Post: #1

Some time ago I shared here on the forum a blog/website that I found really interesting and inspiring in many different aspects of life.

Today I wanted to share a post on that website that even though hasn't been updated for a long time, I still believe this one is a great post that everybody should read and implement in their lives.

The 16 Habits You Should Do Everyday

Hopefully many of you find it useful.

Post: #2

Just skimmed through it but looks great.

Thanks for sharing.

Post: #3

Man that was definitely the longest thing I've read on habits. I need to check out good book on the subject. Really useful post, that spreadsheet idea is money.
Reminds me of dontbreakthechain.com
Only thing I can't relate to is meditation. Never been able to properly meditate in the traditional sense. Maybe I'll take another stab at it.

Post: #4

(12-18-2014 07:03 AM)oldirtybachelor Wrote:  Man that was definitely the longest thing I've read on habits. I need to check out good book on the subject. Really useful post, that spreadsheet idea is money.
Reminds me of dontbreakthechain.com
Only thing I can't relate to is meditation. Never been able to properly meditate in the traditional sense. Maybe I'll take another stab at it.

The author recommends meditation - I am the same, I've never properly been able to meditate regularly. This place (to which he linked) has 10-day retreats. Free. You can donate at the end if you're inclined. Looks interesting.

https://www.dhamma.org/

Post: #5

Meditation is something that most people here tend to have trouble with, mostly to actually want to start doing it. The article here says to dedicate some time for meditation daily.

However I prefer to meditate when I really feel I need to, this can mean I will meditate once every few weeks or once every few months. For me this approach makes meditation more special, rewarding and profound than what making it a daily activity would.

Also fitting 16 habits in the day is not easy, but he mentions on the post that he initially started with around 7 habits, which is pretty doable and still yields good rewards:


The good thing is that you can choose the habits you deem most important. Having a spreadsheet like this and updating it daily is really key for having success in this activity.

Post: #6

Yeah I think I'll start doing the spread sheet thing. Great idea for organizing yourself. Makes you think, if you build up the discipline to nail down 15+ habits consistently then your will power us probably stronger than 95 percent of the population.

Post: #7

Sleep more than 8 hours? Drink at least 1.5L water a day?

These sound like un-scientific bullshit to me. Quality of sleep matters just as much as quantity; 5 hours of amazing sleep can restore you greatly and having you pumped up the next day. Also, how much water you drink depends on how much fruits, soups, etc you eat.. i mean a watermelon is 99% water.. use your brains.
.

Post: #8

Ya this is a good link I got some value out of. It came up before on this thread too...

/thread-32381.html

Post: #9

(12-18-2014 07:45 AM)Yeti Wrote:  

(12-18-2014 07:03 AM)oldirtybachelor Wrote:  Man that was definitely the longest thing I've read on habits. I need to check out good book on the subject. Really useful post, that spreadsheet idea is money.
Reminds me of dontbreakthechain.com
Only thing I can't relate to is meditation. Never been able to properly meditate in the traditional sense. Maybe I'll take another stab at it.

The author recommends meditation - I am the same, I've never properly been able to meditate regularly. This place (to which he linked) has 10-day retreats. Free. You can donate at the end if you're inclined. Looks interesting.

https://www.dhamma.org/

There is one of those here in Lima... I'm going to contact them and see whats up with this. As long as they have classes in English I will sign up.

Edit. Lame you have to be a old student to do a lot of the courses except the 10 day day ones. There is a 10 day class that starts on the 28th but its filled... everything else is just 1-3 day classes and are only for old students.

Post: #10

(12-18-2014 11:08 AM)Cr33pin Wrote:  

(12-18-2014 07:45 AM)Yeti Wrote:  

(12-18-2014 07:03 AM)oldirtybachelor Wrote:  Man that was definitely the longest thing I've read on habits. I need to check out good book on the subject. Really useful post, that spreadsheet idea is money.
Reminds me of dontbreakthechain.com
Only thing I can't relate to is meditation. Never been able to properly meditate in the traditional sense. Maybe I'll take another stab at it.

The author recommends meditation - I am the same, I've never properly been able to meditate regularly. This place (to which he linked) has 10-day retreats. Free. You can donate at the end if you're inclined. Looks interesting.

https://www.dhamma.org/

There is one of those here in Lima... I'm going to contact them and see whats up with this. As long as they have classes in English I will sign up.

Edit. Lame you have to be a old student to do a lot of the courses except the 10 day day ones. There is a 10 day class that starts on the 28th but its filled... everything else is just 1-3 day classes and are only for old students.

Lame but at least that means that people are signing up. See if any of the retreats three or so months from now are available. I may take off two weeks later in 2015 to check out a retreat in some town I've never visited. At least, it will take me to lands unknown, and induce some spontaneity into what would otherwise be routine. Shake things up, try something new.

Post: #11

Ok, now I read it through.

The part that stood out the most for me was right at the top, the paradigms. And I realize that paradigms are also born out of habit, things we are so accustomed to doing (or thinking about) in a certain way that we cant even imagine them being able to exist in a different way.

Habits themselves are paradigms. So, all we need to do is identify those paradigms that arent helping out towards our goals and replacing them with different, positive paradigms that become so ingrained that we cant imagine things being a different way.

Post: #12

That's one of my favorite blog posts of all time. I've used that excel strategy for years now.

His new site is:

http://fergusonross.com/

Not sure how often he updates his blog, but definitely worth reading.

Post: #13

Great article.

I do most of the things on his list. However instead of excel, I keep track on a whiteboard with check marks. Every 10 days I erase the checks and have the number.

Example:

(60) √√√ which is 63 days.

If you want to up the difficulty try doing something every day for a year. It's very hard to accomplish. You can also 'cheat' a bit. Let's say you pick exercise but you don't have time a certain day, and you crank out 100 pushups...that would still count even though it's much less intensity than you're used to.

Post: #14

(12-18-2014 10:33 AM)Cyclone Wrote:  Sleep more than 8 hours? Drink at least 1.5L water a day?

These sound like un-scientific bullshit to me. Quality of sleep matters just as much as quantity; 5 hours of amazing sleep can restore you greatly and having you pumped up the next day. Also, how much water you drink depends on how much fruits, soups, etc you eat.. i mean a watermelon is 99% water.. use your brains.
.

You're nit-picking and missing the main point of his post which is to develop and measure consistency.

You don't have to use his habits, you can modify them or come up with ones of your own.

Post: #15

I loved this post and will be measuring the my 16 habits (slightly personalized).

I don't think he posts often at all. That post on Posture Part 1 was great, but it was posted well over a year ago, with no part 2.

I believe his last post was in April 2014.

Post: #16

Incredible article.

Post: #17

Yes the blog is not updated anymore, I wonder what the hell happened to the guy...

Also I think that that post about the 16 habits is not actually his, you can see that at the end it says "Author: Ferguson Ross".

Post: #18

I'm doing something similar on a spreadsheet after coming across this idea on the forum in the past. Here are my habits:

Wake up 5-6 AM
No Snooze
Did I Sleep 7 Hours?
Any Writing done today?
<10 min Facebook
Exercise/Stretching
1 Hour Timed Uni Work
Journal Entry
Clean Room
Plan Next Day
Did I build during the day (before 5PM)
Did I grind today?
Visualize 10 Minutes
Read 20 Minutes?
Foam Roll 10 Minutes

I simply [x] the habit when I've done it that day. Some habits I'm solid at and consistent, others I have yet to start. I haven't started the visualizing yet, as a habit at least. However, the fact I'm constantly missing it at least reminds me I got to get to it.

Post: #19

I'm gonna start a similar spreadsheet soon. I am gonna limit it to around 10 habits for now.

It would be nice if we all do this and share them on this thread.

Nothing helps better with good habit adherence than putting that mark of accomplishment and sharing it with others.

Post: #20

Great post. I have also been inspired to start this.

The challenge for me will be trying to keep the list from spiraling out of control.

Plan what to do today
Have a proper breakfast
Floss (often too lazy/rushed)
Getting shit done (from the plan)
Exercise
Meditate 10
Read 30
Korean 30
1 approach
No alcohol
No porn
No processed crap
Fruit 3
Water 1.5L (2.6 pints)
Protein (bodyweight)
Tidy bedroom
Read business news (general news is brainwashing poison for the mind so went with this instead)
Creative recreation
Brainbuster/puzzle
Podcast/TedTalk/Online Lecture
Journal 10
Do something kind/charitable

Post: #21

(12-19-2014 11:24 PM)FretDancer Wrote:  Yes the blog is not updated anymore, I wonder what the hell happened to the guy...

Also I think that that post about the 16 habits is not actually his, you can see that at the end it says "Author: Ferguson Ross".

Yep. The author is Ferguson Ross, his website is http://fergusonross.com/.

He's got some seriously good stuff on there-

http://fergusonross.com/habits/millionai...llionaire/

Quote:So what would happen if you did nothing? If you sat on your ass and did nothing – for a year. You didn’t answer a call, you never checked your email, just did nothing?

Dan could disappear and the world wouldn’t blink. Elon dies and the world would mourn as the course of humanity curves for the worst.

He's also got another website here on Internet marketing and startups-

http://www.thestartuptakeoff.com/

Post: #22

Good thread.

What follows is my opinion, based on years of meditation, and also on quite a bit of bias I've developed as a result of being constantly bombarded with new-agey, hippie-dippy bullshit for even more years:

If you really want a book on meditation, go ahead and buy one. Don't spend a lot of money on this, because meditation can be explained in one or two pages, or less. Long ago I read an early edition of How to Meditate by Lawrence LeShan, and it was short, to-the-point, and entirely adequate. A more recent edition is currently on Amazon for ten dollars or less.

If you really want to go on a retreat, by all means do so, but again, don't spend a lot of money on this. Remember that you can accomplish the exact same thing by going camping, which is basically free.

Here is how to meditate:

1. Eliminate distractions (turn off ringer, lock your door, dim lights if that helps you, soft music to block out noise, etc.),

2. Get comfortable. Sit in a chair, lie down, stand up, cross your legs, keep them straight, whatever. The important thing is that you can relax and hold still for a period of time. You don't need a special magic carpet, you don't need a robe woven from thread spun by a virgin, you don't need to get into the venerable Wanking Tiger Herniates A Cervical Disc Pose, or any other nonsense. Just put on some sweatpants and take a seat.

3. Close your eyes.

4. Breathe in.

5. Breathe out.

6. Meditate, which means: Pay attention to your breathing. That's it. Put all your attention on breathing in, and breathing out. Don't breathe any special way, just breathe normally, and focus your attention just on that. The goal is to focus 100% of your mind on just that one thing, without distraction, without errant thoughts intruding, and especially without strain.

7. When you find your mind wandering, and it will, learn to notice this and just turn back to thinking about your breathing. We on this forum probably (hopefully) are harder than average on ourselves when we fail at a task. Meditation is not the appropriate place for that. Just keep going back to your intended focus, over and over again, until your brain gets it.

Simple, but not easy. Complications built atop this basic recipe (visualizations, chanting, goddamn didgeridoo or whatever) are at best things that have helped someone, somewhere, at some time, and at worst, someone's profiteering. If they help, great, but it is the meditation itself that gives you magic powers, such as increased concentration, better memory, better sleep, etc. Don't overthink it.

After you learn to think about just one thing, you can try not thinking about anything.

Post: #23

Here's my list so far.

Wake up before 8AM
Journal
Study Chinese (at least 30min)
Current Events in Spanish
Lift Weights
Career Reading
Personal Development Reading
1 Approach
No masturbating
Floss

Stole the Floss one from @dreambig . Also always forget. Now excuse me while I go do exactly that.

Post: #24

My ideal day is wakeup 3am, learn css 3hrs, write one article for my practice blog, eat brekky, research more into starting online stores, go for run, 30min nap, get started on my affliate niche website, wrap some presents for family members, talk with my developer about my phone app, eat, watch an ep of madmen or read some copy, go to bed. Doing this tomorrow.

Post: #25

Started today. God I love this forum.

Since we're sharing, mine are:

Eat right-no junk
No fap
Read 30 mins
Meditate 10
Gym
Cold shower
Tidy, organised yard
At yard by 6AM
7 hrs sleep
Practice music 30 mins
<10 mins forums ex RVF
1 approach
Floss
Plan next day
Ten minutes brain workout

The red/green background on a spreadsheet is indeed easy to review, but if you were to use a simple binary 1/0, that would allow you to instruct Excel to calculate the percentage of adherence to a particular habit over many months. Also, I'd think it must be possible to have Excel automatically assign a colour to a cell based upon it's value anyway.

That way you would just have to glance at the percentage summaries to see what you oughta focus on a bit more. Especially when you're tracking a lot of habits. I plan to add more once I'm on track.