Identify and commit to a very small number of “big yeses” that are truly important and high-leverage for your life goals, and use “no” as a constant guardrail to protect these commitments from distractions.
Before attempting to optimize anything, clearly define “what” and “why” you are optimizing to avoid directionless self-infatuation or pursuing unimportant goals.
Intentionally invest more time and energy into nourishing relationships, as isolation (physical or mental) can worsen instability, OCD, depression, and anxiety.
Dig into the underlying core beliefs and unconscious philosophies that make it difficult to say no (e.g., FOMO, scarcity mindset, belief in needing to “be nice”), as these are often more impactful than lacking templates.
Seriously work on improving your communication skills, such as by reading “Nonviolent Communication,” to interact with others without being overly defensive or aggressive, recognizing it as essential connective tissue for all aspects of life.
Dedicate at least two hours a day to uninterrupted single-tasking on important things, as this rare ability will place you among top performers in an attention-fragmented world.
Choose projects (typically 6-12 month commitments) by optimizing for the density of learning and the deepening/development of relationships, ensuring you “win” through growth and connections even if the project itself fails.
Perform a past year review annually to identify top nourishing relationships and block out extended time with those people for the entire upcoming year.
Proactively schedule extended periods (long weekend to a week) with close friends and family for the entire year to foster relationships and combat isolation.
Engage in very consistent meditation, typically twice daily for 10 minutes, to support mental well-being.
Invest time in developing basic medical literacy, including terminology and how to read scientific abstracts, to better understand blood tests, discuss health with doctors, and critically evaluate information.
Prioritize and schedule your “big rocks” (life-changing, high-leverage commitments) first, then fit in “gravel” (smaller critical tasks), and finally “sand” (extraneous distractions) around them to ensure important goals are met.
When facing fears about saying no (e.g., people won’t like you, you’ll end up alone), ask “and then what?” repeatedly to defang the fear by clarifying the actual, often limited, downside.
Engage in “fear setting” (an exercise found in a TED Talk) to clarify the actual downside of your fears, which helps to defang them and build courage.
Apply 80-20 analysis to identify tasks that are not easily replicated by others, come naturally to you, or align with your obsessions, as these are high-leverage areas for focus and endurance.
Avoid investing in things you don’t understand; instead, focus on well-understood, low-cost options like index funds (e.g., S&P 500) for long-term financial growth.
Adhere to Michael Pollan’s rule: if your grandmother wouldn’t recognize the ingredients, don’t eat it, to avoid processed foods.
Regularly lift weights as a fundamental practice for overall health and problem-solving.
Incorporate zone 2 cardio training a few times a week for 30-60 minutes, maintaining an intensity where you can speak in single sentences but prefer not to.
Implement intermittent fasting (time-restricted feeding), such as eating within an 8-hour window daily (e.g., 2 PM to 8 PM or 12 PM to 8 PM), to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the risk of prediabetes.
Consider implementing intermittent ketosis or the ketogenic diet for a few weeks at a time (e.g., two or three times a year) as a strategy to address psychiatric and psychoemotional pains and potentially gain neuroprotective and anti-cancer effects.
Remove social media apps from your phone to reduce constant distraction and self-interruption, creating friction that discourages compulsive checking.
If removing social media permanently is too daunting, start with a one or two-week social media fast, at least from your phone, to experience the benefits of reduced distraction.
Utilize apps like Freedom to block distracting websites or applications for specific periods, aiding focus and preventing self-interruption.
Analyze your family’s health history to identify the most likely causes of death (e.g., cardiovascular, neurodegenerative disease) and use this information to guide your health optimization efforts.
When faced with non-emergency medical interventions, ask your doctor to start with the longest-studied, most innocuous option with the best side effect profile, then re-test to assess your response (e.g., hyper-responder).
If a blood test shows an abnormal result and it’s not an emergency, talk to your doctor and replicate the test on a different day to confirm the result, as factors like recent diet or alcohol intake can skew readings.
When monitoring biomarkers with diurnal cycles (e.g., cortisol, testosterone), ensure follow-up blood tests are taken at the same time of day as previous tests for accurate comparison.
Always check for contraindications between all medications and supplements you are taking, as doctors may miss less obvious interactions.
If using AI chatbots for health information, always cross-verify the answers with another AI tool or credible sources, as these tools can hallucinate and should not be trusted with their first answers.
When declining requests, use the phrase “I really wish I could, but I can’t due to life Tetris” to politely and firmly say no without over-explaining or defending.
Before fully committing to a new endeavor, test it for a short period to assess sustainability and whether you perform better than average, rather than aiming for perfection.
Consider getting a full-body MRI once or twice a year to detect potential issues, but be prepared for the psychological impact of finding anomalies that may not require immediate action and could cause stress.
Investigate accelerated Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS), particularly the SAINT protocol, as a potential treatment for severe depression, anxiety, and OCD, noting it compresses months of conventional TMS into one week and may involve D-cycloserine for enhanced neuroplasticity.