[English]
Hello, this is Taylor. Self-development
Taylor back at it again. So, I've been
quietly adding tiny habits to my Rolodex
over the last couple years. Mindset
shifts, little routines, and practical
hacks that have genuinely made my life
better. And today, I'm sharing 10 of my
favorite ones. Really 11, but I prefer
10 for the title of the video. So, let's
say 10 plus a bonus one. And my ultimate
goal for these hacks is for them to not
feel theoretical. I want them to feel
extremely actionable so that when you
finish watching this video, you walk
away saying, "Oh, I could start that
today if you choose to." We got a mix of
health rellated hacks, career hacks, and
some subtle behavior tweaks that have
helped me get out of ruts and feel more
like myself. So, let's dive in. And
thank you to Framer for sponsoring this
video, but we'll chat more about them
later. This first hack has solved more
creative blocks for me than any other
productivity hack in recent memory, and
it is going on thinking walks. You know
that feeling when you sit down to start
working and your brain just refuses to
cooperate? Like you're staring at a
blank document and your cursor is just
blinking, mocking you. When I hit that
wall, and it's typically while I'm
scripting out my videos and need to be
coming up with new, fresh, creative
ideas, and it's just not happening. I
know to get up and go on a thinking
walk. I prefer to do it in the little
bit of nature that I do have in the
city. So, typically in a New York City
park instead of on the busy streets. And
I cannot tell you how helpful it's
actually been for helping me come up
with new ideas. And it turns out there's
actually a lot of fascinating science
behind this. So I learned that forward
movement actually lights up the same
part of our brain that we use for
mapping out new ideas. It boosts blood
flow to your prefrontal cortex, which is
the part of our brains that are used for
planning and problem solving. And the
left right bilateral rhythm of walking
actually helps your thoughts flow more
freely. Our brains evolved to link
forward movement with seeking novelty
and exploring possibilities. So when
your body moves forward, your mind does
too.
Wow.
So these thinking walks are something
that I've heavily incorporated into my
daily routine. But I kind of stumbled
onto them by accident. Originally, I
just started trying to walk more for the
obvious physical benefits, especially on
those days when I'm mainly desk bound,
like sitting down, finishing editing a
video, or what have you, when I'm not
working out. Those days are few and far
between, but when they do happen, I am
just not getting enough steps in. And so
that's when I started trying to walk
more. Then while I was on those walks, I
found my mind kind of wandering and
coming up with new ideas and arriving at
little moments of insight. Like I would
suddenly know exactly how to structure a
video that had been stumping me. And
then I found myself midwalk pulling out
my phone to write down things in my
notes app so I wouldn't forget. And now
I go on them specifically to think and
still for the physical benefits. I will
say I am not looking forward to next
winter when I cannot do this
comfortably. So, I'm already planning
ahead on my strategy for when that time
comes. Subscribe and stay tuned for that
experiment. But for now, thinking walks
have been a big part of my daily routine
and have made a huge difference. My
challenge for you, try one of these
thinking walks sometime this week if
it's not already part of your daily
routine. And if it is part of your
routine, try turning off the music and
podcast and let me know if your mind
arrives at any insights or new ideas.
Speaking of insights that hit you, you
want to know one that hit me over the
head over the last year? just how
freaking powerful it actually is when
you effectively set systems and not
goals. By this point, I'm sure you've
heard of set systems, not goals. It's
one of the central thesis of atomic
habits where in James Clear says, "You
don't rise to the level of your goals,
you fall to the level of your systems."
So, what does this actually mean? And
how exactly have I done this
successfully finally after years of
frankly not doing it successfully? Well,
let me give you an example from this
year. So, I took advantage of that
little psychological bump in motivation
that we get every January 1st and I
wrote out my New Year's resolutions and
my goals. The first batch of career
goals was to hit a certain number of
subscribers and a certain number of
views in this year. So, I looked at
those things and I was like, "Okay,
great. These outcomes are my northstar,
but how exactly will I get there?" Well,
at a high level, the way to grow on
YouTube, regardless of the numbers, is
to consistently post highquality,
valuable videos. Great. How will I do
that? Because at the time I was
definitely proud of the videos that I
was putting out, but I wasn't putting
them out as frequently as I wanted to.
So, how would I maintain and improve the
quality while increasing frequency? I
finally realized after five whole years
of doing everything myself that I would
need help to do this. So, the first
month of this year, I conducted a very
thorough three- round interview process
to hire a video editor. After I made the
hires, I figured out how to get solid,
efficient workflows in place with them,
and it has worked so well. Yes, of
course, it's a lot of work up front and
during it as well, but it's totally
worth it. I'm on track to post more
videos than I ever have, up from 23
videos last year when I was doing
everything myself to 29 this year. But
I'm really aiming for 32. Now, don't get
me wrong, because these subscriber
numbers and view count milestones still
definitely matter as my north stars. In
fact, studies suggest that people who
actually write down their goals are 42%
more likely to achieve them just by
writing them down. But then take that
step further and ask yourself, what are
the literal very specific steps or
systems that you have to put in place in
order to get there? Then get even more
granular and get very specific. These
are the things that will actually move
the needle. Seems so incredibly obvious,
right? Well, it's not. How many people
do you know that on January 1st say that
they want to work out more this year?
Maybe they even get a gym membership and
then they give up after three weeks.
It's because they didn't put specific
steps in place. So, by way of example
with the workout thing, instead of
saying, "I want to work out more," the
steps might look something like this.
Gym clothes laid out every night, check.
8 a.m. gym time blocked in your
calendar, check. Or later in the day,
cuz I'm not working out at 8:00 a.m.
Same workout playlist ready to go,
check. Perhaps then build the habit by
coupling it with something that you
really, really look forward to. So,
maybe the same yummy smoothie after
every workout. There are tons of ways to
hack your brain's reward system here,
but step one after you have your north
star is to really, really define the
specific steps that you need to take to
get there. My challenge for you, because
remember, we're making this actionable.
What is one goal that you've had for a
while, but you just can't seem to get on
the right track to achieve it? Then
think of five highly actionable and
very, very specific steps that you need
to take to get closer to that goal. When
you really break it down this way, it
kind of also lowers the stakes and just
makes it feel a lot less daunting to
tackle the task. So, set systems or
steps, not goals. Well, and goals, but
you know what I mean. Now, let's lighten
things up a little bit and throw in a
more fun one that I wanted to include
here. And it is to change your look
every now and then. For you, that might
be through your clothes, like trying new
styles that you think are cool or
picking up a couple funky things at the
thrift store. Maybe it's your makeup.
For me, it's my hair. I got to thinking
recently and realized that I've done
pretty much everything there is to do
with my hair within reason for me at
some point or other. I've had super long
bleached kind of hippie hair. I've had
more tasteful blonde hair that was
actually done by someone who knew what
they were doing. I've had dark brown
espresso as I like to call it hair. I've
had my natural color in all shapes and
sizes, including most notably when I cut
my own bangs, which believe it or not
actually was not a cry for help, but
I've lived and learned. I actually had
red hair way before you guys knew me.
And that one was an accident. That was
just from putting too much sun in in,
you know, sun in. And most recently, as
you can see, I got a bob cut. Now, this
might seem like a silly hack to include
on this list, but I really do think that
changing your look up now and then is a
fun way to define different phases of
your life and to just keep things kind
of fun and interesting. Plus, there's
actually something about looking in the
mirror and seeing a slightly different
version of yourself that actually shifts
how you feel and act. It's like giving
yourself permission to try on a new
identity and break out of old patterns.
I'm also just a sucker for low stakes
ways to practice being okay with change
and to break out of your comfort zone a
little bit and this is just fun way to
do it. Life is too short to not switch
things up a little bit. That's my
opinion. Moving on to without a doubt
the single most impactful important hack
of my entire life to put it very
bluntly. Just post. I'm calling it just
post because for me it's like just post
the video, but it's a metaphor for life
too. It is so easy to fall into the trap
of overthinking. We all do it. I can't
post it. It's not good enough. I can't
go to the gym. I don't know how to use
the machines. I can't pitch that idea in
the meeting. It might be stupid. I can't
start that newsletter. I only have like
three things to say. I can't apply for
that job. I don't have enough experience
yet. I can't start that side project. I
need to do more research first. I can't
book that solo trip. What if I get
lonely? Not with that attitude you can.
It will not be perfect and it will never
be the perfect time. But the only way
that you will know for sure is by taking
the leap and actually doing it. Only way
you'll get better at something is by
actually practicing. I will always be
the world's number one proponent of
progress, not perfection. Because if I
stopped myself from posting that very
first video on YouTube because I don't
know, it was filmed on an iPhone, which
by the way, so is this. Or because I was
awkward on camera, I wouldn't have what
I think is the best job in the entire
world. Now, people make excuses for
starting new things because they are
scared, which makes perfect sense. But
on the other side of fear is growth.
Sounds cheesy, but it is absolutely
true. The last thing you want to do is
look back on your life when you're 90
and be upset that you didn't try or
start that new thing because you were
afraid of what others might think. Okay.
Okay. Of course, I will admit that this
is easier said than done. So, let's
really break this down and talk about
what this might actually look like in
practice so this feels a lot more
actionable and not just like a
motivational speech. First, shrink the
stakes. So, instead of saying something
like, "I need to start a business."
Change it to, "You know what? This week,
I'm going to text three of my close
friends about this idea and spend 20
minutes writing a very basic business
plan. Instead of I need to become super
fit, change it to what if I go to the
gym just once this week. The goal at
first is not to go from 0 to 100, it's
to go from zero to one. Second, set a
deadline. One that might scare you a
little bit, that feels a little
uncomfortably close. If you're thinking
about starting a newsletter, stop saying
someday and say, "I will send the first
one this Friday. I'm going to sit down
for 90 minutes and whatever is on that
page I will send. I know someone who
does this. The deadline helps create
urgency and urgency helps to stifle the
overthinking. The third thing, and this
is so key, lower your standards for the
first try. Your first video is going to
be bad. It should be bad. There's no
reason cuz you don't have the practice
yet why it would be amazing. The first
newsletter is probably going to be a
little rough. Your first gym session
probably should be a little bit awkward.
You don't know what you're doing yet.
But the point isn't to become perfect
right away. The point is to prove to
yourself that you can do the thing.
Version one just needs to exist. Version
2 3 4 5 will get better and better as
you practice because you learn as you
go. But the reality of this is that most
people will spend 6 months planning
something that takes 6 minutes to start.
Don't be most people. Be the person that
just posts. Well, there are some
limitations to this, right? Like what?
Like I have this idea for a website, but
I don't know how to code. I'm actually
not good at anything techy, but I have a
good idea. Is that so? Yeah. Guess what?
What? You don't need to know how to code
to do that. You don't even need to know
how to use those easy drag and drop
website builders. Now, how? Well, these
days, you can just use a text prompt
here in Framer and it will literally
build the structure for you. Here, look.
I just did this with my own brand. So,
if I just use Framer's wireframe AI
tool, I'll just write in this text box,
I'm a YouTuber based in New York City,
build me a professional site with an
about me section, a section for my
videos, and a section for my newsletter.
And then I press enter. And literally
within seconds, I have this structure
that I can just fill in. Oh my god, I
know it's crazy. Framer really embodies
the just post mentality because you can
go from idea to live site without
getting stuck in development or
technical complexity. Well, thanks for
showing me this. How do I sign up? You
can launch for free at framer.com. But
you know what? I got something a little
extra special for you. What is it? A
free month of Framer Pro, which has
extra capabilities if you use my promo
code Taylor Bell 2025 when you sign up.
Well, thank you, Taylor. This is
life-changing. I think I'm going to go
build a website about my dog's daily
routine. Very specific, but I respect
the hustle. Just post.
Yep. Okay. The next hack is kind of a
new one for me and it has been so
energizing. It is to do some challenge
once a month. My latest example, which
you might have seen on YouTube because
yes, I documented it. I pretty
spontaneously decided to walk the entire
length of Manhattan one day, but instead
of going down Broadway the entire way,
which makes it a pretty straight shot,
and that's about 13.4 4 miles. I wanted
to do a bunch of zigzags, hit some cool
spots, and I ended up doing it in 21
miles. And the impact that I felt from
this challenge was actually a lot more
than I expected. One, it took me out of
my usual rhythm in the best way because
while I love habits and routines, and I
think they're absolutely essential and
good to have, I also do think it's
important to switch things up now and
then. Like we talked about earlier in
the hair discussion, this was exactly
that. On a random Tuesday, instead of
doing my usual work, I went on a long
ass walk all day long. saw more parts of
my city than I ever have in a single
day. And I ended the day feeling
extremely accomplished, grateful, and
just happy to have that new life
experience. So, it doesn't have to be a
physical challenge. I think those are
the ones that I most often gravitate
towards because my mantra lately is to
do hard things. And I think physical
challenges is kind of the most obvious
way to push yourself. But it could be
anything that just pushes you outside of
your comfort zone for a day or for a
weekend. For example, you could
challenge yourself to learn how to make
a new complex dish from scratch. You
could challenge yourself to spend an
entire Saturday in a new neighborhood
that you've never been to. You could go
to a new museum that you've heard about,
but you haven't been to before. You
could go on a solo weekend trip. The
options are endless. It depends on what
actually puts you outside of your
comfort zone. That's going to look very
different for each person. But what I
love about these monthly challenges is
that it kind of breaks you out of your
normal routine without derailing
everything. It's just one day or one
afternoon where you push yourself to do
something a little different. So my
challenge for you, pick something that
you know will push you outside your
comfort zone just a little bit. Put it
on your calendar and just do it. Doing
this once a month, I promise you will
finish the month feeling more
accomplished, more interested, and just
grateful to have a new life experience.
Then come back to this video and let me
know in the comments how you felt
afterwards. In a world that makes
everything frictionless, I have started
intentionally adding friction back in.
Not everywhere, but in small everyday
places that help me feel like I'm
staying more present and active. The
most basic one, I stopped using Uber
Eats. Not because I think it's bad. I
love that we have that convenience at
our fingertips when we need it. I think
it's a great service. But the days when
I found myself using it were the days
when what I really needed to do was get
my butt out of the chair and actually go
outside because I've been sitting for
however many hours just working. Of
course, I know that not everyone has the
luxury of taking that time to actually
go outside and walk to pick up food or
the time to actually cook yourself
something, but as someone who makes my
own schedule, me using the delivery apps
was more of an indicator than anything
that I just wasn't taking care of my own
work life balance. Now, if I want
something, I either have to walk to go
get it or I have to cook it myself. That
little bit of added friction, the time
that it takes to actually go get it or
to prepare the food myself, it forces me
to actually take a break, to check in
with myself, and to get a little walk
in. It's a very pleasant type of
friction. Now, I think it's okay, or at
least I tell myself that it's okay to
pick and choose where to add this
friction. Like that stat that only 2% of
people take the stairs when it's an
option instead of the escalator. Listen,
I love physical activity as much as the
next guy. But when I'm down in the New
York City subway carrying a heavy ass
backpack, heavy tote, probably already
sweating, I'm not taking the stairs. But
let's say I have a brunch plan a couple
neighborhoods over and I have the time
and the weather is decent, I will walk
instead of biking. That's the kind of
friction that I like. It doesn't have to
be painful. So, my challenge for you,
identify one place where it's a little
too easy to make the lazy autopilot
choice and see how you can add a little
bit of friction. Move the apps off your
home screen. Commit to walking somewhere
instead of ordering in whatever it is.
It sounds small, but I swear it rewires
your default behavior in a really great
way. All right, the next hack
took me a while to learn because for a
long time I have prided myself on being
100% self-sufficient. But the truth is
that everything in my life got better
once I started bringing more people in.
And if you've been around watching my
channel for a while, you've definitely
seen this shift in me occur. One of my
literal New Year's resolutions just a
couple years ago was to move in silence.
In other words, to keep my goals and my
big decisions fully to myself and to
just trust my own intuition. And I do
still think that there's a lot of value
and truth behind that. But whether it's
a creative collaboration, asking for
advice, or just texting a friend to talk
through a half-baked idea, there is a
lot of power in getting out of your own
head. So, the big ways that I have
brought people in on the professional
side, as discussed, I hired some amazing
people and as a result, I've been able
to produce more content than ever. I've
also started to become a bit more
comfortable brainstorming certain
content ideas with others. I work with
amazing management who also helps with
strategy stuff and it's just nice to
work with other people. I think that the
bottom line is my first year as a
full-time creator, I often felt pretty
lonely even though I loved the work that
I was doing. Whereas my second year
being a full-time creator has just felt
a lot more collaborative and fulfilling
because I really did hit a ceiling at
some point when I was working by myself.
And now the way I see it is that I'm
just getting started. like it's only
only going to go up from here. And then
on the personal side, I just feel very
fulfilled by my friendships, by my love
life. I just I have found myself opening
up a bit more to the people that I
trust. And that's just a good feeling.
So kind of for the first time ever, I
would say I have definitely shifted my
perspective a bit on doing everything
alone. You probably shouldn't do that.
And I really do love the quote, if you
want to go fast, go alone. If you want
to go far, go together. And I have found
that to be absolutely true. challenge
for you. What is one area of your life
where you feel a little bit stuck or
lonely and who could you bring in? So,
on the days when my brain is not firing
on all cylinders and my to-do list just
feels infinitely long, I come back to
this super simple yet effective hack.
Just do one thing. Not even the most
important thing. Not the thing that will
change your life. Just one thing. Put in
a load of laundry. I do that one a lot.
Take a walk. I do that one a lot, too.
Tidy up one corner of your space. Answer
one email. It almost doesn't really
matter what it is, but just doing
something breaks that weird inertia that
we get from doing nothing. Because what
I've kind of learned about myself at
least is that burnout doesn't always
come from doing too much. Sometimes it
kind of comes from sitting there
thinking about all the things you should
be doing and then doing none of them.
It's paralyzing. So instead of spiraling
whenever this happens, I try to zoom out
and just ask myself, what is one thing
that I can handle doing right now? I
know this might sound terribly out of
touch because I know that a lot of
people can't get away with just doing
one thing. Okay, neither can I most of
the time. The wild part about doing one
thing is that so often it creates
momentum. One small action breaks the
inertia. It leads to another action and
suddenly I'm moving again. But not
always. Sometimes I really just do the
one thing and that's all I can do and
that's fine because most days I'm doing
a lot more than one thing. So I try to
give myself that grace. But my challenge
for you, the next time that you have one
of those days, you know, don't aim to
tackle the whole list. Take out the
trash. Just respond to that one text. If
it's at work, maybe do just the one most
important thing. See what happens. Let
me know. This one genuinely feels like a
cheat code that I unlocked. I didn't
change what I eat. I changed when I eat
it. The hack is rearranging my macros.
Let me explain. So, I eat healthy.
That's the context. I eat a lot of high
quality protein, healthy fats, healthy
carbs, nothing fancy. And of course, I
live my life, too. Like, this was my
breakfast on Saturday morning, okay? I'm
not trying to fool anyone, but 83% of
the time, it's healthy. Those macros,
protein, fats, and carbs. My recent game
changer has been how I rearrange those
macros throughout my day. Based on all
of the science that I have learned over
the last year and listening to countless
hours of all these health podcasts, I
decided to start loading up on my
protein and healthy fats in the morning
and then saving most of my carbs for in
the afternoon, post-workout, and for
dinner. I do this because protein and
fats for the first meal of the day when
you break your fast break fast breakfast
doesn't matter what time it is but
whatever is your first meal the protein
and fats will help keep your blood sugar
steady and your energy levels stable
carbs on the other hand and mind you I'm
not just talking about pancakes drenched
in syrup I'm also talking about
healthier carbs like toast granola
oatmeal those things can absolutely
cause a larger insulin spike especially
when not paired with adequate protein
and fat. So, what does this mean? It
means that either one, you get that
crash, you know, that afternoon crash
much earlier, or two, you're hungry like
an hour later. That's that's what
happened to me when I was eating
overnight oats for breakfast. However,
I'm not saying these carbs are bad for
you. It's just the effect that they have
on your hormones and your blood sugar
levels and all this stuff. It's more
beneficial to place them post-workout or
at nighttime at dinner because these
carbs actually help bring down your
cortisol, which is what you want as you
descend into the night. They increased
serotonin production, which is a
precursor to melatonin, which you
probably know helps you fall asleep. And
the difference in how I feel since
making this change, substantial. I stay
fuller for longer. I have more energy
throughout the day, and I no longer
really get that late morning/ afternoon
crash. And why did I make this change in
the first place? It's genuinely because
I was tired of having to go feed myself
again like 2 hours after eating that
breakfast. It just disrupted my
workflow. But now, now that I've learned
a lot more about it, you know, it's come
with a lot of other great benefits as
well. So, yeah, this one honestly to me
feels the most like a real hack because
I didn't go on some restrictive diet. I
wouldn't do that. I didn't change what I
eat. I just moved stuff around and timed
how I eat a little bit differently. And
in doing so, I kind of biohacked my
body. Challenge for you. If you haven't
already tried this and you're
susceptible to that afternoon crash that
we just know and love, we don't love it.
Tomorrow, try starting your day,
whatever the first meal is, with protein
and fat. So, Greek yogurt with some
nuts, eggs, and half of an avocado or a
high protein smoothie. And save your
rice, pasta, sweet potatoes, you name
it, for later on at dinner. See how your
energy holds up. You might be surprised.
And once again, come back, let me know
in the comments. I am really, really
curious how these things will work for
you guys, too. The 10th and final hack
before we get to our bonus hack is one
that has changed my life forever, and it
is to find a workout that you actually
enjoy. I said it before, I'll say it
again cuz this is a list of my most
important hacks. You can idealize going
on a run every morning, lifting weights
daily, becoming a Pilates queen all you
want. But if you don't actually
genuinely enjoy that workout, it will
not stick. But when you find a workout
that you actually look forward to, it is
much easier to naturally incorporate
that workout into your daily routine in
a sustainable way. I've told this story
before, but in high school, I, like so
many people, had that built-in exercise
structure. I had track practice or
volleyball practice every day. I had
track meets, volleyball games, whatever
other sport. It was just baked into my
day. So, when I went to college and had
to self-motivate, I lost touch with my
consistent workout routine. And for the
next 6 years, pretty much all of college
and for a couple years afterwards, I
really would just like start and stop
things and not stick to anything for a
while. But then I finally found a class,
a workout class that I absolutely love.
And this many classes later, I can
confidently say that I am consistently
back on the grind and have been for a
few years now. My bank account does not
love me for this, but an investment in
my health is one that I actually do not
think twice about. And now I do a lot of
self-led stuff, too. But really, finding
this class is what broke me out of that
once again inertia of stopping and
starting and just not doing a ton. So,
if you're struggling to stay consistent,
don't start with discipline. Start with
joy. Try different things until
something clicks. And once it does, the
motivation part starts to take care of
itself. You'll stop dreading workouts
and actually start craving them. And
that is when it finally sticks.
Challenge for you. If you don't know
what kind of workout you do, try a bunch
of different classes. Give it all a
shot. You do have to try it a couple
times, I think, to really find out
whether or not you like it, but once you
do, you'll never go back. Okay, mini
bonus hack number 11. I couldn't resist.
Invest in things that make the biggest
dent for you. Not in a luxury for the
sake of it kind of way, but in a this
makes things run smoother kind of way.
For me, that meant buying a really good
laptop. It was expensive, but it
literally never lags when I am editing
huge videos, managing 10 open Chrome
tabs, Final Cut Pro, Notion, Google
Drive, and probably a couple rogue Canva
or Reddit tabs open at the same time. It
has paid for itself insanity and
productivity. But this does not have to
mean dropping thousands of dollars
because I realize the example that I
just gave could be cost prohibitive. But
think of bottlenecks in your day. Let's
say that your blender sounds like a
jackhammer and it takes 10 minutes to
clean after every smoothie you make.
Maybe it's time for that $50 upgrade
that actually makes your smoothie habit
a lot more enjoyable. If your back hurts
every time you sit at your desk, maybe
paying for a $20 laptop stand or a $20,
you know, little seat cushion to help
your lower back might be the answer. Or
actually buying a really nice chair if
cost isn't so much an issue. That's a
good investment. The point is these
small frictions can add up. So, on the
flip side to hack number six, which was
to add back in some friction, look at
where your time and energy is
unnecessarily leaking and patch that
hole. Those are the 10 11 hacks that
have seriously made a difference in my
life. I hope a few of those can be
helpful for you guys, too. So, like and
subscribe if you enjoyed this. I have a
lot more videos coming soon. And until
next time, Turtle out.
I'm going to be honest with you guys. I
didn't I didn't get any bloopers for
this one, but just thought I'd let you
know.
I'm sitting here living like a kid
finishing this video, eating snacks.
Life is great. And the flight attendant
watches my videos, has been so nice to
me. I got some free snackies. And then
I, you know, told the other flight
attendants that my dad was a Delta
pilot, so they're also just being so
nice to me. Live of life.
Hope you guys like the video.