7 Minute Mental Hack to Stay Sane
TL;DR: You can optimize your inner sense of peace through First Principles thinking by setting a solid foundation of facts and then making a plan to improve each little piece.
Ever since COVID-19 swept across the nation last March, there has been an epidemic of distress. People are feeling angry, helpless, anxious, and depressed. New challenges such as remote meetings and seeing friends less often have created a sense of tediousness in each day. Youth especially have been touched by the pandemic as they grapple with missed social interactions. I would know, I am one.
Each of us have our own stories of the struggles we’ve had to endure during these turbulent times. But nothing has been more mind-wracking than the constant craziness surrounding us. The pandemic, loud news, and political turmoil are enough to cause one to ask themselves if they are sane in an insane world. I’ve certainly experienced all of these negative emotions as the world seems to grow ever less predictable.
Through the shifting landscape, it can be easy to fall back into that rut of negativity again and again. But you don’t have to. In fact, there’s a 7 minute mental hack that I’ve discovered that will keep you in the loop while preserving your inner peace. It’s called the 7 Minute First Principles Hack.
What you do first is set a timer for 7 minutes and sit down in a comfortable spot, such as on your bed or on the sofa. Then, say all of your problems out loud. Let everything flow of you naturally and don’t stop until you’re done. Are you feeling a big more stable now? Then, ask yourself questions based on First Principles.
In case some of you don’t know, First Principles are a set of basic assumptions that cannot be deduced further. Lots of smart people such as Elon Musk and Johannes Gutenberg, and Aristotle have used the framework in order to solve challenging problems through optimizing their approach in the simplest way possible. Using an example, let’s say you want to build a rocket. To start off, you’d have to break down what you need to the most basic parts possible. After you’ve done that, you’d need to go out and gather all of the parts to assemble them together. How would you assemble them together? Well, anybody but rocket scientists would have to research that. But at the end, you’ll achieve a fully functioning rocket that is able to carry people to the Moon.
First Principles are applicable to your daily life because they can radically simplify your existence. If you’re following the exercise above and have a problem with feeling socially confident enough to make new friends, the ideal question to ask yourself would be, “Why am I not feeling confident enough socially?” Perhaps the answer is that you think you’re not cool, perhaps it is that you haven’t met people ever since the start of the pandemic. Either way, after you answer the question, you’ll be able to logically follow your flow of thought and ask yourself about it continuously, until finally, you can reach a general consensus on the actions to take to reach the solution. And so here you have First Principles thinking in a nutshell.
So many people’s lives have been changed after discovering First Principles. It’s happened to some of the most innovative people in the world and it can happen to you too. All you have to do is take that first step forward. To help you achieve that inner peace that we all covet these days, I’ve included a summary of the 7 Minute First Principles Hack below. In the short time that I’ve practiced this trick, it’s really helped me feel calm and so I really wanted to pass it onto you.
7 Minute First Principles Hack:
- Set a timer
- Sit down in a comfortable spot
- Say all of your problems out loud
- Ask yourself questions using First Principles thinking
- Follow your logical train of thought and ask yourself more questions
- Break down your struggles into solutions
If you want to take your optimization one step further, I highly recommend the book Principles, by the financial entrepreneur Ray Dalio. It talks about approaching your entire life in a way that’s consistent with First Principles thinking. People such as Bill Gates have given it positive reviews. From reading Principles, you can gain insight into who you are as a person and lay down ground rules to make yourself into the creative, disciplined, and visionary human being you are meant to be. I promise you, this is a once in a lifetime book that you will reread again and again.
Meet the Author
Hello! My name is Amanda and I’m a 16 year old junior in high school who’s currently exploring cryptocurrency. I’m passionate about graphic design, UI/UX, and front end development. In my free time, I’m learning paper trading with the end goal of strategically investing in the stock market. Fintech, advanced travel, and space technology all interest me, which I’m exploring at a program for youth innovators called The Knowledge Society.
If you would like to reach out to me, you can message me right here on LinkedIn. Cheers!
