TL;DR version

I’ve learned that my happiness and overall productivity in life is highly influenced by my energy level.

High energy, I’m feeling good and getting things done.

Low energy: I’m depressed and lazy. And usually a shitty person to be around to boot.

The only reason I’m writing this now is because I went to bed at 10:30 pm last night. I don’t write blog posts when I’m on 6 hours of sleep.

Energy is positively correlated with happiness and productivity

I’ve also found that there are four main ways to boost your energy level and therefore be happier and more productive.

1. Sleep is the foundation of energy.

Getting 8ish hours of sleep is the bedrock and can do sooooooo much to make you feel good. You don’t need to read studies to understand the enormous benefits of getting quality and quantity sleep. Sleep cannot be understated. Sleep gives you the biggest jump in energy out of the four things. Also notice the diminishing returns.

2-4 The last three are clean eating, regular exercise and socializing, in no particular order.

Doing each thing gives you a bump in energy.