New Habits I’m Working On
May 18, 2007 by Gleb Reys
Welcome back!
It’s been a while since I’ve shared with you my habits, so this Friday evening seems like a perfect chance to shed some light on what’s currently in the works:
1) Early mornings – 4:30am
This is the latest habit which I’m still working on, and it’s going surprisingly well. Perhaps, my previous habit of 5:30am helped, plus I’m concentrating on early mornings more now, and when there’s a focus, there’s an improvement too!
I plan to write a big article on becoming an early rise. It’s been done before, and there are quite a few really good guides around (I really like the Become an Early Riser one at ZenHabits), but there’s always going to be a new angle to look at why people want to rise early and how they manage to do it on a consistent basis.
2) Most Important Tasks approach
Although I’ve been rather happy managing my tasks and projects with the wonderful MyLife Organized, I felt a lack of a higher structure of better goals alignment.
Eventually, I came to the Most Important Tasks approach. I daily pick the 3 most important things I want to get done, and although the list of other things planned for the same day can have another 3-7 items, I will not touch them until the 3 important tasks are fully dealt with.
I’m also not multitasking when working on the most important tasks. They need my full attention, plus the 3 tasks are already ordered by their importance – so until finishing the most important one, I don’t even want to think about the next one on the list.
3) Low-carb diet
I’ve been doing this for a month and a half, and have lost 7kg so far! Quite an achievement, given the fact that my weight stayed almost the same in the few months of gym training before that. My goal is much more than that, and combined with my ever-changing daily gym routine I envision great results in the coming months.
Mark McManus has helped me a lot along the way, so be sure to check his blog out, he’s been giving more focus to fitness articles lately, and I agree with him on most accounts.
From just a habit, my diet (which was rather strict the first 2 weeks, I kept daily carbs under 15g in total) had since developed into a healthier lifestyle. To my own astonishment, I’ve completely given up on sugar and coffee, and made a few more choices which already show positive effect on my health.
I’m working on a few more habits as well, but will talk about them when they’re more established. For the moment though, I’ll be focusing on the ones above, and will be posting my impressions as separate articles.
Has anything of the above interested you? Let me know what you think, and help me decide which habit to write about.
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15 Responses to “New Habits I’m Working On”
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I’d be really interested in your thoughts on rising early. As you say there are numerous blogs which tell you how to do it – but very few that explain why it’s a good thing to do. Personally I’d take a lot of convincing of the benefits and I look forward to your take on it all.
Cool! Thanks very much for the mention Gleb. I’m always glad to be of service. For all non-metric people, thats 15.5 pounds Gleb has lost, well done!!
Hey Gleb,
Good job on switching to healthier diet! I’m glad to know you cut out sugar and coffee, those things are NASTY. Especially sugar… after reading William Daffy’s “Sugar Blues”, I never want eat a gram of white sugar ever again …
I gotta tell you though, I don’t necessarily agree on the low-carb diet thing … Carbs are absolutely essential to human body. Did you try eating GOOD carbs instead? I.e. brown rice, whole wheat bread, etc?
Ugh. 5:30 in the morning….still trying to wrap my mind around that (let alone 4:30). Interesting though that whenever I HAVE to get up so early, I really enjoy it…I wonder why the thought of doing so regularly makes me feel – what is that, dread?…
I guess I do not like feeling tired, so I’m assuming something here. I know of a gentleman who meditates every morning to the sunrise ans swears by it.
Please share some further insights and benefits you have gained by becoming an early-riser, if you will, Gleb. Thanks!
Shauna
P.S. Congrats on the weight loss!
Hi everyone, just wanted to confirm that the early rising article is coming up, so stay tuned! :)
Alex, thanks for your comment! So far I only eat fruits, but do plan to get started with brown rice and wheat bread.
Hi, Gleb;
I just want to tell you that having read your post, I made a DECISION to get up every morning at 6 am each weekday.
Because I ‘work’ (play!) from home, I usually get up at 7 or 8 and I do love being able to create my own hours, however I felt there was something to be gained by the discipline required to rise early. Here are my gains in jut this short time:
* In the two hours prior to 8am, I walk, meditate, read the financial papers or spend time learning more about investing, and have breakfast. I am thus ready to begin work at 8am sharp.
* I have completed tasks that are really important to me – meditation, exercise and learning – before my official day even begins.
* I enjoy a walking through the world when most people are barely waking – I have seen wonders…dew on the grass, birds and animals not yet in daytime hiding, other ambitious people with whom I feel a connection
* In my morning meditations I am experiencing clarity and focus that last through the day
Thanks, Gleb!!!
Hi,
I am a early morning convert. For the past 6 months I have been waking up at 5am. With the right approach it is possible for the morning to be the most enjoyable part of the day. Recently my work required me to start half an hour earlier and I must admit that I resent having half an hour less to myself in the morning. Maybe I should try 4.30 am as well? I will be interested to read your upcoming article.
Peter
Shauna, that’s wonderful news! I haven’t tried walking around my neighborhood this early, but am thinking of driving to the nearby seashore to meet a sunrise.
I’m thrilled for your new decision, and glad you have found something else to enjoy!
Talk to you later, take care!
Hi Peter,
I know just what you mean. That’s why I have gradually switched from waking up at 9am to 8am, then to 7 am, then to 6, then to 5:30, and now, finally, do it at 4:30am. And still feel like I could really use another half an hour of the early morning silence and freshness! :)
I’m still working on the article, it’s going to be quite big and I’ll release both a post and and PDF version of it, so that people could use it as a guide.
Stay tuned, and good luck with early mornings!
They are some really good habits you are forming Gleb… very similar to the things I am working on in my own life.
But wow, getting up early consistently is hard isn’t it! For me, it is worth the sacrifice though, as I feel much better throughout the day.
Matthew
http://www.InspirationToAchieve.com
Hi Matthew,
And thanks for the comment!
Yes, consistency in anything is tricky, but when there’s a good reason and a will, there will be a result :)
I’d be interested in the diet article, specifically for how you adapted it into your lifestyle. While I have slowly over the months adopted a more healthy diet (little things like choose brown over white bread, drinking more water, having a piece of fruit every day, etc) I imagine having trouble taking the plunge into a full healty eating regime with my current lifestyle.
Organize IT
What a great blog. I love it…. and I love the early mornings. I do free coaching every AM at 7:45 EST and again at 9:45 EST so I have to get up early and get the call ready. That is the best thing about it, I am getting massive development daily!
If you want to contact me of check out the free daily coaching you can sign up on the web. When you sign up you get the access code to the conference call, plus a code to get into the archive blog incase you miss a morning.
I also podcast it everyday, just search for morningcoach.com or my last name.
Really enjoy this blog!
PS NO sales on the calls only PD!
Dr JB
Http://www.morningcoach.com
[...] Gleb Reys of the Personal Development blog [...]
Early rising is the ultimate way to ensure you start the day as you mean to go on. I get up at 5am every morning including weekends. If I do it everyday I feel it becomes less likley to drop off the habit.
I rise at 5am, run and go through a focus session, shower, eat a healthy breakfast and still have an hour to work on my business. You really cant beat it.