Habits

The benefits of writing first thing in the morning
Creativity / Habits

The benefits of writing first thing in the morning

I should have tried years ago what I tried yesterday: to write first thing after waking up. For years, I've started nearly every day: wake up, make the bed, cross the room and turn off the alarm within sixty seconds of it going off, then bathroom, then meditate followed by light stretching. All of that adds up to about an hour. Depending on the day, then I might do my morning calisthenics, eat, or other exercise. I only turn my phone off airplane mode after at least one hour of being awake. Starting with meditation starts the day well. It means starting with reflection, calm, and being proactive. I was reading some authors' descriptions of writing first thing and decided to try it. I wrote…

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August 29, 2026
Is the only way to reduce litter and garbage anywhere to overhaul American culture, maybe global? I guess we’ll have to do it then.
Habits / Pollution and Depletion / SIDCHAs

Is the only way to reduce litter and garbage anywhere to overhaul American culture, maybe global? I guess we’ll have to do it then.

Regular readers know I pick up litter every day, in particular in Washington Square Park, effectively my back yard. It's one of my sidchas. Today I must have arrived in the park just after a cleaning crew's shift because I saw almost no litter. Was I excited that the park might be clean for a day, even if just for when I happened to be there? No. Experience taught me not to be disappointed. I went with my computer to work. I knew if I sat and worked, then by the time I left, even a few minutes later, plenty of litter would arrive. I'm sure if I asked anyone if they littered, they'd all say no, but within a few minutes of sitting, I…

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August 24, 2026
Secret video of Beth picking up litter goes viral in Mexico
Habits / Hands on Practical Experience / Pollution and Depletion

Secret video of Beth picking up litter goes viral in Mexico

The background: Longtime podcast listeners may remember episode 754: (Aunt) Trish Ellis and (Niece) Evelyn Wallace, part 1: Not Even Cancer Holds Her Back. We mentioned Beth, Evelyn's mom and Trish's sister. All three of them took the workshop. Beth has been picking up litter ever since. She lives in Mérida, Mexico, where she organizes others to pick up litter too. They created a web page: Yo ❤ Mérida limpia. ¿Y tú?, which states their mission and vision: Mission: To promote the care, cleanliness, and respect for Mérida's public spaces through community actions that strengthen environmental awareness, a sense of belonging, and citizen participation. Vision: To build a Mérida where every person takes pride in caring for their surroundings, making cleanliness and respect for nature part…

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July 14, 2026
What I love about expensive gyms
Fitness / Habits / SIDCHAs

What I love about expensive gyms

I love walking past Equinox gyms, or any other luxury gym. Or any gym for that matter, though especially the expensive ones. New Yorkers commonly pay $300 to $400 per month for Equinox memberships. Why do I love walking past them? Because almost guaranteed, someone will be walking in or out who is less fit yet spends more per month than I spent in probably the last decade on fitness. and I know that I got my full workout in less time than they took commuting or possibly even just changing clothes. The friend I mentioned yesterday in More Personal Bests: floor press, single-arm row, Turkish get-up also once told me he could show me how to get a full-body workout with two kettle bells.…

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June 4, 2026
More Personal Bests: floor press, single-arm row, Turkish get-up
Exercises / Fitness / Habits / SIDCHAs

More Personal Bests: floor press, single-arm row, Turkish get-up

Personal best 1: floor press Regular readers know that when I bought my 70-pound kettle bell, I almost couldn't use it (though carrying it from the person I bought it from, used from Craigslist, to the subway, down the stairs to the subway, up and down stairs to transfer, and up more stairs home was a farmers walk). A few months ago I reported reaching personal bests for reps for floor presses. Well, last Thursday I reached eleven reps for my first set. When I got it, I may not have been able to do one rep. I'd been doing 10, 9, 8 for my three sets on my lifting days. Last Thursday I hit 11 for the first set. I didn't plan to. I…

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June 3, 2026
There are many ways to meditate
Awareness / Exercises / Habits

There are many ways to meditate

I meditate for 31 minutes every morning. It's one of my sidchas. I've learned several ways to meditate, not that I consider myself to have mastered any: zen, vipassana, and mindfulness, for example. I've heard of many other styles. I also hear people distinguish dual from non-dual. Buddhist meditation comes in many forms, if you're Theravada, Mahayana, Chinese, Tibetan, etc. I've read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. I also read Essays by Michel de Montaigne, which I understand were based on meditations. When I write, I often step away from the paper or computer I'm writing on to think, reflect, and let ideas come. I distinguish that reflection from meditations, but when I tell some people about it, they call it meditation. Which of these techniques…

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May 26, 2026
Discipline Equals Freedom: Two years no hot showers
Awareness / Exercises / Habits / Pollution and Depletion / SIDCHAs

Discipline Equals Freedom: Two years no hot showers

If you don't get that discipline creates freedom, this post will make no sense to you. If so, probably best not to read it. Regular readers know I found value in taking cold showers. Maybe five years ago, after watching podcast guest Joel Runyon's TEDx talk on cold showers then reading his conversation with his readers on his Cold Shower Therapy Guide, which I recommend, I experimented taking a cold shower. I learned a lot from the experience. It was December in New York City, and very cold, but very invigorating and any discomfort ended the moment I ended the shower. There was no risk of injury. I got most of the value I get from a workout or practicing anything challenging with no cost…

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April 15, 2026
First plogging and barefoot run of 2026
Doof / Habits

First plogging and barefoot run of 2026

Longtime readers know I switched from running to plogging, which led to a bunch of media doing stories on me. I can't help sharing the stories. The earliest I found was 2018: “17 Creative Weekend Routines For a Happier, More Successful Week,” including plogging about a story on me in Thrive Global in 2018 120: Rules for plogging in New York City a podcast episode I did in 2019 I’m famous for plogging! See me pick up litter while I run on local news. Fox did a story on my in January 2019 I plogged on TV with the Doctor and the Diva A talk show recorded me plogging and invited me in to talk about it in September 2019 Inspired to my first run…

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April 11, 2026
How I watch videos I find online: not online
Audio / Habits / Tips

How I watch videos I find online: not online

The other day I happened to watch a video on YouTube not in my usual way and saw an ad there in the video for the first time in five years or so. Besides using a browser plug-in that block ads, I use another that blocks suggested videos. When I go to watch a video, I usually just see that one, not others. Sure, others might be interesting, but there are billions of videos and other "shiny objects," as I call them, that are interesting and I only have a few life priorities. As I wrote over a decade ago, You have to say no to a lot of good things to have a great life. Besides, the algorithms don't try to attract you to…

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April 7, 2026
What’s with toothpaste globs in sinks and pointless hot water use?
Habits / Hands on Practical Experience / Nonjudgment / Pollution and Depletion

What’s with toothpaste globs in sinks and pointless hot water use?

Living in New York City means eventually many people will pass through my neighborhood so I host people for visits in my home a fair amount. Though I spend most of my time here and visitors average maybe a few hours a week, I think they cause more pollution and depletion in my apartment than I do. One big reason is that they use hot water for everything and heating water uses more energy than many things. How do I know? My faucet knobs are always to the right because I use only unheated water to cook, drink, brush my teeth with, and so on, but whenever someone visits, I find the knobs in the middle or hot end. Why does everyone---everyone---use warm or hot…

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April 3, 2026
Rediscovering “The bigger your achievement, the more it’s a beginning” through Turkish Get-Ups
Awareness / Fitness / Habits / SIDCHAs

Rediscovering “The bigger your achievement, the more it’s a beginning” through Turkish Get-Ups

Almost a decade ago I wrote a post The bigger your achievement, the more it’s a beginning. The effect applies all over in life, but my usual way of describing it is with marathons. Today, I'm posting about completing Turkish Get-Ups, but I'll give context with marathons. Context with marathons Before you finish a marathon, it seems like a superhuman feat, even knowing that millions of people have run them. You don't know if you can do it. At least in my case, I expected that once I finished it I could say "I've done it, I'm exhausted, I've achieved something big, and I don't have to do anything like it any more." Instead, I felt something like, "Now that I know I can do…

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April 2, 2026
Unnecessary words that distract and detract
Habits

Unnecessary words that distract and detract

Maybe it's just me, but some extraneous words and phrases bother me like fingernails on chalkboards. I can't think of all of them now, but I wanted to start since if I wait until I think of them all, I might never start. I'll add more as they come to me. "Go ahead and...": These words add no value. I think the person using them thinks they make them sound special, but they're just an affectation. They add no meaning and distract. To say "I'm going to go ahead and start making dinner" means nothing different than "I'm going to start making dinner" except to make the speaker sound wordy and indirect. "Thank you for that": It's rare that it's not obvious what someone is…

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March 13, 2026
Started a new razor today, my first in almost a year
Habits / Hands on Practical Experience

Started a new razor today, my first in almost a year

Regular readers know I pick up litter daily. I've gotten good at noticing things that people have left on the ground that aren't litter. I don't remember exactly when, but probably about two years ago, I saw a box just sitting on the sidewalk. It seemed connected to nothing and when I picked it up and looked around, nobody claimed it. Things like this box sitting there happen all the time. Sometimes the box is empty. Other times there's just garbage in it. Yet other times something valuable is in it. Inside this box was a brand new in the box, as far as I could tell never used black aluminum safety razor and a box of 100 sealed blades. It was simple, black, and…

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March 12, 2026
Why consistency? Self-awareness and integrity
Awareness / Fitness / Freedom / Habits / SIDCHAs

Why consistency? Self-awareness and integrity

I write about sidchas and standard procedures a fair amount. I don't remember how often I clarify the main reasons for doing them. You might think the point of fitness-related ones to be fitness. I'm proud of fitness results, but they're more a side effect. One of the big benefits is mental freedom. I think many people consider diet and exercise sources of stress, never knowing if they're doing enough or if they're doing them right. Making sidchas for the most important parts of your life means you always know they're taken care of. You never have to worry about them. The most important parts of life are easy to put aside here or there, then soon you've lost them. I consider the three pillars…

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March 7, 2026
“All it is is pain”: Skier Jessie Diggins on discovering her potential
Awareness / Fitness / Habits / SIDCHAs

“All it is is pain”: Skier Jessie Diggins on discovering her potential

I don't pretend to be operating at the level of a top Olympic athlete in one of the most grueling sports (though my resting heart rate of 38 bpm probably indicates something) but the words of Jessie Diggins quoted below have resonated with me. Who is she? According to Wikipedia: She is the most accomplished cross-country skier from the United States in the sport's history having won three World Cup overall titles, four Olympic medals, seven World Championship medals, and numerous other event championships. Her words that resonated with me The New York Times profiled her in a piece titled ‘All It Is Is Pain’: The Olympian Testing the Limits of Endurance: Jessie Diggins has become the best-ever American cross-country skier because of what she…

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March 4, 2026
Podcasts and blogs I follow
Audio / Habits / Podcast

Podcasts and blogs I follow

I've written lately about podcasts I follow. It seems like I should share what I follow. I may be biased, but I recommend mine most: This Sustainable Life: Podcasts and blogs I subscribe to: This Sustainable Life: Solve for Nature, by Eugene Bible: Eugene contacted me about my podcast and work. We got to know each other. He started a sibling podcast to mine, practicing the Spodek Method with his guests. Since he is an engineer, he started by focusing on an engineering solutions-based approach but has expanded. Making Sense, by Sam Harris: I like his honesty and willingness to speak to guests he disagrees with, with respect and openness. (Video) What Is Politics?: I find Daniel, the host, a knowledgeable and thoughtful source on…

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February 26, 2026
More heartbreaking garbage
Addiction / Doof / Habits / Nature / Pollution and Depletion / SIDCHAs

More heartbreaking garbage

In Monday's post, Today's blizzard, February 2026, I wrote how the blizzard led to another day when I could find no litter in Washington Square Park. As usual, even with over a foot of snow, I found plenty of litter and garbage elsewhere, but at least not in the park, which is like my back yard. That post shows several beautiful pictures of my neighborhood covered in virginal snow. In that post, I also wrote something that breaks my heart that a lifetime of experience prompts me to express, and with confidence: I didn't see any litter in the park this morning so I'm one day into a potential release, but tomorrow is forecast to be sunny and Tuesday is forecast to be warm, so…

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February 25, 2026
Silly bathroom question: Am I missing something here?
Awareness / Choosing/Decision-Making / Habits

Silly bathroom question: Am I missing something here?

I think I usually write about important topics, but I like to share silly things my mind ponders. I think it builds self-awareness. I don't know how the following situation will seem to a reader, but I hope it reads as it feels to me playing with ideas: being curious. I brush my teeth after dinner, before going to bed. Sometimes after dinner I also need to poop. I figure this situation is common to all. When I have to do both, I brush my teeth first and poop second. I figure the order makes sense to all, but basically, brushing teeth seems cleaner so should happen first. When I think about it, though, after pooping, I wash my hands, so they are cleanest then.…

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February 18, 2026
Volunteering is like a holiday
Habits

Volunteering is like a holiday

I described my volunteering to some friends. One remarked how over the holidays she wanted to volunteer so went to some pages that catalogued volunteer opportunities but they were all filled. People volunteering around holidays is like people going to gyms after new years resolutions: after the holiday, it empties again. People return to social media and watching TV over the gym and volunteering. This time I looked at it differently. We love being generous and helping people. Somehow we do so during holidays more, but our hearts, minds, and souls benefit from helping others all the time, certainly more than from scrolling and getting outraged from social media. Even though I volunteer fewer hours per week than many Americans spend on screens per day,…

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February 9, 2026
Another personal best: (floor/bench press)
Exercises / Fitness / Habits / SIDCHAs

Another personal best: (floor/bench press)

A few of my sidchas involve lifting weights. I don't lift to get big or strong, though I like that those results happen. I might like attaining those results more for their being side-effects rather than specific goals. My two main reasons are 1) because our ancestors for hundreds of thousands of years didn't eat by just walking to the fridge, they had to climb trees, dig up roots, and hunt animals, along with many other activities, so I do various exercises to keep mentally and physically healthy and 2) for the self-awareness and discipline that comes from a regular ritual that is challenging and beautiful. Despite getting strong not being a primary goal, I like when I find I can do more than I…

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February 5, 2026
Another time garbage nearly brought me to tears
Addiction / Doof / Habits / Pollution and Depletion / SIDCHAs

Another time garbage nearly brought me to tears

Two days ago I posted My first time since starting not finding litter in Washington Square Park, because over six inches of snow covered it. Since I committed to picking up at least three pieces per day until three days pass when I can't find three pieces to pick up, I wondered if the snow would make it possible. I also offered to take any bets that people would litter. Nearly everyone is addicted to doof. Few Americans can eat breakfast without depriving others of life, liberty, and property based on plastic, shipping, etc that pollute and deplete. Then yesterday I happened to go early in the morning. It was still snowing and I saw no litter again. Two days. Maybe I shouldn't have offered…

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January 27, 2026
Meditation thoughts: What is meditation?
Awareness / Doof / Freedom / Habits / Hands on Practical Experience / Nonjudgment / SIDCHAs

Meditation thoughts: What is meditation?

I lead a meditation group that meets in person a couple times a month. We've found we can get a laugh if we talk in the group about talking about meditation to others who don't meditate by saying, "I can't meditate. My mind is too crazy to empty it of thoughts," or words to that effect. Why does it make us laugh? Because it's like a knee-jerk reaction that betrays a misunderstanding of meditation closer to its opposite. Everyone's mind is full of thoughts we can't help. Meditation doesn't empty your mind. Meditation can do many different things for different people, but a common goal is to find comfort with the eternal state of all human minds: scattered like yours. We know that what they…

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January 26, 2026
My first time since starting not finding litter in Washington Square Park, because over six inches of snow covered it.
Addiction / Doof / Habits / Pollution and Depletion / SIDCHAs

My first time since starting not finding litter in Washington Square Park, because over six inches of snow covered it.

I've committed to picking up at least three pieces of litter from the northwest corner of Washington Square Park since it became overrun with fentanyl, meth, and all that results from it during the pandemic. I decided I'd keep up the sidcha until three days passed in which I couldn't trivially find three pieces of litter, as I wrote three years ago in On when I should stop picking up litter in Washington Square Park. I wish I could believe that outcome should be easy. No litter is necessary. Yet in about five years, I've never been unable to find three pieces trivially. We should collectively cry. Today, over six inches of snow have fallen, covering the ground and making the benches not places anyone…

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January 25, 2026
Year 16, day 1: posting here daily
Creativity / Habits / SIDCHAs

Year 16, day 1: posting here daily

If you want to reach your potential simplify your life live by your values create mental freedom create more free time save money build a community of people doing similarly You can achieve all of the above more effectively with a sidcha than any other way I know. I created the sidcha concept inadvertently by creating each part, step by step. The first major step came on this day in 2011, when I started posting daily to this blog. I haven't missed a day since. The result? See the list above. Want to do it? Many of my leadership clients and students have done so. I don't think any have spent a penny developing and implementing their sidchas. You can too. Watch the video on…

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January 23, 2026

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