Lifestyle


### Preface

Sometimes emotions come, and sometimes they’re negative and outright painful. When things feel out of control, here are a few ways to chill out and get back to feeling good.

### Strategy

I'll break down a few things you can try. Use them, or don't—up to you. I do all of these, but not every day. Some days I do them all; other days, none.

#### Try meditation

Focusing on your breath can help you calm down. You could also just stare at a wall or sit quietly with your thoughts. Whatever you do, don't reach for your phone and scroll. Maybe just notice that you *want* to pick up your phone—that's part of the process.

#### Try exercise

Exercise is underrated. It should be the first thing people add to their routine, but it’s usually the last (source: me). When you exercise, it signals to your body that you're alive and well. It helps regulate your body’s systems, and moving your blood around probably flushes out some of the bad stuff too.

#### Start writing something

If you can list your problems, you’ll have a better shot at fixing them. Organizing your thoughts is way easier if you write them down. Don’t think you can just *think* your way through everything—your brain’s too chaotic for that. There’s no mental dashboard, so get it all on paper (or a screen).

#### Do a hobby

If you don’t already have a hobby, just pick something—anything beyond your usual responsibilities. Actively choosing to engage in something can shift your brain into a different mode. And no, you won’t always enjoy it, but that’s okay. You should like it sometimes, at least.

#### Avoid passive media

If you’re just consuming a bunch of media without actively engaging, it’s probably not great. Reading, for example, requires your attention. You can't passively read. But scrolling through social media, watching YouTube, or binging TV are passive activities. They’re fun but can lead to feeling lost or unmotivated if you overdo it.

#### Try to eat healthy

Eating healthy matters. Stick to whole ingredients like sweet potatoes, steak, beans, brown rice, and buckwheat. Avoid overly processed foods that have been broken down and reassembled into something unrecognizable. If you can’t tell what it’s made of, it’s probably not great for you. 

#### Do your job

Focus on your job—but not too much. Set boundaries, but also aim for progress. Consistency is key. Writing down goals helps. If you're putting off work, it’ll just linger in the back of your mind, adding to your stress later.

#### Find a good job

A good job gives you some freedom and flexibility, especially if you’re good at it. But remember, a job is something you need to do. Not doing it can be a big source of anxiety. At the end of the day, it pays the bills. Unless you don’t have any bills, in which case, you’re either a kid or someone who's figured out how to opt out of adult responsibilities.

### Conclusion

Chilling out is about finding balance in your life. It’s not about perfection or doing everything at once. Some days you’ll meditate, exercise, or write—other days you’ll do none of that. The point is to keep trying things that work for you, focus on what helps you feel good, and cut out the stuff that makes things harder. Keep it simple, stay consistent, and give yourself the space to relax and reset.


How to Chill Out


## Context

I love my dog so much that I want her to live longer. So, I make her food from scratch because I don't trust the stuff they sell in stores. I want this to be cheaper than store-bought food but also healthy. However, maybe the store-bought stuff has all those extra things for a reason, so we actually do half and half to make our lives easier and just in case that factory food does provide some kind of nutrition. We think of it kind of like a multivitamin for our dog.

## Deciding What Kind of Food

My wife and I decided to use chicken thighs because they are very cheap—two dollars per pound (1 kg). Then, we add a vegetable, so an easy and cheap option is frozen vegetables. That way, we can always vary the type of vegetables too. Next, we add brown rice as a base and sort of as a filler. These are the three main ingredients. And because maybe the kibbles add some kind of vitamins or nutrients, we add a little bit of that into the mix as well.

## How Much to Make

This part involved a little math and trial and error. Mishka was eating kibbles before this, which she was still happy with. I just took the amount of kibbles she normally ate and looked up how many calories she consumed daily, which was about 800. This is really low for a 70 lb dog, but I guess huskies have a special metabolism. This was the amount where she wouldn't gain weight. Then, I looked up the calories in chicken thighs and rice and essentially tried to match the calories per day. It ends up looking something like this:

### Per day, about 800 calories:
1. 1 bone-in chicken thigh (210 calories)
2. 1/8 cup of brown rice (100 calories)
3. 1 cup of vegetables (broccoli, carrots, spinach, etc., 100 calories) 
4. 1 cup of her old kibbles (Merrick regular dog kibbles, 400 calories)

## How We Prepare Dog Food for 16 Days

Why 16 days? Well, chicken thighs are usually sold in packs of 2 lbs, and creating 16 days' worth of food is the best balance for us in terms of prep work and ease of storage.

### Ingredient list:
- 8 lbs of chicken thighs (about 16 chicken thighs)
- 2 cups of rice
- Lots of veggies
- 1-gallon storage bags

### Steps to prep ingredients:
(Note: All can be done in parallel)
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Place chicken thighs on baking sheets and put them in the oven for 1-1.5 hours until the meat falls off the bones.
3. Put all frozen veggies in a 12-inch skillet, cover, and cook on medium heat until the veggies are cooked through, about 20-30 minutes.
4. Make brown rice in a rice cooker.

### Steps to prepare and store food:
1. Take four containers—four works for us.
2. Place cooled chicken thighs into the containers evenly and debone them using your hands, tongs, or a fork. Try to shred the chicken. Discard the bones.
3. Evenly distribute the vegetables among the containers.
4. Evenly distribute the rice among the containers.
5. Mix the ingredients together.
6. Transfer the contents of each container into 1-gallon bags, which should create four bags. You can save one container for immediate consumption for the next four days.
7. Flatten and fold the gallon bags in half for ease of storage.
8. Freeze the bags.

(Note: If you're like us, only do three bags and keep one container for the next four days.)

To defrost, place a bag in hot water when you're ready to use it, and transfer it to a container. Each container or bag will last four days.

## Conclusion

Now, we have Mishka's food prepped for the next 16 days.

### Pros:
1. Mishka LOVES the food, and she is so happy.
2. It makes us feel good about ourselves since we're giving Mishka whole food.
3. Maybe it makes her healthier?
4. Way cheaper than store-bought whole food. For reference, one of those bags costs $30+, while all the ingredients we use are about $15 for 16 days.

### Cons:
1. It is a decent amount of work and clean-up.
2. It takes up space in the fridge and freezer.


How I Make Mishka's Whole Dog Food


## Why Routines?

I've tried following strict schedules before, but they always felt too restrictive, and I found it difficult to stick to them. I started realizing that routines offer a more flexible, natural way to structure a schedule. You can build routines around what you’re already doing, and just by formalizing them, you create a small win that pushes you forward.

I believe happiness is a blend of three factors: genetics, voluntary activities, and circumstances. Here’s a chart showing their breakdown:

![Breakdown of Happiness Chart](/happiness-chart.png)

Notice that circumstances make up a small portion of happiness. You can’t change your genetics, so the main area you control is your voluntary activities. By developing routines, you’re actively shaping your daily actions, reframing them as positive choices that you control. In my opinion, this leads to a better life.

## Morning Routine

Adapt this based on your needs.

1. Wake up naturally.
2. Enjoy a cup of decaf cappuccino.
3. Exercise for about an hour, depending on available time:
   1. Walk my dog for 20 minutes, sometimes with my wife and/or son.
   2. Run for 20 minutes.
   3. Strength training for 20 minutes, if time allows.
4. Personal hygiene.
5. Enjoy breakfast.

This routine helps me start the day energized and ready to be productive. It also fills my need for physical activity.

## Work Routine

Here’s my daily work routine. I sometimes use it on weekends for personal projects, like working on the Tennis League app I manage for my club.

1. Review priorities, wins, challenges, and lessons learned.
2. Check messages and meetings for the day.
   1. Schedule collaboration meetings if needed.
   2. Update the team on current status.
3. Block 2 hours for the highest-priority tasks.
4. If possible, do another 2-hour focus block.
5. Reflect on the day.
   1. Update wins, challenges, and lessons learned.
6. Decompress – I use hobbies, music, or meditation for this.

## Night Routine

A consistent night routine helps improve sleep and, since it’s made of voluntary activities, also contributes to happiness.

1. Put away my phone for the night.
2. Spend time with family.
3. Practice piano with headphones.
4. Take a quick 5-minute hygiene break.
5. Do a second piano practice session.
6. Read on my Kindle in bed until I feel naturally tired.
7. Sleep.

## Summary and Conclusion

These are the three routines that help me live a good life. Each person’s routines will look different based on their needs. For example, my wife’s routine is centered around caring for our son. Some people have to wake up early for work, so waking up naturally might not be an option. Whatever your situation, establishing routines can lead to more structure and a sense of control.
