daily habits. Everest
App Everest helps you stay on the path to your biggest Everest
goals. Evernote Evernote is the most useful app Ive ever come
across. From filing receipts to recording new ideas, Evernote
organizes my entire life. PAGE TWENTY OF TWENTY ONE
GET IN TOUCH I AM HERE TO HELP YOU THRIVE. DO NOT HESITATE TO
CONTACT ME. EMAIL: [email protected] TWITTER: FREEMANLAFLEUR WEB:
WWW.FREEMAN.IS PAGE TWENTY ONE OF TWENTY ONE