I’ve spent the last 20 years obsessing over habit formation.
I’ve watched every video, taken every course, and read every book I could find.
Here are the 5 daily habits that will have the most significant impact on your life.
#1: Wake up early.
I know you hate this one. So do I. So does everyone. It’s complicated, daunting, and tedious. But, if you can get over those feelings, bite the bullet and do it. There’s no other tangible habit that’ll have a more enormous impact on your life. This is the cornerstone habit.
This is the habit so many other habits can be built on. It’s the key to ensuring you have enough time to do what’s important to you before the world starts yelling at you.
How you spend your days is how you spend your life. Rising early puts you in the driver’s seat and keeps you there.
#2: Exercise.
I’ll spare you the science; you’ve heard it. Your body needs to move.
Exercise is connected to everything: emotions, vitality, stress, depression, sex, energy, longevity, confidence, brain health, sleep, digestion, your immune system… is there anything it doesn’t impact?
I challenge you to find a meaningful role that isn’t positively impacted when you exercise. This doesn’t mean you need to be an Olympian. Just do something every day that makes you sweat. Go for bonus points and find something you enjoy doing. Make it fun!
#3: Nutrition.
Just because it’s obvious doesn’t mean it isn’t important. The habits you build around nutrition are among the most important of your life.
Pick your cliché: You are what you eat. All disease begins in the gut. Eat to live. Garbage in, garbage out. Let food be thy medicine.
Nutrition is one of those things that you can’t get right until you habituate it. There are too many opportunities in life to go off the correct path regarding food. You must build strong habits to protect yourself and ensure proper nutrition is non-negotiable and never left to chance.
#4: Growth.
The first one on my list that isn’t a painful cliché.
You should do something every day that allows you to grow as a person. Read a book, listen to a podcast, take a course, learn something new, think, stretch your mind, expand your soul, and leave your comfort zone.
Grow.
#5: Creation.
This one is my favorite. You need to create something. Every. Single. Day.
We are all creators at our core. If you want to get super esoteric about it, I believe that creation is the act that brings us closest to God. Bring something into the world that didn’t exist before.
Write something, compose a piece of music, draw, paint, record a video, craft a poem, add to your business, cook a new recipe, plant a garden, code an app, knit a scarf, build a model, choreograph a dance, create a new relationship, rearrange a room, draft an SOP.
Creation is the best way to make a day count. God (The Universe, providence, fate, Darwin) gave you the day; what did you do with it?
I love being able to turn around and point at something. It’s among the most rewarding habits I’ve built (and why I’m writing this!)
What did I miss? I’d love to know your most important daily habits and why!