I use procedure list cards in my 3-ring binder to have a detailed list of action items for recurring projects (such as cleaning the bathroom). It keeps my todo list simple and gives me the procedure to get it done efficiently.

This form is pretty simple to use and saves me precious time from thinking about challenges that I’ve already solved:

1. Fill in the title of the procedure: Most of your procedures are going to be some sort of routine that (a) you haven’t memorized yet and (b) something you wouldn’t do spontaneously. Most of my routines have to do with some type of cleaning because I tend to put it off until things are dirty.
2. Fill in how often the procedure

It is nice to have a balanced life. Every once in a while you may need to temporarily break that balance to achieve difficult goals. Once you move past the challenge, you can become balanced again.

For the past two weeks I was going through the most intense study session of my life. Never before have I been more focused and never before have I been more unbalanced. I was preparing for my first actuarial exam, which has a 30% first time pass rate.

I was stressed to my limit. Last Thursday, I took my exam and was overjoyed when I was greeted by the computer screen saying “Congratulations! A preliminary analysis of your test results shows that you were successful in achieving the passing score.” I was relieved to find… Continue reading

Although I tend to focus on goals and the future, I do take the time to enjoy the moment. I breathe in, focus on my sensations, and exhale. In the moment I feel happy.

There are a few simple things in my life when I cannot help but to feel really good. When they happen, I take a breath, focus on the good feelings, and feel at peace. It’s meditation on a micro-scale. Here are 7 ways I enjoy the moment:

1. Taking a shower after a long run: I ran track in high school and I am currently training for a 5k to help fight human trafficking (my girlfriend will be doing the swimming portion). It’s probably the rush of endorphins from the run, but I love taking a slightly

Since the beginning of time, there have been 3 key secrets to success. Richard Dawkins has uncovered these strategies, but do you have what it takes to execute them?

On the most basic levels, success isn’t about fame, money, or even being good at something. Success is the continued existence in the face of danger. In his book, The Selfish Gene, former Oxford professor Richard Dawkins describes three strategies that successful genes have “adopted” that allows them to continually exist.

If success is defined as continual existence in the face of danger (i.e. the ability to overcome struggle), the same strategies that contribute to the success of genes can allow us to overcome our own struggles and achieve success.

The three strategies are:

• Fecundity: The first strategy that contributes to a gene’s success

Delusions are dangerous because they distort reality. They may have you believe you have abilities or achievements that you haven’t earned. Although delusions produce fake rewards, they can help you stop worrying and allow you to focus.

Jonathan Mead noticed that we lie to ourselves when we say “not yet“. Those two words are dangerous because we are refusing to act now, but make a weak promise to act in the future. We believe we might actually do it someday, when we probably will never do it. In other words, we are delusional.

Before I started waking up before my alarm, I would wake up, reset my alarm, go back to sleep, and repeat. I would tell myself “I’m not going to wake up now, but I’ll get up in… Continue reading