Intro

It’s been a long time since last week. There may have been a lot happening in the world, but now it’s time to focus on your personal development and building strengths for you.

Everyone has unique skills and talents, like a hidden superpower waiting to be unleashed. It all comes one step at a time.

In this issue:

• Review Your Spending

• Relaxation Techniques

• Build Small Habits for Weight Loss

IDEA CORNER

• How “Grit” gives you the ability to keep your life moving forward after setbacks. - Jason McBride

• Upgrade Your Morning Routine. This is a must if you struggle in the morning and want to live more mindfully. - Danielle A. Vann

• “How to Lose Weight One Pound at a Time” follows the effectiveness of weight loss with short-sighted goal setting. - Austin Walker

• Deep Journal Prompts. For people that always wanted to start a journal but don’t know what to write. - Es Gee

• 7 Serious Problems Millennials Face Today. Housing, unemployment, and student loans top concerns over how to accelerate our lives.

Learn AI in 5 minutes a day

This is the easiest way for a busy person wanting to learn AI in as little time as possible:

1. Sign up for The Rundown AI newsletter

2. They send you 5-minute email updates on the latest AI news and how to use it

3. You learn how to become 2x more productive by leveraging AI

Sign up to start learning.

How Do I Put Money Into Savings?

Week 2 of 4: Review Your Spending

Welcome to week two! If you missed last week, too bad….

Just kidding. Here’s the post. We bravely embarked on the quest of tracking expenses using platforms like Rocket Money.

16% of Millennials report to have over $100,000 in savings. 1 in 6. Not one of those? Great, neither is Garrett Haake.

Fortunately, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to learn Rocket Money and you can start putting that sort of money together. If you haven’t started using Rocket Money, take a minute to download and get set up. It’ll make the rest of this step a breeze.

After you’ve plugged accounts and credit cards into the platform, you’ll already be able to gather some insights. But, you need to go through your transactions first to make sure they’re categorized correctly, or this exercise won’t work.

They’ve made it super simple by letting you view each line item in a card game resembling Tinder. So, if you’ve failed in your dating life, don’t worry. You’ll at least understand how to categorize your spending—all without the small talk.

After you’ve taken a deep dive into your transactions from the last month, Rocket Money can generate a graph that shows where your money’s been disappearing. Everywhere except for the couch. They’re not THAT good.

Figure out what you’re spending your hard-earned cash on. Are those restaurant meals worth the price of a small island? And what about those subscriptions? Do you really need ten different streaming services? We get it, the NFL has made it hard to watch every game. And don’t even get me started on hockey.

In your review, you’ll probably come across some rogue transactions that don’t quite fit any category. That’s okay. Create a new category for these transactions. Since they’re so random and probably can’t fit into any of your main focus areas, some of these hidden gems could lead to big savings in the long run—it could be worth more than the $3.18 you fished out of the couch.

Next week, your hard work will pay off, literally. We’ll start to transform your newfound insights into a savings plan. You got this.

How to Better Manage Stress for Better Sleep

Week 2 of 6: Relaxation Techniques

Last week, you identified your stressors and possibly faced some real inner demons by making a list or creating a stress journal. Or, maybe you stared at a blank piece of paper for an hour. Either way, here we are.

Was that difficult? I hope it wasn't stressful; that would almost defeat the purpose.

Although “Deep Journal Prompts” from Es Gee focuses on reflection with her prompts, you can change some of the wording in those prompts to evaluate yourself and build your journal or list.

That exercise wasn’t just for fun. Some of these stressors can bring back feelings you’d rather bury in the dirt. However, this isn’t the MMA, we’re not here to make you hurt. It was about finding which stressors you can:

• Eliminate

• Delegate to Others

• Set Boundaries

• Overcome situations that trigger pain

For the things that you can’t just remove (like an Aunt that won’t stop nagging you during holidays), you’ll need to learn coping mechanisms that can help reduce the stress you feel.

Deep Breathing: Deep breathing is a simple yet effective technique to help reduce stress. It involves focusing on your breath, inhaling deeply through your nose, allowing your abdomen to expand, and then exhaling slowly through your mouth. This process helps calm the mind and body, lowers heart rate, and promotes relaxation.

Progressive Muscle Relaxation: This technique involves tensing and then relaxing different muscle groups in your body. Start from your toes and work your way up to your head, tensing each muscle group for a few seconds before releasing. This practice helps to release physical tension and can lead to a deeper sense of relaxation and awareness of bodily sensations.

Yoga and Tai Chi: Both yoga and tai chi are forms of exercise that incorporate physical movement, breath control, and mindfulness. They promote relaxation through gentle stretching and flowing movements, which can help reduce stress and improve mental clarity. Practicing these disciplines regularly can lead to significant improvements in your overall well-being.

Next week, you can look forward to getting away from what you may consider “traditional” choices for dealing with stress, and moving toward lifestyle changes.

Focus on trying some of these habits no matter how ridiculous you might feel. If it helps eliminate stress that has built up over time, imagine what it might be like if that wasn’t around.

How Do I Lose Weight in a Kaizen Way?

Week 2 of 5: Build Small Habits

Ever seen any of those really cheesy 80s workout videos? The ones where they basically ran and jumped in place for an hour and wore those awful headsets? Yeah. This isn’t one of those.

In the last issue, the goal was to start tracking your baseline. This is as simple as downloading a new app, tracking in a new notebook, or why not even give it a shot to track in the “Notes” section of your phone?

This week, we're focusing on building small, sustainable habits. Habits that will become as natural as putting your underwear on before your pants.

Remember, Kaizen emphasizes gradual and consistent improvement instead of drastic, unsustainable changes.

Here’s why you needed to establish that baseline and track the intakes: evaluate the journal that you kept - through the app, the notebook, whatever the preferred platform you chose.

Analyze your notes and review the journal that you made. What are the glaring red flags that you noticed first? Were you swimming in energy drinks or sodas known for being friends with sugar? How much time are you spending binging Netflix versus exercising?

This is important because you’re going to choose 1-3 things that can help make an impact towards your goal.

Here are some examples:

1. Switching your soda for flavored, sparkling water or iced tea.

2. Cancelling Netflix before you finish Season 3 of “Friends”. It will be there later, I promise.

3. Find Costco’s furthest parking space. No one is there, I promise.

4. Do a 20-minute YouTube workout 3 times a week. Or, start with only 1 workout per week.

These are not dramatic changes. It may feel like these choices may not impact your overall weight loss goal, but over time, your changes will add up. Reflect on how much the changes could actually move towards the place you want to be.

When starting a new diet or exercise routine, it can feel overwhelming. The importance of this exercise is not necessarily to just jump straight toward your goal. It’s to help build momentum towards your success.

Drastic changes can often lead to stress and burnout as well. Then, you’d have to start working on both the diet changes and the other pathways to manage your stress to sleep better.

For this week: choose just 1-3 things that can make an impact.

Next week, we’ll continue to build on our learning to remove triggers and things that may create a world in which your goal has a better chance of success.

Remember, weight loss is a journey, not a race. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small, and be patient with yourself. Small, consistent changes can lead to significant results over time. If you miss a day, get back on track as soon as possible.

Disclaimer: This information should not be taken as medical advice. Consult with a qualified professional as well before making any significant lifestyle changes.