6 - Stupid simple habits to automate / by Paul Solt

Habits allow you to automate some of your daily thinking and can give you more time to focus on the things that matter most. Health, fitness, family, and productivity.

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  1. Rate this podcast in iTunes
  2. Season 1: Tuesday and Thursday episodes

Simple Habit Ideas

Here's a list of habits you can start. I was inspired to start push-ups because of James Clear.

  1. Flossing 2 teeth
    1. Grab my attention: “Floss the teeth you want to keep” - Dentist
  2. Push ups: 70 and 1 more each day (2 months)
    1. Rock climbing strength
  3. Walking 5,000 steps
    1. Goal: 10,000 steps
    2. Health Mate app: https://itunes.apple.com/app/id542701020
    3. Withings Wireless scale $99 (recommended): http://www.withings.com/us/ws-30.html
    4. Withings Wireless Fat scale $149 (fat analyzer isn't a feature I really wanted): http://www.withings.com/us/smart-body-analyzer.html
  4. Reading 5 pages a day
    1. Too easy, why even bother? Don't listen to the negative people, just do it.
    2. Easy to keep going after you start
  5. Eat more vegetables and fruit (my mom's a dietitian)
    1. My eating rule: only eat high calorie, meat, or carb heavy foods after vegetables + fruit (I'm down 7 pounds in 2015, 20 pounds from 2014)
    2. My Lunch + breakfast are mostly vegetarian because of this habit
  6. Next time you procrastinate a paper, blog post, or assignment – start a timer for 2 minutes and write something
  7. Starting is always the hardest part – make it so easy that’s stupid simple to start.

How to start a habit

  1. gather any resources, books, items you need (prepare and plan)
  2. Set them aside or in a pile for you to use without thinking (make it easy)
  3. Example 1: I bought new shoes and socks as a reward for walking more
  4. Example 2: I cut fruit and vegetables each morning to encourage myself to eat more fruit and vegetables each day (it really helps with audio recordings and prevents energy crashes)

Next time

  1. Special episode on Friday, April 10th (Apple Watch hands-on + Macbook)
  2. My reading list and books for creative people next Tuesday

Your Turn

What's your favorite habit? Comment below or post it on iTunes in your review (every star helps!).