Foundations are universal practices that support a good life. They’re things you already know you should be doing, but struggle to fit into your busy days.
In one year, you’ll make tangible improvements in twelve crucial foundations for your life. Each month, you’ll practice a new keystone habit, designed to have real impact on your life while being doable—even with a busy schedule. Each keystone habit is supported with research-based advice and suggestions for integrating it into your life, so you can obtain the greatest benefits without having to sacrifice what is already important to you.
THE TWELVE FOUNDATIONS:
1. Fitness
Boost your health and energy levels with regular, enjoyable exercise.
2. Productivity
Never drop the ball by creating a system for tracking all your commitments.
3. Money
Learn where your money actually goes, so you can keep your bills paid, maximize your savings, build wealth and spend guilt-free.
4. Food
Eat healthier—and well—without crash diets or unappetizing dinners.
5. Reading
Breeze through hard books, expand your knowledge and cultivate wisdom.
6. Outreach
Make new friends, expand your network and build a community.
7. Sleep
Wake up feeling refreshed. Get consistent, restorative shut-eye every night.
8. Reflection
Understand yourself, fix limiting beliefs and develop mindfulness and gratitude.
9. Connection
Spend more quality time with those who matter most.
10. Focus
Align your attention with your deeper goals and values.
11. Organization
Eliminate clutter and make your home a happy, functional space.
12. Service
Help others without burnout or self-sacrifice.
JOURNAL AND HABIT-TRACKER:
Every keystone habit comes with concise, actionable advice for making sustainable improvements to a foundation:
HABIT TRACKER.
Watch your progress build with our custom habit tracker, allowing you to chart your progress on the keystone habits, and gain insights into where your foundations are strong and where they need shoring up.
REFLECTION PROMPTS.
Questions and suggestions to help you get unstuck and implement each keystone habit in your life—as it is right now—along with extra pages to record observations.
ADJUST THE INTENSITY.
With four different levels, you can aim to get started, build consistency, expand your breadth or dive deep into a foundation.
RECOMMENDED READING.
A list of vetted books that pair with each month’s practice, chosen to build motivation and skill.
Whether your goal is greater success in your career, improvements in your health and relationships, or you simply want to live a happier life, your foundations are key. The twelve-month program outlined in this journal and habit-tracker gives you a proven path to building them.
About Scott
I'm a Wall Street Journal bestselling author, podcast host, computer programmer and an avid reader. Since 2006, I've published weekly essays on this website to help people like you learn and think better. My work has been featured in The New York Times, BBC, TEDx, Pocket, Business Insider and more. I don't promise I have all the answers, just a place to start.