I choose to have an intense life

My life is far from slow paced. Forever ambitious, I’ve often found myself juggling more than I could handle. And on many occasions I’ve drop a ball, or few. Projects, personal commitments, even my health at times have suffered from mismanagement.

I had two options: lower my ambition and take on less, or optimize my life so I can continue to aim for more.

This article is about my choice for the latter: a few daily habits and rituals I’ve developed to help me take on the world. Below is a quick summary.

Morning rituals

400 hours

My morning rituals begin as soon as I arise at 4am. I’ve been waking up this early almost daily (including weekends) since early 2015. I love it.

It’s not hard

In no way is waking up at 4am impressive^[02] or difficult. Whatever time you’re currently accustomed to waking at, you can get accustomed to waking up at 4am. It only take a couple weeks, sometimes less, for your body to get used to it.

Successful people wake up early

Waking up 4am gives me 3-4 hours of personal time, before the rest of the world has a chance to get at me. I don’t use this time for client work^[03] or catching up on emails. This time is reserved for meditation, reading, writing, learning new things, and enjoying my own company.

You gotta give yourself focused love or you’ll go nuts – especially as an entrepreneur.

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man [and woman]^[04] healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
– Benjamin Franklin

Below are a few successful people that wake up early^[05]. Recognize a few?

Last point on this

When I first started waking up at 4am, I didn’t know what benefits I would gain. I didn’t have any empirical data or research that lead me to the decision. I wanted personal time, and I knew Tim Cook^[06] did it, and he wasn’t the only successful person to do so.

We may not know the ‘why’ for someone’s success ritual, but we can easily learn it by emulating.

Bulletproof coffee

The first thing I do once I arise is make myself a cup of Bulletproof Coffee (BPC). The water is already boiled, and has cooled down to the perfect temperature^[07]. This is possible because I set a digital timer (for 3:50am) the night before.

Why BPC?

What is BPC?

BPC is a coffee concoction made with ‘Upgraded Coffee’ beans, grass-fed butter, and ‘Brain Octane Oil’, blended to produce a drink that looks like a latte, and tastes like heaven. The recipe was created by Dave Asprey and first posted on his blog in 2009. I, however, am not using the branded ingredients. Alternatives are listed below^[09].

• Branded Upgraded Coffee:
  Nope. Locally bought, freshly roasted coffee beans
• Branded Brain Octane Oil:
  Nope. MCT (Medium Chain Triglycerides) oil instead
• Grass-fed butter:
  Yep. Local, organic, grass-fed butter

How I make BPC?

Step 01. Grinding with a Zassenhaus^[10]

I grind the beans the night before. I use a Zassenhaus “Guatemala” Wenge/Stainless Steel Coffee Mill. This is a manual, not electric grinder. I opted for manual as I love the ritual of physically turning the handle and feeling the beans being crushed.

Step 02. Brewing with an Aeropress^[11]

Super cheap ($29) to buy, and probably the best way to make your coffee. Wired Magazine gave the Aeropress a 9/10 rating^[12]. Did I mention it’s super cheap?

Step 03. Blending with Magic Bullet^[13]

So many reasons to use a Magic Bullet, including mixing your BPC ingredients. You can buy a Magic Bullet online, or at your local Walmart. A quick search yields a ‘Single Shot’ version for $59.94CAD on Amazon.ca.

Controversy

Anecdotally, BPC works amazing for me. I don’t get the jitters I used to get from drinking regular coffee^[14], I’m more alert, and I don’t have hunger pangs throughout the day. My Partner, Lan, told me about it a couple years ago, but I only recently fell in love with BPC this past spring after meeting many successful entrepreneurs and executives that swore by it.

However, all is not good in the realm of Dave Asprey’s BPC. To be fair, I’ve included a few links that are anti-BPC and not-so-pro-Dave-Asprey. Again, BPC works for me – but it may not for you. Also, I’m way past the point to believe it’s a placebo effect. Just saying.

Gizmodo.com: Bulletproof-coffee – Debunking the hot buttered hype

Meditation

I will usually meditate between 12 to 40 minutes every morning, not to mention a few sessions during the day/evening. Meditation has been the single greatest contributor^[15] to balancing my intense life and bipolar personality.

“There is nothing spooky or irrational about mindfulness, and the literature on its psychological benefits is now substantial.”^[16]– Sam Harris, Neuroscientist, Philosopher

Some benefits include^[17], but are not limited to the following:

• Helps preserve the aging brain
• Increases mindfulness while decreasing the default mode network (DMN), the brain network responsible for mind-wandering and self-referential thoughts
• Helps with depression and anxiety
• Improves concentration and attention
• Helps break addictions
• And may even lead to volume changes in key areas of the brain.

You can read about my journey diving into meditation here: 40 days of meditation using Muse, the brain sensing headband.

Personal development

As mentioned previously, I try to avoid work work, but rather focus on personal projects and catching up on my studies. I’m always into something new and exciting. Currently, it’s the neuroscience and emerging technology.

Some things include but are not limited to the following:

• Read on a variety of topics from space, time travel, neuroscience, business leadership, and more
• Write
  • Blog posts
  • Personal logs
  • Working on a couple books
• Set goals
• Plan and strategize

Ice-cold shower

By around 7-8am, I’ve clocked in a good 3-4 hours of personal time. I transition into the second phase of my day with a shower and personal care. Starting warm, and ending ice-cold.

A few reasons to consider ice-cold showers^{[19] [20]}

• Increases alertness
• Refines hair and skin
• Improves immunity and circulation
• Stimulates weight loss
• Speeds up muscle soreness and recovery
• Eases stress
• Relieves depression

Ice baths

There’s tremendous benefits in taking ice-baths, even more so than cold showers. Many athletes and peak performers do it. I have yet to build the courage, but Kobe Bryant has. Here’s Kobe immersed in ice-cold water.

During the day

Slow Carb Diet (SCD)

I’ve been on the SCD since late May. I have to say, I feel absolutely amazing. Not that I was eating unhealthy before, just that I’ve taken it to a complete new level. My body is processing less crap, and to my surprise, I don’t have cravings for bread, rice, or noodles. All things that I devoured before.

What is the Slow Carb Diet?

Exercise

Working out

Aside from very light stretching and yoga, I’m currently not working out. This is not to say I don’t believe or understand its benefits,nor am I not interested or unmotivated to work out – just that I’m currently in the midst of a weird body experiment in which I’m purposely avoiding it. In an attempt to redeem myself here, I was hitting the gym every single day prior to starting this experiment. Yep. Every day. And before you preach to me the science of why hitting the gym daily is not good, hear me out. There’s a method to my madness.

Working out everyday

At the beginning of 2015, I was searching for new purpose. Something bigger and greater than servicing clients or throwing events. I wanted to dedicate myself to something huge. Something I could lose myself to. I realized it was important to work less and invest more time to observe, take in, process, and daydream. Hitting the gym daily became my goal until I found a better goal. here’s why:

• Overcoming resistance: Going to the gym is for most, a mental challenge that’s hard to overcome. I wanted to forever overcome that.
• A personal challenge: Do I have the discipline to go in when I’m tired, drunk, or just not feeling it?
• Build character:I knew that a crazy commitment like this would strengthen my character.
• Get in shape: Going to the gym daily may not be ideal, but it’s far better than the opposite. Knowing my body would need rest days, I would alternate between intense and relaxing workouts.

The future

Yes, of course I’ll start working out again. But not for another couple months.

Project managing your workout

I wrote a post back in September 2014 on how I manage and measure my workouts. You can read it here: Project managing your workout

Evening rituals

Closing time

You would think my morning routine is the most important part of my day, but it’s not. My evening routine is by far much more important. It’s simple. I don’t have a morning routine if I don’t prepare the night before. Tracking my days and evenings has proved this beyond a shadow of a doubt^[21].

A glass of wine

In no way does having a glass of wine ensure I have a great next day. I simply enjoy winding down with a glass of Pinot Noir (or anything red and dry). This isn’t a regular ritual, but worth mentioning.

Avoid the screen = work, emails, and Facebook

I say avoid, as I still struggle with this from time to time. Sometimes I pick up my iPhone and open up the Facebook app, completely in autopilot. Evenings that I consciously avoid my phone and laptop, I go to sleep happier, more relaxed, and fall asleep faster.

Clean up

I don’t tidy up, I clean the fucking-shit out of my home^[23]. Everything is absolutely sparkling clean, and living in its own dedicated home.

Waking up right

The last thing I need in the morning is to wake up to a messy home. I make sure this is not the case before I go to bed. I wake up to a clean and serene home.

Winding down ritual

Similar to a glass of wine, I find cleaning my home helps me relax. Regardless of how tired I may be, working with my body and hands is a nice change from my brain-intensive day.

Also worth mentioning

In addition to cleaning up at night, I also clean up before I leave my home. Especially in more detail if I’ll be away for the whole day or more. The reason is simple. I don’t know the crap I’m going to deal with out there, away from my sanctuary, temple, and base. I simply have less control over circumstances and outcomes outside my domain. Whether good or bad, the odds are I’m coming home tired from day’s adventure. The last thing I want is to come home to a messy and disorganized home.

Scientists find physical clutter affects your ability to focus, process information^[25]

Preparing for tomorrow

Further efforts to prepare myself for an awesome next day include:

BPC station

• Fill 1.5 cups worth of water in kettle, plugged in to timer
• Ensure plug timer is set to boil water at 3:50am
• Grind one coffee cup’s worth of beans
• Place Aeropress, Magic Bullet, and grinded coffee beans on clean counter top

Incense

• Insert one incense stick incense burner
• Test lighter, and place beside incense burner

Technology

• Laptop and workstation ready to go. Close all work related browser tabs, including email
• Ensure Muse headband has enough battery power for minimum four 12-minute sessions. If not, plug in device.
• Set iPhone alarm to 4am, and make sure it has enough battery power for minimum four 12-minute Muse sessions. If not, plug in iPhone.

Final thoughts

I’m not busy

Being busy has become a war-badge in our metropolis cultures; something that people seem to oddly be proud of. I, for one, am no longer having it. Choosing to have a lot on my plate is different from being ‘busy’. The first is empowering, while the second is about loss of control.

Busy is a mental disease that you need to overcome. We have no more and no less time than anyone else, including successful people. There isn’t some weird Star-Trek-like spacial anomaly ripping your quantum reality time-continuum to give you less time than Richard Branson, Tony Robbins, or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. If President Obama has time to have dinner with his family, we do too.

Mastering your environment

By properly setting up my mornings and evenings, I ensure that my day starts and ends right. This is especially important on intense, disappointing, and difficult days. I can always take solace knowing that my morning was amazing, and that I will end my night just as well.

How can I expect to achieve my dreams if I’m unwilling to master my days.

Mastering yourself

Having control over our environment starts from having control over our minds. My daily rituals have become a feedback loop. The more I dedicate time to study, meditation, and health, the more control I gain over my mind and environment. The more control I gain over my mind and environment, the more I am able to pursue and create new positive rituals.

Once a hood rat…

My life has not always been one of discipline, focus, and happiness. I can’t pin-point the date, event, or decision that was the catalyst for better times. If I had to guess, I’d say it was a combination of many positive choices that accumulated to a tipping point. One day I woke up and realized, shit is much better. And though it was difficult and gradual, the realization was sudden and delightful.

I say this not to impress you, but to impress upon you, that if this awkward self-conscious ghetto child with bad acne and two left feet is able to find happiness and gain mild success – you undoubtedly can do better.