I see a lot of people here not knowing where to start with self improvement. Everyone has to find their own formula and ditch all the advice that doesn’t work for them, but there are some guidelines that can make that journey easier. Let’s talk about it.

Use a spreadsheet to track habits

I like visualizing data, so I keep a spreadsheet with columns for each habit, and I add a row each day for if I succeeded in that habit (i.e. exercise, reading, journal). An X in that column means the habit was completed. This helps you see your own consistency, notice when you slip in an area, etc.

I also track my biggest worry each day so I can see if something is dragging me down consistently and can prioritize addressing it (instead of letting it steal joy from many many days). Just try not to overwhelm yourself with 900 new habits, I’ll explain why.

Start small

The most important thing is to be consistent, you can add more later but if it becomes too much and you give up then you have not improved your life. Small changes compounded over a long time makes a huge difference! When I say small, I mean really small. If you can only commit to 5 minutes per day for exercise, do it. Make a promise to yourself and keep it every day. This has psychological benefits far beyond the habit itself. The Make Your Bed speech by Admiral McRaven has more on this.

A big habit you don’t stick to helps less than a tiny one you do stick to. You can fine tune it and expand it later all you want, but only if you build a foundation of habits that happen every single day. Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod absolutely changed my life and showed me how to do this, strongly recommended.

Get out of your comfort zone

There’s great systems and tools out there we haven’t found yet. Seeking out new ideas and meeting new people is the only way to discover them, so make a point of getting outside your comfort zone often. Just last weekend I was driving with a friend and heard amazing new ideas from his audiobook I wouldn’t have chosen for myself, but it’s already helping me tremendously.

You have to keep exposing yourself to new ideas to become your best self. Reading widely, listening to podcasts (Tim Ferriss Show has shown me a trillion incredible nuggets, highly recommend), and connecting with people are all great vectors here. Repeat after me: Better tools today, better results tomorrow. Never stop looking for new tools.

The feel-good compass

Pay close attention to how these experiments make you feel, and don’t do things that don’t feel good. I thought I wanted to be an entrepreneur, but then realized I hated working 100 hour weeks. That’s fine; goals change. Journaling and mindfulness are your compass to know if you need to make changes.

The Waking Up app by Sam Harris is a great way to cultivate this mindful compass, and has helped me more than anything. Sample tools widely with an open mind, and keep only that which makes your life better. The goal with self improvement is to create a life that you are excited to live.

Accountability buddies

Habit formation is hard, but accountability systems make them far easier. I found a great accountability buddy on reddit, and some of my friends also help me out in this area on things like calorie counting, career goals, etc. It is motivating and you can also support each other in more ways than you might realize. It might take time to find the right partner, but there’s a lot of data which shows that we do better with our goals when we know someone else is watching. Use that to your advantage.

Self Compassion

Slip ups will happen, some goals will take longer than you want, and you might realize some goals you have now aren’t right for you and should be abandoned. That’s okay. Try to see it as a series of experiments and learn from both the good and the bad. When something isn’t working you stop doing it. As long as you are trying and learning, you’re getting closer to the answer that will work for you. It’s hard to build a new life for yourself when you’re constantly tearing yourself apart. So don’t.

Above all, you have to remember to enjoy the process. Don’t trade your life for a to-do list of checked boxes. It’s worth more than that, and once it’s gone it’s gone.