You are your habits. In life you’re either moving forward or falling behind. Habits are the daily actions you take that make you 1% better each day.

I have a lot of habits that I follow on a daily and weekly basis. Rather than list off all the individual habits, I’ll be talking about the principles. We start from the foundation, lay the groundwork, and build from there.

Eliminate Distractions

Everything is pulling at our focus these days. Our phones are constantly buzzing, email notifications are popping up non stop, and we’re constantly resisting the urge to go on social media.

If we can eliminate distractions, we can get back our focus.

Focused work is what moves the needle forward. Here’s what I do.

1. Put your phone in another room
2. Quit your email app. Only check email a few times a day at set times so that you aren’t in a reactive mode to new emails coming in.
3. Install a website blocker like Freedom to block distracting websites
4. Use long long playlists or Endel for focus music. Eliminates the need to switch songs.

If we can raise the activation energy to get distracted, there’s less of a chance of us actually getting distracted.

Know What Needs To Get Done

If you finish a task and don’t have a clear idea of what to do next, you might end up going on your phone or browsing the web.

I like to plan my day out the night before so I have a list of tasks on hand. When I finish one thing, I can move right onto the next. I don’t have to think of what needs to get done in the moment, I already have a set plan in place.

Energy + Motivation

We know what to do, we have a distraction free environment, now we just need to ensure our energy levels can keep up.

Sleep is crucial for this. Get enough sleep every night.

I workout everyday. This helps keep my energy levels constant all day long.

Caffeine is great in the morning right before a focused work sessions.

Diet is just as important. Keep the meals throughout the day healthy. If you want to binge or eat unhealthy, save that for dinner. I’ll usually crash after an unhealthy meal, so I’m fine doing that when I’m unwinding at night.

Finally, gratitude. Gratitude will keep you motivated. Realize all you have to be grateful for. Your motivation problems will go away.