Fix your sleep
Let me start this list with probably the lowest-hanging fruit. Sleep.
Earlier in life I used to subscribe to the idea that you should wake up as early as possible and make the most of any given day.
And while that’s still true to an extent, one thing that has become more important over the years is the quality of sleep.
It doesn’t matter if you wake up regularly at 5 a.m. or if you wake up tired as fuck, with a migraine, and in absolutely no mood to get anything done.
The 5 a.m. club is largely a myth.
For the vast majority of people, waking up super early does nothing besides robbing them of good-quality sleep.
On top of that, there are so many ways to accurately measure how good your sleep is, which means you can also work to improve it.
Think about it like this: You spend one-third of your life sleeping.
Statistically, that means 26 years of your life.
Would you invest the minimal effort that will instantly improve 26 years of your life?
That’s a pretty easy decision. And this is how you do it.
Go to bed and wake up at the same hours every day.
Make your bedroom quiet, dark, and comfortable.
That’s pretty much it, for the most part. This is one of the ways anyone can instantly improve their life.
Stay off the grid for as long as possible
And by this, I mean grabbing your phone first thing in the morning, opening YouTube, checking out Instagram, looking at your emails, and all that shit…
Look, here is the reality.
Today, the internet has one primary function: to keep you there for as long as possible, so it can show you as many ads as possible, so you will buy as many things as possible.
It’s not about connecting people.
That’s the reason every platform has an endless scroll. It must trap you there.
That’s why Europe is trying to change that, but that’s a different topic.
The point is, the minute you go online, your mind is flooded with useless information. And we are not built for that.
We did not evolve to handle all this crap. It’s fairly recent in our history.
We are all old enough to remember the days when we were young and there was no such thing as the internet, assuming you’re over age 30.
And time seemed to pass way slower.
The only way I found to deal with this is to just stay off it for as long as possible.
Because you’re not going to sell everything and move to a cabin in the woods and fish all day.
But that doesn’t mean you must be online all the time. Nothing happens besides endless distractions.
If you’re serious about finding ways to improve your life, try not to touch technology for at least the first couple of hours of the day.
Do things slower
Continuing on the idea of technology, this was supposed to make us faster and more efficient. And we all know how that turned out.
You used to physically go to meetings, so realistically, you could have one once in a while.
Now that everything is one click away, you’d think you’d be done quickly.
According to statistics from 2019, around $300 billion worth of time is wasted on pointless meetings here in the US alone.
And that was before the pandemic. But this isn’t just about meetings.
Think about it: you watch videos on 1.5x, not to be done quickly but to watch even more.
And this ultra-fast-paced way of doing things towards infinite growth is just not sustainable.
That’s why everyone is burned out or unmotivated.
So whenever you can, try to take things slowly and take your time.
Imagine if, starting today, every letter, message, txt, book, email needed to be written manually with a pen and paper.
Your spam inbox will probably go to “0” real quick. When you take the proper time to do something, you get to experience it for what it truly is. And improving your life is no exception to that.
Take care of your health
The oldest marathon runner started running when he was 89.
And he continued to run until he hit 108. He’s now 109 and has stopped.
Statistically speaking, the longer you delay taking care of your health, the harder it will be to get it back.
And just because there are some outliers here and there, that doesn’t mean that’s the norm.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking you still have time until you do irreversible damage to yourself.
It really shouldn’t be a shocker that better health equals better quality of life. Everyone knows that.
The question is, when will you start to do something about it?
Will it be too late? Will you still have the strength and willpower to see it through?
You see, you are forever young until you’re suddenly not. Taking care of your health is one of the main ways to instantly improve your life.
Reach out
If you take a broader look, everyone sits in their room, waiting for everyone else to send a message.
And nobody does anything if it is slightly inconvenient.
That’s not the way to do it.
You can be the one that brings people together.
You can organize, plan, make phone calls, send messages, and make dinner reservations.
And you don’t do it because nobody else would.
You do it because you invest in relationships that are important to you.
There is absolutely no gain or superior morale to having to be unreachable or distant. We are tribal.
As much as you like to think of yourself as a lone wolf, you need people around you to share experiences and make memories with.
Don’t wait for others to send that first message and you’ll see your life instantly improve.
Spend some time alone
On the flip side, you also need to spend some time alone.
You need introspection and solitude to know and understand yourself.
Deeply understanding yourself is one of the more difficult ways to improve your life. But it yields rewards far greater than you can imagine.
People have gotten so used to scrolling through feeds and being entertained every 2-second interval that they forget what it’s like to be just alone with themselves and their thoughts.
They find it unnatural and awkward.
They have this urge to always do something or always click on something. And that robs you of your personality.
There are great benefits to spending some time with yourself. It can be something as simple as a morning walk in the park with just you, the wind, and the birds.
It’s a time when you dig a bit deeper into what motivates you and what matters to you.
It keeps you grounded and calmer in a world that forces you to feel high and anxious all the time. Disconnecting from all of this can greatly improve your life!
Spend some time in nature
Speaking of a walk in the park, another thing that I found to have an immense impact on the quality of our lives is how much time we spend surrounded by pure nature.
Nature has this unique way of offering perspective.
It reminds us just how big the world is and how small your problems are in comparison.
It also reduces stress hormones, making you more peaceful and relaxed.
Think of spending time in nature as a strategic way to improve your life.
Fix easily fixable things
Think of all the little annoyances you encounter daily.
A squeaky door hinge, a leaky faucet, a drawer that sticks, or a light bulb that needs replacing.
Each of these things, taken alone, is minor and of no real importance.
And you kind of learn to live with them because you never find the time to fix them because somehow you always have something better or more important to do.
But, you see, all these things together represent friction in your day-to-day life.
They make it slightly annoying, and they make you get used to being slightly annoyed every time.
Make a list of all the little things that bother you, and start eliminating them. You also get rid of small sources of frustration.
And on top of that, you create a really important habit: improving your life when it needs improving.
When you take care of little things, you’re reinforcing the habit of not ignoring problems, no matter how insignificant they may seem.
Achieve and help others do the same
From my own experience, your life satisfaction greatly improves when you do one of these two things.
The first one is when you make something, from start to finish, of which you are proud.
The sense of achievement and satisfaction is unmatched.
When you create, accomplish, or build something you are proud of, it instills a sense of self-efficacy and confidence. It’s a profound feeling.
It makes you feel powerful and tall. And it gives you the motivation to do more.
And equality, if not more rewarding, is the act of helping others to do the same.
It gives you a sense of purpose and fulfillment that is hard to replicate.
It’s about sharing in the joy and pride of someone else’s accomplishment, knowing that you played a part in their journey.
We don’t talk about this enough, but your achievements and the help you give others are one of the strongest ways to improve your life.
Commit
And lastly, whatever you do, don’t half-ass it.
Instead, do it like it’s your job.
You are not always going to be at your best but you can always commit to a job that’s not half-assed.
If you take a walk in the park, go enjoy it fully. If you reach out and hang out with people, leave your phone on silent.
If you start a new project, give it your best.
If you commit, you’ll find that:
- Things you thought were hard are pretty easy
- You find a new appreciation for the input you can have.
When you always give it your best, you realize that your best keeps improving.
Evolution is one of the most efficient ways to improve your life.
I hope you learned something valuable today.
Until next time!
#alphalife #savage
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