How Can I Make My Life More Interesting? 5 Habits For Mental Clarity and Finding Interest in Everyday Life

Summary:

The presenter, Seiel, shares 5 habits and skills cultivated in 2025 to make life more interesting and to spend less time on the phone. These habits contribute to building mental clarity, which consists of resilience, clarity, and interest.

Five habits and skills that help spend less time on the phone, find interest in the mundane, and lean into inconvenience. [ 00:01:30 ]

The five habits and skills are:

Writing to clear the mind, reflect, and record internal adventures.
Using analog items to reduce phone usage.
Creating a list of personal anchors to maintain a neutral state.
Freely exploring new skills and hobbies.
Caring for the body to enhance physical and mental well-being.

Introduction [00:00:00]

The video will talk about how to find interest in the day-to-day.
Being bored is something that needs to be intentionally done.
It is important to have a clear mind to access other ways of viewing things.

The Thesis [00:00:16]

Mental clarity is a muscle that can be trained.

The three pillars of mental clarity: resilience, clarity, and interest. [ 00:01:02 ]
Three pillars help to build a clearer mind:
- Resilience
- Clarity
- Interest

1. Writing [00:01:14]

Writing is thinking, allowing time for reflection.

The presenter identifies four types of writing in their practice. [ 00:01:59 ]
Four categories of writing emerge:
- Brain Dump:
  - Writing down anything bogging the mind to clear space for better thoughts.
    
    A title card defining 'Brain Dump' as writing down anything that is bothering you, including lists of things to do and worries. [ 00:02:16 ]
  - Drawing comics can help to pour out anxiety.
    
    A notebook page showing a hand-drawn comic, illustrating brain dumping through drawing. [ 00:02:38 ]
- Journal:
  - Reflecting on daily events.
  - Using gratitude to create a positive feeling.
    
    A title card highlighting 'gratitude' as a framework for journaling. [ 00:03:44 ]
- Thought Catalog:
  - Writing down ideas that keep buzzing in the mind.
  - Reveals patterns of thoughts, values, and interests.
    
    An infographic illustrating that keeping a thought catalog helps track interesting topics and understand oneself better. [ 00:04:43 ]
- Log:
  - Recording internal adventures, such as engaging with media like books, games, and anime.
    
    A title card defining 'Log' as a record of adventures while watching, reading, or experiencing media and stories. [ 00:05:04 ]
  - Writing down feelings and experiences helps to appreciate life.
    
    An example page from a 'One Piece Log,' detailing the presenter's impressions and feelings about characters and story arcs. [ 00:05:20 ]
Summary of Writing Benefits:

An infographic summarizing the benefits of four writing types: Brain Dump for clarity, Journal for gratitude and reflection, Thought Catalog to honor your mind, and Log to honor your adventures. [ 00:06:48 ]

2. Analog Items [00:07:14]

Decentralizing from phones with analog items.

A hand holding a Kodak disposable film camera. [ 00:07:27 ]
Pros of using analog items: Reduces reliance on phones.

An infographic illustrating the benefit of analog items: decentralizing your life from your phone, with icons of a camera and a clock. [ 00:08:01 ]
- Carrying a film camera encourages intentional photo-taking.
  
  A photo of a dog, illustrating a meaningful photo taken with a film camera. [ 00:08:28 ]
Cons: Costs money.

An infographic highlighting the cost of analog items as a "boo thing," with icons of a camera and a clock. [ 00:09:01 ]

3. List of Anchors [00:09:38]

Anchors: Actions or things that ground you to your neutral state.

A definition of 'Anchors' as a list of actions or things that ground you to your neutral state. [ 00:09:45 ]
Checking anchors to see if certain things have been done or not done when feeling anxious or sad.
Examples of anchors:
- Working overtime two nights in a row.
- Not properly cooking for myself for more than three days.
- Not riding for more than two days.
These lists help to realize what needs to be addressed, like cooking for oneself.

An illustration depicting various scenarios that might indicate being off balance, such as working excessively, being engrossed in a phone, and neglecting self-care. [ 00:10:19 ]

4. Freedom to Pick Up Skills and Hobbies [00:10:47]

Emphasis on "just doing it" without pressure to be the best.
Freedom to pick up skills and hobbies as one pleases.

An infographic showing new skills unlocked, including chess, tarot reading, and bouldering. [ 00:10:58 ]

5. Caring For Your Body [00:11:28]

Taking care of the body is important.
No ambition is worth sacrificing your body for.
Engaging in physical activities with friends can be a social activity.

An illustration of a person bouldering on a rock wall. [ 00:11:26 ]

An illustration of stick figures holding hands, representing social interaction during physical activities. [ 00:12:12 ]

Summary [00:12:23]

Mental clarity framework revisited: resilience, clarity, and interest.
Habits like picking up new skills, exercising, and gaming build resilience.

An infographic illustrating 'Resilience' through activities like playing chess, bouldering, and tracking wins/losses in games, emphasizing that failure is normal and one has the capacity to get stronger. [ 00:12:47 ]
Brain dumping, reflections, and having anchors facilitate clarity.

An infographic illustrating 'Clarity' through activities like writing, journaling, and interacting with a pet, emphasizing that it makes space for kinder thoughts. [ 00:13:15 ]
Engaging with analog things and keeping a log proves and cultivates interest.

An infographic illustrating 'Interest' through activities like planning, using a camera, reading, and journaling, emphasizing that life is interesting. [ 00:13:38 ]
Cultivating curiosity helps to see the world in a clearer light and find possibilities.

Postscript [00:14:30]

Mentions an experimental mindset and setting experiments instead of resolutions for the new year.

A screenshot of a YouTube video titled 'skip goals, set experiments!' highlighting the idea of setting experiments instead of resolutions. [ 00:15:07 ]
Personal experiment of reading one book a week to build consistency in reading.

A collage of various images forming a vision board, including books, food, art, and physical activities, representing personal interests and goals. [ 00:16:00 ]