TABLE OF CONTENTS LIFESTYLE EXPERIMENTATION.................4 START SIMPLE................................................6 UTILIZE THE HABIT LOOP..........................8 KEEP A JOURNAL...........................................11 MAKE ADJUSTMENTS.................................13 ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER..................15 KEEP EXPERIMENTING...............................18 EXTRA GOODIES..........................................20 PAGE THREE OF TWENTY ONE

LIFESTYLE EXPERIMENTATION WhetheritwasfiguringoutthebestwaytoconstructsomethingoutofLegos or finding the most efficient bike route to school, Ive been experimenting since I can remember. I think its part of my curious nature. Now as an adult I find myself experimenting just as much if not more than I did as a child. Theres a big difference though between the experiments of my childhood and the purpose driven experimentation I use now to get more done and make healthy, lasting changes in my life. In the past three years Ive learned to use experimentation to fine tune the way I eat, work, learn, consume, and live out my day to day life in a manner that helps me be more productive and feel healthier than ever. Thekeytousingexperimentationasapersonalchangeagentisbyembracing a constant cycle of action, feedback, and tuning. Without each of those elements, experimentation will at best result in short term gains and at worst make you adopt habits that make you less focused and unhealthy. In this short guide Ill cover the methods I use to implement new healthy habits and Ill share the ten lifestyle experiments that have benefited myself and other entrepreneurs more than anything else Ive tried. Keep in mind that what works for me is by no means guaranteed to work for you but the methods used to implement habits can work as a framework for you to conduct your own lifestyle experiments. PAGE FOUR OF TWENTY ONE

MAKE IT SO EASY THAT YOU CANT SAY NO. LEO BABAUTA

START SIMPLE I cant emphasis this enough, you must start with small habits that seem ridiculously easy. If you want to start meditating try doing it for 5 minutes right when you wake up. If you want to get better sleep start with turning off your electronics an hour before bed. These may seem easy, and they should be, thats the point. Its far more important to get in the routine of creating new small habits in the beginning than it is to try and stop old engrained habits or create massive changes right off the bat. Accomplishing simple changes is easier because it takes less work and your brain is willing to try small new things as opposed to large overwhelming changes that make your brain feel like its losing control. Frequent small accomplishments also create momentum and momentum is the key to creating long term change. Writing this book has been a practice in small new habits for me. I plan on writing a larger book in the next few months but figured I should follow the formula that I know works and that means starting simple. Writing consistently every day to create this book helps me create the underlying habit and momentum needed to complete a bigger writing project in the future. PAGE SIX OF TWENTY ONE

WE BECOME WHAT WE REPEATEDLY DO. SEAN COVEY

UTILIZE THE HABIT LOOP The habit loop is a research backed framework for changing and creating habits. The term habit loop was coined by Charles Duhigg in his best- selling book, The Power of Habit. The habit loop consists of three steps. Cue, routine, reward. Knowing how each of these steps contributes to your existing good and bad habits is key to understanding how to hack your habits. Heres an example of the habit loop in my life: CUE Sitting down at my desk in the morning and starting to work reminds me that I need to make a cup of coffee to get an initial energy boost. ROUTINE Make a single shot of espresso with my Aeropress and top it off with some almond milk to make an almond milk latte. REWARD I get a substantial energy boost that helps me tackle my most important tasks of the day. As you can see, the cue acts as a subconscious trigger for the routine (the habit) and the reward is the reason Ive gotten into consistantly making a latte every morning. If I wanted to replace my coffee habit with green tea I would use the same cue and consciously replace the routine with a new habit that would result in a similar or better reward. To remind myself of the new routine I may PAGE EIGHT OF TWENTY ONE

Similarly, if I were trying to create a new habit I would first write out a list of potential cues. These should be things youre already doing on a daily basis. Walking your dog, brushing your teeth, drinking your morning coffee, putting on your shoes, getting into bed, etc.. Once youve identified your cue, choose a simple routine to associate with the cue. Heres an example using a new habit that Im trying to create: CUE Walk from my desk to the pantry for a snack. ROUTINE See the kettlebells (I placed my kettlebells next to the pantry to serve as a visual cue enhancement) and do 15 kettlebell swings. REWARD Slight energy boost and an overall sense of well being from doing some physical exercise in the middle of my stagnant work day. Success! PAGE NINE OF TWENTY ONE

THERE IS ONLY ONE CORNER OF THE UNIVERSE YOU CAN BE CERTAIN OF IMPROVING, AND THATS YOUR OWN SELF. ALDOUS HUXLEY

KEEP A JOURNAL Daily journaling is a great way to measure progress and see how your experiments are affecting you (positively or negatively) over the long term. Measuring progress and recording feedback on your own experimentation process helps you make educated adjustments to your experiments. These adjustments will make your lifestyle experimentation more effective over. A daily journal can be instrumental in succesfully executing some of your experiments.Forexample,trackingweight,foodconsumed,distancewalked, sleep quality, location data, etc, can be important when experimenting with lifestyle and health changes. Also, journaling doesnt have to be done with a pen and paper. There are a plethora of apps and hardware that help streamline the process of daily journaling. Here are some of apps and hardware that can help you track progress: MapMyRun, Strava, or Runkeeper All three of these apps help you record distance ran, calories burned, and routes taken. Jawbone Up, Fitbit Flex, or Withings Scale The quantified self movement is in full force this year. Wrist devices like the Up band and Fitbit Flex help you track your daily steps, calories burned, and sleep quality. Heyday or Day One These apps help you keep a general life journal with images and location data. PAGE ELEVEN OF TWENTY ONE

TRUE LIFE IS LIVED WHEN TINY CHANGES OCCUR. LEO TOLSTOY

MAKE ADJUSTMENTS Dont be afraid to make adjustments to your experiments. Lifestyle experimentation is called that because its all about experimenting. Tinkering and tweaking is part of the process. Thats why there is no failure or success in lifestlye experimentation. There is only what is working and what is not working for you. Never be afraid to change something that doesnt feel right, even if it has worked for other people. Much like the habit loop or the lean startup loop of innovation, the lifestyle experimentation process can be thought of as a continuos loop of experimenting, learning, and refining based on what you learn. PAGE THIRTEEN OF TWENTY ONE

IF YOU HANG OUT WITH CHICKENS, YOURE GOING TO CLUCK AND IF YOU HANG OUT WITH EAGLES, YOURE GOING TO FLY. STEVE MARABOLI

ACCOUNTABILITY PARTNER According to the American Society of Training and Development, meeting with an accountability partner increases your probability of completing a goal by 95%. Thats a huge difference when you consider that youre only 65% likely to complete a goal when you commit to someone else that you will do it. Meeting regularly with an accountability partner has been show to help you become more self-aware, set better goals, discover your strengths, decrease stress, and build confidence. Earlier this year I met up with a friend of mine, Matthew Gallizzi, in Portland for a week. Up until that point we had only had lunch together once. Our only plan for the weeklong excursion in Portland was that we had no plan. It ended up being one of the most profound weeks of our lives. We wandered the streets of Portland talking about our struggles, our life philosophies, and what we hoped to accomplish in the next year and beyond. Then we got to work. When we returned to our homes in Denver and Orange County, we started having daily accountability calls to keep each other on track with the plans we had made in Portland. Every morning, at 5 AM, wed Skype each other to talk about what we were struggling with that day and what we planned on getting done. PAGE FIFTEEN OF TWENTY ONE

It is amazing how much difference having a partner in crime that I can trust and exchange mutual feedback with has helped me tackle my most ambitious projects and lifestyle experiments. In fact, the creation of this book was the result of a competition between Matthew and I to both create an eBook in a week. Finding the right accountability partner can be challenging as its important to find someone that has similar accountability needs, has complimentary experiences, and is open to feedback. Its also best to find someone in a similar timezone since you should ideally be meeting weekly or even daily. Here are places to look for accountability partners: Meetups Meetup.com groups are great for meeting like-minded individuals. Facebook Groups and Google+ Communities There are many groups dedicated to achieving different goals. Accountable.us A free page Matthew and I created to connect accountability partners. PAGE SIXTEEN OF TWENTY ONE

SUCCESS IS A JOURNEY, NOT A DESTINATION. RALPH ARBITELLE

KEEP EXPERIMENTING Ive found that the secret to a happy and succesful life is found through relentlessly experimenting and finding out what works best for you. No one path is right for everyone. Experimentation is how you create your own life path and accomplish your dreams. Successful experiments become flourishing branches that inspire us to do our greatest work. Failed experiments create humility and resilience. They are pruned like dead branches and the scars serve as a reminder of why we are who we are. As long as youre experimenting, youre growing. Never stop experimenting. PAGE EIGHTEEN OF TWENTY ONE

WHATS IMPORTANT IS THAT YOU HAVE A FAITH IN PEOPLE, THAT THEYRE BASICALLY GOOD AND SMART, AND IF YOU GIVE THEM TOOLS, THEYLL DO WONDERFUL THINGS WITH THEM. STEVE JOBS

LIFESTYLE EXPERIMENTS Experiments that have been beneficial to me: CREATE A CREATIVE RITUAL The habit loop is also a great way to create a creative ritual. A creative ritual is something you do everytime before you perform you most important creative work to signal to your brain that youre about to get into the zone. CREATE A SLEEP ROUTINE Sleep is one of the most important activities you do. Creating a healthy sleep routine has been one of the biggest game changers for me. Start by turning off electronics an hour before bed and getting 7-8 hours of sleep. DAILY MEDITATION Meditation is a fantastic way to escape to clear your head and deal with daily anxiety. Try meditating for 5 minutes right before you go to bed or immediately when you wake up. EXPERIMENTATION TOOLS Tools to help you accomplish your dreams and live at your best: Lift App Lift helps you create and keep new daily habits. Everest App Everest helps you stay on the path to your biggest Everest goals. Evernote Evernote is the most useful app Ive ever come across. From filing receipts to recording new ideas, Evernote organizes my entire life. PAGE TWENTY OF TWENTY ONE

GET IN TOUCH I AM HERE TO HELP YOU THRIVE. DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME. EMAIL: YO@FREEMAN.IS TWITTER: FREEMANLAFLEUR WEB: WWW.FREEMAN.IS PAGE TWENTY ONE OF TWENTY ONE