So I've been holed up in "work mode" lately -- not taking phone calls or getting onto the internet very much.
I've always thrived off of stating my goals publicly, to force myself to be consistent, and my goal right now is to have Blueprint book and the new RSD Nation out by January 2009.
I'm in the zone right now. I've just experienced the most productive year of my life. There have been a lot of rewards for it, both personaly and professionally, and I'm aiming to take it to the next level in the coming months.
What I want to offer here are a few secrets I've been lucky to figure out, and that I've found to be incredibly helpful. A lot of this has been becoming a sort of revolution in how work is done in recent years.
(And by the way -- being back on Blueprint I'm writing about "picking up girls" on an ongoing basis, so I'm thinking the articles over the next few weeks might venture into a lot of non POOOAH related areas like this one -- if you don't dig it, wait for Blueprint because you'll be swimming in all sorts of great stuff on how to become better with girls.)
Alright let's do it.
1- REMOVE THE INTERNET FROM YOUR HOUSE
Getting off of the internet is tough...
I mean, it's so damned COOL. There's so much info at your finger tips it's like you can gluttonize yourself with it.
What's not to love??
Well in Honolulu I removed internet from my house and found that my productivity basically doubled. The internet is a massive diversion. It allows you to continually "click over" to some other site when you don't feel like working.
More than that, I realized that in the past I had an addiction to checking email. Running operations there are always these little "fires" you have to put out on an ongoing basis.These are distracting and annoying, but even worse, they give you a little shot of adrenaline and stress. Over time the little adrenaline injection becomes addictive, even if it's unpleasant.
Your nervous system is adapted to become addicted to whatever state is most necessary -- whatever you're most exposed to -- and over time you start putting yourself into situations where you can get your "fix" even if it isn't what you really want. That's what the internet became for me.
In Hawaii I fixed it, by making it so I had to bike to the internet cafe about 15 minutes away whenever I wanted to use it. The charge was about $10/hr and it forced me to write my articles from home and just bring them to post them.
In Los Angeles I have a situation where there's a few computers in the lobby, so I can just walk downstairs every few days and do what I need to do. Totally solid.
I still check my favourite sites and blogs, but it's on a PROACTIVELY DECIDED ON period of time, instead of just surfing and surfing.
Really I can't recommend this highly enough.
2- REMOVE TELEVISION FROM YOUR HOUSE
This doesn't even need much explanation.
TV in the house is giving mainstream media a direct link to infect your brain. They change the frame every 7 seconds to keep you constantly stimulated, which causes you to become addicted to instant gratification. No good.
I still have a few shows I enjoy, like "Lost" (because I come from Hawaii so I love all the shots) and "Entourage", and ummmmmmm, actually I think that's all I really watch at this point.All of these I watch on my laptop player, with no advertising, which I order from Netflix.
Mostly I like to watch nature videos like "Planet Earth" (on Blu Ray -- waaaaay better) and "Blue Planet" so I can plan out the places I'm interested in visiting and it puts me in a good mood.
3- POUND YOURSELF FULL OF BERRIES AND FRUITS AND VEGETABLES AND CLEAN MEATS
White flour, white sugar, saturated fats........NO GO.
I find this stuff fries my brain and burns me out. You eat this stuff and you can't seem to get anything done.
I love food and I love eating, but I pound myself full of all sorts of great stuff that makes me feel "powered up".
Running bootcamps on the weekend I sometimes forget to bring food out with me and I wind up eating hamburgers and all sorts of crap. I've had to discipline myself to bring out the pocket-sized organic bars and proper food in a tupper ware.Obviously it's funny in contrast to the lifestyle of alcohol, drugs, and eating after-hours pizza that most of these people eat. They're in a different phase of their lives than I am, so it just is what it is.
You have to watch yourself when you're going out a lot, because when you're immersing yourself around party girls on an ongoing basis, you start to become a lot LIKE them.
For the most part, going out a lot is a super positive habit, especially when you're learning all sorts of new stuff about social interaction.
It's just a point of being super clear on your personal standards for yourself, which is valuable in making yourself an attractive person regardless.
4- BLACK OUT YOUR BED ROOM AND SLEEP IN THE PITCH DARK
Most people don't realize how under slept they are. Even if you go to bed early there's still usually light leaking into your room that deprives you of sleep.
Generally you want the room you sleep in to be so dark you can't see your hand in front of your face. Even if you go to bed early there is still light that comes in around 5AM that reduces the ability of sleep to renew you.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pineal_gland
Personally I have my window blacked out 100%, and I put a curtain in front of the door so no light can leak in through the door either. It is very literally pitch black. Phone off. Ear plugs. Yup, those too, as utterly neurotic as it sounds.
Generally I want my mind with full clarity during the day because when I'm underslept I get paranoid and stressed out. I also find my mind tends to veer into a lot of old patterns that I spent years working to change -- negativity, nonsense, bullshit, etc.
The only thing I've proven to do well when under slept is public speaking and running bootcamps. For some reason the little trickle of adrenaline I get from teaching sort of balances out against the lack of sleep.Regardless I always strive to get as much sleep as possible. The "sweet spot" is 8 hours. But I'd even rather sleep 10 hours and be in the zone all day than sleep 5 hours and have the extra time.
5- TURN YOUR DAMNED CELL PHONE OFF
Any time you answer a text message, answer a phone call, or do anything that takes you out of your zone, it's going to be a least a few minutes before you get back into that zone.
I find I get the most done in 90 minute to 120 minute chunks.Generally the most productive parts of my year come from when I'm fully engaged in what I'm doing. None of this multitasking nonsense.
I also don't share this often, and I don't judge people for it AT ALL, but I have the personal opinion that having your cell phone left on when you're out with friends is obnoxious.
It's cool in certain situations when you're waiting for a girl to show up, or some buddies to arrive, but once you've got the whole party going it's time to hit the off-switch.
6- RECOGNIZE DRAMA AND AVOID IT
In case you didn't know this about me -- uhhhhh, I've been around a bit of drama in my life.
And so it's been huge, almost epic, to get into a zone where I've consciously moved past it.
Sometimes people ask me about this, like "Does that mean you're AFRAID of drama?? AFRAID of negativity?? Why even react to it enough to avoid it??"
I agree with that, but where I'm coming from is I've been around drama, and heck, been the guy PROPAGATING drama for the first twenty odd years of my life. I figure I've sort of "been there, done that..."
I've learned that the only power drama has over you is it's power to DISTRACT. If you lose even five minutes of your day on some thought loop about people who are annoying you, you've screwed up.
If there are people in your life who are making your head "spun out" with drama, end your relationship with them and let them know the reason why.(Assuming you're being reasonable and clear thinking -- not just blaming other people for how you feel, when you're being dramatic yourself).
In the past I've had people do that to ME, and it actually helped me to recognize the problems with where my head was at. There is no "favour" in tolerating second class behaviour from people because it communicates to them that what they're doing is cool.
Again -- before you cut out drama from your life, recognize and fix YOUR OWN drama.
BE the person who you expect others to be. You don't attract the friends who you WANT, you attract the friends that are similar to what you currently ARE.
If you change yourself, the types of friends you'll have will improve along with you.
7- WHEN YOU DO SOMETHING FUN MAKE SURE IT'S SOMETHING YOU REALLY ENJOY
To be honest I haven't really figured out what my new hobbies are going to be now that I've moved back to Los Angeles. I'm still re-acquainting myself with the city.
My main hobby for the time being is teaching bootcamps. I consider that my "off time" for the week, even though I'm working hard.
In Hawaii I used to do a lot of hiking and surfing. I also used to bike around all over the neighbourhood.
A day of that leaves me feeling good and ready to work. This is in direct contrast to how the majority of people spend time watching TV or surfing the internet, which just numbs their brains.
"Time off" should FIRE YOU UP, not be used as an ESCAPE.
Do NOT answer your phone when you're out having fun. And even more important, do NOT allow to be dragged into drama or gossip or internal negativity during your time off, because then it becomes absolutely useless.
A big thing when you're working hard is to just take time off to laugh with your friends.
That's something that I've ignored a lot over the years, and I'm now realizing how important it is.Just being social has a sort of aspect to it where you go home feeling like life is good.
8- MEDITATE FOR 20 MINUTES A DAY
People ask me about this, and my outlook towards it is very practical.
The purpose of meditation is to calm down the internal dialogue that's slowing you down from getting things done.
Meditation basically RECONDITIONS your brain to focus itself sharply, instead of needing to be distracted and fuzzy. This is really such a difference from where most people's heads are at, although hopefully in our lifetimes we'll see that begin to change.
Think of your internal dialogue as a wheel that spins and spins and spins. Meditation slows it down and gets you into that state of clarity that is super productive.
It's a shame that meditation has been associated with the sometimes over-the-top eastern "gurus" and "reincarnation". I have a great deal of respect for all different cultures and belief systems, but I also think such a strong association to the average person who doesn't identify with it can turn them off.
Personally I was turned off of it for YEARS because I had associations to white people dressed up in Indian garments saying "Namaste" and making funny prayer movements.
Sometimes I'll see people get into meditation and get so much peace of mind out of it they wind up using it as an escape.They get sucked into a mindset that the only goal in life is to be "in the now" -- when for a young person (anyone younger than 50) that's far more about escapism than it is about having profound experience of life.
In my mind meditation is especially applicable for peak performers.
That could be entrepreneurs, CEO's, writers, speakers and stage performers, or ANY occupation AT ALL.
It's a simple habit where you just sit in a chair and look at the wall, allow your awareness onto your breathing, and around the 10 or 15 minute mark you'll find that you become incredibly calm.
There's really nothing to this. You don't have to sit cross-legged or close your eyes. No "Ohmmmm" noises. None of that stuff.
Personally I just sit in my office chair, set my phone alarm to ring "Alarm only" in 20 minutes, and stare at the wall or out the window for twenty minutes.
This is obviously pretty funny to think about, but at the same time, most people who've kept up this habit and then fall off will say stuff like "Man I really need to start doing that again" and "Wow I was really at my best when that was my zone".
You can even get all self righteous and view it as "ME TIME" -- where you're just enjoying yourself, doing what YOU want to do, chilling out and enjoying the fact that you exist.
9- POUND YOU BRAIN FULL OF OXYGEN BY EXERCISING
In Honolulu I used to wake up and blast around the volcano beside my house every morning, along the ocean, and back home. In Los Angeles I'm stuck with a cardio machine but I just read while I'm doing it.
This pummels your brain with oxygen and makes you a smarter dude for at least a few hours.Generally you want to be pounding yourself with exercise, so your circulatory systems are pumping you brain with oxygen and endorphins throughout the day.
People who live sedentary lifestyle tend to be more "DUUUUUR" than people who exercise. It only gets worse with age as well, which is why most people are less intelligent as they get older when in reality they should be a lot smarter (because they have more knowledge and life experience).
Humans are evolved to walk about 11 or 12 miles a day. If you look at how your ancestors migrated from Africa to Australia, Africa to Asia, Africa to Europe, Africa to Russia and then through to Alaska and all the way down to South America -- this was all in an incredibly short period of time.
These people were incredibly intelligent and adaptable to make it that far, despite not being formally educated.
If you want the similar advantage, which as absolutely melodramatic as it sounds is your BIRTH RIGHT (cue the music -- duh duh duhhhhhhhhh), you have to make it your hobby and passion to make use of your body in similar ways.
10- READ BOOKS THAT HAVE THE VIBE THAT YOU WANT FOR YOURSELF
Generally I try to read every day, and around 400 to 700 pages a week.
Sound extreme?? Well I'd wager that YOU read about the same amount.
The difference is whether it's random Wikipedia articles, Digg, CNN, etc, or is it really high quality stuff??
Warren Buffet's partner Charlie Munger has a great quote:
"In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn't read all the time-none, zero. You'd be amazed at how much Warren reads-and at how much I read. My children laugh at me, they think I'm a book with a couple of legs sticking out"
Personally I lost the habit of reading for about 3 years when my energy was driven towards mastering POOOAH. My focus was on going out and learning from the world.Since then my fascination has only increased, but that's something I've furthered by travelling 3 or 4 months a year.
To get back reading took a bit of an adjustment. At first I felt like I wanted to "take a nap" when I'd sit down to read, or I'd get up and pace around every few minutes.
I basically just pushed through it, and forced myself to read for at least an hour a day. Even if I wanted to get up or take a nap I'd just keep doing it. After about six months it was no problem, and at this point I'm good to sit inside reading all day if it's necessary.
However I don't think that "absorbing information" is the purpose of reading at all.
I think that a really great book has a sort of frequency or vibe to it that's based in positivity, abundance, presence, intelligence, and wit, that sort of "re-aligns" you every day to that sort of mindset.
Purpose of reading = re-alignment with that vibe.
Not necessarily more knowledge to tell yourself "I'm soooo smart."
That's also why I enjoy reading autobiographies even if the information in them isn't always directly applicable.
ALRIGHT SO THAT'S IT!!
You'll notice the key and theme here is CONSCIOUSLY CHOOSING YOUR INPUT.
If you allow trash into your system, whether it's bad sleep, bad food, distraction, gossip, pettiness, or whatever, it's going to be "Garbage in, garbage out..."
Do your best to maximize the positive influences into your zone.
A bit of bullshit is totally fine, and you don't want to lose your grounding in reality by living in "Happy world" all the time -- where a bit of nonsense knocks you on your head.
The point is just to make the conscious choice to saturate yourself with the "good stuff" -- and when you do that, the results you're going to produce are going to be a reflection of that.
And this isn't something I arrived to over a short period of time.
It was an adjustment over the past few years. Each habit was implemented individually, usually over a month's time.
In the past I was younger and I didn't care that much about my life. I allowed myself to get involved in bullshit, whether it was neglecting my health, getting involved in useless drama and gossip, or allowing my mind to run all over the place.
I implemented all this stuff because I realized I'm getting older and I wanted the time to visit the places I wanted to visit, and to do the things I want to do.
Oh yeah, and before you ask, I still make the time to go out and hit the clubs three nights a week -- so this isn't an "either/or" type of scenario.AT ALL.
The bottom line is you're worth it, no??
You have to respect yourself enough to figure out a system to get what you want in life -- adapted to whatever phase of your life you're in at the particular time.
This is a small window into MY system, and if you want to elevate yourself then you likely want to come up with one of your own.
Hopefully that's helpful, and of course, thanks for reading, as always!!
Tyler
98 comments:
I thougth I was the only one addicted to cpu. u 2? NO MORE CPU. bye bye cpu.
Thanks for the value man like seriously.
healthy system being created. also, i lvoe how you advocate meditation to others. IT HELPS SOOO MUCH.
peace
jason.
Insightful and helpful, as always. The energy you can get yourself to put into your work is also energy you'll receive back.
Everything you mentioned in this article resonated with me. I felt like every tip was a helpful nudge towards improvement in my own life. You sound a lot like my other role models, which shows me you guys are all converging on a common "right action". I'm very glad to be in a society where I can learn so much from role models without having to go through the years of learning it myself. Thanks for this great article, Tyler!
Thanks for this mate I really liked this article.
Hope you'll forever update this blog because I'm pretty sure I'll be forever reading it.
This is the type of thing that really keeps me going.
Amazing article. I think this is the best one i have read by you.
I have been shifting through a lot of the helpful ideas to implement out there, a lot of them are bogus and takes time to shift through till you get to the good ones. The list you wrote out I really appreciate. It will give me a solid list to work towards.
If you are going towards the general self-help arena, I think your viewpoint is amazing, fresh, and easily accessible. I also love how you don't sugar coat anything, or say the world can be yours if you simply want it.
Bro, your viewpoints and ideas have always been the bomb and are maturing so much as your progress.
Really looking forward to your first "self help" product.
No TV, has already done. I have started living in college, and I have let my driven exercising self to be screwed up by porcrastination and the little "fixes" of checking rsd, facebook, and the other plethora of bullshit. I have let myself eating more bullshit at the cafeteria here instead of the food I had disciplined and trained myself for years to eat as a wrestler.
Tyler, this will be my one week productivity challenge, (hopefully longer, but of course we must lie to our minds like this).
Time to trek my ass to the library for the interwebz!
I like your ideas, but you are right, soon I will have to make my own rules. Rock on Tyler.
Great article. Extreme amount of value here
Awesome post! I definitely vouch for the "getting more stuff done when you spend less time on the computer" thing. Speaking of which...
-SeVenight
Great article... Really enjoyed it!
I liked the note about fruits. I regularly go to COSTCO and buy big bags of frozen strawberries, mixed berries,and mixed fruit. I defrost them overnight in a huge ziploc bag and then take it with me and eat it throughout the day. People sometimes look at me really weird when I break out huge ziploc of defrosted strawberries in starbucks while I'm studying or just even walking aroudn the sidewalk eating out of it. I'll also go to whole foods and buy 1/4 of a water and just eat it with a fork and I seem to almost always have people commenting or even remembering me "i saw you eating a whole watermelon" because I eat it in such a caveman way. I'm at whole foods 2-3 times a day, and I'm aware that they sell a lot of those 1/4 watermelons, yet I never see anyone else eating them outside in the eating area. I have a strong suspicion that they are just being confined by social conditioning.
I'm gonna look into to buying something that will block out the light in my room too. I have been going to bed really late--bad habit. I only get like 1 hr of sleep while its dark and even worse my window leaks a lot of light. I hope I can find a cheap solution.
Anyways awesome article!
This is bang-on!
Preparing for a big exam and running out of time I implemented similar habits for the last 2 weeks - getting up at 6am, running first thing in the morning while listening to motivational stuff, meditating, reading an article (like "Focus and Direction" by Tyler) and then productive work...
combined with visiting certain websites/blogs at a fixed time in the evening as a reward for the work, while generally blocking most internet. visiting forums only once per week (Sunday for an hour).
the metaphor of "freeing mental RAM" helped me here.
btw when implementing these habits it's essential that you make a decision and never deviate from it - not even once.
what I would add is taking a nap early afternoon. Gets you a second morning.
I'd be interested Owen how your breaks look like and how you combine this with eating - a smaller meal every 2 hours?
Now that I'll do this more proactively than the last two weeks and want to go out 4+ times, I wonder, considering that you have bootcamp 3x/week -- do you get up at the same time every day? Or do you rise the other days earlier?
great article Owen, thanks.
phantom
You hear about it all the time, but until you actually experience it, it sounds like someone just preaching their own reality and trying to convince you its the 'only way'.
I'm talking about eating well and exercising as part of your lifestyle. Once you 'get it' you can't imagine going back.
Like you, Tyler, I gradually got into this, over about a 3 year period in which time I've lost about 40 lbs - one thing led to another. Now I cycle about 6-8 hours per week, do 30 minutes of weights a day, and am much more careful what I eat (lots of fish, fruit, veg, and whole grain).
And it doesn't just change your body - it changes *you*.
I know that a lot of people say 'looks dont matter' but when you work out and eat well and exercise your entire VIBE changes, as well as your looks. Your body language just gets more confident and dominant, you think quicker, you feel more energetic and positive. And girls DO notice your shape :-); the shape that nature intended flips a switch in their brain.
I think its a massive boost to improving your 'game'. Not just PU, but the game of Life, and if anything I think the benefit of these aspects are understated in a lot of the 'PUA' theory/wisdom that I've read.
Hey Owen,
Thanks for this article; awesome, always good to get some advice on increasing productivity. It is just a matter of setting up the right conditions and learning the right habits.
Sleeping with earplugs, I do that too, sometimes, but it kind of bugs me. How long did it take you to get really used to consistently sleep with earplugs?
Thanks,
Dirk
awesome article, tyler!
and it's totally applicable to "picking up girls". everything that's about living a better, more positive and satisfying life has a lot of parallels to how to get success with women.
this post is aimed towards positivity (= a satisfying life by your own unique terms). being persistent and cutting out the distracting noise is absolutely crucial in the field, too.
it's all connected.
i love your sense for the bigger picture and totally appreciate the time you put into these articles for free.
thanks,
tim
Tyler, you forgot the ultimate step - "clean your car" ;)
Spot on as always!!
You re-opened my mind again to some very important concept that makes life a little easier.
//Sweden guy in Honolulu
Thanks for this! More lifestyle articels I love them!
That's absolutely the best blog post I've read this fall. All the 10 items are basic stuff, but it's the mastering of basics that makes up a good foundation where you can build your life on. Most people don't focus on the basics enough. Like, everyone knows that drinking water is good, but still most people do not drink enough.
1 (removing Internet)
That's a huge one for me. While I can't remove it completely because of my studies, I can check my mail and IM less often, like twice a day.
2 (removing TV)
I haven't had a TV since I left my parents' home.
3 (eating healthy)
My body is a biological machine, and my eating habits determines its level of function. Feelings and thoughts are caused by chemical reactions in your brain and what you eat causes those reactions.
4 (sleeping environment)
It's optimal to go to sleep when you're tired. Sleeping environment should have fresh air and no background noises. A bed should be used only for sleeping and sex.
Yo, Tyler great article, as always.
Just one thing..
Saturated fats are good for you. It is the myth of modern medicine that perpetuates misinformation about saturated fats/cholesterol.
Saturated fats in raw organic butter, raw unpasteurized milk, grass fed beef, coconut oil, and avacado are very good for you.
Here is an amazing article called "The Truth about Saturated fat", check it out:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2002/08/17/saturated-fat1.aspx
Great tips!
"If you lose even five minutes of your day on some thought loop about people who are annoying you, you've screwed up"
""Time off" should FIRE YOU UP, not be used as an ESCAPE."
"Purpose of reading = re-alignment with that vibe."
- I've got to remember these for life.
Thanks man.
AWESOME article, as always.
I've realised that I do pretty much the opposite of all these points, and then I wonder why I'm going through a low period in my life!
I can definitely relate to the benefits of undertaking each practice though - I've felt what it's like to keep those things in check at different points.
Anyways, awesome stuff.
mate
seriously
awesome.
Man, I feel like I'd totally get along with you 100%.
this hit me at the perfect time too.
if you're ever coming to Australia, you are emailing me and I'm doing a bc with you.
peace
Best non-pua article ever! I got rid of the tv but I know I need to get rid of the internet. Been resisting for a year now. It's time to let it go. Should free up about 6 hours, no shit.
Also cool you wrote about the month long implementation phase for each thing. seemed overwhelming until you said that.
always get loads out of these articles, thank you thank you!
this is JUST what i needed. For real
I'm really enjoying the shift in material that your blog has taken and am getting a ton of value from it. I hope you find the time to update this more often dude
Great article. As usual.
When meditating I like this music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj-DWJE7Y2Y
And joining a Yoga or Buddhist meditation group is good because the trance effect is deeper when you do it together with others.
And seeing meditation as a "religious" exercise has the advantage that it helps me to focus on love.
And game and Pooah is about love, isnt it : )
With no tv and no internet, what do you do when you have people over? I don't like to make conversation the only form of entertainment so I'm not sure what there would really be to do when a few people came over. Or do you mainly go out with friends? Actually, might make good lifestyle type article. Would love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks for the article Owen
Rad -
Im pumped to hear more from you about cultural impact.
-John Kennedy
No Internet, no cell phones and nothing on TV? If you just add some Grunge, this sounds like 1992 all over again!
Thanks for reminding me to add in meditation to the daily routine. Good stuff man.
DUDE BRO... you should get into yoga as well. It's like exercise and meditation together. Glory.
I've stared the pitch black sleep thing too, and it's awesome. Another thing I'm gonna try is making my girlfriend sleep on the floor so she doesn't disturb me.
Kidding.
Sort of.
Hey Tyler, do you sleep with your girlfriend, or have you insisted no because of sleep quality or some other reason?
Great article, it was completely pertinent to where I am in my life situation. Thanks for updating.
Those were some very nice tips. And I feel very good that I recognize myself having implemented a lot of these habits already, as you are one of my foremost role models. That must mean I'm getting closer to my goals :) Keep it up!
/25yr old swede
Wow, so many hours and still no comments? This stuff is gold people! I'm already doing a few of those things. Ditching tv was simply one of the best things I ever did. Believe me, you won't miss it! You can just get the few interesting series that are out there online!
Tyler, thank you once again for your insights!
I dont know if its just me,but your articles seem to be EXACTLY what i need to hear at a particular moment to get back on track
Reading these always keeps me on track. I so appreciate your work. Question though, It's hard for me to put on muscle. I feel more energized and generally better when I eat a lot of fruit and water rich foods, but how can I get muscle mass without eating a lot of meat? Peanuts only go so far for protein. And what is clean meat? If Tyler or anyone reading has some insight that you KNOW actually WORKS, it would be great!
I Love the habits you proposed!
Thanks, awesome article Tyler, a lot of the things you say here are what I do half assed, now that you've clarified some things I know more about what is possible and what I should do to up my game in being happy, productive, and successful. Im excited to see your future products on self help, it'd be super interesting because I predict you'll go way in depth, even more than the existing self help products out there, and it'll come with a cool vibe too.
Theres a new chode arising, and its the unproductive chode! I'd laugh if I see chode in your self help products hahaha.
much love!
Intensely practical, good shit man, and really helpful.
I don't know if I speak for the majority here, but I love the posts where you impart these lessons through personal experience, like the speaking engagement one... really powerful.
I always read shit like "meditate 20 minutes a day" and say yeah I'll do it... but those personal stories that suck you in really get me off my ass.
I totally have to agree with the idea of garbage in, garbage out. Looking back over the past 6 months of my life, I have seen big improvements in my relationships, health, focus, attitudes of myself and the world because of the habits that I've changed. Just love the process. Keep up the good work Tyler.
You make me nervous of love. ...or something. As usual, spreading awesomeity all over :). Super kudos.
I'm kinda interested to know what it is exactly that you eat. Like, what are your favorite foods? Diet has been a sticking point for me like forever, until i resorted to having carnation instant breakfast at least once a day to keep the 'ol vitamins up, but I'm always happy to learn what would actually be good to eat!
great article, full of interesting stuff on many many subjects. i agree that the being in the now type of thing can sometimes be related to some sort of escapism, of trying to be in the happy zone all isolated from the rest of the world.
thanks for your work, so interesting.
davo.
Absolutely stellar.
But I should point out that "Ohm" is a pretty cool sound you can make.
Great Post. I've already been doing a lot of this stuff. The one thing that I just can't seem to shake is the internet. I try to tell my self it isn't that big of a deal, but I'm starting to see that it has to go.
Hey great post. I never really knew how hooked I was to the Internet until I lived in an apartment where I couldn't afford it. I got so much done during that time. My grades went up, I became a lot more social, and I focused more on one thing instead of multitasking like I do on the Internet. I was forced to leave my apartment to get stuff done. Thanks for the refresher; unhooking the Internet tomorrow.
Hmm, very interesting post. I'm definitely going to make the effort to avoid the internet and television unless I have a specific purpose. I find many times 1 TV show turns to 4 or 5, or me checking my email turns to an hour on youtube, so I'm gonna watch that.
Lately I've been traveling a lot and my life doesn't have much routine to it, and I've noticed that the traveling is awesome but the time home now is much more wasted because I do have go-to productive/positive things to turn to.
Also, I'd like to hear your thoughts on doing something you truly don't enjoy. I'm extremely passionate and energetic when I want to learn something...but I'm currently taking a class that I don't enjoy (but have to take) and I just can't seem to get a sustained period of focus in. Either I work and it goes painfully slow, or I procrastinate and feel shitty about it.
Thanks for the post, always enjoy them.
When you're traveling, how do you cope with sleeping without complete darkness?
This was just what I needed as I'm at a point in my life where I need to be more productive than ever before to reach my current goals. I've already cut out the cable, it's amazing, you don't miss tv at all and your production skyrockets. And by the way I enjoy the non pooah articles even more, it's the kind of stuff that really gets me thinking in the right way. I've read more pooah articles than one would even need to pull a chick. Thanks for the tips.
Great Blog dude...
Im coming from a place where i wanne succeed with Money, and hoes from different area codes. this article is spot on, cuz if you gonna get rich And work at pick at the same time, and also exercise. Damn you gotto be sharp. and thats whats this article is about.
Loved the article
keep it up
Aligator
Aren't you going to live in Florianopolis anymore? What happened to that?
I've lived there... it's a great city.
Awesome post Tyler. Loved the part about going out and still keeping your own personal standards to eat healthy, which inherently is attractive due to having clear personal standards. Definitely resonates with the blueprint. Keep the great posts coming!
Owen,
This is a phenomenal post. It's exciting to see the direction you're headed. Keep writing like this, and people will follow.
Cheers, Dr. Asian Rake.
Awesome article. Thanks a lot. What do you propose to do when having to walk for a prolonged period of time every day? (like an hour) Do you have any input on how to best make use of this walking time?
It's good to see you writing these kind of articles. It puts things into a broader, clearer perspective for me.
Thanks!
Wim
Man, this is awesome. I kinda already knew most of the points in this list, but seing them this condensed is great, it solidifies it for me.
I will especially take the internet-point to heart. Time to log off! :)
Awesome article.
Tyler, great article. You are incredibly driven and I have 2 questions..
1. What is your stress level? I notice it a reoccurring theme in your posts to say how non-stop holy shit In Your Face busy you are in every hour of every day, or that is the impression I get.
2. How happy are you?
Cheers
And 3rd, now that I think about it.
Even though your routine is insanely positive... meditation, reading, eating healthy, exercising, no distractions of tv or phones, and so on...
Does it still become a routine after awhile? It's a fact of life that even the best things get 'old,' hence why most lottery winners end up killing themselves.
Do you switch up your routine at all to keep it zesty, and from turning into a routine?
TOTALLY agree on the garbage in - garbage out. I was at such a point in my life a few years ago; where I would watch continuous you-tube videos with stoner-buddies for weeks. It's like once you start you can't stop...Fucked up. I actually got a big anxiety attack at that point due to the FUCKED up life I was living: total brain-dead and GARBAGE just flowing in; with garbage in out and everywhere really. Just garbage indeed.
It was THAT moment in time that actually really started me on this conquest.
So yeah, this post hits home with me like a fuddermucker.
Stopped watching tv & the news; stop watching the news = big. I mean you hear all of the REALLY essential from peers within a few hours anyways. If it sounds that important you can always go check it out at THAT point...
THanks for writing this up & reminding me.
Can't wait for the book!
amazing tyler...you have really grown and it shows...
don't forget the temperature that you sleep at is important too
Tyler:
I know you've put a couple books up on your blog, but can you maybe put up a list of the stuff you read?
Scott
Great post.
When you don't sleep well, sometimes the body overcompensates and uses scarce resources to boost your energy levels during the day, in many cases well beyond your usual energy level. It's a (million times) less extreme version of what happens when people starve (the body starts consuming itself, muscles etc). That may explain your competence at bootcamps and giving speeches. It's not sustainable.
You seem to go for the evolutionary diet, and aspects of evolutionary fitness. But evolutionary fitness puts less emphasis on consistent workouts and more on really extreme, intense workouts followed by some days doing little. The theory is that prehistoric man didn't exercise all that often, and it usually had a definite PURPOSE (hunting). Purposeless exercise leads to little motivation. It also seems that there is little evidence that prehistoric man did much jogging at all.
Here's a London Times piece on Nassim Taleb, a fan of evolutionary fitness (and predictor of the credit crunch!):
"Exercise must be irregular and ferocious – Taleb often does four hours in the gym or 360 press-ups and then nothing for 10 days. Jogging is useless; sprinting is good. He likes to knacker himself completely before a long flight. Stress should also be irregular and ferocious – early men did not have bad bosses, but they did occasionally run into lions."
Oh, and FYI for any guys reading, it has been proven that cycling is a very traumatic and damaging experience for the scrotum.
...Sometimes people ask me about this, like "Does that mean you're AFRAID of drama?? AFRAID of negativity?? Why even react to it enough to avoid it??"...
I think that this mentality is a result of applying the reactive non-reactive theory too literally.
Really, going back to discussions regarding it a few years back on RSD Nation, reactivity had more to do with personal values than it did actually having an actual physiological or psychological reaction to something.
So if you don't value negativity and you subject yourself to it, you would do so because of some feeling of obligation to learn how to tollerate it for the good of the order, etc.
To walk away from it would be to allow yourself to feel the cognitive dissonance produced by exposing yourself to negativity despite placing no value on it and recognizing that dissonance as a red flag, an indicator that it is time to turn to something positive and valued.
To ignore that dissonance for whatever reason would be reactive.
Best article in a long time
Great article, really solid.
An excellent book on some nuts and bolts about how to avoid the e-mail/internet, etc. is '4 hour work week' by tim ferriss
maaaad props owen
this post is 100% of awesomeness!!!!
hey tyler!
could you please answer these questions (maybe in your future blogposts):
1. what are whorty goals in live to strive for?
2. could you make a list of classic self-help books that helped you?
3. what do you think of people who have their lives centerred on contribution (like ghandi)??
4. what is your role in the self-help industry?
thanks alot!
pure genius Tyler.
more than an inspiration
its 3 am, and i was feeling all fatigued.
only to find that i have not taken any action that you are talking about in the post.
i feel all pumped up
Thanks again
this is taking the blueprint away from the picking up chicks focus and transferring it towards life in general.
LOOOVIN IT!!!
more plz,
jay
Hey bro,
Just finished David D's new program and reading this straight after has just drilled down more of his info. Nice to see you've applied his stuff
Love you man ;-)
Dan
Another useless post by Tyler Durden.
:)
Nah, seriously man, this blog is giving insanely value. I'm on the same path but there are still a few things that needs to be worked on, like the internet, and the meditation part. Thanks for the tips, it helps a lot.
I'm 49, and I've wondered what the Blueprint would be like if you made it in your 50's. Although I do get a lot of value from it. You're already at a level that most people will never get to, but the coming years I'm sure will make you even more grounded so to speak. As you say in the Blueprint, as we age we should become more glorious. My 40's have been the most significant decade in terms of self development. I believe that there's no end to this. Life's a journey.
'Escalator'
This blogpost was just pure gold. I have been guilty to many of these things you mentioned and this was good motivation kick to stop doing these things. Thanks alot.
Hey, awesome post.
One thing:
I would implore you to try the raw vegan diet for 30 days as a trial, like Steve Pavlina did, and see if that increases your energy, clarity, and mental acuity like it did to me, him, and many others. Don't listen to naysayers talk about various this or that issues with the diet like "No protein" or anything. That can all be rectified, but try it for 30 days, do a little reasearch into the health benefits, and try it.
Look up Tim Van Orden, Dr. Doug Graham, and Matt Monarch.
This could be another set of proactive habits that you add to your repertoire.
Thanks for writing this, Tyler - very useful.
Hi there, great stuff! Wondered if the 'total darkness' thing, how you came about it
I wondered if anyone figured out a simple way to darken their rooms completely (when having no jalousie's).
My 'best' idea was thin big plates of wood (!) to put before my big windows on the balcony. I thought perhaps someone already had a simpler idea
Hi, In the blueprint you say a chode is a guy who doesn't know who he is.(not the exact words...)
Anyway I find mysefl having to make a conscious decision about everything I do now, and it's the most challenging thing I have to do in my life. I used to let negativity in my life, but now I can't anymore.
I guess it's a part of growing up.
Thanks
wtf dude, what do u mean u become like party girls.. i dont want to become like a fucking party girl, dont just say stuff like that, u have to explain it too. in what way do I become like a party girl if I go out? WTF?
FANTASTIC ADVICE!! Articles like these make me believe that you will have an easy transition into the mainstream self-help industrty. Everything you wrote really strikes a chord and gives us a deeper sense of understanding. Keep pumping these out, I find them much more helpful than pua articles!
This is great for anyone to read. thank you.
I'd add "mastering your emotions and learning to feel good by design, not just choosing your input"
have more fun.
I can see that you're applying the material taught in the "Man Transformation" seminar by David DeAngelo
Good stuff man =)
This article is pretty tits.
I was suprised to see 19 comments on the last post then suddenly 74, outa left field. Anyways, I don't know if you'll get a chance to read this but getting more sleep doesn't = more energy contrary to popular belief, more sleep is actually often negative to your health. I could talk about this for probably a whole 7 minutes, but that's not the point. Point is sleep is most beneficial when you get it on a routine basis, same time every day, you only need about 6 hours of sleep to be fully awake for a full day. I could go into the science of it but this isn't a place for intelligence.
IM OFF TO GO PARTY AND GET FUCKED UP!!!
Just thought I'd give back a little value for all you've given so many people. <3
HA.
I didnt realize you posted this..
Inet has to be my number 1 time waster at present time.
YOUTUBE
FACEBOOK
HOTMAIL
FUUUCK!!!
Even when i try to put myself on a "low information" diet - i have habituated checking this sites - and its like trying to kick a bad habit.
The only solution is to NOT have internet.
YES.
But that poses the problem when you need to bang out an email or whatever, driving to the local coffee shop - cant walk because its getting COLD here in Canada now.
ANYWAY, i dont want you eat up your minutes reading a post that goes nowhere.
LOL
Thanks for the post -
Cheers,
Vish
This post is so money. I actually TURN my computer off at 5pm and leave it off until the morning to check the weather before I head to class and I noticed my productivity increased SO much. I did this BEFORE I even read this post, so I think it's awesome that you wrote this haha!
Like, I found time to read... play guitar... meditate... do some shadow boxing and pushups. INSTEAD OF BEING ON MY COMPUTER!
Be ez
Spot on!
The Duck
I have already implemented some of this stuff and it's working great.
Brian
coool dude... i like the sleeping idea most
how many sessions of meditation can you rip those 20 min?
sorry bad english
Rocking article!
Hey TD
Does this post, especially the meditacion step, has anything to do with getting into state mentally? Does anybody, actually, know how the latter is? Is it the oneness thing monks talk about?
Thank You
Hugs People
i like all of your ideas tyler, but it seems to me like in order to actually do all the things you advocate are impossible, like with work and social life and all implementing these would be very hard...meditating, reading that much, exercising, working like crazy, i just wonder how realistic it is and if you yourself actually do all of the things you advocate
Getting rid of tv? Are you kidding me????
I agree people shouldn't waste time with tv, but watching some tv makes you a NORMAL human being not some new age "I am too enlightened to watch tv" retard.
cool...
cool duuuuuuuuuude
If you where a girl you whould me mine....:D
Nice post, Tyler. I enjoyed the read and advice.
I am in college right now.
Man this is great stuff!
Dont you wish you knew this when you were still at Queens?
Cant thank you enough Tyler.
Thanks for the advice Tyler. Im becoming a follower of the RSD Nation. Greetings from México
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