[EXPERIMENT] Living "perfectly" for 2 weeks: Will it make me happier and productive?

[piano]

Lately I've been living quite badly.
After the Easter holidays started and I couldn't wash windows for the time being, I slowly started to self-loathe again. I picked up really bad habits again and today left me more distraught than it should have (had problems with a customer) and I am sure that I really am not in a clear state of mind.

And this brings us to the Experiment!
(You can skip the following segment)
I've read a conversation where @heavy_industry once partook in and he basically said that exercise is really important or smth idk and if you do it, you basically get happier, more focussed yada yada.
I'm really not a fan of the gym anymore, and I believe that it doesn't help me, but I'll try it out anyways, to just make sure that I am not just lying to myself.
(Segment end ^)
And here are the rules (!):

-Workout 3 times a week in the evening, inside gym
-No youtube. Only listen to high-dopamine-music to hype myself up for my side hustle
-Work on Window cleaning side hustle. If not possible, practise Sales, create jokes, etc.
-Practise piano for at least 1 hour a day
-No bad habits, going cold-turkey
-Eating well, at least 60 grams of protein each day
-Meditating daily for at least 10 minutes
-Keep up on a certain endeavour (will create a guide if I succeed)
-Sleeping well, shouldn't be hard considering we have holidays haha

And that's it.
I know that it's going to be really embarrassing if I post this and quit day 2, so I'm pretty "motivated".

Let's see if this works. I'll keep you guys updated every few days or if something important happens!
I'll start from tomorrow (Thursday).

 

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[heavy_industry]

Training hard is the best thing you can do for your brain.

But it might take at least a few weeks for the effect to really kick in. For me it was 3 months of forcing myself to go to the gym before I got heavily addicted to it. Now there is no stopping.

Have fun and ENJOY THE PAIN.

---

More info here:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DsVzKCk066g&ab_channel=WhatI%27veLearned

 

[perchboy]

how about your business though?

i only started to make money once i quit doing all this shit and made making money my focus

 

[constant]

Eating well, at least 60 grams of protein each day

60 grams is barely enough. I'd say double it, and eat atleast 120 grams.

 

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[piano]

how about your business though?

"-Work on Window cleaning side hustle. If not possible, practise Sales, create jokes, etc."

i only started to make money once i quit doing all this shit and made making money my focus

I guess you're ready to make some serious cash then? I think we're mentally a bit different and I first need to clear my mind, or are you watching youtube hours a day, eating shit food, indulging in bad things and are effectively working on your business whilst all of that? Probably not.

Also, interestingly, all of these things combined actually INCREASE the time for my business.

60 grams is barely enough. I'd say double it, and eat atleast 120 grams.

Sorry what? Alright, but I think I'm gonna die

 

[Subsonic]

"-Work on Window cleaning side hustle. If not possible, practise Sales, create jokes, etc."

I guess you're ready to make some serious cash then? I think we're mentally a bit different and I first need to clear my mind, or are you watching youtube hours a day, eating shit food, indulging in bad things and are effectively working on your business whilst all of that? Probably not.

Also, interestingly, all of these things combined actually INCREASE the time for my business.


Sorry what? Alright, but I think I'm gonna die

Bro thats like 2 Chicken breasts and a protein shake.

Its not that hard.

 

[constant]

"-Work on Window cleaning side hustle. If not possible, practise Sales, create jokes, etc."

I guess you're ready to make some serious cash then? I think we're mentally a bit different and I first need to clear my mind, or are you watching youtube hours a day, eating shit food, indulging in bad things and are effectively working on your business whilst all of that? Probably not.

Also, interestingly, all of these things combined actually INCREASE the time for my business.


Sorry what? Alright, but I think I'm gonna die

I aim for 180 grams and I'm still here

 

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[heavy_industry]

Sorry what? Alright, but I think I'm gonna die

May I introduce you to the heavy_industry 250g of protein / day diet™?

Half a pack of butter is added for increasing both testosterone and the chances of having a heart attack.

(not medical advice - talk to your doctor)

 

[Prdgy]

May I introduce you to the heavy_industry 250g of protein / day diet™?

Half a pack of butter is added for increasing both testosterone and the chances of having a heart attack.

(not medical advice - talk to your doctor)

What doesn't kill you makes you stronger! (Disclaimer: and fatter.)

 

[Prdgy]

Sorry what? Alright, but I think I'm gonna die

Get MyFitnessPal and track your calories, it's gonna show you your protein intake too. Trust me, if you eat meat and/or nuts, you'll reach 60g within the first two meals.

Oh but do NOT make the mistake I did and become negligent on your micronutrients. This is how I got horrendous leg cramps. Make sure your diet is balanced!

 

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[piano]

WEEK 1 Update:

(orange-not fully/green-perfectly/red-fail)
-Workout 3 times a week in the evening, inside gym
-No youtube. Only listen to high-dopamine-music to hype myself up for my side hustle
-Work on Window cleaning side hustle. If not possible, practise Sales, create jokes, etc.
-Practise piano for at least 1 hour a day
-No bad habits, going cold-turkey
-Eating well, at least 60 grams of protein each day
-Meditating daily for at least 10 minutes
-Keep up on a certain endeavour (will create a guide if I succeed)
-Sleeping well, shouldn't be hard considering we have holidays haha

I'm honestly slightly ashamed of these results. I couldn't do it and failed (not completely ofc, but still).
But hey, here's how my week went:
I went to the gym twice and wanted to go a third time but I went out with Subsonic yesterday and it was too late for the gym. Eating-wise I ate/drank a lot of protein on the workout days, but as the days went on, it became less and less. However I made myself many sandwiches with a sandwich maker, pretty tasty. I wonder though if these carbs negatively affected me.
The window cleaning side hustle was... Well, I did my job most of the time however I've been procrastinating heavily since yesterday. Then there is piano practise. It was alright when I started, but as the days progressed, I couldn't hold focus for more than 10 minutes a day. I still sat down and grinded one hour away each day, but it was definitely not quality-practise. I kept up meditation pretty well though, each day.
I got long durations of sleep, however I often woke up late (I'd sleep after turning my alarm off) and stayed in bed awake for long times. I guess that made me feel pretty groggy and just not very fit.
I also indulged twice in a bad habit.

To my mood:
It just...crashed? Last Wednesday I think I was preparing myself to go the gym at 8pm and I was really tired and wanted to just lay down for a second. I went into my room and laid myself on my carpet and looked at the sky through my attic window. "There's no way I'd fall asleep here, so I'll just close my eyes for a sec-"
-bamn, I fell asleep. On my carpet.
And I think the story above explains my mood and energy levels well.
Last Saturday I woke up so exhausted (I went to the gym and worked my a$$ off, on the new bike as well days prior) and couldn't even stand still properly, so I took that as a rest day. I don't even know what I did that day anymore to pass all the time.

Now it's 3pm, and I am currently dreading to still go out window cleaning. It feels dreading.

What could have caused this? (theories

-malnutrition
-indulgence in bad habits
-simply exhaustion?
-mental state
-I was heavily hoping that the "certain endeavour" would help me, but it didn't work out yet.
-too much sleep/resting
-wrong expectation or wrong time for the experiment (but why?)
-lack of intimacy/support in real life
-worries?

I don't know yet, but the show must go on anyways. Even if I don't go pitching today, I'll at the very least go the gym.

Or you know what, I think I'll go take a walk to relax from all of this.
It's sunny weather, at least one thing is nice today.

 

[heavy_industry]

I'm honestly slightly ashamed of these results.

This is a very important first step that I experienced myself at the beginning of Q1 of this year.

Becoming aware of your own shortcomings is the first step towards becoming a more competent person.

Congratulations for having the courage to look in the mirror and telling the truth. I respect that a lot.

Things will continue to go up from here.

Keep working.

I wonder though if these carbs negatively affected me.

You can't go low carb, low protein, low fat.

You have to eat more.

Training is just the stimulus that triggers the cascading events of hypertrophy.
Training in the gym makes you weaker, and damages your muscles. All growth and adaptation happens after the gym, when you eat and sleep.

I have an awesome rice recipe that is very easy to make and is perfect for bodybuilding when you don't have a lot of space to cook. Shoot me a message if you're interested.

Would also highly recommend buying some protein powder if you're having difficulty getting enough protein. You can easily down 100 grams of protein from having two shakes a day.

 

[Spenny]

I don't know how I missed this thread. Glad to have seen it!

I'm honestly slightly ashamed of these results. I couldn't do it and failed (not completely ofc, but still).

Fall off the bike again, there is no shame in it. School conditions you that failure = bad. No, it shows you're trying. You're outside the comfort zone.

I got long durations of sleep, however I often woke up late (I'd sleep after turning my alarm off) and stayed in bed awake for long times. I guess that made me feel pretty groggy and just not very fit.

I've struggled with sloth aswell. The strategy I'm trying have in place is an alarm clock that cannot be put onto snooze. That means I got to get up otherwise I'll sleep in too late.

Check this out. It helped me a lot.

To my mood:
It just...crashed? Last Wednesday I think I was preparing myself to go the gym at 8pm and I was really tired and wanted to just lay down for a second. I went into my room and laid myself on my carpet and looked at the sky through my attic window. "There's no way I'd fall asleep here, so I'll just close my eyes for a sec-"
-bamn, I fell asleep. On my carpet.
And I think the story above explains my mood and energy levels well.
Last Saturday I woke up so exhausted (I went to the gym and worked my a$$ off, on the new bike as well days prior) and couldn't even stand still properly, so I took that as a rest day. I don't even know what I did that day anymore to pass all the time.

I don't think I need to be sherlock holmes - it maybe those sandwiches. Best thing to do is to discover what the route cause of this was, otherwise you'll be pushing a boulder up a hill trying to get stuff done.

I found this with whole milk. I'd drink 800ml of whole milk with 60g protein powder & be drowsy. Fix: 400ml from now on. Problem is gone.

-malnutrition
-indulgence in bad habits
-simply exhaustion?
-mental state
-too much sleep/resting
-wrong expectation or wrong time for the experiment (but why?)
-lack of intimacy/support in real life
-worries?

You've got the critiques, but you need to build systems to mitigate these effects you feel. Let me help you.

- Malnutrition: Myfitnesspal - find out how much you're eating less. If you're below 2100, EATTTTTTT. Just as our good friend @constant says:

60 grams is barely enough. I'd say double it, and eat atleast 120 grams.

Generally, its 2g/ibs, but start with 120g. Its not easy to achieve but it's doable, take on @Subsonic 's advice.

- Indulgence in bad habits - too vague. Write down every single one. How does it make you feel that you have them? Remember those feelings, they're good motivators. Then the most important step - accountability. Tell the world (eg post here) what you're going to do, social influence is very potent.

- Exhaustion/sleep - Sleep schedule? Gotta get that in place, figure out how many hours you need, get a time to sleep and stick to it. This might help.

- wrong time for the experiment - Today is the best time to start, the right time will never come. People stay on metaphorical train platforms their entire life, waiting for the perfect one to roll in for their destination. They come to find out that they needed to train hop, travel from city to city, reroute, jump on ferries. Don't wait for that "perfect train". It will never come.

Even if I don't go pitching today, I'll at the very least go the gym.

Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. Doing something, even if you don't feel like it. See, you are making progress!


Here's also the kicker - it's been a week. Patience, my friend. Keep these goals. Keep persisting.

 

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[piano]

This is a very important first step that I experienced myself at the beginning of Q1 of this year.

Becoming aware of your own shortcomings is the first step towards becoming a more competent person.

Congratulations for having the courage to look in the mirror and telling the truth. I respect that a lot.

Things will continue to go up from here.

Keep working.

(I finally got on my pc, so I can reply in-depth.)
Thank you for your encouragement (and the rice recipe!).
However I have a question:
Yes, I am aware of my shortcomings, however I've been aware of that for the past year, and I don't know what to think of that. -Or actually, no, I don't have a question anymore. I forgot what I wanted to ask and can't remember it, maybe because I already know the answer (or because it's almost midnight and want to sleep). Either way, I can only continue and hope for nice dreams tonight. I'll keep ya updated.

@Spenny thanks for the links and text! I'll watch it tomorrow when it's not 12am lol.

 

[heavy_industry]

Thank you for your encouragement (and the rice recipe!).

You're very welcome bro.
Thanks for posting this, I've just remembered that I have one more plate of rice in the fridge, and I can't wait to devour it. This week's diet plan has been ruined

I don't know what I am going to say on the Q2 progress thread lol

Yes, I am aware of my shortcomings, however I've been aware of that for the past year, and I don't know what to think of that.

You may have been aware of it for some time, but it was vague and unclear.

Now you have a clear picture of what is going on. You have an objective measurement to show you exactly how bad the problem is.

If you keep focusing on executing the process and gradually improving your performance, life will skyrocket. I would highly recommend that you extend your experiment to a longer timeframe - 2 weeks is just starting the process. 6 months worth of good decisions have the potential to result in life changing outcomes.

I would also recommend continuing with a disciplined training routine. You're not doing it for improving your physique. You're doing it to develop discipline of mental faculties.

Trust me when I say that physical movement is the best workout for your brain.

 

[constant]

You shouldn't be ashamed of those results, because you tried to achieve everything in the same week.

Write down all the good things/habits you want to get into and all the bad habits you want to get rid of and split all those things into 12 weeks (That's 3 months).

For example:

Week 1:
-Fix morning routine
-Read for 1h
Week 2:
-Practice piano for 1h per day
-Stop scrolling social media

Every week, you will start becoming better and better. After ~90 days, your day-to-day life will be completely unrecognizable.

If you try to get rid of something big, for example 3h of video games per day, then you must replace it with something else. For example reading books or going to the gym. If you don't, your life will have a 'vacuum' in it and you'll get really bored.

Good luck.

 

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[PureA]

What problem are you solving for? Zoom out.

If you completed this list 100% it isn't going to magically make your life great.

Sure, I'm well on board with healthy habits. But I don't think these things are going to create the change you think they are.

I'm guessing, since you are on this forum, the main goal is actually financial success/freedom... Why do you have to feel good to do the work? (tip: you don't).

The difference between people who achieve their goals and don't is that they do what needs to be done, regardless of if they feel like doing 'the thing'.

I'm making a lot of assumptions here, so forgive me, but you may have your whole life set up on the fact "I need to feel like X to do X" - which fundamentally isn't true.

Ok, so what do I suggest?

Reverse engineer your goals, and have a daily minimum that is non-negotiable (make it small, make it manageable, make it so small you can do it on your worst day.)

e.g.
- I want 10 clients
- I convert clients at 1%
- 100 reach-outs = 1 client
- 10 reach-outs a day = new client every 10 days.
- Now all you have to focus on is 10 reach-outs

You can forget all the fluff. Didn't meditate today? No problem, 10 reach outs.
Ate like shit? No problem, 10 reach outs.
etc etc, you get my point.

We've been sold a script that our emotions should control our actions.

Feel good? - great.
Feel bad? - HALT! YOU ARE FLAWED, BUY THIS BUY THAT, TAKE THESE PILLS.

You can do the work and reach your goals without feeling good.

And guess what might just happen when you are making daily progress towards your real goals?... You might feel pretty good about it.

 

[heavy_industry]

@PureA I think @piano is trying to implement a better lifestyle that will enable him to feel better and enjoy life more.

Given the fact that he is a teenager and is now building his own habits, personality, and way of life, I would say that this "experiment" is the best course of action, and really shows a lot of wisdom.

What I would suggest however, is that @piano extends his timeframe for better habits from 2 weeks to 10 years, and that he gradually improves his lifestyle until it becomes second nature.

We are, in many ways, the sum of our habits. And building up a strong lifestyle foundation is going to give you a decisive advantage in life, over the rest of the idiots that eat sugar and scroll on social media 10 hours a day.

---

@PureA 's advice is really great, and I believe that you should always have a strategy for business which is separate from the health strategy.

In life we will need to be able to make progress in multiple areas, health and business being two of the most important ones.

Good luck!

 

[PureA]

@PureA I think @piano is trying to implement a better lifestyle that will enable him to feel better and enjoy life more.

Given the fact that he is a teenager and is now building his own habits, personality, and way of life, I would say that this "experiment" is the best course of action, and really shows a lot of wisdom.

What I would suggest however, is that @piano extends his timeframe for better habits from 2 weeks to 10 years, and that he gradually improves his lifestyle until it becomes second nature.

We are, in many ways, the sum of our habits. And building up a strong lifestyle foundation is going to give you a decisive advantage in life, over the rest of the idiots that eat sugar and scroll on social media 10 hours a day.

---

@PureA 's advice is really great, and I believe that you should always have a strategy for business which is separate from the health strategy.

In life we will need to be able to make progress in multiple areas, health and business being two of the most important ones.

Good luck!

Not discrediting his efforts at all, I just got caught in a moment of passion speaking to my younger self. Healthy habits are no doubt the cornerstone of a great life.

The younger me put myself through a lot by needing to be 100% perfect in my habits all the time. It was black or white, win or lose.

Now with the benefits of hindsight, I see that the 70%-90% grey area would've got me there with a lot less frustration.

If I could go back I would've just done the few things that really moved the needle and have forgotten about the laundry list of habits I 'should' do.

e.g.
- Take a walk everyday
- Eat real food
- Prioritise my sleep

That gets you 95% of the way there.

 

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[piano]

(Before I start, please just realise that all the mentioned things aren't extremely time costly. They may take away 2.5 hours of my day and they all supplement the hustle in some way or form)

If you completed this list 100% it isn't going to magically make your life great.

Sure, I'm well on board with healthy habits. But I don't think these things are going to create the change you think they are.

I'm guessing, since you are on this forum, the main goal is actually financial success/freedom... Why do you have to feel good to do the work? (tip: you don't).

If I completed the list 100% and continued, and I scaled from there (aka, now go to gym 4 times a day, etc) and I stayed consistent, that would make me feel good. I'd be proud, and still confident when somebody makes fun of me. I'd have an awesome body in no time, I'd be focussed insanely, mindful and would be on the best path to music and my business would get higher quality time.
And I agree with you on the feeling good to work part. I don't need to, but my emotions do hold me back, massively. I'd say I'd be 1000€ richer now if my brain would just stfu.
I don't need to feel good, but I can't allow myself to get to rock bottom because I can't control my thoughts well (meditation and gym help).

But quite honestly, even right now I don't know if I can trust myself with this answer. My mind is messy right now (more on that in my window cleaning thread later...)

The difference between people who achieve their goals and don't is that they do what needs to be done, regardless of if they feel like doing 'the thing'.

I'm making a lot of assumptions here, so forgive me, but you may have your whole life set up on the fact "I need to feel like X to do X" - which fundamentally isn't true.

Well, you can trust me when I say that I've been hating 90% of the routine so far. There's surprisingly a lot of anxiety. And btw, practically all of my window cleaning journey was being done while I was scared. Even on my best days, I was still "excited".

Ok, so what do I suggest?

Reverse engineer your goals, and have a daily minimum that is non-negotiable (make it small, make it manageable, make it so small you can do it on your worst day.)

Did you read Tiny habits by any chance?
I think this might be possible when I can finally utilise ads, however I don't think I'll be walking d2d EVERY DAY, no matter how small.

You can do the work and reach your goals without feeling good.

And guess what might just happen when you are making daily progress towards your real goals?... You might feel pretty good about it.

Well, what's a "real goal"? I think it's quite abstract, but let me say this: I don't really care about money specifically. I actually am not even sure exactly what I truly care for. I only know that I need money to turn my life around, or at least I am very sure in that.

Yes, I feel awesome when I take 200€ home with me, but there still is some kind of sadness inside me (I hope I don't sound obnoxious right now..)

@PureA I think @piano is trying to implement a better lifestyle that will enable him to feel better and enjoy life more.

Given the fact that he is a teenager and is now building his own habits, personality, and way of life, I would say that this "experiment" is the best course of action, and really shows a lot of wisdom.

Thank you.

What I would suggest however, is that @piano extends his timeframe for better habits from 2 weeks to 10 years, and that he gradually improves his lifestyle until it becomes second nature.

I chuckled here haha, but yes, I'll likely continue after this experiment.

@PureA 's advice is really great, and I believe that you should always have a strategy for business which is separate from the health strategy.

In life we will need to be able to make progress in multiple areas, health and business being two of the most important ones.

Good luck!

I agree, it's good advice or rather a "bullshit-check", which makes sure you're not lying to yourself, etc.

Thank you!
And also thank you @Roli ! You definitely make me think...

 

[heavy_industry]

e.g.
- Take a walk everyday
- Eat real food
- Prioritise my sleep

That gets you 95% of the way there.

Thank you, that's quite a good summary.

I would add "training hard" as one of my key pillars. It has done magic things for my brain. The physique has been a fortunate side effect.

Another interesting thing is to note that most (99%) of the positive effects you will get from habits are going to come from not doing the bad things.

Why? Because there is limitless downside potential. If your habits are shitty enough, they can destroy your life or even kill you.

So it's always a good idea to keep some level of humility, listen to your consciousness, and tread carefully through life.

---

@piano I wouldn't get defensive. No harm was intended.

Both @PureA and me are a decade older than you, and we have a decent amount of life experience that we're willing to share.

I think that the core idea behind his message was not not fall into the "self-help" / "self-improvement" habit hell, which has never resulted in any real success. Just glorified action-faking.

The lifestyle habits that we have are only the foundation of life. And on top of that foundation we need to build something (e.g. business, academic pursuits, other goals etc.)

 

[piano]

Not discrediting his efforts at all, I just got caught in a moment of passion speaking to my younger self. Healthy habits are no doubt the cornerstone of a great life.

The younger me put myself through a lot by needing to be 100% perfect in my habits all the time. It was black or white, win or lose.

Now with the benefits of hindsight, I see that the 70%-90% grey area would've got me there with a lot less frustration.

If I could go back I would've just done the few things that really moved the needle and have forgotten about the laundry list of habits I 'should' do.

e.g.
- Take a walk everyday
- Eat real food
- Prioritise my sleep

That gets you 95% of the way there.

(I just want to say that I didn't see your reply yet when I answered previously)

So...you agree with the experiment being a good plan now or how can I understand this...?
(I'll assume you do if you don't reply)

@piano I wouldn't get defensive. No harm was intended.

Did I? I didn't intend to if I came off that way.

Both @PureA and me are a decade older than you, and we have a decent amount of life experience that we're willing to share.

And I am very thankful for that.

I think that the core idea behind his message was not not fall into the "self-help" / "self-improvement" habit hell, which has never resulted in any real success. Just glorified action-faking.

Yeah.

 

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[Vas87]

Start with just 3 things you want to build into habits. Then after a couple of months (or less), once they are ingrained in your routine, add another 3. You don't want to be doing 8 tasks correctly but failing 1, and feeling like a failure.

 

[piano]

Alright, maybe a bit late, but I think it's definitely time now...

My second week was mixed, similarly to week 1.

I kept up the gym mostly, piano practise started to fluctuate though and diet definitely wasn't the best.
I'm not sure if I fully kept up meditation, however I did pretty well in that I can remember.
Then the rest ranged likely from meh to bad.

Conclusion:
Did it make me happier? Hell no bro.
Don't get me wrong, it was good to meet my piano teacher again and actually show him that I progressed well enough and it was also nice seeing a 14 days streak on some apps, however I still didn't feel good or really accomplished.
In fact, on Thursday, the last day of the 2 weeks, I kinda crashed mentally.
I was thinking of drastic and reckless "plans" to get out of that situation.
And then I reached out to somebody I know.
They talked me out of it and instilled a slight peace on my mind.

And from that conversation I learned to chill, accept my situation and cope better with it.
I learned that things simply take time and that all my stress and worry comes from myself.
And Stoicism has in the meanwhile helped me a lot btw, like, A LOT.

And I think that I also might have found the actual culprit. I'm not going into detail as to what it is, but I think you guys would also agree that it might be the reason to my mood. I've been working on it for about a week now.

So yeah... I kinda failed this experiment too. Not just because I didn't become happy/whatever, but because I wasn't disciplined enough to properly execute on it.

(Oh and about the window cleaning: I hate to say it but school has taken a lot of time from me, in fact it kinda was the thing that let things escalate to that Thursday. However I still went out sometimes. I think I made 120€ since then. Not a lot, but hey, better than nothing.)

Things still seem a bit uncertain, however I've learned that it's best to simply not care and move on regardless.

Take care.