The basics

Over the years I’ve tried various ‘hacks’ to improve my energy levels: taking more vitamins, breathing exercises, drinking more coffee, etc.

All of these have worked to some degree, but if I had to pick the top activities that consistently yield the highest return in energy per unit investment it would be the basics: sleep, diet, and exercise.

Sometimes it’s easy to miss the forest for the trees on our path to improving our well being or our productivity.

Sure, maybe there are creative ways to squeeze in an extra hour of work. But perhaps the more effective and sustainable tool for making progress is simply a matter of taking a short walk or a nap.

Take it from someone who has had to learn this hard way, before you try to optimize anything else focus on sleeping well, eating well, and moving regularly first.

They go a long way in helping us feel our best, and easily dwarf the incremental benefit from any other life optimization tool.