5 ms·

What's funny is I've never been a routine guy but I've fallen into becoming one. I run 6 times a week because I feel significantly better when I am running eve

What's funny is I've never been a routine guy but I've fallen into becoming one. I run 6 times a week because I feel significantly better when I am running every day. The reward for me is so significant that getting myself running requires 0 mental effort or preparation. I live in a very hot and humid climate, if I run even at 8 am it's so hot it's uncomfortable. Because of this I'm waking up and running at around 6:30 am. I also fall asleep at 11 pm like clockwork. Not because I have a schedule but because I'm so tired I have to sleep then. I commit code to github almost every single day. I actually really just enjoy programming. I should become a hustle culture influencer

whamlastxmas 2y ago
I am very annoyed how effortless this seems for you
- brigadier132 2y ago
  It's effortless because my actions are aligned with my goals and desires. I used to be very addicted to poker. There was a book I read during that time called "The Mental Game of Poker" that is really good and broadly applicable to life. One of the lessons is to figure out your subconsciously held goals that are negatively impacting your consciously held goals. For example, someone's stated goal may be to build an amazing startup or open source project. But they constantly find themselves going to founder meetups and conventions, staying up very late and drinking a lot. They may also find themselves posting a lot on social media instead of working on building their thing. I would claim that this person has a hidden goal of seeking attention and fame. They likely would never tell themselves this and this is why self honesty is important. Once you are able to bring these hidden goals to the foreground it's actually easy to manage them. Wanting to be famous and get attention is a pretty ridiculous / base desire.
  - throwawyroutin 2y ago
    It's also effortless because your goals and desires are sustainable and bring you prosperity. My desires are to chill, play music for myself and friends, sleep a lot, have sex, hike, go to concerts and generally go out and drink. Only doing that would, predictably, make me homeless eventually. Effortful actions it is for me, I guess.
    - lucianbr 2y ago
      You should start a band. I'm pretty sure some singers' lives are exactly what you described.
    - gnramires 2y ago
      Related to what GP said, I think desires are complicated. What you (and commonly you hear) referred to as desire might be something like a "first order desire" -- either what you would desire if there were no constraints or consequences from your actions, or what you desire immediately (and not taking your long term life into account)[1]. I think it's a good idea to visualize the consequences of your desires, because actions have consequences and the world is inherently full of constraints. So you might "desire" (1st order desire) drinking, but not desire hangover or even becoming an alcoholic, or miss some opportunity because of over sleeping (or even increased health as well), so maybe update your desire to 2nd-order desire where the consequences and constraints[2] are taken into account, and if you still desire it (e.g. find sleeping a lot really worth it), then it seems fine. I believe it's Carl Jung that talked extensively about bringing your unconscious into consciousness. Or Feynman: The first principle is you must not fool yourself, and you're the easiest person to fool :) (Although I think it's normal to have some amount of internal conflict or inconsistency that we can only resolve as we go along, experiment, work and live) [1] Maybe we should call those cravings? [2] I think a more refined approach would add philosophical implications (e.g. ethics, meaning, etc..) as well
- DiscourseFan 2y ago
  I think its harder if you have friends, family, relationship, etc. I like to exercise in the morning but sometimes its crunch time and I really have work I need to get done, other times I've gone out with friends the night before and I wake up late. When I have a partner, I might spend all afternoon or all evening alone with them. I suppose it depends on the rhythm of your life and your life-world. For some, life turns like clockwork; others, move more like the wind and the ocean--and still others probably live as chaotically as the course of the universe, but they may expire rapidly. We're all somewhere in between.
  - threetonesun 2y ago
    I don’t think so. For me it helps to have routines and have them planned out. I keep a daily log, if something changes my routine I just make a note of it. It’s still helpful for me to approach the future with a mindset of consistency rather than trying to adjust to everything that could come up. And if something regularly interrupts my routine (as kids often do) I just… adjust my routine.
    - DiscourseFan 2y ago
      Theoretically, you could adjust your routine until it you can no longer fully comprehend it, which you can't anyway since you aren't privy to all the forces which determine your life. But this would be a liberated existence, where we aren't subject to the regularity and order of the clock.
  - matwood 2y ago
    The morning is my time. I do it so I can spend time with family and friends. But like the OP said, it means I don't drink very much when I go out. I also come home at a reasonable hour. And when it's crunch time at work, that's when working out is most important for me.
  - financltravsty 2y ago
    Love the blurb in your bio.
- SoftTalker 2y ago
  Touched on in the article: "There’s endless tips on what successful CEOs do with their mornings, making us feel bad for not executing core loops with machine-like efficiency." I think what's not said is that some people are just naturally very focused on achievement and moving up the ladder. If you have the drive to be a successful CEO, then adopting the behaviors and routines of a other successful CEOs will probably work for you. If you are not that type of person, then trying to become one by acting like one will just lead to frustration. I'm not a successful CEO, I have no desire to be one, I don't even want to be a manager of other people. It is not interesting to me. I've done it and can do it but it's not rewarding. I'm not a "hustler" and have no desire to be one. I don't keep a scorecard of how many checkboxes I ticked each day. Do what you are drawn to do, and look to other people who are successful at doing those things if you want role models.
swatcoder 2y ago
Yeah, I think if you prioritize one demanding routine, the rest of your life inevitably shakes into place around it without too much effort. And if it happens to be a routine that demands you be well (alert, rested, etc), most of what shakes out is stuff that keeps you well or at least doesn't inferfere with your wellness. And similarly if the demanding routine insists on less healthy habits. If your priority is socializing and drinking until 2am several nights, the shake out is going to look like miserable, exhausted mornings and hangovers. The hustle culture bs is the wellness equivalent of get rich quick schemes: "add this 10 minutes trifle and you'll finally be happy and successful!" --- But no, if you're not close to there already, the changes need to be way more comprehensive and radical.
Izikiel43 2y ago
I forced myself into a routine because with wfh, I woke up 9.50am and started working at 10am, and after the work day I was too tired to do anything, as well as becoming a blob. I joined a gym nearby, started going to the pool 7.30am, got charged 10$ if I didn't go, so I had the external incentive. Couple of years later (how time flies), I need to go swimming otherwise I'm in pain the next day due to the desk job. I've also added weightlifting 3 times a week, and then swimming, I'm feeling great, and when I finished my day, it feels like I haven't missed anything.
cen4 2y ago
[flagged]
moffkalast 2y ago
I believe in taking care of myself, in a balanced diet, in a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an icepack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the icepack, I use a deep-pore cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water-activated gel cleanser. Then a honey-almond bodyscrub. And on the face, an exfoliating gel-scrub. Then I apply an herb mint facial masque, which I leave on for ten minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm, followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.
- audunw 2y ago
  That’s great, but what’s your businesses card like?
  - moffkalast 2y ago
    Ah, picked them up from the printer's yesterday. Colour's bone. And the lettering is something called Silian Rail. Let's see Paul Allen's card.
jimbokun 2y ago
I would say physical fitness does not fit the thesis of the article. It requires disciplined consistency doing the same thing repeatedly on a regular schedule to see benefits.
zeekaran 2y ago
> The reward for me is so significant that getting myself running requires 0 mental effort or preparation. Is there a drug I can take to achieve this? This sounds like a superpower to me. I've tried to start running so many times.
- swatcoder 2y ago
  It gets much easier to do regularly once you do it regularly, and it also gets easier when you learn how to control your pace and effort. It's hard (for a while) when you're first starting because most of your runs are pushing your limits -- intentionally or unintentionally -- and you can't help associating the runs with having to push and burn out. Once you practice for a while (and take the effort to learn pacing), the bulk of your runs feel easy and refreshing and so you want to go do them. And the hard runs that you choose to run for limit-pushing become satisfying because you know you're in control of them and can often see progress in your PR's for pace or whatever. In other words: you just have to stick with it and it mostly happens on its own. (Unless you're just a type-A person and can't learn to pace yourself)
- brailsafe 2y ago
  You just need to do something enough times that you can identify a positive feedback cycle, and then go from there. Don't expect to wake up one day and consistently start running every morning, that's a really absurd bar to try and hit out the gate. Just try and do it 3 times a week whenever you can and build on that. The overwhelming majority of people who've come to rigid early routine have come to that point either out of necessity, optimization, iteration, or habit, and what clicks is going to vary between people. People who don't go to the gym at all think they'll sign up at the beginning of the year and from zero make a life-changing routine change by the next week; gyms know this and take advantage of it to the point that many would go out of business if not for people failing to motivate themselves in that first month enough to start doing one of the hardest daily activities first thing in the morning 5 times a week. If you don't like running, just do something else, sometimes; running sucks if it sucks and doesn't if it doesn't. Optimize if the nature of the activity seems like something you can find doable/enjoyable/rewarding.
- vladvasiliu 2y ago

whamlastxmas 2y ago

I am very annoyed how effortless this seems for you

brigadier132 2y ago
It's effortless because my actions are aligned with my goals and desires. I used to be very addicted to poker. There was a book I read during that time called "The Mental Game of Poker" that is really good and broadly applicable to life. One of the lessons is to figure out your subconsciously held goals that are negatively impacting your consciously held goals. For example, someone's stated goal may be to build an amazing startup or open source project. But they constantly find themselves going to founder meetups and conventions, staying up very late and drinking a lot. They may also find themselves posting a lot on social media instead of working on building their thing. I would claim that this person has a hidden goal of seeking attention and fame. They likely would never tell themselves this and this is why self honesty is important. Once you are able to bring these hidden goals to the foreground it's actually easy to manage them. Wanting to be famous and get attention is a pretty ridiculous / base desire.
- throwawyroutin 2y ago
  It's also effortless because your goals and desires are sustainable and bring you prosperity. My desires are to chill, play music for myself and friends, sleep a lot, have sex, hike, go to concerts and generally go out and drink. Only doing that would, predictably, make me homeless eventually. Effortful actions it is for me, I guess.
  - lucianbr 2y ago
    You should start a band. I'm pretty sure some singers' lives are exactly what you described.
  - gnramires 2y ago
    Related to what GP said, I think desires are complicated. What you (and commonly you hear) referred to as desire might be something like a "first order desire" -- either what you would desire if there were no constraints or consequences from your actions, or what you desire immediately (and not taking your long term life into account)[1]. I think it's a good idea to visualize the consequences of your desires, because actions have consequences and the world is inherently full of constraints. So you might "desire" (1st order desire) drinking, but not desire hangover or even becoming an alcoholic, or miss some opportunity because of over sleeping (or even increased health as well), so maybe update your desire to 2nd-order desire where the consequences and constraints[2] are taken into account, and if you still desire it (e.g. find sleeping a lot really worth it), then it seems fine. I believe it's Carl Jung that talked extensively about bringing your unconscious into consciousness. Or Feynman: The first principle is you must not fool yourself, and you're the easiest person to fool :) (Although I think it's normal to have some amount of internal conflict or inconsistency that we can only resolve as we go along, experiment, work and live) [1] Maybe we should call those cravings? [2] I think a more refined approach would add philosophical implications (e.g. ethics, meaning, etc..) as well
DiscourseFan 2y ago
I think its harder if you have friends, family, relationship, etc. I like to exercise in the morning but sometimes its crunch time and I really have work I need to get done, other times I've gone out with friends the night before and I wake up late. When I have a partner, I might spend all afternoon or all evening alone with them. I suppose it depends on the rhythm of your life and your life-world. For some, life turns like clockwork; others, move more like the wind and the ocean--and still others probably live as chaotically as the course of the universe, but they may expire rapidly. We're all somewhere in between.
- threetonesun 2y ago
  I don’t think so. For me it helps to have routines and have them planned out. I keep a daily log, if something changes my routine I just make a note of it. It’s still helpful for me to approach the future with a mindset of consistency rather than trying to adjust to everything that could come up. And if something regularly interrupts my routine (as kids often do) I just… adjust my routine.
  - DiscourseFan 2y ago
    Theoretically, you could adjust your routine until it you can no longer fully comprehend it, which you can't anyway since you aren't privy to all the forces which determine your life. But this would be a liberated existence, where we aren't subject to the regularity and order of the clock.
- matwood 2y ago
  The morning is my time. I do it so I can spend time with family and friends. But like the OP said, it means I don't drink very much when I go out. I also come home at a reasonable hour. And when it's crunch time at work, that's when working out is most important for me.
- financltravsty 2y ago
  Love the blurb in your bio.
SoftTalker 2y ago
Touched on in the article: "There’s endless tips on what successful CEOs do with their mornings, making us feel bad for not executing core loops with machine-like efficiency." I think what's not said is that some people are just naturally very focused on achievement and moving up the ladder. If you have the drive to be a successful CEO, then adopting the behaviors and routines of a other successful CEOs will probably work for you. If you are not that type of person, then trying to become one by acting like one will just lead to frustration. I'm not a successful CEO, I have no desire to be one, I don't even want to be a manager of other people. It is not interesting to me. I've done it and can do it but it's not rewarding. I'm not a "hustler" and have no desire to be one. I don't keep a scorecard of how many checkboxes I ticked each day. Do what you are drawn to do, and look to other people who are successful at doing those things if you want role models.

swatcoder 2y ago

Yeah, I think if you prioritize one demanding routine, the rest of your life inevitably shakes into place around it without too much effort. And if it happens to be a routine that demands you be well (alert, rested, etc), most of what shakes out is stuff that keeps you well or at least doesn't inferfere with your wellness. And similarly if the demanding routine insists on less healthy habits. If your priority is socializing and drinking until 2am several nights, the shake out is going to look like miserable, exhausted mornings and hangovers. The hustle culture bs is the wellness equivalent of get rich quick schemes: "add this 10 minutes trifle and you'll finally be happy and successful!" --- But no, if you're not close to there already, the changes need to be way more comprehensive and radical.

Izikiel43 2y ago

I forced myself into a routine because with wfh, I woke up 9.50am and started working at 10am, and after the work day I was too tired to do anything, as well as becoming a blob. I joined a gym nearby, started going to the pool 7.30am, got charged 10$ if I didn't go, so I had the external incentive. Couple of years later (how time flies), I need to go swimming otherwise I'm in pain the next day due to the desk job. I've also added weightlifting 3 times a week, and then swimming, I'm feeling great, and when I finished my day, it feels like I haven't missed anything.

cen4 2y ago

[flagged]

moffkalast 2y ago

I believe in taking care of myself, in a balanced diet, in a rigorous exercise routine. In the morning, if my face is a little puffy, I'll put on an icepack while doing my stomach crunches. I can do a thousand now. After I remove the icepack, I use a deep-pore cleanser lotion. In the shower, I use a water-activated gel cleanser. Then a honey-almond bodyscrub. And on the face, an exfoliating gel-scrub. Then I apply an herb mint facial masque, which I leave on for ten minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine. I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol, because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older. Then moisturizer, then an anti-aging eye balm, followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.

audunw 2y ago
That’s great, but what’s your businesses card like?
- moffkalast 2y ago
  Ah, picked them up from the printer's yesterday. Colour's bone. And the lettering is something called Silian Rail. Let's see Paul Allen's card.

jimbokun 2y ago

I would say physical fitness does not fit the thesis of the article. It requires disciplined consistency doing the same thing repeatedly on a regular schedule to see benefits.

zeekaran 2y ago

> The reward for me is so significant that getting myself running requires 0 mental effort or preparation. Is there a drug I can take to achieve this? This sounds like a superpower to me. I've tried to start running so many times.

swatcoder 2y ago
It gets much easier to do regularly once you do it regularly, and it also gets easier when you learn how to control your pace and effort. It's hard (for a while) when you're first starting because most of your runs are pushing your limits -- intentionally or unintentionally -- and you can't help associating the runs with having to push and burn out. Once you practice for a while (and take the effort to learn pacing), the bulk of your runs feel easy and refreshing and so you want to go do them. And the hard runs that you choose to run for limit-pushing become satisfying because you know you're in control of them and can often see progress in your PR's for pace or whatever. In other words: you just have to stick with it and it mostly happens on its own. (Unless you're just a type-A person and can't learn to pace yourself)
brailsafe 2y ago
You just need to do something enough times that you can identify a positive feedback cycle, and then go from there. Don't expect to wake up one day and consistently start running every morning, that's a really absurd bar to try and hit out the gate. Just try and do it 3 times a week whenever you can and build on that. The overwhelming majority of people who've come to rigid early routine have come to that point either out of necessity, optimization, iteration, or habit, and what clicks is going to vary between people. People who don't go to the gym at all think they'll sign up at the beginning of the year and from zero make a life-changing routine change by the next week; gyms know this and take advantage of it to the point that many would go out of business if not for people failing to motivate themselves in that first month enough to start doing one of the hardest daily activities first thing in the morning 5 times a week. If you don't like running, just do something else, sometimes; running sucks if it sucks and doesn't if it doesn't. Optimize if the nature of the activity seems like something you can find doable/enjoyable/rewarding.
vladvasiliu 2y ago