📚 A&B #177

👋 Hey everyone,

Here are 3 life-changing books you can read for free (legally):

• “The Pathless Path” by Paul Millard.

  • Read this book if you’re looking for a framework for designing your life and career in an intentional and meaningful way.

• “The Anthology of Balaji” by Eric Jorgenson.

  • Read this book if you’re interested in the future of media, science, and technology.

• “The Almanack of Naval Ravikant” by Eric Jorgenson.

  • Read this book if you’re looking for advice on how to make more money and become happier.

🤓 Course Update:

I added two lessons this week that I think people will find valuable:

• How To Read Faster (Speed Reading 101)

  • I’ve taken two speed reading courses worth $800+ and read several speed reading books. In this lesson, I summarize the 3 key techniques to speed reading and also share my personal tips on how to read faster.

• How To Build A Consistent Reading Habit That Sticks

  • If you struggle to build a consistent reading habit and want to read more this year, you’ll enjoy the strategies in this lesson.

Here’s what one student said about the course:

Enroll now and join 145+ readers here! 👈

⭐️ Life Lessons:

Instead of a book summary this week I wanted to share a few personal lessons.

I started this newsletter to not only write about lessons learned from books, but also to test lessons and share what actually has a positive impact on your life.

So here are 3 life lessons I’ve learned recently:

📖

1) Try A Coffee Detox

One of my 2024 resolutions was to give up coffee 7 days.

Why?

Even though I love coffee, I realized last year that I’ve been drinking it every day for about 5 years and I was addicted to it.

I had trouble working or concentrating if I didn’t have a cup of coffee in the morning but I didn’t like being dependent on it.

I listened to a podcast with Andrew Huberman and he mentioned you can reset your caffeine tolerance in as little as 7-days, so I gave it a try.

The first 2-3 days I experienced common withdrawal side effects such as trouble concentrating, low energy, and irritability. But, around day 4 I felt a lot better.

I’m currently on day 21 of no coffee.

I wake up in the morning feeling naturally energetic, have less anxiety, and am able to fall asleep much faster.

I probably won’t be coffee free forever, but for now I’m enjoying the benefits of having stable energy and better sleep. I’d recommend giving it a try.

📖

2) Limit Your Alcohol Consumption

Another New Year’s resolutions was to give up alcohol for 30 days.

I’ve never been a huge drinker, but after listening to Huberman’s podcast on all of the negative effects of alcohol, I decided to give it up for a month.

And it’s been great.

Not drinking saves you a ton of money (here in NYC one drink can cost $15), improves your quality of sleep, and saves you from the pain of a hangover.

It’s also a great challenge for introverts. If you can talk and socialize with people without any liquid courage, you’ll feel confident in almost any social situation.

If giving alcohol completely is too challenging, Huberman suggests limiting your alcohol consumption to 2 drinks per week.

Again, I don’t plan to give up alcohol forever, but I’ll probably limit myself to one drink on Fridays for date night and one drink on Saturdays when hanging out with friends.

📖

3) Keep Your Mouth Closed

Every year since I was an adult, my dentist would tell me I have about three cavities (some years it was two, other years it was four).

Even though I brushed and flossed my teeth every day, I got cavities every year like clockwork.

However, for the past two years, I’ve had ZERO cavities.

So, what changed?

Mouth tape.

For my whole life I thought I slept with my mouth closed until my girlfriend started sleeping over and told me I was a snorer and a mouth breather.

I also didn’t think it was that bad for you until I listened to a Huberman podcast about breathing.

Turns out it’s actually terrible for you.

Research shows that being a mouth breather leads to higher risk of stroke, higher levels of anxiety, sexual dysfunction, and of course, tooth decay.

Looking back, it made total sense. I would constantly wake up in the morning with a dry mouth, a headache, and never feeling fully rested.

Now I take my mouth tape to my girlfriend’s house, on vacation, and anywhere else I go to make sure I get a good night’s rest.

It’s one of the few products that will quite literally 10x your life.

✅ Actionable Advice:

1) Try a 7-day coffee detox:

• Replace your daily coffee with this caffeine free alternative.

  • It has lion's mane mushroom and rhodiol which will help you keep your mind clear and focused.

• If you want to learn more about the science of caffeine, check out Michael Pollen’s short audiobook on it.

2) Try giving up alcohol for 30-days.

• Or limit yourself to 2 drinks max per week.

3) Try using mouth tape for 30-days.

• I use hostage tape.

• If you want a more budget friendly option try micropore tape.

  • And if you want to learn more about the science of breathing, check out the book “Breath.”

📖 Reading Lesson:

Instead of a reading lesson this week, here are 10 exciting nonfiction books coming out in 2024.

💎 Weekly Gem:

Product: Create Gummies

I’ve been taking creatine ever since Huberman talked about the benefits of it on his podcast (build muscle faster, increased strength, better cognition, etc).

I used to take it in powder form but it was bland and chalky. Fortunately, I found Create which makes yummy creatine gummies. They have three delicious flavors (orange, blueberry, and watermelon).

Use my link here to get 30% off your next order.

Two quick questions:

Thank you for your support, read on everyone!

-Alex W.