In an interview with Joe Rogan, Elon Musk was talking about the death of the American Midwest. Specifically, the failure of GM and Chrysler/Stellantis that led to the death of manufacturing in the American Midwest, thus killing that part of the country.
But why?
Why did the shutdown of American car manufacturers in Detroit, Flint, and Cleveland cause the entire cities to suffer greatly?
Well, here’s the thing -
Manufacturing jobs are really great for the economy.
They produce a lot of goods. They employ a lot of people. But most importantly, 1 or two factory workers lead to MANY more workers.
Those factory employees have to be fed, thus fueling restaurant growth. Those workers also have to be trained, creating white-collar jobs and managerial positions. And those workers need somewhere to live, so construction, plumbing, and trade jobs increase. And then those workers will eventually have kids, so teachers will be needed.
You get the point.
1 factory job leads to 4, 5, maybe even 6 non-factory jobs!
We’re not killing 2 birds with 1 stone, we’re killing 5+ birds with one stone. That’s why so many countries prioritize manufacturing; it builds a lot of business. And if that flywheel keeps going, you get massive economic growth.
Welcome to the Industrial Revolution, babyyyyy.
Now, keep this in mind. Just 1 job leads to 5 or 6. That means factory jobs are INCREDIBLY high yield. It’s like investing 100 dollars into stock for it to yield 500 or 600 bucks a bit later. Great fucking returns.
Now, I started thinking about this in my life.
What things or thoughts, beliefs or behaviors, habits do i do that yield such a high return?
Are there things that I do that get everything else in order?
Are there habits that yield massive ROI of Happiness or Productivity?
Yes.
Yes, there are.
These habits are so incredible that whenever I skip them, my day usually turns to shit. But when I stick by them no matter what, my whole day is a breeze of making great progress without feeling tired or dead by the end of it.
Let’s dive into these high-yield habits.
1. Waking up Early
This is no surprise. Getting up early, usually before 6 AM daily, sometimes 4:50 or so on my workout days, is amazing.
I live in Boston. I don’t get much sunlight during the winter. Getting up early maximizes my sunlight hours while minimizing darkness hours. Pretty awesome if you ask me.
Plus, having that time in the morning, between 5–7, when few people are awake and it’s just you — well, that’s an easy 2–3 hours of pure, dialed-in focus.
No calls. No distractions. No BS to attend to.
Getting up early means I’m getting in exercise, I’m going to read and write, have ample time to think, and get ready in the morning. A great morning routine is essential for a great day. At least in my case, it is. Getting up early ensures my day is aligned.
2. Workout/Exercise
Again, another no-brainer.
I get around 12–16k steps daily. On the weekends usually more. And then I lift weights intensely 4 times a week.
Oh, and 15–20 mins of yoga daily.
Exercise is absolutely fundamental to my physical, mental, and spiritual health. Without it, I’m quick to get annoyed and frustrated, sometimes lashing out at the people I care about most. It’s a way for me to get dialed in and have an amazing day because if I can get through a really tough workout at 5:30 AM, I can get through a boring class lecture or 8-hour work day.
Furthermore, I get a LOT of great, creative ideas during the gym. I enter that flow state and the ideas just come to me. A lot of the writing and thoughts that get posted on twitter or instagram or in the companies i do marketing work for end up coming from the gym.
Put me in the gym with some preworkout, and house music, and as soon as I’ve got a pump going, I’ll be spitting out ideas like Eminem spits bars.
Exercise leads to idea generation, attacking and building momentum(Achievement Inertia) for the day, self-belief, taking out bullshit emotions, mental health cultivation, etc you get the point.
Incredibly high yield.
3. Cooking a meal daily
A little bit out there, but an absolute must for me. It is one of my rules to cook at least one meal for myself daily. It’s usually I cook all the meals for myself(4), but every now and then when I’m on vacation or a change of plans, I make sure to get at least one.
Cooking is an act of creation. Rote creation that is. Cooking doesn’t require much attention and focus. Your hands know what to do, so let them do it.
And this is great.
It leads to insight and ideas and revelations.
Cooking provides me 15–20 minutes to think about an idea I’m munching on, or listen to a podcast, or just sit in silence and be present. It’s an endless idea generation machine.
For example, I bet you get a lot of great ideas or random thoughts during car drives, dishwashing, ironing clothing, cooking, etc. These tasks take little cognitive effort because they’re tacit, habitual acts that are practically ingrained into your fingertips. And because of this, your body and mind can roam free. You can easily enter that flow state and just think.
Furthermore, I take health very seriously.
I don’t care who or what you are, if you’re not physically healthy and fit, you’re not what I’m trying to be. Health is everything.
Cooking a meal for myself ensures I’m eating good food, fueling my body physically and mentally, provides me time to reflect and come up with ideas, and it makes me so happy.
I genuinely enjoy cooking. I genuinely enjoy eating something that I MADE. THAT I CREATED FROM MF SCRATCH.
It feels awesome to create. So yeah, cook yourself a meal.
(ps, there’s so much research going on about the gut-brain connection, so food actually does impact your biochemistry + mental health. cool shit. check out Max Lugavere’s Genius Foods for more)
4. House Deep-Clean
Another slightly odd one, but I love deep cleaning the house.
Washing all the dishes, doing the laundry, vacuuming the floors and carpets, dusting the furniture, disinfecting bathrooms and countertops, organizing your room, etc.
Similar to cooking, deep-cleaning is a rote task that allows you to get into the flow for 40+ minutes, thinking about a topic, listening to some music or a podcast, or just being present. It’s simply another avenue to think, digest, and go forward.
Love it.
Furthermore, cleaning is SO SO SO SO ESSENTIAL TO A CREATIVE MIND.
At least, for me it is :)
If my room isn’t clean, my mind isn’t.
IMO this is one of the reasons Jordan Peterson talks so much about “Cleaning Your Room”.
Yes, he says it in a context of personal responsibility and small actions compounding into big results, but personally, just cleaning my room is FKIN AWESOME.
You feel amazing because you’re all productive and cleaning and adulting and shit. You get 40+ minutes to dial into the flow. It sorta humbles you and ensures you’re not getting too airy fairy because you still gotta clean up spills and stains. Your house becomes cleaner, and you’re happier.
At least for me personally, I’m very organized and conscientious, so having a clean house makes my mind operate so much better.
I don’t get pissed off at hair in the bathroom or seeing a dirty countertop. Nope.
If it’s clean, it’s all good baby.
5. Making someone’s day better.
Every day before I fall asleep, I recount the day.
Some of the things I’m grateful for. Some things I’m proud of. And finally, some things I want to continue.
But the favorite thing I recount is if I made someone’s day better.
Maybe it was a conversation. Maybe it was a funny joke. Maybe I simply complimented someone’s shoes or sticker on the back of their computer. But these simple things add up.
You know, humans are here on Earth for one reason.
To make life a bit more bearable for all the other humans.
The purpose of life is to help others find their purpose.
As a result, if you can make someone’s day better, you’ve done something damn good.
And if you have more great days than shitty days, you’ve had a great life.
As long as you have 50.001% great days despite 49.999% shitty days, you’ve still had a great life.
It’s that simple.
So yeah, making someone’s day better is really fucking high yield.
TO RECAP
High-yield habits are habits that offer a HUGE ROI on Happiness/Productivity/whatever end goal you care about.
Personally, most of these habits encompass my physical, mental, and spiritual health.
Waking up Early
Daily Exercise
Cooking a Meal
Deep-Cleaning House
Making Someone’s Day Better
Now, your list of high-yield habits will probably be different. I hope it’s different. And you may have 1 or 2. You may have 20. Cool. As long as you’re happy with them, that’s all that matters. My high-yield habits are my non-negotiables. They are habits I aim to achieve every day, and due to my self-knowledge, I know that if I hit these core 4–5 habits daily, I’ll be having a great day. Everything else, like my reading and writing, schoolwork or work work, etc, will all be in order. High-yield habits yield a high-yield life. That simple. So tell me, dear reader, What are some high-yield habits in your life? What are your non-negotiables? Thank you. Memento Mori. Stay Curious :) Find me on Twitter, Threads, and Instagram(all @armaan.ajoomal). Share this with a friend if you found something cool, and I’ll see you in a bit OH AND YOUTUBE VIDEOS IM THERE YES How to Solve Every Problem in Your Life stay curious :) btw u look really good subscribe to Philosophy Fountain
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