9 Super Small Habits That Can Improve Your Life Big Time

#8: Use a second brain.

Termites are fascinating animals. In North America, they’re widely regarded as a pest — munching away on the wooden frameworks of houses like my girlfriend on Christmas cookies. But in the southern hemisphere, they transform entire landscapes.

A termite worker is tiny — only 0.25cm in length, about a quarter of your thumb’s nail. Their mounds are gargantuan in comparison — up to 7m high and 30m in circumference. But that’s not all.

Most people mistake the towering structures for the termite’s living room. In reality, they’re a chimney meant to provide cool and fresh air for the colony living underneath. It’s the classic you only see the tip of the iceberg, but with termites instead of frozen water. And it explains why you haven’t reached the level of success, health, and the great life you strive for.

You think that to achieve these things, all you need to do is the big stuff. Work out every day, get up at 6 am, hustle like Gary Vee, and read tons of books every month. I’m not saying that this doesn’t work — but not all of us have the time and discipline to grind 14 hours a day. And you don’t have to, either.

Five minutes a day can completely change the next ten years of your life because turning the right levers doesn’t always depend on how hard you push, but rather on which lever you move in the first place. If it’s the right one, a gentle nudge will produce a tremendous result.

I fell in love with tiny habits because most days, I’m busy with writing, coaching, working out, eating food, and keeping my girlfriend happy. I don’t have time to pick up yet another life-changing practice that requires an hour every day. But five to ten minutes? That’s doable, no matter how busy you are.

“If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way.”

— Napoleon Hill

Be Useful

Darius Foroux says the meaning of life isn’t happiness, but usefulness. Having a purpose and meaning can improve your immune system and makes you live longer. But how can you be useful to others?

Don’t worry, you don’t need to lead a band of rebels against the oppressive system or singlehandedly save the world from climate change. All you need to do is to ask a simple question.

Who needs me today?

Every morning after my meditation, I sit and think. Who needs me today? It might be a friend who’s going through a hard time, a family member in pandemic quarantine, or my girlfriend who needs emotional support because she ran out of cookies. Then, I send them a simple text to let them know I’m thinking of them and will support them if they need me. Depending on how fast you think and type, it will only take about two minutes but go a long way.

You’ll start your day knowing that you mattered. You made a positive change in someone else’s life. And there are very few things that’ll make you feel accomplished first thing in the morning.

Say Please and Thanks as Often as You Can

These two words had a bigger impact on my life than some of the 200-page books I’ve read.

A study by the University of Berkeley found regular gratitude exercises make you happier and less depressed. In it’s simplest form, it’s thanking the cashier at the supermarket. If you take it further, it’s being grateful that the glass you dropped didn’t break your foot instead of complaining about it breaking. Appreciate the small things.

When you do, you’ll seem much more positive and likable to people around you. There’s no reason not to say please and thanks — but gratitude goes further than small talk.

Every morning and evening, I sit down and think about three things I’m grateful for. No matter how hard life seems, you’ll always find something, even on the most fucked up days. If you want to change your life, be grateful.

Drink More Water (Yes, You Know That Already — but It’s More Important than You Think)

Your body is an engine turning food into energy to move and think. Water is the lubricant that makes everything run smoothly. You can try without, but don’t be surprised if your performance goes downhill.

Drinking enough water is crucial because your body is extremely sensitive to dehydration — as little as 2% will impair your motor and cognitive skills significantly. This doesn’t include effects such as mood swings, overeating, and irritated skin.

Here’s what I do to make sure my body runs smoothly from the minute I wake up. Every night, I fill up my bottle and put it on my nightstand. In the morning, I down that sucker in a few big gulps. I also have it with me wherever I go so I can meet the recommended daily amount of 2.5 (women) to 3.5 liters (men).

Yes, you’ll have to pee more — but that’s a small price to pay for pushing your brain and body to new heights.

Prepare Your Mornings in the Evening

It’s a scientific fact that five minutes in the evening equal 30 minutes in the morning. I suppose it’s got something to do with the relativity of spacetime, but since Einstein died in 1955, we’ll never know.

My mornings used to be more chaotic than the room of a compulsive hoarder. While I was doing my internship at Mercedes, I often left the house running, chewing on the last bite of toast, shirt still unbuttoned, briefcase in one hand and frantically checking my watch on the wrist of the other. If you think this is bad, imagine how fun it was to realize I forgot the important documents on the kitchen table.

“The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day.” — Henry Ward Beecher

Today, I could go through the first hour of my day still asleep if I wanted to. Everything’s set out — my headphones for meditation, the book I want to read, my yoga mat on the floor, and the breakfast in the kitchen. That is how you start your day right.

You’ll feel like a boss because everything is exactly where you need it without you having to lift a finger after you wake up. Proper preparation is more than half the battle — and the key to being able to sleep 15 minutes longer and still have a relaxed start into your day.

Make Smart Use of Your Smartphone

Your mental capacity has limits. You can’t think of everything — which is why I often get angry messages because I forgot someone’s birthday (again.)

But with technology on your hands — or more precisely, in your pocket — this is a thing of the past. All you need to do is set an alarm to remind you of your duties. This is nothing new — you know your phone has a reminder function. But do you actually tap its full potential?

Nowadays, I use alarms for pretty much everything. Birthdays, canceling subscriptions, meetings, calling people, holding others accountable, conducting a weekly review, even taking breaks. Every time you delegate a task to your electronic companion, you free up mental capacity and reduce stress.

My coaching clients also use electronic reminders for support when they build new habits — just in case you struggle with your water intake.

Have Regular Breaks (Yes, It Will Make You More Productive)

When I started my own business, I’d go at it like there was no tomorrow. I was plowing through task after task without ever stopping. Needless to say that soon I felt burnt out, my head hurt, and I was as far from being productive as North Korea from a democracy.

How do some people stay energetic for so long?

They follow their basic rest-activity-cycle. Your sleep comes in 90-minute phases and your energy levels throughout the day follow the same pattern. After 1.5 hours, it’s usually time for a break.

When I decided to buy some juggling balls and take a small breather from work every 90 minutes, two things happened. First, I learned to juggle, and second, I became more productive without burning myself out and collapsing in exhaustion. Both will make your life more enjoyable.

Listen to the Doctors and Take a Walk

Walking has tons of benefits apart from getting you from A to B.

It helps you sleep better, improves your cardiovascular health, wakes you up, and a bunch of smart guys like Einstein swear by it.

It’s a great opportunity to take your mind off whatever you’re doing all day long, catch some fresh air, and regenerate.

My daily stroll improves my cognitive performance and makes me more relaxed. Doctors prescribe forest bathing to reduce stress levels — it’s a fancy term for walking in nature, but it works like a charm.

Go outside, take your eyes off your screen and your mind off your work for a bit. Go for a walk and explore the world around you.

Use a Second Brain

Your brain is a fascinating structure — you can store a ton of memories, think a myriad of thoughts, and come up with a bunch of new ideas. Now, imagine what would happen if you had two of them.

Since a second brain is hard to come by unless you work in a morgue, we’ll have to cut corners a little bit. The principle stays the same.

While your brain is incredibly powerful, it has one almost comical flaw. It’s a thought-generating machine but sucks at multitasking. You come up with 20 different ideas throughout your day, yet only have the capacity to pursue one at a time. And whenever an unrelated thought pops up, you lose focus. That’s where your second brain comes in.

Instead of taking a mental note of your ideas and losing focus by trying to evaluate them right away, collect them in an extra note that serves only this purpose — your second brain.

I use an app called Evernote, but if you’re an old school guy, a simple notepad does the job as well. Record your thought and forget about it immediately so you free up mental capacity. Work through the list once a day or week to sort out which idea is worth investigating and which isn’t.

Slow Down

If you look at your typical day, you often jump from one thing to the next. A call here, a meeting there, oh it’s almost lunchtime, check Instagram while you eat, back to work, hit the gym real quick, squeeze in a movie before bedtime, go to sleep, do it all again tomorrow. Relax.

What if you didn’t hurry? What if you didn’t stress out? What if you didn’t constantly bombard yourself with inputs, calls, meetings, dates, activities, and everything else? What if you instead took enough time for your activities and enjoyed them instead of chasing better, faster, stronger?

Here’s what’s going to happen. You’ll notice things you haven’t before. The distinctive taste of your food. The smell of fresh air. The sound your heart makes when it’s completely quiet. The feeling of the clothes on your skin. The fun in doing something just for the sake of it. The relaxation and joy that washes over you when you stop worrying about the future and instead focus on the present.

Life isn’t a race. Stop the rush. Slow down. Smell the flowers. Enjoy.

I help men create a vision for their lives, make an impact, and achieve their dreams by being more authentic. Sign up for my free 5-minute newsletter and become part of the Authentic Men Tribe!