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Step 1: - Go to bed early and get enough sleep [For me this is the most important point] - Drink enough water - Eat a balanced diet - Cut back on processed

Step 1: - Go to bed early and get enough sleep [For me this is the most important point] - Drink enough water - Eat a balanced diet - Cut back on processed sugar - Cut back on caffeine (or completely stop) - Exercise, but don't overdo it if you want to save some energy for projects - Block yourself from wasting time on social media - Limit your consumption of "news" - Cut out TV - Lastly, if you haven't taken time off work in a while, take a week or so off Step 2: - Reevaluate

jhrozek 6y ago
Nice list, that's pretty much what I've been doing. Especially limiting "news" (I would also emphasize their "quality" with quotes..) and social media. I feel so much better since I quit twitter, for some reason it feels just like a giant pit of awfulness. The only two things I'd add or say differently is that a) this helps (or at least helped me) not to be more productive, but just in general happier. Being happier brought more energy which in turn means just doing more things, or just other things. The other thing (b) is, with the exception of social media which I outright quit, I'm not strict with limiting or rather going over limit with some of the negative things on your list. Do I feel like eating cake after lunch and having my third coffee after dinner? OK, as long as it doesn't become an everyday habit, I just do it..
madamelic 6y ago
>- Eat a balanced diet >- Cut back on processed sugar >- Cut back on caffeine (or completely stop) --- Not everyone processes food the same, even normally functioning bodies will have different responses to the same foods. Absolutely you should target healthy food and I would discourage anyone from eating cheeseburgers every day, but if salad makes you feel like crap: don't eat salad. There is no one most optimal way to eat. You need to learn and feed your body what it needs (and occasionally wants). Your productivity will (probably) not plummet because you caved and ate a cheeseburger for lunch. Neither will productivity cave because you had a bottle of Coke. I've been wearing a continuous glucose monitor (not diabetic, just curious) for the past few weeks and I've noted that some "healthy" meals are actually worse blood sugar wise than "bad" meals. McD's cheeseburger: pretty steady blood sugar. Small bowl of granola (not the shitty sugary kind): stupid huge spike.
- mnt_sda1 6y ago
  >Small bowl of granola (not the shitty sugary kind): stupid huge spike. Well, you're absolutely right about that. Granola, and indeed all cereals, are really not healthy at all. Salads also won't satiate you (which drastically increases chances of someone "cheating") and usually get drenched in dressings by most. Though blood sugar is not the prime indicator of health, it can be wearing on the body to have it spiking multiple times a day, which is why I practice IF.
permalac 6y ago
+ Read something unrelated to your usual work.
0x008 6y ago
I want to add: Go for walks. Iif it works for Bill Gates it's good enough for me. Walks are really great at reorganizing all the stuff floating around your head.
- stevesearer 6y ago
  People often try and use walks to be productive too by listening to podcasts, calling family, or listening to music. I find great benefit in walks with no additional inputs other than what I am seeing as I walk.
  - Shared404 6y ago
    Back in high school I used to walk to my job every so often. 10/10, highly recommend if your hours and location are convenient.

jhrozek 6y ago

Nice list, that's pretty much what I've been doing. Especially limiting "news" (I would also emphasize their "quality" with quotes..) and social media. I feel so much better since I quit twitter, for some reason it feels just like a giant pit of awfulness. The only two things I'd add or say differently is that a) this helps (or at least helped me) not to be more productive, but just in general happier. Being happier brought more energy which in turn means just doing more things, or just other things. The other thing (b) is, with the exception of social media which I outright quit, I'm not strict with limiting or rather going over limit with some of the negative things on your list. Do I feel like eating cake after lunch and having my third coffee after dinner? OK, as long as it doesn't become an everyday habit, I just do it..

madamelic 6y ago

>- Eat a balanced diet >- Cut back on processed sugar >- Cut back on caffeine (or completely stop) --- Not everyone processes food the same, even normally functioning bodies will have different responses to the same foods. Absolutely you should target healthy food and I would discourage anyone from eating cheeseburgers every day, but if salad makes you feel like crap: don't eat salad. There is no one most optimal way to eat. You need to learn and feed your body what it needs (and occasionally wants). Your productivity will (probably) not plummet because you caved and ate a cheeseburger for lunch. Neither will productivity cave because you had a bottle of Coke. I've been wearing a continuous glucose monitor (not diabetic, just curious) for the past few weeks and I've noted that some "healthy" meals are actually worse blood sugar wise than "bad" meals. McD's cheeseburger: pretty steady blood sugar. Small bowl of granola (not the shitty sugary kind): stupid huge spike.

mnt_sda1 6y ago
>Small bowl of granola (not the shitty sugary kind): stupid huge spike. Well, you're absolutely right about that. Granola, and indeed all cereals, are really not healthy at all. Salads also won't satiate you (which drastically increases chances of someone "cheating") and usually get drenched in dressings by most. Though blood sugar is not the prime indicator of health, it can be wearing on the body to have it spiking multiple times a day, which is why I practice IF.

permalac 6y ago

+ Read something unrelated to your usual work.

0x008 6y ago

I want to add: Go for walks. Iif it works for Bill Gates it's good enough for me. Walks are really great at reorganizing all the stuff floating around your head.

stevesearer 6y ago
People often try and use walks to be productive too by listening to podcasts, calling family, or listening to music. I find great benefit in walks with no additional inputs other than what I am seeing as I walk.
- Shared404 6y ago
  Back in high school I used to walk to my job every so often. 10/10, highly recommend if your hours and location are convenient.