mental clarity is a competitive advantage
23 Jan 2020If you are a business owner, you have to make decisions every day. If you don’t think through a decision, it has second-order effects. Indecisiveness also has its own cost. It takes a good chunk of mental space to make a decision. Having a clear mind is important for making a good decision.
Why Mental clarity?
- Improves decision making.
- Ability to prioritize important things.
- Ability to think from a long-term perspective.
What worked for me to improve mental clarity.
Diet
Diet is an important and underrated input for mental clarity. The right kind of food ensures your hormonal balance.
A bad diet is the primary cause of chronic diseases. If you have a poor diet and constantly juggle with chronic diseases, then your mind is always occupied with fear. It reduces the ability to have a clear mind. My hack is to keep your kitchen pristine. Do all the nonsense outside. As 80% of the time I eat at home, that’s good enough for staying away from chronic diseases. I follow a high protein, medium fat, low carb diet.
Resistance training
The human body becomes decaying in nature after 25 years of age. You start losing agility and promptness. Resistance training builds muscle. Having adequate muscle mass fights aging and depression. I started doing resistance training twice a week. The improvements in day-to-day functioning are worth the sweat.
Walking early in the morning
This is the activity I enjoy the most. Perspective changes when you get out of the room and hit the road. 2-3 times a week, try to walk for 5km. I stay in a place where the surroundings are covered with green, which is a bonus.
Temporary change of environment
A change in frame of reference is important to see your blind spots. The easiest hack I found is to change the home base for a short period of time. My default is to go to my parent’s place once in 2-3 months for 5-10 days. Their area is less polluted and crowded than metros like Bangalore. Also, weekend getaways to more natural and greener places work for me.
Writing down things
Surprisingly, writing helps you generate new ideas. It’s a calming exercise for the mind. Earlier, I didn’t realize the importance of clear articulation and writing. Offloading what you have in your mind gives room for a new idea to be born. I started enjoying the process of writing as much as I enjoy writing code.
Meditation
Meditation helps you expend energy at your will rather than what the surroundings demand. It builds the brain muscles to expend energy. Usually, I do guided meditation 2-3 times a week for 15-30 mins.
Honesty
Honesty is the simplest and smartest of all hacks for mental clarity. If you are honest, you wouldn’t be wasting time strategizing cover-ups for lies.
Less envy and resentment
These emotions are the worst kind. They are good for nothing. They take up a huge mental space without providing any useful outcome. My hack for these ancient useless emotions is staying cheerful.