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Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

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111–120 of 478 posts

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#111

Yoga. It's the only time in the day where my brain is not in overdrive. Also, as a 36-year old with a sedentary lifestyle it's surprising/horrifying how stiff I've become. I'm just following the beginner movies on youtube and I go to the occasional class, so it's not stressful.

Same here.

I do a laughable 30-45min but I do it every day.

It's funny how formerly painful things like squatting, leaning etc. have become so much easier now.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#112
post #33

Stop buying stuff. I was a compulsive spender. Never bought on credit mind but I’d blow my entire paycheque after bills on stuff like cameras, hifi, the latest Apple doodad, etc. I literally stopped buying anything not required for my day to day sustenance. No Netflix, started renting what I wanted to watch which forced me to be more picky with my expenditure and time. No more eating out except for special occasions.…

Would like to add "habit of drinking water" to this list. ANY beverage whether its coffee, soda, tea - is easily 4 to 6 dollars and is an entirely made up requirement.

Don't pay for somebody else to make your tea! A cup of ordinary tea should cost, like, 15p. That includes teabag, electricity, water, milk, and amortized cost of kettle and mug.

Even if you buy something unnecessarily expensive, like fancy matcha tea powder, you're looking at less than 50p.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#113
I've started bringing my lunch to work.

It saves me around $50 per week. If I funnel that into my student loan, I'll save about $15,000 in interest from making the extra repayments.

That's the magic of compounding interest.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#114
Learned how to cook easy dishes for my family. My wife and I for years went all out on cooking stovetop dishes that take an hour or more of chopping and other kitchen labor before the meal and another 30-45 minutes of cleanup afterwards.

Exposure to Spanish dining habits on a vacation, use of time-saving tools such as an electronic pressure cooker and rice cooker, and learning how to use an oven for simple dishes really changed things for us.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#116
There are so many ranging from quiting smoking to biking instead of driving, but the primary idea is this:

Think hard about the things you do and why you do them. Figure out what you need to change, then make one change at a time. Don't try to cut all sugar intake, just stop drinking soft drinks. After a while it's normal, cut something else. You'll slowly get more formidable.

But you need to think about it. Why are you eating a bunch of food with sugar in it anyway? Because it tastes bad otherwise? Well, what tastes good besides sugar? Spices and herbs! Salt, pepper, mint, olive oil, and lemon juice make a salad sing!

That type of thinking. Don't muddle in the shitty parts, solve them.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#117

Started working out, started vaping (and stopped smoking). Noticeable quality of life increase in just a few weeks

Not started working out but I also ceased smoking about 15 months ago and replaced it with vaping. Tremendous increase in life quality followed.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#118
post #76
post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

On many android phones there's a "do not disturb" option that can be configured to allow calls and messages from stared contacts and nothing else.

Does it also work selectively for e.g. Whatsapp messages?

Keep whatsapp notifications enabled, but then turn them off in the app's settings. Then, for the person(s) you care about, go to their chat and set up a custom notification.

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#119
post #99

I've always been an engineer and enjoyed being that for almost 25 years now. Learning new things was kind of my way to end my work days. One thing I admired and never really understood was people that went out every day posting new content, tech tutorials etc. almost daily, being active on Twitter, engaging with other people. Being a kid from the 1970s these things were really weird for me because they are digital an…

Your blog looks quite nice. Which blogging software or static site generator do you use if I may ask?

Agreed, it's a solid-looking blog.

I noticed your "imprint" page https://marenkay.com/imprint/ has a bunch of legalese relating to cookies and use of GA. Would you mind sharing where you got the text? ie, from a lawyer?

Re: Ask HN: Is there a new habit you cultivated recently that is really paying off?

#120
post #78

Switched to a ketogenic diet with intermittent fasting 5 months ago. My sleep quality, mental clarity, ability to focus for long periods of time and mood swings have all improved dramatically. I am also shredding fat at a pretty good pace and apparently also gaining muscle (I lift every single day if I can).

Same here! Keto + eating at evenings only + StrongLifts.com. Improved my mood, my energy levels. I feel so much better with it and every time I slip and do a cheat-day I do feel really awful after. Cannot imagine going back to eating any sugars now.

One of the common side effects of Keto is Reduced Physical Performance. You guys must be unicorns or something..That's not a surpise because you definitely need to be "special" to restrict yourself from eating all day long LOL.
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