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Routine

Routine takes the seven pieces and puts them into an actionable framework.

1 - Analysis​

Analyze your life.

Find what's working and what's not.

Use Maslow's Hierarchy and work your way up.

  • Physiological: Sleep, food, water, shelter, clothing, and reproduction.
  • Safety: Personal security, employment, resources, health, and property.
  • Love and Belonging: Friendship, intimacy, family, and a sense of connection.
  • Esteem: Respect, self-esteem, status, recognition, strength, and freedom.
  • Self-Actualization: The desire to become the most that one can be.

What specific pain points require the most attention (triage)? And why?

2 - Design​

Design a better day.

Design a better day based on your analysis.

To create a meaningful and actionable plan, start from the macro and work toward the micro.

2.1 - Vision​

Vision = high-level picture of a good life

Envision your dream reality — how does that existence look and feel?

Bring the vision to life as clearly as you can in your head.

Vision Example​

  • Happy family with a beautiful wife
  • 5 wonderful healthy kids
  • Financial freedom
  • Musical expression
  • Teaching 2 hours a day
  • House open for chilling and hanging out

See a visual vision board example here.

2.2 - Goals​

Goals = specific checkpoints to further your vision

Articulate goals that you can execute on within 3 months.

Goal Example​

- Net worth $500K
- Learn to play 30 chord songs on piano and guitar
- Finish Master in AI
- Read 800 pages
- Find a girlfriend
- Write 50% of a book

2.3 - Routine​

Routine = practices and projects to complete your goals

Routine represents an actionable, accountable system for growth — think of it like a checklist for the day.

Components

  • Practices — short duration, like flossing.
  • Projects — ongoing efforts, like playing piano.

Both inform your higher-level goals. Types include: do more, do less, start doing, and stop doing.

Consider constructing a routine that forms new habits by hacking the reminder/cue stage of the "Reminder - Routine - Reward" cycle.

Start small and build on momentum.

Consider designating an accountability partner to check in with you on "keystone habits" (e.g., "I will pay you $200 if I don't complete 21 of 21 habits in the next 7 days — signed Ariel").

First, focus on removing "bad" habits — good will emerge from the absence of evil.

Use a tracker to track practices/projects. Keep it simple. See Setup.

Use "focus rounds" (20 minute focus rounds).

Routine Example​

Routine checklist projects are prefixed with ^.

Morning

  • Wake up (7 am)

  • Clean room

  • Calibration

    • Davening
    • Cornerstones
    • Hitbodedut

  • Journal

  • Social + Morning + Planning

  • Work (730 am)

  • Breakfast

  • ^Training (12 PM)

    • Training
    • Smoothie
    • Vitamin
    • Cold Shower

  • Nap

Afternoon

  • Cafe

  • ^Torah

  • ^Brain Training

  • ^Projects

  • ^Photography

  • ^Music (sound)

  • ^Writing (language)

  • ^Drawing (vision)

  • ^Dance (movement)

Evening

  • Dinner

  • ^Friends

  • ^Call Family

  • ^Media

  • ^Flow

  • ^Reading

  • Tea time

  • Hang

  • Cooldown

    • Floss + brush teeth
    • Charge devices
      • Phone
      • Airpods
      • Kindle
      • Speaker
      • Battery

  • Bed

    • Read
    • Shema

Guidelines

  • No snoozing alarm
  • Less than 3 text checks
  • Shemirat Enayim
  • Shemirat Zera
  • Monochrome phone
  • No food food before 11 am
  • Healthy food
  • No snacking
  • No food after 9 pm
  • No media before 9 pm
  • No phone in the bathroom
  • No phone in bed
  • Always stay a little bit hungry
  • No dishes in sink
  • No nivul peh (cussing)

Weekly

  • Charge appliances
  • Call family
  • Backup projects
  • Clean out downloads folder
  • Download audio, books, and movies to phone

Monthly

  • Check on finances

3 - Build​

Execute on your vision.

To motivate, imagine a snapshot of your day getting published in the New York Times for everybody to see — how would you live if people were watching?

Remember that catalyst for motivation.

Return to your vision as needed.

Count down "3 - 2 - 1..." then DO!!

4 - Test​

Test execution.

Test your ability to execute — paying careful attention to momentum of 3 days in either direction (chazakah rule).

Revise and iterate as needed, finding the right balance.

Revision never stops — that's what makes life fun.