Best products from r/NonZeroDay

Five boxes to check:

Mental: did I write 3 pages in my journal? (Morning pages by Julia Cameron)

Emotional: did I write down 3 things I'm grateful for? (Got this from a book called "59 seconds" -- according to what I remember, writing down things you are grateful for has a durable effect on your happiness that lasted two weeks! in studies)

Spiritual: did I meditate? (seems like I read something every other day about how good this is for you)

Financial: did I do my affirmations? (trying Scott Adams' method for six months to see if it works for me)

Physical: did I do something active? (30 mins yoga, cardio, weights, swim, walk 10,000 steps...)

I probably got this whole idea from James Altucher's "how to be the luckiest person alive" article.

These were chosen specifically because they take less than 20-30 mins each (physical is the longest one) and can be knocked out immediately in the morning. If I'm on fire I knock them all out in the first 90 minutes of my day. Other days take longer than I'd like.

Edit to put in links.

Keep up the good work and keep moving forward!

I enjoy lots of different kinds of books. Recently I started re-reading the Oz books by Frank L. Baum. Maybe you'd like it?

Or, if you're looking to read non-fiction I can't recommend The Seven Habits of Successful People more strongly.

I'm the lazy kind too. Drawing isn't very strenuous, and you can sit and draw your own foot for your drawing of the day, if you want. :)


I actually bought two books--the one I mentioned (http://www.amazon.com/The-Drawing-Right-Side-Brain/dp/0007116454), and Keys to Drawing, by Burt Dodson http://www.amazon.com/Keys-Drawing-Bert-Dodson/dp/0891343377/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1413937201&sr=1-1&keywords=keys+to+drawing+by+bert+dodson. They are fab books that made me understand that anyone can draw. Some days I got inspiration from the books and did exercises, and other days I'd pick something from around the house or out of a book or even froze the tv and drew people I saw there. No rules except to draw what I saw or imagined once a day, and to finish what I started. For me, finishing was the most important thing, because I get frustrated and want to quit.


Would love to share! That means I'll have to learn how to upload here ...


If you do choose drawing, I'd love to see how it goes!

So many of you are asking, it's called Cammie the Cat. As of right now it's available on Kindle, the paperback version is still processing.

Here's the link to the Kindle version!

I'm so thankful for all the positive feedback. I have lots of self confidence issues from issues from childhood, so I deeply appreciate these comments. I'm getting tears in my eyes from all the support. Thank you thank you thank you.

Once the paperback is live, I'll post an update with the link.

Here are some quick recommendations from my list of favorites for those who are interested (I hope mods are OK with links to make looking easier, otherwise I'll happily remove them). These books engaged and inspired me and my imagination:

The Alchemist:

>The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho continues to change the lives of its readers forever. With more than two million copies sold around the world, The Alchemist has established itself as a modern classic, universally admired.

>Paulo Coelho's masterpiece tells the magical story of Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy who yearns to travel in search of a worldly treasure as extravagant as any ever found.

The Three Body Problem is a Chinese Science Fiction novel that has recently become popular in the West thanks to a good translation (I recommend reading my synopsis and not the Amazon one, to avoid spoilers):

>Set against the backdrop of China's Cultural Revolution, a secret military project looks for signals in space from alien civilizations. Meanwhile, in the present day, a physicist joins a grizzled detective to investigate why famous scientists are all committing suicide.

Fahrenheit 451:

>Guy Montag is a fireman. In his world, where television rules and literature is on the brink of extinction, firemen start fires rather than put them out. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in which they are hidden.

The Art of Happiness (by the Dalai Lama):

>Nearly every time you see him, he's laughing, or at least smiling. And he makes everyone else around him feel like smiling. He's the Dalai Lama, the spiritual and temporal leader of Tibet, a Nobel Prize winner, and a hugely sought-after speaker and statesman. Why is he so popular? Even after spending only a few minutes in his presence you can't help feeling happier.

Snow Crash:

>Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo’s CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he’s a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that’s striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse.

I'm sorry you are going through a rough time! The anxiety you are feeling is totally understandable.

My tip would be to set aside some time early in the morning, if you can. (Even getting up before you usually would.) Do some coursework in a small amount of time, say 15 to 25 minutes.

If you feel like taking on more, great! Maybe get up and stretch, then dive back into it. If not, move on with your day, with a lighter heart knowing you have made progress. No need to anxiously think about it all day - you will have already made an effort, and you can use that fact to soothe yourself.

I hope this helps. For me, getting up and doing something before I have the chance to start worrying is best. (I put off phone calls ALL THE TIME, so jumping out of bed and getting them done helps my anxiety.)

I believe there is a book on this I've been meaning to read - but here the quote the book is based on:

> “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” - Mark Twain

Haven't been around here for a bit, been focusing on my goals, plus fitting in a vacation.

So first, I published my fantasy novella eBook The Shadowheart Legend on Kindle last week. Been working on it for about two months, writing, rewriting, or reorganizing most days, including a big push last week. It is quite literally the longest thing I have ever written, but it was a lot of fun. The Shadowheart Legend is free until July 17th for anyone who may be into epic fantasy shorts. (Shameless plug as last time I was encouraged to do so. If people are bothered, let me know and I'll remove it though.)

My workouts and eating have suffered due to my focus on my writing goals. I only worked out once in the past week, so I need to start paying more attention to that, and I need to start cooking for myself instead of getting so much takeout and prepackaged stuff. So that's something I plan to focus on more this week. That said, I have still managed to bring my waist size down, so I must have been ok, but I know I can do better if I workout more reliably.

Going into this week, I'm aiming to workout more reliably, apply for a promotion (which I intend to earn over the next couple weeks), and spread the word about my eBook to as many people as possible.

I finally have a dr I trust enough that I was willing to try meds. Fucking lifesaver for me. I had seen some improvement with the depression cure until summer when it because just unbearable for me to get the light and exercise I needed. Not sure if you've had any experiences with it, but I wish I had tried them sooner. Better late than never, I suppose.

Cool! So I found that a huge problem for me was that I spent way too long searching and reading about different methods/apps/books/audiotapes/ etc and looking for the "best" one, rather than just actually using one and sticking to it.

I'm trying to develop a learning schedule that fits comfortably around my work schedule, and use the following:

• Pimsleur audio tracks.
  
• Chinese Grammar Book & Workbook
  
• Rosetta Stone (if I have time)
  
  I'm also going to a Meetup group every Sunday to practice (more like listen at this stage). I'd highly recommend seeing if there's a similar group in your area. I felt kinda awkward about going but its fantastic exposure.
  

Overcoming Social Anxiety and Shyness by Gillian Butler, a self help guide using Cognitive Behavioral Techniques. Empowering and enlightening.

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg, distills info from major corporations to single individuals on how habits are formed and changed. An easy read, mindblowing, very useful.

Hmmm. Stumbled upon this sub, like, 3 hours ago, and I'm hooked.

So, Monday was an okay day. I got up early enough and had some time with Rising Sun Bro and myself before my family woke up.

Around 3-ish plopped down on the computer and hunted for game soundtracks (Kirby Nightmare in Dreamland FTW).

After that I studied chemistry 15 minutes, and got bored, really really, quick. Walked in to the desktop and read up some Naruto until 7.

At 7:30 jogged about a half km and played some intense football and basketball until 10.

Ran up and down 7 flights of stairs and took a shower before sinking in with my Kindle and a nice read of Defining Decade.

I should really start studying harder.

Dude, THIS

100% this. This is the absolute most loved thing by every cat that we've had in our house, and my mom had to get one for her kitties too.

Look into the Eat That Frog technique.

>
Mark Twain once said that if the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worse things that is going to happen to you all day long. Your “frog” is your biggest, most important task, the one you are most likely to procrastinate on if you don’t do something about it.

I use it every day to go to the gym and take a cold shower and its become a habit now. I think it can help you too!

https://www.briantracy.com/blog/time-management/the-truth-about-frogs/

https://www.amazon.com/Eat-That-Frog-Great-Procrastinating/dp/162656941X/