Beat Procrastination and make room for self care.

One way to beat procrastination is to do the right kinds of self care in the first place, to avoid fatigue, feel energetic, and more inclined to tackle important things.

What we are facing now, in some ways, is a good reminder of how we can realise that the small decisions we make about health are connected to energy, and in turn, affect our ability to make good use of our time. Tactics for productivity and time management can only help so much. Even the best systems for staying distraction-free or focusing on important work can fall apart when you’re short on sleep or not eating well.

But relying on willpower to make the right decisions all the time doesn’t work. I want to share some of my daily habits — simple practices that help me build energy and make time for what matters.

I’ve learned a lot from reading Michael Pollan, Darya Rose, Gretchen Reynolds, and Paul Chek. Most of the habits below are based on intuition about human evolution, supported by scientific research, and validated by my own experience.

Health is too important to ignore. We can’t talk about productivity and time management without acknowledging the role of energy in making those tactics possible. After all, we’re not machines — we’re humans, and our brains need energy, and to take care of our brains we must take care of our bodies. Here I’ll share five daily habits I use to build energy, help the immune system and make time for what matters.

1. Get Better Sleep

Why it Matters: The truth is, without quality sleep — and plenty of it — you won’t have the energy to make good use of your time. The benefits go way beyond simple rest. Dozens of studies show that sleep reduces your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. It boosts your immune system. Sleep even improves your memory and mental performance.

What I Do: I wrote a lot about sleep in a post on my blog. Here are some of my most important habits: Avoiding caffeine after 3pm. Limiting light exposure (especially from screens) after sunset. Keeping digital devices (except an alarm clock) out of my bedroom.

How to Start: If you want to improve your sleep, start with your smartphone. Replace your bedtime smartphone habit with something you enjoy reading off-screen: a novel, magazine, comic book, etc. You’ll benefit in two ways: reducing light exposure tells your body it’s bedtime, and skipping social media makes it easier to mentally wind down.

2. Eat Fat for Breakfast

Why it Matters: After half a century of questionable nutritional science and bad government guidelines, people are beginning to recognise again that fat is an essential and healthy part of our diets. It’s our primary source of energy. It’s necessary for cellular function and repair. It reduces inflammation. Fatty foods are more satisfying and keep you feeling full longer.

What I Do: Fatty foods like eggs, avocado, coconut oil and fish are my breakfast mainstays. Dietary fat is important at every meal, but it’s particularly good at breakfast, where it can provide a high-energy foundation for the rest of the day. A high-fat breakfast keeps me full longer and helps my mental energy.

How to Start: It doesn’t take any great trick to eat more fat. But people tend to eat what’s familiar and convenient, so keep fatty foods on hand and in stock. Avocado and banana smoothie with some coconut oil or grass fed butter is a good start.

Other tips on daily food habits here.

3. Fast

Why it Matters: Take the evolutionary perspective: for almost 200,000 years, humans didn’t have regular access to abundant food, so we evolved to thrive in spite of ongoing hunger. And if we look at the more recent past, we can see fasting rituals appear in virtually every human culture: In moderation, fasting can help you lose weight, reduce inflammation, and improve brain function.

What I Do: Once or twice a week, I skip breakfast. This is a simple form of fasting that puts roughly 16 hours between dinner and my next meal. It’s relatively easy to do and doesn’t make me seem too weird. Beyond the health benefits, I enjoy the 16-hour fast for two reasons. First, it saves time and simplifies my day. And second, my mental clarity improves on the days I fast.

How to Start: First, check with your doctor. Once you have their OK, choose a day — your fast actually starts the day before with a larger-than-usual healthy dinner. Make a plan for the morning (like a project to complete or an activity with your family), then get a good night of sleep (see above for help with that). In the morning, it’s OK to drink water and coffee or tea, but don’t have anything else to eat or drink — it’s a fast! Break the fast with lunch, which like dinner, should be plenty healthy and a bit larger than usual. Don’t worry about committing to a weekly schedule right away — just try the 16-hour fast once and see how it goes.

4. Take Breaks Without Screens

Why it Matters: It’s awfully tempting to check Twitter or Facebook as a break from work. But these kinds of “breaks” don’t renew or relax us — when we see a troubling news story or an envy-inducing photo from a friend, we feel worse, not better. Over time, social media breaks cause even bigger problems.

What I Do: I try to take breaks without screens: gaze out the window, walk around, talk to someone, or grab a snack.

How to Start: Start with a reflection on how you take breaks. For example, are you most likely to reach for your phone, load up Facebook on your computer, or something else? Then look for ways to put some friction into those bad habits. If your problem is Twitter on your smartphone, try uninstalling the app and see how it feels. If you always have Facebook open on your work computer, try signing out and closing the tab. Even a simple in-your-face reminder can help: try writing “stand up” or “look out the window” on a Post-It and stick it to your computer or desk.

5. Do a series of simple stretches.

Why it Matters: In fact, there’s evidence that it might be better overall than “normal” exercise like running, fitness classes, or messing around with fancy equipment at the gym. Because it takes as little as 5–10 minutes and requires no special equipment.

What I Do: Complete a combination of variations on push-ups, squats, planks or simple body stretches (see my recent posts on Instagram) or my blog here