All protocols
5,340 protocols across every category, most recommended first.
- ▶ 1ToolsUse Pen and Paper as a Point of Capture
Write insights down immediately on paper rather than on a phone to avoid distraction and preserve morning insights.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsTurn Off Devices While Working
Fight back against interruptions by turning devices and notifications off during focused work.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsUse Workouts Throughout the Day
Include workouts throughout the day, including micro workouts, as part of managing stress-recovery cycles.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsMeditation Periods During the Workday
Use meditation periods during the workday as part of stress-recovery cycling and a quality-over-quantity work structure.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsNotice Three New Things Outside
Bottom-up mindfulness practice; when you walk outside, notice three new things.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsAsk Whether Stressors Are a Tragedy or an Inconvenience
Use this cognitive reframing when stressed to reduce unnecessary distress; after recognizing most stressors are inconveniences rather than tragedies, take a deep breath and come back to yourself.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsGo for a Run Without Your Phone
Enjoy a simple, isolated activity that you personally find relaxing and enjoyable.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsJudge Sleep by Whether You Wake Feeling Refreshed
Host's criterion for adequate sleep is waking up feeling reasonably refreshed rather than chasing a fixed number of hours.
- ▶ 1ToolsApple Watch
Mentioned as a technology people use to track sleep.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsBe Excited for the Next Day
Host notes data suggesting positive anticipation of next-day events can reduce sleep need and improve sleep quality; he contrasts this with trying to force sleep early before an early wake time.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsDo Not Go to Sleep Early Just Because You Must Wake Early
Trying to sleep early before an early flight often fails because sleep need is dictated by the prior day, not the next day.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsAvoid Entertaining Negative Thoughts About Aging Decline
Entertaining thoughts about decline can accelerate it by making people search for confirming evidence.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsHold Reading Material Farther Away
Move the book farther away as an alternative to defaulting to reading glasses.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsTry Going Without Glasses Sometimes
Try periods without glasses in order to notice when you can and cannot see.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsNotice When Vision Is Better or Worse
Track variability in vision across times and conditions rather than assuming it is fixed; possible responses mentioned include taking a nap or having an energy bar when vision is worse later in the day.
- ▶ 1DietEat an Energy Bar When Vision or Function Declines
Suggested as a practical energy boost later in the day when noticing poorer vision or reduced function, especially if not napping.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsAttend to Symptom Variability
For chronic illness or symptoms, notice when symptoms are better or worse rather than assuming they are constant; ask why they changed and look for solutions.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsNotice New Things About Activities You Dislike
In studies, asking people to notice new things about disliked activities increased liking; examples included rap music, football, and art. Variants mentioned were noticing one new thing or three new things, with greater noticing linked to greater liking.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsEmbrace New Learning and Challenges
Host links embracing new forms of learning and challenges to maintaining cognitive function into later age.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsGamify Tasks
Make tasks into games to increase enjoyment and engagement; examples include flossing mindfully by predicting how much debris will come out and from which teeth, and making work game-like by guessing outcomes, varying how you do it, or trying different constraints.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsUse Injury Recovery as an Opportunity to Train the Other Side of the Body/Brain
If one arm is injured and healing slowly, using the other arm can exercise the opposite side of the brain.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsUse PT Standards as Strength Benchmarks
For non-competitive athletes, use military or law-enforcement PT standards as practical strength targets that provide a reserve of strength for life.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsUse a Limited Exercise Menu
Focus on very few exercises that build general strength carryover. Choose exercises you enjoy, that do not hurt you, that you have equipment for, and that you can get proper coaching for; then stick with them for years, using only small variations on the margins if needed.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsDo Posterior Chain Training
Include posterior-chain work in your routine. Examples discussed include narrow sumo deadlifts and ensuring the rest of the posterior chain is trained even if using belt squats.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsLearn the Hip Hinge
Practice hip hinging as a foundational movement for back health and longevity; learn it first, including with no weight before progressing to loaded hinge patterns.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsZercher Squat
Recommended as a fantastic exercise for everybody; hold the bar in the crooks of the elbows; better to walk it off the rack than pick it up from the ground; useful even with shoulder, wrist, or elbow issues; provides strong reflexive midsection stabilization. Use proper coaching, and a strong athlete can aim for roughly double bodyweight.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsDips
Recommended if your shoulders can handle them and you know how to do them safely. Build up to a full skin-the-cat and be able to get out of it strongly and confidently before starting dips.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsDo Not Rely on Hanging or Farmer's Carries for Grip Development
Hanging and farmer's carries may be beneficial for other reasons but were said not to do much for grip development.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsAsymmetrical Carry
Suggested as beneficial, in contrast to carrying two heavy objects which may pound the spine.
- ▶ 1BehaviorsKettlebell Mile
Run with a kettlebell held only like a suitcase, using approximately 30% of bodyweight; switch hands as often as desired. Start by walking, then gradually build up to running. Heavier loads alter gait. Improves running posture, stabilizers, and endurance while being less punishing than rucking.