Rules to Live By In 2015 And Beyond
- Put Your Phone Away. Dinner. Drinks. A date. Coffee. Put it away. It can wait.
- Write More. Start a blog. Or a journal. Anything—even if no one sees it. Writing is an advantageous skill to hone. You’ll only get better with practice.
- Follow the 30 Second Rule. I discovered this post by Robyn Scott last year. I’ve been trying it out. Though it’s too soon to tell if it’s having a monumental impact on my life, it seems like a useful exercise to practice.
- Take Time For Yourself. Set aside some time every day for yourself. It’s good for you.
- Don’t Flake. If you commit, follow through.
- Read more. I’m going to read a book per month this year. It’s an easy challenge, considering that 3/4ths of Americans only read one book last year. If you’re feeling ambitious, try reading a book a week.
- Focus. Over the past ten years there has been a direct negative correlation between the number of distractions I’ve been exposed to (thanks iPhone) and my ability to focus. It’s bad. Take time to practice focusing. Steve Jobs was notoriously good at it.
- Always Tell The Truth. It saves a lot of time and regret.
- Exercise Regularly. Don’t do it to lose weight. Do it to get (or stay) in shape. The weight loss will come later. Start small. Find your local November Project tribe and get moving.
- Learn Peoples Names. When you shake someone’s hand, repeat his/her name (Jane, nice to meet you, I’m Jared). This is my trick.
- Hold the Door. Seems like a no-brainer, right? Yet about half of the people I walk into my office building behind don’t. It’s common sense. Just do it.
- Eat Good Food. Meaning: don’t eat shit, i.e. processed foods. Splurge from time to time. Don’t kill yourself over your favorite cheese or burger. It’s all about moderation.
- Talk to Strangers. This goes against what we’ve grown up to believe. But chances are the person in the grocery store or at the bar isn’t a serial killer.
- Put Yourself Out There. Ask someone on a date. Publish a blog post. Draw something about put it online. You will (definitely) be judged. But learn to be okay with it.
- Give Thoughtful Gifts. At least $2 billion was spent on gift cards that were never redeemed last year. While they’re an easy gift, they’re not thoughtful. Give fewer giftcards this year and give something significant. Make a donation in someone’s honor or help fund a startup.
- Sleep More. Study after study has confirmed that sleeping more is better for you. Yet as a country we continue to deprive ourselves of it. The CDC calls it a public health epidemic.
- Go on Walks. Even if it’s just five minutes. Get up from your desk and enjoy some fresh air.
- Meditate. The health benefits are astounding. I’m still working on this one but am committing to it this year.
- Fail More. See #14. Or read this post from last year.
- Support Local Business. Ironically, I’m writing in a Starbucks right now. But I’m usually at a local coffee shop writing these pieces. It feels good to support the locals. Starbucks will always be around but your local coffee shop might not be.
- Listen. My friend Avital makes you feel like you’re the only person in the room when talking to her. You probably know someone like this. You also know when someone isn’t listening to you. It feels shitty. Doing it right makes us all better communicators.
- Buy Less Crap. You probably don’t use at least half of what you own. Think about that for a second.
- Embrace The Cold. You’ll sleep better and potentially lose weight.
- Shake Hands. See #10. You’ll make a better impression.
- Be Ontime. I love California but one of the things that drives me nuts about the work culture here is timeliness. It doesn’t exist—meetings never, ever start on time. That said, be on time for things you control out of politeness.
- Stop Reading Lists Like This One. I run across several “Top Ten Reasons Why…” lists online every day. You likely do too. I’m over them. Our brain likes them because lists are easy to digest. But let’s find a better way to get ideas across.
