OptimalLearning:

SevenHabitsforSuccess

The
LifebyExperimentationblog
coverseverythingyoucouldwanttoknowaboutthe
mechanicsoflearningitself.Itllteachyouaboutnotetaking,creatingapracticeschedule,
whentostudy,howtouseflashcards,howtoevaluateeducationalsoftwareandmuchmore.
Butbeforeyoustartdivingintospecifictechniques,itisessentialtooptimizeotherpartsof
yourlifetomakesurethatyougetthemostoutofyourstudies.

Nomatterhowmuchyoustudyorpractice,ifyourenotsleepingenoughyouwontlearnas
muchasyouwantto.Itshardtokeeptrackofallthissortofresearch,soIvecompileditin
thisebook.Youlllearnaboutthesevensecretstomaximizingyourlearningoutsideeven
whenyourenotstudyingorpracticing,fromimprovingmotivationtotweakingyourdietand
beyond.

Zane

Index

1:Sleep
2:Diet
3:Exercise
4:Lifeflows
5:DecisionMaking
6:Motivation
7:Tracking

1:Sleep

Sleepisatopicnearanddeartomanyproductivityandlifehackingbloggershearts,butitisalsoasubjectfraught
withperil.Thereissomeverygoodadviceoutthereonhowtomaximizesleep,butthereisalsoalotofincorrect(or
downrightdangerous)information.Inthispost,Illsticktothefacts:whatcanbeoptimized,andwhy?

WhatisSleepOptimization?
Optimizingsleepis
not
necessarilyaboutsleepingless:itisaboutreachingahigherefficiencyofsleep.Thismay
meanthatyouendupsleepinglessbecauseyounolongerneedquitesomuch,butitmightalsomeanthatyou
simplyfeelmorerestedwiththesameamountofsleep.Ofcourse,feelinggoodisarathersubjectivemeasurement,
buttherearecertainobjectivedatapointsthatcanbeused(liketimespentin
DeepSleep
and
REM
,asmeasuredby
an
EEG
).Many
intelligentpeopleactuallysleepalot
(Einsteinwassaidtosleeparound10hourspernight).Thefact
thatsleepispoorlyunderstoodneurologicallybutknowntobevitalinmemorycreationisverysignificant:weshould
notshortchangeourselvesofsleep.Sleepdeprivationislinkedwithahugenumberofconsequences,from
general
poorselfcontrol
(frequently)tohallucination(inextremecases).
Thatsaid,optimizationisstillpossible.Personally,Iendedupneeding12hourslesssleeppernightthroughmy
experiments.Itaughtmyselftofallasleepquicklyandtodoitanywhereaswellaswakeupwithoutanalarmclock.In
short,Ifunctionoptimallyon~6hoursofsleeppernightandwakeupnaturallyatabout5:30am.Partofthisis
genetics(myparentsarealsomorningpeople,forexample)butpartofitisalsoconditioning.Mostofthisis
accomplished
not
bydrugsorchangestothesleepitself,butmanagingthetimespent
around
thesleepcycles.

HowDoesSleepHelpLearning?
Beforehackingyoursleep,itisimportanttohaveabasicsenseofwhywesleep.Theproblemis,eventhelatest
scienceishavingtroublecompletelyansweringthisquestion.Clearly,sleepisarestorativeprocesswhichappearsto
benecessary,andthefeelingofsleepinessiscausedbya
buildupofadenosineinthebrain
.Thecurrentprevalent
theoryisthatsleepinggivesourbrainachancetodosomehousekeepingandconsolidation,somethinglikea
defragmentingprocessforthebrain
.Whatisclearisthatthereisasignificant
connectionbetweensleepandmemory
retention
.

EverybodyHasaChronotype
Letstakeamomenttoexaminethenatureofsleep.Thefollowingchartshowstheaveragetimespentsleeping:

TimeSpentSleeping

Wevelongbeentoldthat8hoursisthestandardamountofsleep,butthisistrueonlybecauseitis
theaverageamountforthelargestsectionofthepopulation.Itisentirelypossiblethatyournatural
averagedurationisashighas11hoursoraslowas4.Whenseekingtooptimizesleep,isispossible
thatanhourortwomightbeshavedoffofthisasabyproduct,butweshouldnotmagicallyaimto
movefromoneendofthebellcurvetotheother.Beforegoingtoofarwithtweakingyoursleep
patterns,youshouldunderstandexactlywhatyournaturalsleepcycleislikeandwhy.Formoreonthe
subject,checkout
InternalTime:Chronotypes,SocialJetLag,andWhyYoureSoTired
.

PolyphasicSleep&Naps
Letsgetthisoutthererightnow:polyphasicsleepisdangerous.Theideabehindpolyphasicsleepisthat,incase
youdontknow,isthatinsteadofasinglelongsleepatnightyoucanhavemanyshortsleeps(akanaps)
throughouttheday.Iveyettoseeasinglebitofsolidsciencesupportingpolyphasicsleep,but
worklikethatofDr.
PiotrWozniak
isveryconvincingthattherearedangerstopolyphasicsleep.
However,polyphasicsleepslittlecousin,
biphasic
sleep,isawonderfulthing.Yourealreadyfamiliarwithbiphasic
sleep:itscommonlycalledtakinganafternoonnaportheMediterraneansiesta.Theresareasonsomanycultures
developedthispattern,andtheresevenampleresearchtoshowthatanafternoonnapisverygoodforlearning,

memory,andenergylevels.EvenDr.Wozniaksresearch,fromabove,agreeswiththisconclusion(andheisoneof
theforemostexpertsinmemorization).Infact,
study
after
study
after
study
hasshownthatnappinghelpswith
memory,energy,etc.

ACompleteListofScientificStrategies
Ihaveonlyincludedwellresearchedstrategiesinthislistforexample,Iveexcludedpopscifindings(ahem)about
thesupposedeffectofthephaseofthemoononsleep(Illavoidafullrantonthetopichere,butletsjustsaythat
thereareplentyofscientificsiteswillingtoreprintapreliminaryweakstudyasfact).Instead,hereswhatweknow
works(tosomedegreeoranother):

Getridoffullspectrumlightsbeforebed
becausethereisachemicalinthebrain(melatonin)which
regulatesourwakefulnessbaseduponlightlevels.Thismeansnoelectronicscreens,brightlights,etc.Istill
readbeforebed,butIdoitwithaKindle(whichisnotbacklit)andasoft/warmlightjustbrightenoughtosee
thepageeasily.
Investinyoursleepingenvironment,
becauseyoudontneedsciencetoknowthatnoiseandlightcanbe
disastrousforgoodsleep.Forthoseofuswholiveinacity,noise/lightcancelingcurtainsandearplugscan
bealifechangingprospect.
Createamentaldivision
betweenyoursleepingareaandtherestofyourlife.Wheneverpossible,keep
yoursleepingspacesacred:yourbedshould,asmuchaspossible,beusedforonlysleeping.Thefurther
theradiusaroundyourbedthatsasleeponlyzone,thebetter.Thisistoughforthoseofuswholiveina
smallapartment,butevenmovingtoachairtoreadabookbeforebedishelpful.
Createsleeptriggers
,thingswhichyouonlydojustbeforegoingtosleep.Thiscanbewhateveryouwant,
suchasambientnoiseyoulistento,orawarmglassofmilk/tea,etc.Justkeepthemconsistent,sothatyour
brainassociatesthemwiththeeventofsleep.
Bealittlebitcold
sincestudieshavefoundthat
theoptimalsleeptemperature
is6068degrees(F)and
insomniacstendtohavetroubledecreasingtheirbodytemperaturebeforesleep
.
Managehunger
,whichistosay,dontbetoohungrybeforebed.Someclaimthateatingfatbeforesleep
canhelpthequalityofsleep,andothersinthedietingrealmclaimthatfoodclosetobedcancauseweight
gain.Iveyettoseeanystudythatconvincesmeentirely,butonethingIamsureofisthatexcessivehunger
canmakesleephard,andthatyourbodyneedsenergytorebuilditselfduringsleep.
Avoidalcohol
(andotherdrugs)wheneverpossible.
Alcoholhasbeenshowtoimpairnormalsleepcycles
(evenifitcandecreasethetimetofallasleep),andthough
maijuana(cannabis)mayincreasetheduration
ofsleepitseemstodecreasethequality
(theexactoppositeofourgoals!)
Practicemindfulness
likemeditation.Thetruthisthatifyourehavingtroublefallingasleep,theproblemis
mostlikelyinyourhead.Imanagedto
trainmyselftofallasleepin2minutes
byadoptingtechniquesderived
frommymindfulnesspractice.
Diet
isalwaysimportanttohealth,andcanhavecascadingeffectsonsleep.Alotofpeopleseemtoclaim
that
aketogenicdietcandecreasetheneedforsleep
,buttheonly
actualstudyIvefoundisonchildrenwith
epilepsy
.However,
otherselfexperimentershavefoundthistobethecase
,andImustadmitthatmyown
experiencewithketogenicdietsseemstoagreewiththeirfindings(thoughIveyettodomyown
experiment).
Exercise
doesnotneedtomeanthatyouarerunningmarathons(infact,
overtrainingcancauseitsown
sleepproblems
).Thatsaid,the
nationalsleepfoundationhasfoundthatexerciserssleepbetter
.

SimpleTips
IfIhadtoboileverythingIvereadortestedonmyselfregardingsleepintoaprioritizedlist,thiswouldbeit:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.

Takeasingle30min1hournap,ifpossible,around1pm
Createaprebedtimeroutine,eliminatingnoise,brightlightsandelectronicsabout30minbeforesleep
Experimentonyourselftoseewhatworksbestforyou
Practicemindfulnesstohelpcontrolthoughtsandallowyourselftofallasleepfaster
Eatwell(maybeketogenic)
Exercise

2:Diet

Imustadmit,Iwasabitintimidatedtostartwritingthispost.Thesubjectofdietissomassivethatitcan(anddoes)
fillmany,manybooks.Atthesametime,itisveryobviouslyanessentialpartofmaximumaccomplishment,andthere
issomeinformationthatcanbeeasilyapplied.
Whenitcomestodiet,wegetstuckstaringatthebarkonthetreesinsteadofseeingtheforest.Formostpeople,
makingprecisedecisionsaboutwhatfoodstoeatbaseduponnutrientcompositionisnotonlyoverlytimeconsuming,
itsdownrightimpossibletoadhereto(though,decisionhackingcanhelp).Ifyoualreadyknowalotaboutnutrition,
someofthismaybeareviewforyouthoughhopefullytherearesometidbitsthatcanhelpyoumakebetter
decisionsaboutwhentoeat,etc.
Mostimportantly,solidresearchhasshownthat
dietsdesignedtocombatseeminglyunrelateddisorders(whatIwill
callhealthydiets)havebeenshowntoalsoaidcognition
.Thus,thebenefitsofahealthydietextendfarbeyond
simplyfeelingbetterandlivinglonger.

WhatIsHealthy?
Thewordhealthyhasbecomesoloadedastoberidiculous.Anytimeyouseeapackagedfoodlabeledas
healthy,oddsareitisanythingbutthat.Marketinghasturnedthewordintoafarce:acompanycantakeanyone
aspect(lowfat,forexample)andclaimthatitmakestheproducthealthy,ignoringthemanybadaspects(most
lowfatfoodsarehighinsugartocompensate).Toassesstruehealthiness,thereareafewmainthingstoconsider
whenevaluatingthehealthofthefood:
1.

Source
:howwasitcreated/grown?Weretherelotsofchemicalsinvolved?

2.

Nutrients
:thereasonyouvebeentoldtoeatfruitandveggiesisbecausetheycontainmorenutrientsthan
processedfoods

3.

MacroNutrients
:theamountofprotein,fat,carbohydrates,etc.

Evenbreakingdownhealthinessintothesethreemaincategories,werebeingquite
reductionist.Ifyoureallycarealotaboutbodybuilding,youmightbe
moreinterestedinprotein
.
Butformostofus,itneednotgetthatcomplicated.
Inthebook
InDefenseofFood:AnEatersManifesto
,MichaelPollenarguesthatwehave
spentsomuchtimetryingtoswapoutonenutrientforanother(highcarb!Wait,no,highprotein!
No,wait)thatwevecompletelylostsightofwhatsimportant.Ifyouwantasimpleanddirect
routetoeatinghealthy,thenIhighlyrecommendhisbookasastartingpoint,whichbeginswith
thesimplestatement:

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.

Throughoutthebook,heslowlybreaksdownthesestatementstomakemuchmoresense,butthebasicgistofitis
this:ifyour(great)grandparentswouldnotrecognizeitasfood,thendonteatit.Ifyoufollowthisbasicprinciple,you
areonthepathtowardstruehealth.Generally,
dietingisactuallydetrimental
studieshaveshownthatt
herebound
afteradietleavesyouinworseshapethanwhenyoustarted
.
Thebesteatingplanisalwaystheonewhichyou
cansustain
.Inanycase,though,therearedefinitely
somefoodsyouwanttoavoid
,sincesomefoods(likesugar)
canhavehugedetrimentaleffectswhichcascadetoaffecthowyourbodyprocessesotherfoods.
Goingastepforward,youmaybeinterestedindietslikethe
Paleo/Cavemandiet
,readingabout
ketosis
,
experimentingwithslowcarbs
,etc.Ihavepersonallyhadexcellentsuccesswithlowcarb,highproteinandhighfat
forbothbodycompositionandenergylevels.Icurrentlyeatahighproteinhighfatdiet,andfindthatIminthebest
shapeIveeverbeeninandhavenoticeablycrazyamountsofenergy.Justlastnight,Ichosenottoeaticecream
(whichusedtobemyweakness)becauseIknewthattheenergyleveldipfromthesugarspikewouldbeannoying.
Forthosewhoreallywanttogototheextreme,theresnobetternutritionistbloggerthatIvefoundthan
Lyle
McDonald
.Thispostisnotaboutachievingweightliftingsuccess,ortrainingformarathons,soIwillleavethebasic
nutritionoverviewhere,andfocusontheoftenoverlookedaspectsofdiet.

HowtoEat
Considerthefollowingwordsofadvicefrom
ErickBarker
:

Eating with overweight friends? Youll

eat more
. Is your waitress overweight? Youll
eat more
. Are you a
woman eating with a man? Youll
eat less
. Wide variety of food? Youll
eat more
.

Clearly,thesurroundingsinwhichyoueatcanhaveahugeimpactonhowmuchyoueat.Researchinto
BlueZones,
wherepeopletendtolivelonger
hasidentifiedeatingslowlyandwithfriendsasakeyfactor.Furthermore,

eatingslowlyandcreatingasocialenvironmentcanhelppreventexcessiveglycogenspikesandprovide
otherhealthbenefits(moreonthatinamoment).


BlueZones

WhentoEat
Thereisalotofconflictingadviceoutthereaboutthebesttimestoeat.Some
claimthatsnackingisbest
,sothatyour
hungerlevelsremaineventhroughouttheday.Othersbelieveinthreesquaremealsperday,andthereisevena
largenumberofathleteswhosubscribetoIntermittentFasting(IF)
,whereyoueatallyourdailyfoodina6hour
window.Others
claimthatyoushouldnoteatbeforebed
,becauseitcouldcauseweightgain.
Eachoftheseclaimsseemsfairlyreasonabletakeninisolation,andtheresevensomegoodsciencebackingeachof
themup.Theproblemistheyallwork,inaway.IvehadtimeswhereIatefoodevery2hoursallday,andtimes
whenIveeatenjustonemealintheday,andinbothcasesImanagedtohavegoodenergylevels.Thekeyisto
understandthe
processofeating
,takingtimetositdownand(ideally)stepawayfromwhatyouweredoingbefore
themeal.But,themainbenefitcomeswithunderstandinghowthebodyhandlesthefoodittakesin

BloodSugarandEnergyLevels
Bloodsugar,asthenamewouldimply,isthemeasureoftheamountofsugarinyourblood.Youveprobablyheardof
itbefore
diabeticsfrequentlymonitortheirbloodsugar
duetoaninabilitytoregulateitwell.Forthoseofuswithout
suchphysiologicalchallenges,bloodsugarisstillvital:itessentiallyrepresentstheamountofworkingenergyour
bodyhasonamomenttomomentbasis.Theproblemis,havinghighbloodsugarisnotthegoal.


GlycemicIndex
Eatingasugarycandybarwillcauseaveryquickspikeinbloodsugarlevels,followedbyacrash.Eventhoughithas
roughlythesamenetamountofenergyas,say,apieceofchicken,theeffectonyourenergylevelsandbodyis
drasticallydifferent.Whenyoudigestsimplecarbohydrates(thingsclosetosugarlike,say,sugar),theeffectis
thattheentireamountoftheenergybecomesavailableatonce,andthenallburnsawayjustasquickly.However,
whenyoueatmorecomplexfoods(likewholegrains),theconversionprocessisdrawnout,andthuscreatesanice,
evenbloodsugarlevels.So,remember:

Bread is sugar in 10 minutes

Breadisaverysimplecarbohydrate,almostasifitwerejustsugar.Understandingsimplevs.complexfoodsisthe
motivationbehind
GlycemicIndex(GI):understandinghowfoodwillaffectyourbloodsugarlevels
.Abasic
understandingofGIwillgiveyouthetoolstomakeintelligentdecisionsaboutwhatkindsoffoodtoeat.

TheSimpleRules
Distillingdietdownintosimplerulesisdistressinglydifficult.Again,thepointofthispostisnottoachievemaximum
athleticperformanceorbodycomposition.Rather,thepurposeistoachievehighenergylevels.Asalways,Iwould
encouragereaderstodotheirownresearchandexperimentonthemselves,butheresmyown(oversimplified)list:

Eatslowlyandwithfriends/family,awayfromwork

Eatrealfood(thingsyourgreatgrandfatherwouldrecognizeasfood),especiallyvegetablesandplants

Proteinandfataregood,carbohydratesarebad(thesimpleritis,theworseitis)

3:Exercise

Exerciseis,insomeways,itsownreward.Itcanmakeyoufeelgoodandlookbetterinthemirrors.Theresmuch
moretobegainedfromexercisethanbecomingfasterorstronger,though.

YouDontNeedtoBeanAthlete
Ivenoticedapatternwhentalkingtopeopleaboutexercise:thosewhoalreadyexerciseregularlyarealreadyproud
ofit,andthosewhodontarenotinterestinginhavingsomeonetellthem(yetagain)aboutallthebenefits.Itseither
preachingtothechoirorfallingondeafears.Thepointofthisarticleisnottoconvinceyoutotrytolookgoodor
competeinathleticmatches.
Paradoxically,exercise
providesyouwithmoreenergy
overall(by
increasingmitochondrialbiogenesis
).Early
studies
haveshownthatexercisepreventscognitivedeclinewithage
.Ithasbeenshownthatexercisehelpswithmemory,
but
recentstudies
havefoundthatitisspecifically
moderate
exercisewhichincreasedrecall(memory)themost.The
AmericanHeartAssociationandSurgeonGeneralbothconcluded:

Every U.S. adult should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical activity on most,
or preferably all, days of the week.

Whatsmore,exercisereleasesendorphins,whichareanallnaturalfeelgooddrug.

You dont have to be the fittest person who is exercising every day to receive the feel-good benefits of
exercise. Its a matter of taking it one day at a time, of trying to get your activity in, and then theres this
feel-good reward afterwards. (
David Conroy
)

Walking

WalkingasExercise
Acommonexcusefornotexercisingisbeingtoobusy.SteveJobsfamouslylikedtakingwalks,though,anditshard
toimagineanyonemorebusythantheCEOofoneofthelargestcompaniesontheplanet.Walkingisjustoneform
ofmoderateexercise,butthatthetangentialbenefitsarehuge.Forexample:

Ifyouwalktoadestination,youllsaveyourselfmoney(ongasolineorpublictransportation)

Itisanopportunityto
focusonposture
,counteringthehunchedoverformwetendtotakeatdesks

I
listentopodcasts
whilewalking,allowingmetokeepinformed(orevendoresearch)

Beingoutsidemeansyoullbeexposedtosunlight,whichtriggersvitaminDproduction(
manypeopleare
deficient,whichleadstoalargenumberofproblems
)

The30MinuteRule
Myruleissimple:ifittakesme30minutesorlesstoreachadestinationbywalking,Idoso.Therearemanyreasons
Ichose30minutes:

Two30minutewalks(thereandbackagain)isenoughtoreach10,000steps(whichisrecommendedby
Fitbit
)

30minutesisabouthowlongittakestolistentoonepodcast

2030minutesisfrequentlyusedby
Pomodoro
andotherattentionfocusingtechniques

FitBit

LessPain,MoreGain
Goingastepbeyondmoderateexercisecanhaveadditionalbenefits.Themore
leanbodymass
youhave,thehigher
your
basalmetabolicrate(BMR)
.Thismeansthatyouburnmorecalories,evenwhenatrest.Oversimplified,
increasingBMRmeansthatyourbodybecomesmoreefficientandhighenergy.
Higherintensityworkouts,doneinagroupsetting,canactuallydecreasepainthresholds.One
studydoneonrowers
foundthattheirtoleranceforpainwasmuchhigherwhenitwasdoneasagroup.Clearly,therearealsosocial
benefitstobegainedfromexercising(playingsports)withagroupoffriends.

InfiniteEnergy&ClimbingTrees

Me,campingintheRockiesanddecidingtoclimbatree
Doyourememberthefeelingofbeingachild:wantingtojumparound,run,exploreandclimb?
Mostpeopleseemtolosethisastheyage,andtheculpritisjustasmuch(ifnotmore)asedentarylifestylethanthe
actualprocessofagingitself.Ivespokentocountlesspeoplewho,afterfindinganexerciseprogramthatworkedwell
forthem,regainedthischildlikeinfiniteenergy.
Thereareplentyofgreatexerciseprogramsandtechniquestoexperimentwith.Simplygoingtothegymisno
longeraneffectivewaytoapproachexercise,inmyopinion.Idrecommendhavingalookat
CrossFit
ifyoure
interestedinrealworldapplication,or
HighIntensityIntervalTraining(HIIT)
ifyouwantmaximumefficiency.

PuttingitAllTogether
Incorporatingmoderateexerciseintoyourdailyroutinewillincreaseyourenergylevelsandimprovememory/recall,
andisthusanessentialpartof
NonstopAccomplishment
.Devotinganhouradaytowalkingand/orotherexercise
mayseemlikealargeinvestmentatfirst,butitpaysdividendsthroughoutyourentirelife.Furthermore,youcanuse
thetimespentexercisingforotherreasons(relaxation,listeningtopodcasts,etc.)whichyoudotherwisenothave
timetodo.Asaresult,thenetbenefitfromexerciseis
multiplicative
:itincreaseseverythingelseinyourlife.

4:Motivation

Alifeflowislikeaworkflow,exceptitappliestoeveryaspectoflife.Itleveragessynergyandthepowerofhabit
everyaspectoflifefeedsintotheoverarchinggoals.Ideally,itachievesasenseof
cognitiveflow
,despitethe
differenttasksthroughoutthecourseoftheday.
Inthispost,Illoutlinemypersonallifeflow,whichIcalltheautodidactbloggerlifeflow.IllshowyouhoweverythingI
dothroughoutthedayfeedsintomygoals,aswellasprovidesomelinkstotoolstohelpmaximizeyour
accomplishment.

SettingtheGoals
Goalsareawaytokeepyouhonest.Theyprovideayardsticktomeasureeverythingagainst.Theresnothingwrong
withenjoyingalittletelevisionfromtimetotime,butitbecomesmuchhardertooverindulgewhenyouaremeasuring
eachactionagainsttheyardstickofyourgoals.
Theamazingpowerofgoalsisthat
simplysettingthemchangesourselfperception
.Bysettingagoal,youaresaying
toyourselfIidentifywiththisimageofmyself,anddivergingthegoalactuallycausesasenseofloss(oreven
cognitivedissonance
).

Asaresult,theexactgoalsarenteventhatimportant.Thepointofsettinggoalsistoillustrateareasonablepictureof
thepersonyoubelieveyouaretoconsciouslydecideyourselfidentity.Itsnotaboutcreatingambitiousplansforthe
futurewhichyoumayormaynotachieve(thusleadingtodisappointment),butratheranimageyoucanidentifywith.
Asanexample,herearemyautodidactbloggergoals:

Learnnewthings

ExploreideasandtopicsIamunfamiliarwith(ordisagreewith)

Haveasearchablerepositoryofknowledge

SharewhatIlearn

IdentifyingOpportunities(BottomUp)
ThispostwouldbeofnouseifItoldyoutoreconstructyourentirelifearoundyourgoals.Suchatopdownapproach
isoverlyprescriptive,andfartooambitious.Thinkaboutadieting:replacingeverythingyoueatwithsomethingnewis

arecipeforpoorcompliance.Youmightmanagetosticktothenewdietforaweekoramonth,butitisalmost
inevitablethateventuallyyoullburnout(due,perhaps,to
activationenergy
and
egodepletion
).Thesmarterwayto
goaboutthetaskistoselectively
replaceonebadhabitatatime
(nomorecookies!)
Similarly,thebestwaytomakeamovetowardnonstopaccomplishmentistoidentifytimeswhereyourenotmaking
gooduseofyourtime.Someofthesewillbewastedtimethatyoucancutoutentirely,whileotherswillberoutine
tasksthatcouldbebetteroptimized.Forexample:

Commutingisusuallyunavoidablebutpoorlyutilized

Televisionisanaddictingbornfromboredomandcanoftenbeeliminated

Readingnews(orsurfingFacebook)mayseeminformative,butinformationgatheringcanbeoptimized
muchfurther

Goodideasarefrequentlyforgottensoonafterinspirationstrikes

Ofcourse,itsimportanttonotoverdothis.Alittlerelaxationandwastedtimeis,initself,usefulasasortof
catharsis.Thisisabalanceweeachmustfindourselves.Thetrickistolookateachbadthinginyourlifeasan
opportunityforimprovement.

Optimization
Now,itisasimplematteroftweakingtheopportunitiestoalignwithyourgoals.HerearesomeexamplesofwhatI
do:

Whenwalkingtowork,Ilistento
myfavoritepodcasts
via
Downcast
onmyiPhone.Mywalkis30minutes
eachway,andIlistentopodcastson3xspeed,sothisamountsto
3hoursworthofaudioconsumedper
day
.IhighlyrecommendDowncastoverthedefaultpodcastplayerbecauseitdoesnotgarbletheaudioat
suchhighspeedsIcanunderstandallpodcastseasilyat3xwithDowncast,butstrugglewithamere2xon
thebuiltinpodcastplayer.

Wheneveraninterestingideastrikesme,nomatterwhereIamorwhatImdoing,Iwriteitdownin
Wunderlist
,whichsyncsbetweenmyiPhoneandcomputers.

WhenIdecideIwanttoread,Iuseaservicelike
GoogleNews
or
Prismatic
insteadofsurfingthewebor
Facebook.ThislimitsmyinformationconsumptiontothingswhichIconsidervaluable,sinceIonlyfollow
topicswhichIconsideruseful.

WheneverIencounteraninterestingpage,Iuse
Buffer
toplaceitintoaqueueofthingstotweet.

Whenanarticleisespeciallyinteresting,Iusethe
Evernote
WebClipperbrowserplugintosaveit,making
suretoaddplentyoftags.

Whenreadingathome,IhighlightinterestingpassagesonmyKindle,whichcanthenbeexploredatany
timeonlineviamy
Kindlehighlights
,sincetheKindlesyncswithmyAmazonaccountseamlessly.

Thankstoallthesetools,writingnewblogpostsbecomeseasy(IcansearchEvernoteandmyKindlehighlightsfor
usefularticlesandquotations).WheneverImbored,insteadofflippingontheTVIlookthroughWunderlistinevitably
somethingstrikesmyfancyasbeingworthreadingaboutorpursuing.Surprisingly,mylistsofblogpostsIwantto
write,experimentsIwanttodo,booksIwanttoread,etc.allgrowfasterthanIcanpossiblykeepupwith:Imactually
forcedtoprunethemfrequently.
Lastly,itmightseemthatallthisproductivitywouldbeexhausting,buttheoppositeisactuallytrue.
Accomplishmentscreateasenseofprogressandcultivateattention,whichmakeslifefeellonger(
accordingto
neuroscientistDavidEagleman
).IrememberspecificwalkstoworkwhentherewasagoodpodcastthatdayandIm
pleasedtoreviewdozensofgoodquotationsafterfinishingabook.Forme(andprobablyforyou,too)
Intrigue+
Accomplishment=Happiness
.

5:DecisionMaking

HackingDecisionMakingsothattheBig
ThingsinLifeareEasier
August27,2013

by:
Zane

in:
hack

NoComment

This post is a part of the

10 Steps to Nonstop Accomplishment
series. If you like the tips in this post, check
out the other posts in the series for maximum accomplishment, energy, and motivation.

Whydosomepeopleseemtobeabletoaccomplishthingsnonstop?Isitbecausetheyremoremotivatedorsmarter
thaneverybodyelse?
Surprisingly,no.Itisacommonmisconceptionthattheabilitytodolotsofthingscomesfromwillpoweralone.The
truthis,thepeoplewhoseemtohavethemostwillpowerhaveactuallyjustcreatedmanygoodhabitsforthemselves.

Capable psychonauts who think about thinking, about states of mind, about set and setting, can get things
done not because they have more willpower or drive, but because they know productivity is a game played
against a childish primal human predilection for pleasure and novelty that can never be excised from the
soul. Your effort is better spent outsmarting yourself than making empty promises through plugging dates
into a calendar or setting deadlines for push-ups.

Charles Duhigg

RemovingOptions
Thesinglemostimportantthingyoucandotomakeeverythingelseinyourlifeeasiertodoistoremoveoptions.
Haveyouevernoticedthatitbecomeseasiertoeathealthywhenyourearoundhealthyfood?
Studiesshowthat
removingtemptationismoreeffectivethanwillpower
.Evenwhenyouhavemultiplegoodoptionsavailable,
decision

paralysiscanbefatal
toeffectivelychoosingagoodoption.Simplygetridofthebadthings,andthegoodchoiceswill
becomeeasiertomake.
Sogotossoutthatjunkfood!

FrontLoadingDecisions
Whenyoureconfrontedwitha
new
decision,thebraingoesintoacomplexprocessofdecidingwhattherightcourse
ofactionis.Yourabilitytochoosethecorrectchoiceinthemomentislimitedbyyouravailablewillpower,which
naturallydepletesthroughthecourseoftheday.Ontheotherhand,
whenyoumaketoughdecisionsbeforethe
situationactuallyarises,studieshaveshownthatyouaremuchmorelikelytoadheretothecorrectdecision
.Thus,
imaginingthedecisionyouwillhavetomakebeforehand(walkingpastthetemptingdonuts)allowsyoutomakethe
decisioncorrectly,once,andinisolationsothatyouwillsticktoitlater.
Sopromiseyourselfyoullworkouttomorrow,andputtheshoesnexttoyourbed!

JustGetStarted!

ActivationEnergy

Whensomethingseemschallenging,thedecisiontogetstartedcanbehard.Itsveryeasytofallintothetrapof
overthinkingsomethingtothepointofnevergettingstartedatall.Thebestsolutionissimplytostart!Theresa
phenomenoncalled
activationenergy
,whichstatesthatsimplygettingstartedismuchharderthantherestofa
project.Thus,itisoftenagoodideatosimplychoosetheeasiesttaskonyourlistandstartgoing!
Sogostartsomethingrightnow!

KeystoneHabits
Keystonehabitstakeadvantageofactivationenergy,
thepowerofhabit
,andotherpsychologicalprinciplesto
prepareyoupsychologicallyforsuccess.HereswhatCharlesDuhigghastosayaboutthesubjectinhisbook,
The
PowerofHabit
:

Keystone habits say that success doesnt depend on getting every single thing right, but instead relies on
identifying a few key priorities and fashioning them into powerful levers. However, where should a
would-be habit master start? Understanding keystone habits holds the answer to that question: The habits
that matter most are the ones that, when they start to shift, dislodge and remake other patterns.

Keystones
Keystonehabitsaresonamedbecausetheysupporttherestofyourdecisions,keystonehabitscanbemany
differentthings.Simply
makingyourbedinthemorninghasbeenshowntobeaneffectivekeystonehabit
,andthe

samegoesforexercise.Whatsimportantaboutkeystonehabitsisthattheysetthetonefortherestofyour
accomplishments.Theintentionisthattheymakeyoufeelasthoughyouarealreadythesortofpersonwhodoes
thethingsyouwishtodo,whichbringsustothelastimportantbitofdecisionmaking

IdentifywiththeDecision
Byattachinganaspectofselfidentitytoadecision,youeffectivelytieyourperceptionofselftomakingthecorrect
decision.WhyisitthatMuslimscanfastduringRamadanwhenmanyofuswouldfindithard?HowareJewish
peopleabletoavoidpork,orevenvegetariansabletoeschewallmeat?Ineachofthesecases,thepersonhas
selfappliedalabel.IfyoucallyourselfaMuslimoraJewandyoubreaktheserules,youeitherhavetoadmitthat
yourelyingaboutwhoyouareorsufferthroughsomevery
painfulcognitivedissonance
.
Sodecidewhoyouwanttobe!

Conclusion
Letsnotdownplaytheimportanceofwillpower(
ithasbeenshowntobethebestpredictorofachildssuccess!
)At
thesametime,willpowerisfinite,soletsfindgoodwaystospendit.Thinkofyourwillpowerlikeyourpsychological
currency:findinggoodwaystosaveitwillhelptoensurethatyouhaveplentyofitwhenyouneedit.

6:Motivation

Previously,Ishowedyouhowtousehabitsandothertoolstoremovemotivationfromtheequation.Asmuchaslife
canbemadeeasierbythesetechniques,motivationstillhasarole:itunderpinsourdesiretogetmoving.Hacking
decisionmakingmayreducetheamountofrequiredmotivation,butitcannotcompletelyremovetheneedfor
motivationalltogether.
Thankfully,modernsciencehasfinallystartedtorevealwaysbywhichmotivationcanbeimproved.Unfortunately,
likewithsleep(andmanyotherproductivitytopics),thisisanotherareawherethereisalotofunverifiedscience
causingconfusion.

WhyisMotivationHard?
ResearchonhowwethinkofourselvesatStanfordhasrevealedthat:

Thinking about the future self elicits neural activation patterns that are similar to neural activation
patterns elicited by thinking about a stranger. (
Dont Stop Thinking About Tomorrow: Individual
Differences in Future-Self Continuity Account for Saving
)

Inotherwords,wheneveryoutrytomakeaplanforyourself,yourefightinganuphillbattle.Thepersonyoure
planningforissomeonewithwhomyoudonotreallyidentify.Hesastranger,someonedowntheroadwhofeels
irrelevanttoday.
Sustainablemotivationis
not
obtainedbycreatingplansandrewards.Instead,themosteffectivemotivationcomes
fromfindingvalueinthemomentitself.Inotherwords,motivationisabouttheroadnotthedestination.Formy
money,nothingcapturestheZenofthisphilosophybetterthanthisGhandiquotation:


Ghandi

TwoTypesofMotivation
Therearetwotypesofmotivation:
intrinsic
and
extrinsic
.Extrinsicmotivationisrewardoriented(suchasgradesfor
studyinghard,allowanceforcleaningyourroom,trophiesforwinningacompetition,etc.)Whileextrinsicmotivation
doeshaveitsplace,ithasseriouspitfallstoo.Forexample:

When money is used as an external reward for some activity, the subjects lose intrinsic interest for the
activity, [Deci] wrote. Rewards can deliver a short-term boostjust as a jolt of caffeine can keep you
cranking for a few more hours. But the effect wears offand, worse, can reduce a persons longer-term
motivation to continue the project

 (
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
, by Daniel Pink)

DanielPinkelaboratesonthisideathroughoutthebook,explainingingreatdetailwhyadesirefor
purpose
,
autonomy
and
mastery
isfarmoremotivatingthananyextrinsicreward.Findingsuchvalueinlifecontributesina
vastnumberofways,suchas
helpingtopreventAlzheimers
and
manyotheraspectsofmaintainingbrainhealth
.

DevelopingIntrinsicMotivationwithaGrowth
Mindset
Whilewemaybepoorlysuitedtoplanforthefuture,
recentresearchonsuccessfullongtermgoalshasshown
that
beingawareofincrementalprogresstowardsalongtermgoalcausesgradualreleasesofdopamine.Inotherwords,
itishardtothinkofafutureselfandsticktoaschedule,butitiseasy(andenjoyable)toexperiencestepstoward
somegoal.
Thejoboftheintrinsicallymotivated,then,istofindpleasureineachsteptowardssomeultimategoal(asIsaid
earlier,tofocusonthepathratherthanthedestination).Thiscanbeaccomplishedthroughtheuseofwhatisknown
asa
growthmindset
.Agrowthmindsetistheoppositeofwhatresearcherscall
learnedhelplessness
.For
contrast,hereshowlearnedhelplessnessworks:

People who give up easily, who become helpless even in situations where they actually can do something,
explain bad events as permanent, pervasive, and personal. They believe that negative conditions will
endure a long time, that the causes are universal rather than specific to the circumstances, and that theyre
the ones to blame. So if their boss yells at them, they interpret it as My boss is always mean or All bosses
are jerks or Im incompetent at my job rather than My boss is having an awful day and I just happened
to be in the line of fire when he lost it.

(
To Sell Is Human: The Surprising Truth About Moving Others
, Daniel Pink)

Agrowthmindset,then,isabouttakingeachexperienceasanopportunityto
buildandevolve.Infact,experimentationisallaboutagrowthmindset(whichis
thereasonthisblogiscalledLifebyExperimentation).Thereisnosuchthingas
afailedexperimentbecauseeachtrialdemonstratesanincreaseinknowledge
(growth).InthewordsofThomasEdison:

If I find 10,000 ways something wont work, I havent failed. I am not discouraged, because every wrong
attempt discarded is another step forward

Here,wehavetheessenceofgrowthmindsetsandintrinsicmotivation.Edisonbeautifullystatedhoweachtrialisa
steptowardsagoalwhichis,byitself,rewarding.Notethathemadenomentionofmoneyorfameheconcludesthat
successisderivedbecauseeachattemptisastepforward.

Techniques
Toharnessagrowthmindset,wemustconstantlystrivetoaccomplishmanysmallthings.Infact,thisisthepoint
behindthephrasenonstopaccomplishment.Myfavoritetechniqueforbuildingagrowthmindsetistosetupa
lifeflow
,whichguaranteesthateveryactionthroughoutthedayisasteptowardsthisgrowth.Thisalsoguarantees
that,ifatanygivenpointintime,youarefeelingunmotivated,youcanswitchtoadifferenttaskwhichwhichwillitself
beworthwhile.Forexample,ifIeverdontfeellikewritingablogpost,writingcode,orlisteningtoapodcast,there
arealwaysadozennewbookswhichIwouldliketoread.

7:Tracking

Ifthereisasingleundervaluedpsychologicaltechniquetoaccomplishmore,itisthatof
tracking
.Ifyoudontknow
whereyouareat,orthestepstowhereyouwanttogo,thenhowcanyoupossiblyaccomplishyourgoals?Inthis
sense,trackingisasortofinternalcartography.Bymakingmapsofwhatwevedone,wherewereat,andwherewe
plantobe,wecanunderstandourselvesandourpathbetter.
Trackingcanbeassimpleastasklistsoradiary,ormuchmorecomplicated.However,therearewaysthattracking
canbedonepoorly.TheHarvardBusinessReviewhaspublishedagoodbreakdownof
thefaultsofasimplytasklist
,
forexample.But,ifwetakealookatthepsychology,wecanseethatthebenefitsareextremelystrong,iftrackingis
implementedproperly

TheScienceofMetacognition
Metacognitionisbestsummarizedastheactofthinkingaboutthinking.Itisthevoiceinyourheadthatcanstep
outsideofthesituationandreflectuponyourownthoughts.IfyouveeversaidImbeing____rightnow,then
youvemetacognated.Itrequiresaconsciousprocessofsteppingbackfromasituation,andhasbeenshownto
increaselearning
,aswellas
enhanceempathy
,andmuchmore.Inthewordsof
DavidMcRaneyinYouAreNotSo
Smart:

Thinking about thinkingthis is the key. In the struggle between should versus want, some people have
figured out something crucial: Want never goes away. Procrastination is all about choosing want over
should because you dont have a plan for those times when you can expect to be tempted. You are really
bad at predicting your future mental states.


BrainChemicals
Infact,theuseofmindfulness(ormeditation)isametacognitivetrainingpractice.However,trackingalsocausesus
tometacognate.Whentrackingyourprogressthroughanygiventask,youreforcedtobreakitapartandthinkabout
thepieces.Thisgivesyoutheopportunitytopsychologicallydistanceyourselffromit.Thismeansthatyouregois
lesswrappedupinthetask,whichultimatelyleadstobetterresults.Similarly,
DecisivebyChipandDanHeath
recommendcreatingtemporaldistance:

To use 10/10/10, we think about our decisions on three different time frames: How will we feel about it 10
minutes from now? How about 10 months from now? How about 10 years from now? The three time
frames provide an elegant way of forcing us to get some distance on our decisions.

Rewards
Dopaminehaslongbeenconsideredtherewardchemicalinthebrain.Everyonefromdrugaddictstovideogame
playersexperienceadopaminereleaseassociatedwiththeirchosenactivity.Recentresearchhasshown,infact,
thatdopamineisreleasedasaprecursortoanexpectedreward.Inasense,thebrainprovidesthechemicaltohelp
ustowardstheeventualgoal.Critically,
thischemicalisessentialtolongtermgoals
.

Studyafterstudyhasbeenabletodemonstratedemonstratedopaminereleasefromsimplerewards.Inmyprevious
professionofvideogamedesign,weknewtoprovidetheplayerwithdopaminespikesearlyon,andthenbeginto
staggertherewardsmoreandmoretocreateasenseofaccomplishmentandyearning.
Strangeasitsounds,addingandremovingitemsfromatasklistcanalsotriggersuchdopamine/rewardcircuitry.

ClosingLoops
Ineverythingfromstorywritingtomotivationalpsychology,theconceptofanopenloopisanimportantone.As
humans,wefinditdiscomfortingtoknowthatatask(orloop)remainsopen.Thisiswheretheoldimageryoftyinga
stringaroundyourfingertoremembersomethingcomesfrom:aslongasataskremainsundone,itisbothersome.
Trackinggivesusthebestofbothworlds.Whenyouwriteataskdown,youcanbecertainthatyouhavenoriskof
forgettingit,soyouarefreetogoaboutsomethingelse(presumablyofahigherpriority)withoutbeingdistracted.At
thesametime,theloopisstillopen:everytimeyoucheckyourlist,youcannotavoidthefactthatthetaskremains.

Looper

Tools,TechniquesandAvoidingPitfalls
Iuse
Wunderlist
asatasklistand
DayOne
asadiary(bothworkonMacOSX,
iPhone,iPad,etc).Idonotsimplywriteanythoughtorideadown:Imakesure
toorganizeandprioritizemyentries.

Thekeytosuccessfultracking,afterwritingdowntheinformation,isusingit
effectively.The
HBR
articleIlinkedtoabovemainlytakesissuewiththe
utilizationoftodolistsinanineffectivemanner.Itstrue:ifyoustareatahuge,
dauntingtasklistwithnocontextorrankingofdifficulty,youlllikelybe

overwhelmedanddemotivated.Ivefoundmyselfinthispositionbefore,andhavecreatedafewtechniquestoavoid
it:

1.

StrawTasks
:takenfromtheideaofastrawmanargument,IcreateoneortwotasksthatIcaneasily
knockdown:funtasks,thatletmegetintoaflow,thuslettingmegetpastthe
activationenergy
.

2.

ContextualTasks
:mylistsarebrokenintosublistsandsubtasks,withannotationsandthoughts.For
example:thisblogpostwasataskonmytasklist.AtfirstitwasnothingmorethanataskinmyBloglist
calledaccomplishmentandtracking.Becauseitwasonmymind,though,Istartedaddingnoteslike
metacognitionandopenloopsintothenotesinWunderlist.BythetimeIfinallygotaroundtowritingthe
blogpost,itwasseveralparagraphslong.

3.

Commitment
:mylistsarenotmymustdothings.Rather,theyareascratchpadofallthethingsthatI
havehadthoughtsabout.Then,whenIneedsomethingtodo(eg,Iwanttowriteanewblogpost),it
becomeseasytopickoutsomecontentthatisreadytobewritten.