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Early rising and self improvement journal

Discussion in 'Self Improvement' started by Xaviergo, May 21, 2022.

  1. Helpless Hand

    Helpless Hand Fapstronaut

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    I've been trying to address a similar problem with wasting too much time on devices. Normally, I'll eat and watch YouTube on my Smart TV, which would carry over into watching YouTube aimlessly once I finish eating. You're right in that it does more than waste time, sapping energy and motivation for other productive things. I've only managed to stop my eating with YouTube habit for a few days, but here are a few tips that might help:

    1) Change up where you're eating. I had been eating on the couch (in front of the TV) and now I eat at a table somewhat distanced from any electronics which will hopefully solidify that time spent eating is just for, well, eating.
    2) Keep your phone in a set spot/don't carry it around wherever you go in your house. My phone is on my nightstand to serve as my alarm and, after touching it just to turn off the alarm, I leave it there as I go about my business. You might also want to consider adding a blocker to your phone. I use *** and, beyond it's adult content filtering function, I've blocked specific apps that I notice have been distracting me too much (that includes YouTube and all web browsing apps--yeah, it can be a little awkward when people ask me to look something up and I tell them that I somehow can't with the smartphone I'm holding).
    3) If you're going to use a device, use it with a purpose in mind (e.g., I'm going to watch this one specific video; give yourself only a short block of time to use the device).

    Hope this helps in some way, and keep up the good work!
     
    Xaviergo likes this.
  2. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Thank you so much. That's a very comprehensive answer. All three are very useful to me. I decided to follow them myself. I might need to make additional devices rules. I will update here if that happens.
     
  3. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Day 15, Jun 7, Tue:

    Again, woke up at 5:48 and slept in. Problem is chatted with sister and went to bed too late. Should avoid that in the future. It's a pretty productive day otherwise. Tennis with friends for 2.5 hours.

    Consistency is the key. How to keep motivated? From the Mark Minervini, it's expectation. If you believe you already made progress / have an edge and believe you can really make it, you are more likely make it. I need to remind myself, I have made this before and I can make it again. And this time, even better. I am building a better routine for life.
     
  4. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Day 16, Jun 8, Wed:

    Rise at 5:50. That marked my greatest achievement today. Back on track to early rising. Still spent too much to browse online aimlessly in office. Solution: when I feel tired / lack of motivation, go out to take a walk. Prepare a coffee either at home or grab one from the shop. Happy about my progress on early rising although still too much procrastination.
     
  5. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Day 17, Jun 9, Thu:

    Rise at 6:38. Def a little bit late but it's pretty productive day today.
     
  6. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Day 18, Jun 10, Thu:

    Rise at 6:06. Give yourself a pat on the back. Also I am sending texts to meet and connect to other people. Good job!

    Although I woke up pretty early, I spent the whole morning hiding in my house not work because I didn't finish the reading assignment the past week. I felt so ashamed and very low self-esteem. See, that's the classical pattern that held me back in the past.

    The next thing I would do is fight procrastination. Maybe that's the challenge for next week or so?
     
  7. whatrichme

    whatrichme Fapstronaut

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    I too started to read the book.
    I think the point is to wake up early and get inspired and gain empowerment from it.
    For the tranquility of the morning, it wouldn't be wise to push it precise as 5 if it induces any stress.
     
    Xaviergo likes this.
  8. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    I agree. For now, my goal is get up at 6 regularly and have time for myself, study, workout, journal before I get to work. I am enjoying the benefits of getting up early. How are you doing, man?
     
    DeterminedRebooter likes this.
  9. whatrichme

    whatrichme Fapstronaut

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    I am seeing some good signs of I have been working on.
    If these signs continue to come to me often, they probably mean I am on the right way and have likely made some real progress.

    2 quick notes about your aims:
    - Set your router DNS so no P can come thru, nothing.
    - I automate my phone so that it only goes online every half an hour for 1 minute.

    Whether waking early will leads to more empowerment or more boredom, this I'd like to learn more from you.
    Please let me know.
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2022
    DeterminedRebooter and Xaviergo like this.
  10. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Thanks for the 2 notes.

    I followed the DNS setting and it worked perfectly. Thank you so much. How did you configure your phone tho?

    I tried to waking up early in 2019 also. Yes, I succeed that time and that habit lasted like 1 year until Covid disrupted everything, including my early rising habit. During that time, waking up early did gave me both empowerment and boredom. I have more time and energy to focus on many things I had thought about but never touched. Like I started to learn coding, read a lot more, went to gym more. The boredom is probably from isolation and hiding I guess. Sometimes, especially if I didn't get enough sleep, I woke early and just stared at my screen and didn't want to do anything. A few hours or a whole morning could pass without my notice.

    Fast forward to 2022, I think I'm better equipped. The book 5 am club is really helpful. My goal is adopt the routine there, step by step. That being said, I still find the morning 20/20/20 formula somewhat odd / difficult. My body is kinda stiff and I was reluctant to move right after I roll out of my bed. I still do some morning workout in that 20 mins but intensive workout never happened to me so far. The next 20 mins is supposed to be learning for me. I used that time to learn English, which is not my first language. I feel odd too, bc I tongue and mouth are not fully active yet either. The last 20 mins I use that to plan my day, which turns out to be very helpful. It boosted my productivity.

    Overall, waking up early I have more time and energy to do the things I want and realize my potential (top of HOV). I have more freedom and less stress. The downside might be sometime I had less fun since I had to sleep early -- less time drinking or chatting or hanging out with friends. But that's a tiny price I can pay and make up from other things.

    How do you like the book? Are you reading any other self develop books? Any recommendations? what's your experience?
     
  11. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Sat, June 11, day 19 of early rising:

    Get up at 5:57. Too excited since I planned to meet a friend I haven't seen in 3 years although it didn't happen, so disappointed.

    Otherwise, it's a nice relaxed Saturday. I focused mostly on my self today. Used much of my time cleaning the house and learn photography. Happy I get up early again.

    I am reading the book: Democracy in America. In discussing the longevity of the republic, Alexis de Tocqueville says the biggest threat of the republic is diversity. Wondering about those: Is he right? What's the history of advocacy of diversity in US? It is not a very old thing, I guess? Where and when did it start from? What does it really mean? What's the long term implication for the country and the world?

    Tomorrow, work on the reading for the next week, lab, and gym.
     
  12. whatrichme

    whatrichme Fapstronaut

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    On android, apps like "Tasker" and "Automate" enable you to automate lots of things. Don't know if there is an equivalent for apple..
    My phone reconnects 10 seconds after I unlocked it. I am usually done with the phone within that 10 seconds.

    Boredom is something we all, men and women, fight long and hard these two years.
    Are you comfortable with yourself? Can you probe and face your problems? Chance for transformation or doom?
    I have seen someone's total transformation recently, I have also seen someone been reduced and not living for the better since I last met them.
    Most were neutral. Just some food for thought.

    For the 5 am thing, I would quote from Bruce Lee "be water my friend". My whole approach is to wake up a little earlier than my natural preference. Then I do whatever is great for the day. If it's a yoga day, it's a yoga day. If it's a make-my-tea day, I make my tea. Then I would finish all the things that I usually don't have time or energy for. Tidying my space, make hair better, brainstorm a little... It's great to finish all granularities by 8.

    As a coder myself, I would focus. Someday it's research, someday is adding a particular function. They can take anytime from 15 minutes to 10 hours. Just one thing a day

    Books, I read so many. My last one was The Psychology of Money, which was excellent. Almost done with 5am Club. My next one is going to be about Taoist principles (sexual secrets), then about dating/relationships after that.
     
    DeterminedRebooter and Xaviergo like this.
  13. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Sun, June 12, day 20 of early rising:

    Rise at 5:55.
     
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  14. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Tue, June 14, day 22 of early rising:

    Woke up around 6 and slept in until 820. I went to bed too late last night.
     
  15. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Mon, June 13, day 21 of early rising:

    Got up at 6. Good job. There will be more things to write about later on but it's been a pretty busy week for me.
     
  16. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Thu, June 16, day 24 of early rising: rise at 6am and start my reading assignment.

    Can't believe the last post way actually 3 days ago. I actually woke up pretty early in the last few days, during which I hadn't posted.

    Today, as I walk from the parking lot where I parked toward my office, my thought was: what do you want from your life? And then as I write this, my thought is from Jordan Peterson: you can have anything you want, but you need to ask for it.

    In the last couples days, I was def dragged down by temptations (reddit gone wild and gone wild stories, sex positions, toys, books, words). I had fun and it gave me ego boost by ***. But I got oblivious about what I wanted for my life and started to wander around and let my emotions, distractions and temptations lead me wherever they led me to.

    When this morning reality came in that I had to show up in the qft discussion session, I started my last minute efforts and did my best. (Good job, here, you didn't wail in self-pity. But, in some sense, I didn't change that much from before, this kinda procrastination has always been there. Thought about to fight procrastination but never didn't anything fr during this summer so far).

    It been long since I started to think the meaning of life. It came to me that self-actualization is grand final of life meaning and then I started to ask myself: is that true?

    So, today, I start to read the book: Transcend: The New Science of Self-Actualization: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/49625550-transcend. I hope to find more insights from there.

    Also watched Jordan Peterson's video . It has so many great ideas. The self authoring program is most interesting to me, see here: https://selfauthoring.com/past-authoring. You can write down your stories: your past (self-healing and understanding), your present (self-awareness and understanding, know yourself), your future (you are building your own blue print). I have been thinking to write a letter to myself for a few weeks. I think this would be great opportunity.

    Some thoughts on my life: I used to think think I had a hard life and sometimes I still think this way, subconsciously. My dad died and I started from my life from nowhere in the mountains in the 3rd world country. See how many pain and struggles I have had. Until I met the girl I met 4 years ago. She laughed when she was the cheesy fake film when guys trying to pay tribute to the dead brother. She said that's so fake. She has been that moment 100 times. She is only 26, but lost her mom (murder and still know what happened exactly), dad (accident), first bf and lots of other close relatives. After that moment, I realized how lucky I have been. Life has endowed me so much. Now it's my obligation to use these great resources to self-actualize and transcend.

    Shoot some photos in the ducks park and started to learn the software Lightroom. It's a nice day. So many random thoughts, sorry if my words are confusing. Thank you for your patience if you made it here. I love you all.
     
    Last edited: Jun 17, 2022
    Helpless Hand likes this.
  17. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Wed, June 29, day 37 of early rising:

    It's been a while and I am pretty confused. About dating and career.
     
  18. Xaviergo

    Xaviergo Fapstronaut

    Just some updates from the last one and half month. I finished the book feeling good by David Burns. I feel it's so far the most useful book I have ever read. It seems to be the answer of my own problem I have been trying to solve for 15+. I now feel more like a whole man for the first time. I started to realize something was not right about me after high school in 2007. Things just got worse when all those drama happens with my first love, which went from high school to undergrad. I was very depressed, can't do anything. But kind of depressed period goes on and off. I see the real hope here. I guess it need real work before I can really get better.

    Some early result: the last two week is one of my most productive time in grad school. Now I'm writing things for my second paper to publish soon.
     
    desmond318 likes this.

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