How to Get Your Shit Together
Oh cool, you clicked on this. I bet you’re probably in the same place I was some time ago (and probably will go back to at some point in the future). Whenever I open my Instagram feed, I see people who generally seem to have their shit together: Jocko Willink, Tim Ferriss, Dr. Jordan Peterson, the list goes on and on.
I’ve read their books, listened to their podcasts, and I’ll be honest with you, I still can’t seem to get my shit together as well as these people. How do they do it? The 4 a.m. wake ups, the intense physical training regimens, the strict diets, the daily meditations, and god knows what else?
I don’t think I’ve found an answer myself…but I think I developed a system that helped me get from not having my shit together…to currently having some of my shit together…and then eventually having all my shit together.
Step 1: Start with one tiny thing you can do daily.
For me, this was making my bed. No matter what day or time I wake up, the first thing I do is make my bed. This is a small win for me, and will start the momentum needed to achieve bigger wins. I know this might not sound like a mind-blowing life hack, but this shit works. I learned this from Admiral William H. McRaven’s book, Make Your Bed.
Step 2: Clean your room, and then your house.
Another seemingly minor, but significantly important habit to develop. Every night, I give 30 minutes to myself to clean my room. I organize my books, put my clothes where they need to go, take out the trash, and put what I need for the next day on my trunk. That way, I wake up with everything organized and ready to go.
I live with two other guys who like to have people over a lot, just like me. We eat a lot of food and there’s always dishes to do and trash to take out. When I come back from class and I have a break, the first thing I do is to tidy up our living room and kitchen. Doing this sucked at first, but after a few days I got into the habit of it. I’ve been doing it since we moved into our apartment, and it helps de-stress my mind so much that I actually volunteer to do dishes and clean up after. I learned this from Dr. Jordan Peterson’s book, 12 Rules for Life.
Step 3: Start a calendar
This might be a no-brainer for some people, but you’d be surprised to know how many people can’t/don’t keep a good calendar.
Personally, I put all of my events in my calendar and color-code it for different types of events: ROTC (green), school-related (red), fitness (orange), study/homework (purple), and all other events in blue.
I like Apple’s standard calendar, but a lot of people also like Google Calendar. Choose your pick and stick with it. This takes away all the items you need to remember and frees up your headspace.
I learned this one just on my own :)
Step 4: Organize your to-do’s.
I usually have a ton of items on my to-do list. But I suck at prioritizing them. Recently, I’ve started using the Eisenhower Matrix to organize all of it. It’s definitely helped me arrange all my items out and figure out what to do next. But you don’t really have to follow this method, you can pick whatever you want. A simple Google search will give you a bunch of options, but I personally recommend using the Eisenhower Matrix. I ran across this tip when I actually visited the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum in Abilene, KS.
Step 5: Eat clean. Regularly.
This one is a simple, yet super complex step. I believe it was AngelList’s Founder, Naval Ravikant. who said that “nutrition is like religion: there’s a million different diets and everyone has their own belief.” I’ve tried keto, intermittent fasting, carnivore, and all of the diets that celebrities, influencers, and bio-hackers push out. In my humble opinion, I prefer to eat minimal carbs (from good sources with low glycemic indices), plenty of vegetables (broccoli and greens mostly), with some good protein (chicken, fish, beef, pork, etc). I don’t really track fat because I avoid too much saturated fat and never trans-fats.
I’m also a big fan of intermittent fasting and like following a 18/6 hour fast (that is, I fast for 18 hours and eat within the remaining 6 hours). Then again, this is what works for me. Find out what works for you, but most importantly, do it CONSISTENTLY. Having a routine is what allows you to de-clutter your life, since it automates the mundane and frees you for the imaginative.
Step 6: Read like you eat — keep a balanced diet of genres.
I read 10 books this summer, and all of them were across different genres. Some people read for pleasure, others for practicality (be it school or professional development). I like reading for many reasons, and tend to cover three primary genres: military history and strategy (which I consider to be my “professional reading”), psychology and self-development (my “curiosity reading”), and classic literature (my “learn the human experience” reading that I do for fun).
Step 6a: What if I don’t like to read?
I wasn’t always a big reader myself. Naval Ravikant once again has some good advice, this time for new readers. Start with something you actually LIKE to read. Don’t just pick a book up because it’s got raving reviews or was recommended by your friends. Quite simply, pick up a book that you think you will enjoy…and finish it. Then do it again. And again. Until you start expanding your library. Reading, like many things, is all about building the discipline before you go out and add the intensity.
Step 6b: I’m so busy with ___ I don’t have time to read.
You’re not slammed 24/7 are you? Many people have asked this question and even many more have answered it. The simple answer: you’re not making time for it because it’s not a priority for you. Even 30 minutes a day works. Just be sure to do it. Sorry, tough luck on this one.
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Aight, that’s all I got for now. This is a working document. I’ll keep adding to it as I go along. Keep in mind I’m far from perfect and have my own shit to deal with, but these strategies have helped me immensely. Hope this helps you as well. Hit me up if you have any questions: kusalwin.kularatne@gmail.com
— KK
