It wouldn’t be a proper start to the New Year without a Taylor Swift update now would it?
According to The Hill, the Pentagon is shaking off a conspiracy theory that Taylor Swift is an informational warfare psyop.
What a time to be alive y’all. That is all…
I’ve spent $38.14 on groceries, $12.56 on takeout/restaurants, and $66.76 on coffee and beer since last week.
For those of you who have been following me for a while, these are fantastic numbers. Super proud of *finally* starting to get this under control. More on how I’m doing that in a bit.
My current Bitcoin holdings: are 0.0727177 BTC.
This was a big week for bitcoin. The SEC approved a spot bitcoin ETF which basically means firms like BlackRock and Fidelity can offer them to their clients. This is a BFD. It signals the institutionalization of bitcoin in financial markets and confidence from big players (ahem, BlackRock) that bitcoin is a significant asset worth investing in.
In Audio Note #59, I shared about something new I learned about attraction.
To bring the things you want into your life, you have to become the person that attracts those things.
This has been a BIG month on Medium. I knew I had to take massive action and so far it’s been paying off. Since last week I published:
It’s Time to Show Proof of Value at Work — Here’s How
This article was selected for a Boost by Medium’s team of human curators. I’ve published four articles so far this month. This is the second one to get Boosted.
On top of this, I shared in Audio Note #58 how one of my freelance clients went ghost on me. I’m now projecting to earn more on Medium this month than I did in all of 2023 combined.
Otherwise, this has been a rather uneventful week. I had too many freelance assignments to work on, eating up most of my time.
If you don’t challenge yourself, you don’t know yourself.
-David Goggins
Some people start the new year with a resolution. This year, I decided to start with a reset.
For the last two weeks, I’ve been following a plant based version of the slow carb diet popularized in The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss.
There are five rules for the diet:
Avoid “white” starchy carbohydrates. Bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, and grains are prohibited.
Eat the same meals over and over again. It eliminates the process of choosing what to eat and makes things easier.
Don’t drink your calories with the exception of 1-2 glasses of red wine per night.
Don’t eat fruit.
Take one cheat day per week to have whatever you want.
One other rule that’s recommended is to eat 30g of protein within 30 minutes of waking up. This is one part of the protocol I’ve chosen not to follow. I don’t eat before I run and I practice intermittent fasting during the week so this is a no-go for me.
I had two intentions before starting this protocol: trim some extra body fat before my next race and reset my body. The reset aspect of this is what I want to dive into today.
Your gut is sometimes called your second brain. That’s because your microbiome is filled with trillions of bacteria that tell you what to eat. If you eat a lot of processed foods and sugar, your microbiome is filled with bacteria that want more of those things.
Conversely, if you eat a lot of beans, legumes, and vegetables, your gut microbiome will be filled with bacteria that crave those things. These bacteria signal to your brain what it wants you to eat without you realizing it.
In December, my diet started to shift. I noticed myself consuming more sugary lattes and eating more croissants than I care to count. Considering that it was the holidays and all, I let myself indulge.
But I paid the price for it. My face broke out. My weight shot up seven pounds in a single week. I felt noticeably lethargic. It was so bad I took a nap one afternoon. I never take naps.
On January 1, I hit the reset button. I planned my meals around a daily smoothie, a daily soup and salad combo, and a plant-based protein-rich meal like curry.
I’m only two weeks in, but I’m already seeing the benefits.
My face isn’t just clear — it’s glowing. I wake up in the mornings with more energy than I know what to do with. My run times are down. And more importantly: I’m saving a ton of money by not splurging on lattes and take out all the time.
One nice feature of this diet protocol is a weekly cheat day. I take mine on Saturdays.
Last Saturday, I indulged in whatever I wanted: an almond croissant, tacos, and ramen. I was happy to have these things, but it didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. I no longer craved what I used to. And I had zero desire to spend time or money acquiring those things.
A lot of people think of dieting as something that deprives you of things you enjoy. I see it as a reset, no different than a fast.
It’s a way of recalibrating your mind and body. And by doing so, you bring yourself back into alignment with the things that are most important to you.
What I’m Currently Reading
The Plant-Based Athlete: A Game-Changing Approach to Peak Performance
P.S. Check out my recommended reading list here
My running gear:
Whatever clothes I can find at the thrift store
My crypto gear:
My productivity tools:
Task management:
TodoistScrapping this because Google launched a new to do list feature built into Google Calendar. It’s AMAZING.
Time management: Clockify
Email management: Unroll.me
Everything management: Notion
P.S. some of these are affiliate links including links from Amazon’s affiliate program. I may receive a commission from them. This is one way to support my writing and help me build sustainable income streams in 2024.