Rituals: Hitting reset
How I set up new systems from recurring habits, my supplement stack + creatine
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This week, I was prompted to create systems to combat analysis paralysis and decision fatigue, which I’ve written about previously:
It was time to further simplify the things I do every day, aka my recurring morning habits.
For example, every morning I already know I’m going to be doing the following:
Feed + walk Mr. Bean
Work out
But, I realized I was spending too much time figuring out where to walk Bean; some places aren’t great depending on the day, because of traffic or lawn maintenance.
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In Charlotte, our walks are 20- to 30-minute out-and-back loops to a lake, a greenway trail, or a big park with baseball and soccer fields.
(In Miami, it’s easier: we’ll walk in the neighborhood or to the beach and along the beach path, and visit a dog park for water on the way back.)
So, I reset a dog walking time block in my calendar to tell me where we’re going each day, instead of trying to decide the morning of.
A better system for recurring events
It just helps to look at the cal and follow my own vetted advice, without wondering or second guessing.
Next, workouts. I like to move my body every day, but do what works for you!
On any given day in the summer, I can cycle or go for a run or choose from hundreds of workouts on two fitness apps I’m subscribed to: Peloton and Alo Yoga.
These aren’t even long workouts—usually anywhere between 15 to 40 minutes.
Some days I also just stretch.
But deciding what body area to focus on, equipment to use, and the workout itself started exhausting me—like attempting to pick a show or movie.
I’ve had great personal trainers, so I feel I’m in a good place where I can apply their teachings, along with the self discipline to follow my own fitness regime.
Occasionally I’ll attend a group fitness class. They’re fun for the vibe, especially if you can go with a friend.
I also tried AI workout apps that tailor a program based on your goals, but after the free trial, I got the gist.
Between all of these inputs, I decided to use my brain 🧠 (take that, AI!) and devise a new system that cuts down on decision-making and hopefully works for me in the long run.
Reminder: The best habits are the ones you stick to
Habit stacking = systems
Systems > overload
I hit reset
My calendar was starting to lose its integrity because I was ignoring previously held blocks of time for things that weren’t specific enough.
So I deleted them and made new, less ambiguous ones.
Here are examples of things I’ve optimized into better systems:
A time block for “Workout” →
is now “Mondays: Upper body strength; Tuesdays: barre/yoga/pilates; Wednesdays for glutes+core strength…”A time block for “Social media” →
is now “Video editing; engage on Substack Notes for 10 minutes; draft future posts…”Instead of “🐶 Walk” →
it’s now “🐶 Mondays: go to greenway; Tuesdays: go to lake…”Instead of “Write” →
it'’s now “Newsletter drafting; ideating future food and travel articles…
For me, this is the reverse of burnout.
Too much reinventing of the wheel and deciding what to do is what fatigued me.
Now, I hope to just follow my own prescribed system.
Next on my list to optimize (and long overdue) are grocery shopping and cooking.
These are things I do regularly, and I frequent the same 3-ish grocery stores.
I could set up Instacart deliveries for the basics, and just block time to go where I prefer to hand pick certain items. I’ve learned that delegating shopping for produce, meat, and seafood doesn’t yield the best results.
I also spend a decent amount of time cooking.
If I can get better at meal prepping, then I’ll always have prepared fresh foods to eat and re-heat, instead of defaulting to picking up (usually) less healthier, oversized, and salt-loaded meals.
At least that’s the goal.
Steve Jobs wore a black turtleneck every day.
My parents eat oatmeal for breakfast every morning.
I grind coffee beans every morning for a pourover, and limit myself to one kind of coffee at a time, otherwise I’d sit there deliberating over which coffee to drink.
I’ll report back to see how well I stick to these recurring weekly items.
My rituals have evolved
Some rituals I’ve written about in the past were for a stretch or set period of time in my life.
Sometimes they came to a natural end, like my 12-week Artist’s Way program:
Or therapy, which I concluded in mid-February:
But my supplement stack has evolved. Here’s what’s new:
Daily:
New: 1/2 scoop of YouthRX longevity powder, mixed with water. It’s a mix of creatine, NR, vitamins, Ca-AKG, and 10+ other supplements intended to boost energy and cognition, and fight brain fog. I like it because it combines supplements I’d normally take, in powder form, and tastes like…a tart pina colada? Over time, it may also combat insulin sensitivity and cellular aging.
If you’re interested in trying YouthRX, visit the site and you can use my code SHINDY for 25% off. Simple.
2x to 3x weekly:
New: Bio-Quinone CoQ10
BoneUp by Jarrow, for bone density health
Elderberry or vitex berry for hormonal regulation
ZMA (zinc, magnesium) at night for better quality sleep
HairBurst for collagen, biotin, and and hair and nails supportElysium Matter for brain health(I paused on this simply because I forgot about it)
I did a lot of research about creatine’s benefits for women before I started taking it.
So much social media and research on supplements is out there with no consideration for female bodies, so it was important for me to research before taking it.
It’s cheap on its own, and the reason why some places charge a lot for it comes down to packaging and marketing.
This video from a female athlete and former professional basketball player was one of many resources that helped me figure out if it was right for me, and how much to take:
While it’s advised to start slowly, I take way less than she does, like just shy of 3mg (the standard scoop in YouthRX).
I also researched what creatine does for women who are switching to more strength-based (working out with weights) workouts, versus yoga and running.
So far, I’m finding that the shifts in my supplement stack and workouts are serving me better in regards to maintaining my weight and fitness goals, and I’m generally feeling good, too, along with eating as healthily as I can.
I eat when I’m hungry, don’t deprive myself, and have no interest in #skinnytok, fads, or disordered eating rituals.
Many of my other routines and rituals remain though.
What recurring habits are you improving? Shortening? Optimizing? I’d love to know!
More from the Shindy-verse
My latest Eater Carolinas article about the best pizza in Charlotte
The research for this piece was fun but overwhelming. I ate. A lot. Of pizza. As a food writer, I owe it to readers to try as many places as possible and if it’s not good, I simply won’t include it, or go out of my way to bash it publicly:
Do you use Notion for your business? I’m teaching a workshop!
In a recent mastermind community meetup, a small group expressed interest in a workshop where I teach how to use Notion to manage multiple projects across multiple vendors, clients, freelancers, deadlines.
If this sounds like you and you’re interested in joining, then reply to this email or comment with a 👋 and I’ll add you to the group. Or add your email here.
Notion revolutionized my agency business, and I’d love to show you how I did it!
Mountainhead: Has hints of Succession for all you Jesse Armstrong fans, and is dark, ridiculous, sometimes funny, and timely. Worth a watch but can be at times tedious.
You may wish to acquaint yourself with these financial terms before watching:
Four sigma (4σ): Finance-y jargon which means processes are very consistent and predictable with a yield of 99.4%
Blue Sky: Overly optimistic or unrealistic projections about an investment’s potential, often without solid evidence to back it up. In a legal context, blue sky laws protect investors from fraud by requiring securities to be registered and based on real (not speculative) values
White hat: When someone uses their skills—especially in hacking or security—for good, helping protect rather than exploit systems
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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Rituals is a section where on the first week of every month, I’ll cover a regular daily, weekly, or monthly personal habit. It may be a lifestyle, wellness, or work practice that has become a valuable and beneficial part of my life. Enjoy!
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I love this post about “Changing It Up!”
Just making little alterations in the time, location, or the way you fit everything in that’s vital to you and Mr. Bean is very inspiring. I’ve seen so many begin an exercise program, join a gym, buy the equipment, only to trying it out for literally less than three days!!!
Keep them coming! Every Friday my calendar says, “SHINDY!” 💙💙💙💙