A few years ago the Reddit user maxstolfe posted about feeling low, unproductive and totally unmotivated. Little did he know that the user Ryans01 would post a well-written and thought-provoking response that would would blow up on the website. Now, many people turn to the advice (presented as 4 rules) given by ryans01 when they’re looking for practical ways to work towards their goals and improve their lives. The infographic below summarises the 4 rules described by Ryans01 to maxstolfe and other Reddit users.
Rule #1: No More Zero Days
According to ryans01, a zero day is a day when you don’t do a single thing to work towards your goals or ambitions. A non-zero day, therefore, is any day where you do at least a little bit to work towards your plans. To make a day a non-zero day you could do as little as one rep of exercise or write one sentence for a piece of work. The key to this rule is to try to make sure you don’t have any more zero days in your life. Even the slightest bit of productivity is enough to get you out of a negative slump and help push you forward.
Rule #2: Be Grateful to the 3 Yous
This piece of advice is based around the idea of having 3 yous: the past you, the present you and the future you. According to ryans01, to make the best of life it’s important to show gratitude to your past self for the positive things you have done such as creating opportunities or working towards goals. It’s also important that the present you looks out for the future you as if they’re your closest friend. Do favours for your future self by doing things you know you will look back on positively. Thinking about how you want your future self to feel can help you to be more productive in the present. Learn to think of the past and future yous as your best friends.
Rule #3: Forgive Yourself
Beating yourself up for mistakes is no good for productivity. Instead, learn to forgive your past you for mistakes and work towards helping your future you.
Rule #4: Exercise & Books
Rule #4 is a simple but powerful one. Regularly partake in exercise and read books. Exercise is good for both the mind and body. As well as keeping you fit, healthy and looking good, it also helps to clear the mind and release endorphins to put you in a better mood. There’s books out there for just about every topic imaginable and they’re often written by experts. If you’re looking to improve yourself in a certain field or work towards a particular dream, make the most of the advice and information provided in books for the topics you’re interested in. There’s loads of examples of people out there who have achieved amazing things and they’ve shared their knowledge in books. Make the most of it.
