3438: Place as a Life Hack by Ryan Frederick of Here.life on Physical and Mental Wellbeing

[00:00:00] [SPEAKER_00]: This is Optimal Living Daily, Place as a Life Hack by Ryan Frederick of Here.life and I'm Justin Malik, your very own personal narrator.

[00:00:10] [SPEAKER_00]: Hello old friend, and that's not me calling you old, old stands for Optimal Living Daily.

[00:00:14] [SPEAKER_00]: And this is where I read articles to you, the best I can find and get permission from, so that you can have a little dose of positivity, inspiration, motivation or happiness each and every day.

[00:00:25] [SPEAKER_00]: So with that, let's get right to another post and start optimizing your life.

[00:00:34] [SPEAKER_00]: Place as a Life Hack by Ryan Frederick of Here.life.

[00:00:39] [SPEAKER_00]: Over the last decade or so, there have been a slew of books that incorporate behavioral science, psychology, economics and other disciplines to better understand how we think and how we can construct our lives toward better outcomes.

[00:00:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Examples of best-selling books include Nudge, Thinking Fast and Slow, The Power of Habit, and Tiny Habits.

[00:01:01] [SPEAKER_00]: With over 3 million books sold, Atomic Habits may be the most influential of the lot.

[00:01:06] [SPEAKER_00]: These books provide advice on how to create interventions to make life better.

[00:01:12] [SPEAKER_00]: This is referred to as life hacks in popular culture.

[00:01:15] [SPEAKER_00]: Wikipedia describes a life hack as any trick, shortcut, skill or novelty method that increases productivity and efficiency in all walks of life.

[00:01:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Finding the right life hacks for you can make a difference, particularly when played out over the long term.

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_00]: Power of Compounding Returns of Habits

[00:01:35] [SPEAKER_00]: In the age of longevity, where living to 100 years will become more commonplace, we will need to become attuned to the power of compounding returns.

[00:01:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Compounding returns are when a return from an investment of time or money is reinvested and benefits from the same return over a subsequent period.

[00:01:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Over time, these returns are not linear, but exponential.

[00:01:59] [SPEAKER_00]: Our minds are wired to think linearly, not exponentially, so we are often surprised by the result.

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_00]: Even Einstein was wowed by the concept of compound interest and was purported to have called it the eighth wonder of the world.

[00:02:12] [SPEAKER_00]: Over a long period of time, even small differences can add up to make a big difference.

[00:02:17] [SPEAKER_00]: In Atomic Habits, author James Clear illustrates the impact of small differences daily.

[00:02:23] [SPEAKER_00]: He highlights the impact of a 1% improvement each day, a measure unnoticeable to most people.

[00:02:29] [SPEAKER_00]: Such an improvement over the course of the year, however, is clear to see.

[00:02:34] [SPEAKER_00]: It results in a nearly 38 times better outcome.

[00:02:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Conversely, a worse outcome on a daily basis leads to a decline nearly to zero.

[00:02:44] [SPEAKER_00]: Clear sums it up as, quote,

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_00]: What starts as a small win or a minor setback accumulates into something much more, end quote.

[00:02:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Place as a life hack

[00:02:56] [SPEAKER_00]: One of the effective strategies for successful life hacks is to make the right decision easy to the point that it becomes a habit and repeated on a regular basis.

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER_00]: This is where place, where we choose to call home, can have a particularly powerful impact.

[00:03:10] [SPEAKER_00]: If we choose and design our places carefully, we can be nudged towards behaviors that help expand our lifespan, healthspan, and wealthspan.

[00:03:21] [SPEAKER_00]: Keep in mind that longevity is only about 30% linked to our genetics.

[00:03:25] [SPEAKER_00]: Our lifespan is much more a function of lifestyle decisions and our environment.

[00:03:30] [SPEAKER_00]: Step one is to make sure that we think broadly enough about place.

[00:03:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Place has a significant impact on our health and well-being.

[00:03:38] [SPEAKER_00]: In its broad definition, place encompasses region, state, metropolitan area, neighborhood, and physical dwelling.

[00:03:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Place has both direct and indirect impacts on a person's life.

[00:03:51] [SPEAKER_00]: The best place elevates the elements of well-being, including purpose, social connection, physical well-being, and financial well-being.

[00:04:00] [SPEAKER_00]: The following are examples of how place can serve as an effective life hack.

[00:04:06] [SPEAKER_00]: Number one, greater social connection.

[00:04:09] [SPEAKER_00]: Loneliness has been found to be as harmful as smoking 15 cigarettes a day and can increase the risk of premature death by as much as 30%.

[00:04:18] [SPEAKER_00]: Where we choose to live can invariably have an impact on social connections.

[00:04:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Some neighborhoods are more socially connected than others.

[00:04:26] [SPEAKER_00]: Some areas, through annual gatherings such as 4th of July parades, Halloween festivities, and park workdays, bring people together, often across generations, in an organized way.

[00:04:38] [SPEAKER_00]: Some neighborhoods are designed with front porches or greater housing density that allows for frequent informal interactions that help stave off loneliness.

[00:04:47] [SPEAKER_00]: Number two, greater physical well-being.

[00:04:50] [SPEAKER_00]: Exercise has been shown to have an impact on our physical well-being in a plethora of ways, from strengthening muscles, to improving heart conditions, to sharpening minds.

[00:05:01] [SPEAKER_00]: Again, place can be an effective life hack.

[00:05:04] [SPEAKER_00]: Some regions of the country are more active than others.

[00:05:07] [SPEAKER_00]: According to the CDC, Western states lead the way in active lifestyles with every Western state having at least 20% of its population meet its guidelines for physical activity.

[00:05:18] [SPEAKER_00]: In contrast, the Southeast and Midwest are the least active, with most of their states below the 20% threshold and some below the 15% level.

[00:05:28] [SPEAKER_00]: One place to start is to live in a region where being fit is the norm.

[00:05:33] [SPEAKER_00]: It's easy to overlook the impact of the health habits of those around us and their impact on us.

[00:05:38] [SPEAKER_00]: One study found that a person's chance of becoming obese increased by 57% if a close friend is obese.

[00:05:46] [SPEAKER_00]: We're also more likely to be obese if our friends' friends are obese.

[00:05:50] [SPEAKER_00]: And number three, greater financial well-being.

[00:05:55] [SPEAKER_00]: Living a long life can be particularly hard to plan for from a financial perspective.

[00:06:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Studies indicate that people know they should start early and save about 25% of their income annually,

[00:06:06] [SPEAKER_00]: but in practice, they often don't start saving until later in life, losing out on the full impact of compounding investment returns.

[00:06:15] [SPEAKER_00]: But place can have a key role in having financial health for the long term.

[00:06:19] [SPEAKER_00]: One factor to consider, especially for older adults open to downsizing, is renting versus owning a home.

[00:06:26] [SPEAKER_00]: While home appreciation was considerable during the pandemic,

[00:06:30] [SPEAKER_00]: typically the annual investment return of owning your home is significantly less than in the stock market at large.

[00:06:37] [SPEAKER_00]: This opportunity cost of investing in higher return investment vehicles can be very significant compounded over a number of years.

[00:06:45] [SPEAKER_00]: Start with place.

[00:06:48] [SPEAKER_00]: It may be that the biggest life hack is hidden in plain sight.

[00:06:52] [SPEAKER_00]: It's your home.

[00:06:54] [SPEAKER_00]: Keep in mind that the life hack of place doesn't necessarily mean a move is required.

[00:06:58] [SPEAKER_00]: There are small things you can do with your place to improve your life.

[00:07:02] [SPEAKER_00]: Significant changes can include remodeling your home to better fit your current or future needs.

[00:07:07] [SPEAKER_00]: Other changes are smaller and less costly, such as joining a neighborhood walking group.

[00:07:12] [SPEAKER_00]: My wife claims Jazzercise is making a comeback.

[00:07:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Rearranging furniture to create a newness to your space or finding ways to cut down on some of your regular home maintenance costs.

[00:07:23] [SPEAKER_00]: Place can be foundational to a life improvement plan at any age.

[00:07:28] [SPEAKER_00]: You just listened to the post titled,

[00:07:35] [SPEAKER_00]: Place as a Life Hack by Ryan Frederick of here.life.

[00:07:38] [SPEAKER_00]: I'll be right back with my commentary.

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[00:08:46] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you to Ryan.

[00:08:48] [SPEAKER_00]: This really resonates with me because I've moved quite a bit in my life, especially in my 20s and 30s.

[00:08:53] [SPEAKER_00]: And I've definitely seen firsthand how where we live impacts pretty much everything about our lives.

[00:09:00] [SPEAKER_00]: Something we don't always think about.

[00:09:02] [SPEAKER_00]: But like he said, it's kind of hiding in plain sight.

[00:09:05] [SPEAKER_00]: When I traveled to Asia, I got to visit one of the Blue Zones, an area of the world where people tend to live the longest.

[00:09:12] [SPEAKER_00]: I visited the newest Blue Zone added to the list, Singapore.

[00:09:16] [SPEAKER_00]: Over there, it's less common to own a car.

[00:09:19] [SPEAKER_00]: They actually place a large tax on cars so people are discouraged to own them.

[00:09:24] [SPEAKER_00]: And instead, they'll use subways which work really well and are really clean compared to others I've seen.

[00:09:29] [SPEAKER_00]: But getting to the subway requires a decent amount of walking so you're always moving around.

[00:09:35] [SPEAKER_00]: So in general, you see fewer people who are overweight, which helps the lifespan then.

[00:09:41] [SPEAKER_00]: Environment really does play a massive role and it's truly a choice that we can make.

[00:09:47] [SPEAKER_00]: So something to think about today.

[00:09:48] [SPEAKER_00]: Thank you for being here every day and thinking about these things along with me.

[00:09:52] [SPEAKER_00]: It means a lot.

[00:09:53] [SPEAKER_00]: Wishing you a happy rest of your day and I'll see you tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.