The Chris Cuomo Project - Cuomo On The Couch: Make Your Bed

Episode Date: August 15, 2023

Chris Cuomo digs into the importance of routine and self-discipline for achieving your goals. He explains how small actions like making your bed fuel motivation and productivity. Cuomo also shares strategies to get back on track when you veer off course, emphasizing progress over perfection. Follow The Chris Cuomo Project on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, and Spotify for new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most of us are looking to find efficiencies and ways to get better, and I have some time-tested, expert-approved, absolute ways to make it better. That's a tease. Support for the Chris Cuomo Project comes from Factor. I got to tell you, this stuff is good. I like it. And if you're a meal prepper, okay. But if you're a meal prepper wannabe and on the go, but you want to get your gains and want your macros in place, this works.

They sent me a bunch of them. I tried them. The kids liked them. My wife liked works. They sent me a bunch of them. I tried them. The kids liked them. My wife liked them. She liked the ingredients on the back. She liked the nutritional information, okay? Chef-crafted, dietician-approved, right to your door. 35 different options,

and not just in terms of variety of food, but type of diet. Keto, calorie-smart, vegan, veggie, whatever you want. So you want options, you want to cost effective, but you want it to be the fuel that you need to get where you want to be. You should get started today and have a feel good week of meals that are ready to go. Factor is the perfect solution if you're looking for fast upscale options done easily. So head to factormeals.com slash Cuomo 50. Factormeals.com slash Cuomo 50.

And you will get up to 50% off your first box and two free wellness shots per box while the subscription is active. Okay. Again, head to factormeals.com slash Cuomo 50. Use the code Cuomo 50 and you'll get 50% off your first box and two free wellness shots per box while your subscription is active. Okay. The code is Cuomo 50 at factormeals.com slash Cuomo50. You'll get 50% off your first box and two free wellness shots per box while the subscription is active. We don't fake the funk here, and here's the real talk. Over 40 years of age, 52% of us experience some kind of ED between the ages of 40 and 70. I know it's taboo, it's embarrassing, but it shouldn't be. Thankfully, we now have HIMS, and it's changing the vibe by providing affordable access to ED treatment, and it's all online.

HIMS is changing men's health care. Why? Because it's given you access to affordable and discrete sexual health treatments. And you do it right from your couch. HIMSS provides access to clinically proven generic alternatives to Viagra or Cialis or whatever. And it's up to like 95% cheaper. And there are options as low as two bucks a dose. HIMS has hundreds of thousands of trusted subscribers. So if ED is getting you down, it's time to pick it up. Start your free online visit today at HIMS.com slash CCP. H-I-M-S dot com slash CCP.

And you will get personalized ED treatment options. HIMS.com slash CCP. Prescriptions, you need an online consultation with a healthcare provider. And they will determine if appropriate. Restrictions apply. You see the website. You'll get details and important safety information. You're going to need a subscription.

It's required. Plus, price is going to vary based on product and subscription plan. I'm Chris Cuomo. Welcome to this episode of the Chris Cuomo Project. Cuomo on the couch. As you can see, I'm not that creative, but I can take what's in the world around us and make it relatable and hopefully useful to you. Thank you for subscribing and following, checking out the free agent merch, and checking me out on News Nation. Appreciate that.

Every night during the week, 8 and 11 p.m. Eastern. Very cool for you to go there. Love the comments and questions. That's why we keep taking them on. Now, how do we get better? How do we balance? There's so much self-help out there. There's so much corporate indexing of help out there to read so many different rules and ways and gimmicks. But I have gone through most of it and I am an efficiency freak. I believe in it. I'm not saying I'm good at it.

I'm saying I believe in it and I believe there are better ways and I believe there are routines and there are programs. Now, some people don't need this. You have the self-discipline and you have the ability to just find your way, or you're just really good at regimentation and routine, which is an awesome advantage. Routine is huge. Now, how about for the rest of us? Okay. We have to adapt and we have to find ways that help us when we get in our own way. Sound familiar? Does to me. I am the captain of two steps forward, half step back. And that's being generous to myself. I know the song of two steps forward, half step back. And that's being generous to myself. I know the song, one step forward, two steps back.

But I think that's a little bit too critical. Look, I've recently lost 25 pounds because I wanted to. I had gained 10 pounds, a really good muscle working out with a buddy of mine on his plan. Too big, it was too much work, it was too hard. Wanted to lose the weight. And it's proven fairly difficult. I've done it and I'm not taking Ozempic. I, to lose the weight. And it's proven fairly difficult. I've done it.

And I'm not taking Ozempic. I'm not telling you not to take it. I just, I don't believe in shortcuts like that. I believe that for one, I fear the unknown of medicine, but two, you know, when you go off it and I'm going to go off it, I'm not going to stay on this thing, giving myself needles for the rest of my life. Then what happens? But I do like to change it up and I do like to find ways that work and I have them for you today. Rule number one. Now, the first couple of these are not mine, but they are so true.

And I've looked into the psychology behind them, the behavioral science behind them, and they matter. Rule number one, you ready? Never hit snooze. Never hit snooze. Never hit snooze. Why? Because it is immediately and first thing in the morning, okay, the primacy of your planning for the day, the first thing, the inception,

is delay, is to not do, to stall terrible message and that is the message you're giving yourself and we know what happens when you hit snooze either if you're so out of it that like you're just dead and you hear it again like a second later or you're sitting in bed with your eyes closed just saying i just want to sit here for a second you know you're delaying. Never hit snooze. Embrace the suck. Get up. Because everything you're doing is signaling how you're going to approach the day. Get up out of bed.

Go pee. Do your morning routine. Start going. Because that's what's going to build your momentum. Hitting snooze is the opposite of that. You are literally, with the first action of your day, setting yourself up for inaction and disappointment. It is true psychologically, behaviorally, and anecdotally in my own life, and therefore I would say empirically because I've lived it that way and I know I do less.

And I can't tell you how many mornings I've had where I've been like, way and I know I do less. And I can't tell you how many mornings I've had where I've been like, oh, damn, I delayed. I didn't really want to go to work out. And now it's 10 o'clock and now the calls are coming and this and that. Right? Familiar, right? Okay. Number two, when you wake up in the morning, make your bed. I don't care how many staff you have or whether you've got a wife or a husband or a partner or whatever who loves to make the beds, make your bed. Why? Two reasons. And again, this isn't mine. There's actually some, I think, general who made this famous in a commencement speech or something, but it wasn't his idea either. But from a psychological behavioral science perspective, you're checking a box right away,

doing something that may also feed your right way, messy bed, metaphor, messy life, messy bed, to getting something done. Little things lead to big things. It's true. Thoughts lead to things. They become things. They become ideas. They become realities. And little things become big things. It's true. Thoughts lead to things. They become things. They become ideas. They become realities. And little things become big things. Make your bed. Do something

the right way, right away. Do something the right way, right away. And it will be a catalyst. Okay? Now, this one is mine. I certainly didn't create it, but it really works. Make lists. Lists for today, lists for others, lists for fitness, lists for finances, lists for long-term, medium-term, short-term, lists of things you're disappointed by. Make lists.

Why? Because the exercise of manifesting what you want is helpful in mustering the ability to get it done. And here's a little pro tip. The first thing on your to-do list is to make the to-do list. So the first thing you get to do when you make the list is what? Check a box. You're already on a roll. And I'll tell you, it makes a difference. I do it every time. And I do it old school too. I don't even do it in notes. I literally write it on a piece of paper. I'm still a paper guy. And I do it especially with gardening like today.

Perfect example, okay? This morning, I'm staring out. I don't have a green thumb. I screwed up, and I took dirt from my garden and used it in my pots for flowers. It's clearly too dense. It's not draining the right way. I should have used potting soil. I went cheap. Okay. And I don't even know why it was like half cheap, half ignorant. And I'm looking at these flowers and they're getting burned out. I see it. And they're all supposed to be full sunflowers. And I'm kind of lamenting it. And I'm kind of just like languishing in my self-loathing that here's another thing I don't do well. And I started to make a list of, all right, here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna replace these two.

I'm gonna get two more bigger planters and I'm gonna do this, I'm gonna do that. And I made a list. First thing I made on the list was make the list for the garden. I did it, read the list. And all of a sudden I was like, all right, let me go do it. Let me at least throw out a couple of these dead ones.

And what I did was, you know, in my old age, I'm getting soft and I don't like killing anything anymore. I used to like have no problem with that as long as it wasn't a human being and others were around to see. But I, even these plants, like I didn't want to just quit on them. So I just moved them off to the side and I did have a couple of them were just too far gone. So I actually took those and they're done. They went in the compost pile. But the plan was initiated and I started making the steps. And I did things that I wouldn't have done otherwise

because I had made the list. And it was giving me an orientation. It was giving me motivation. It was giving me a plan. Friend of mine loves the expression. You know what failing to plan is, right? Planning to fail. The point is, either have a plan or you're almost fucked up an issue. So make the plan, make the list. And the number one thing on a list, no matter what it is about, making the list. Check that box. Give yourself some momentum. Look, no shame in my game. I've been using AG1 for over five years. Why? It works,

it's easier, and it's less expensive. That's why. Since 2010, they've been getting their formulations right and tweaking their formulas. Why? Because the science changes, okay? It's not like politics where people decide to believe one thing and no matter what happens with the facts, they never shift. This is the opposite. Oh, prebiotics work with probiotics, but in this way. D works with K and this type of B works with that. They have the scientists doing it. So I don't need all the bottles. I don't have to spend all the money and I don't have to figure out when to take what and why. More importantly, it's not just the regular list of vitamins. It's the extras. Okay. The adaptogens, the prebiotics, the probiotics that support your body's universal needs, gut optimization, immune support, stress management. That's what foundational

nutrition is about. And these are the people at AG1 who've been doing the work to get it right. Okay. I tell friends, I tell family, I get no complaints. Okay? If you want to take ownership of your health, it starts with AG1. Try AG1. You get a free one-year supply of vitamin D3K2 and five free AG1 travel packs, okay? That's what happens with your first purchase. So make it. Go to drinkag1.com slash ccp. Drinkag1.com slash CCP.

Check it out. We don't fake the funk here, and here's the real talk. Over 40 years of age, 52% of us experience some kind of ED between the ages of 40 and 70. I know it's taboo, it's embarrassing, but it shouldn't be. Thankfully, we now have HIMS, and it's changing the vibe by providing affordable access to ED treatment, and it's all online. HIMS is changing men's health care. Why? Because it's giving you access to affordable and discreet sexual health treatments, and you do it right from your couch.

HIMS provides access to clinically proven, generic alternatives to Viagra or Cialis or whatever, and it's up to like 95% cheaper. And there are options as low as $2 a dose. HIMS has hundreds of thousands of trusted subscribers. So, if ED is getting you down,

it's time to pick it up. Start your free online visit today at HIMS.com slash CCP. H-I-M-S dot com slash CCP. And you will get personalized ED treatment options. HIMS.com slash CCP. Prescriptions, you need an online consultation with a healthcare provider, and they will determine if appropriate. Restrictions apply. You see the website,

you'll get details and important safety information. You're going to need a subscription. It's required. Plus, price is going to vary based on product and subscription plan. plan. Next, start small. My brother likes to do the big hard jobs first, okay? So if he has like fold the laundry and change the brakes, he's changing the brakes. He wants to get the hard stuff out of the way first. Okay, my experience has taught me otherwise, at least for me personally. Why? The big jobs tend to be complex and have a much better chance

of not getting completely done the way you want, at least in the first thrust of effort. So I factor that in and I do the reverse. I do the small things first. Maybe you could call them the easy things, but maybe not. Cleaning, anything that involves cleaning, I'll do first because you can get that shit done and you can get it done right. And there's a satisfaction in that, especially for me. Whenever I'm stressed and I'm upset about things, I start cleaning, and I'm upset about things, I start cleaning, reorganizing, doing the garage, the dishes, whatever. Start small, okay? Don't hit snooze. Get out of bed. Make your bed, okay? Do your morning routine. Do what you have to do, small. Feed that dog, walk that dog, deal with the cat,

whatever it is. small small things lead to big things uh and thoughts become things as kai green likes to say and he's right the way you think really does help you in manifesting it it's not magical thinking but it is the magic of thinking which is if you think i'm going to do this i want this to happen i want to be this i think energetically i think just in terms of self-fulfillment, you have a better chance of that happening. I mean, does anybody doubt that? Have you ever played sports at all? I'm going to strike out. I'm going to strike out. I'm going to strike out. What's the chance better that you strike out or you hit a home run? All right. It's always better that you're going to strike out. But

if you're telling yourself that, man, you're making it easier for it to go that way. And I'm not saying to be delusional. And you know how I feel about Pollyanna. I am okay with being Pollyannish. I think it's going to go well. I think we're going to do well. I think this is going to be good. And maybe there's reason to think that

and maybe reason not to think it, but you might as well err on the side of being positive about yourself, right? Hint, I suck at this, but it happens to be true. Next, progress, not perfection. Progress, not perfection. Especially when you're talking about bigger jobs, okay? You're going to paint your house, get some of it done.

The fact that it's not all done, come on, give yourself a break. You started at zero. Progress, not perfection. A lot of people struggle with this. I know I do. Damn, I wanted to. A lot of people struggle with this. I know I do. Damn, I wanted to do more.

I wanted to get this. I wanted to lose X pounds and I only lost Y pounds. Progress, not perfection. All the cliches apply. Rome wasn't built in a day, right? It even took God seven days to create our world, our universe, if you're a creationist. Give yourself a chance. Be kind to yourself.

See the progress and see it as progress. Reward yourself for that. Feel good about it. Make a new list about what's left to do. That leads me to the last one. You gotta catch yourself when you're screwing up and help yourself stop the backslide. Did you know that the number one problem with dieting is not simply quitting the diet?

Although there is a reason that all those plans are 30, 60, 90 days, because three months is a big litmus test for people. It's a big line. You know, the word diet, the irony is the word diet means every day, meaning you should be doing these things forever, not just for 30, 60, or 90 days, but that we can handle those amounts, right?

The three-month love affair, very common. Why? It's like an accessible period or some kind of socially, psychologically acceptable period of effort. But the problem with weight loss and the reason we all yo-yo is not simply because we quit the diet. It's because of uncontrolled backslides. What does that mean? Greg convinces me to go out for barbecue. Wow, but today was actually supposed to be a diet. I was actually, I had my cheat day yesterday. I really shouldn't. Ah, but you know what? I love the guy. I don't get to see him that

often. He's helping me so much here. Let's go. We'll have the barbecue. Once I'm there, I'm not going to have the salad, right? So I eat the barbecue. My ring hurts. It's so swollen. I'm so swole. Oh, why did I do this? I hate Greg. What's the chance that my next meal is a good meal? Now, this would tell you, oh, excellent chance because you want to offset. Ah, but behaviorally, here comes the backslide. The backslide is what? Well, this day's screwed thanks to Greg and his Well, this day's screwed, thanks to Greg and his spicy appetites. Because now I might as well just eat whatever I want for dinner. The day's blown.

You know this, right? You've been this person, right? You've lived this. So have I. Happens all the time. And then there are people around us who don't do this who are even more maddening. Like, my wife can actually have a taste of something. She can actually eat the one potato chip. She's that person. I'm not. I look at a bag as a single serving of most things, like any container I see as a single serving. But controlling

the backslide, you have to coach yourself into it. You have to really embrace those moments. to it. You have to really embrace those moments. That is what happens is that I didn't work out today, so I might as well eat badly on top of it. Those behaviors are what you need to address. And it's more important to shorten a backslide than it is to be consistent on the positive side. Again, it is more important to your overall results when it comes to weight loss or really any kind of progress to control backslides, meaning to control the periods of where you're going off course than it is to even rack good time on course.

Well, how? The on course is Well, how? The on course is what, no, no, no. Because making progress is positive. You're already in that motion. The backsliding is what kills you and defeats your sense of initiative and your dream and your goal. And the self-loathing and the negative reinforcement

of behavior and the psychology of it will have you double and triple and quadruple and whatever the next word is on bad choices because you're already there anyway and you didn't deserve to be thin or strong or fit or smart or whatever it is that your goal structure is in that moment, in that endeavor. Catch yourself. All right, so I had a shit meal. My next meal is going to be good or I'm not going to eat the rest of the day. That is big. All right, I didn't work out today. Okay, I'm going tomorrow. I'm taking a walk tonight. That's big. That's more important than, oh, I'm going to make it five for five days in the gym. Accumulated positive is not as important as shortening the backslide.

And that's what you got to do. Never hit snooze. Make your bed. Make lists. And the number one thing on the list is to have made the list. Start small. Thoughts become things. Small things become big things.

Progress, not perfection. And wrapped in that, catch yourself on the backslide. Catch yourself on the backslide, reduce the periods. And then you know what you'll have? You'll have that great surprise where you step on the scale after a couple of days of not being exactly how you wanted to be, but you kind of fought it all the way through. And it turns out that you've only gained two pounds, not five. And you're like, oh, I wonder why. You know why. You control the backslide and you'll be better for it. All right. I know these things work. I know they're easy to say and hard to do. But look, everything that matters in life that's worthwhile is hard. You got to choose your hard. It's hard

to be out of shape. It's hard to be in shape. It's hard to be financially successful. It's hard to be financially in distress. It's hard to be kind. It's hard to live with being unkind. So choose your hard, okay? And I hope these tips help you in organizing yourself,

motivating yourself, and propelling yourself down the road of better on whatever avenue you choose. I'm doing it as well. And man, am I flawed and struggling. But I know that these mechanisms work if you take them seriously and you apply them consistently.

And when you don't apply them consistently, what do you do? Do-do-do-do-do. Catch yourself. Control the backslide. All right, thank you so much for joining me here Control the backslide. All right. Thank you so much for joining me here on the couch. I hope it's helpful to you. I hope it gets you going in a direction that you want to be. And I thank you for giving me the opportunity to help you because it reinforces my desire to do the same things that I'm telling you about. Thank you for subscribing, following,

watching me on News Nation, 8P, 11P, every weekday night. Please check out the free agent gear. It's selling. I want to sell more of it. And we're going to have new stuff up there. Rose is in charge now. So you be well. Question and comment.

Take care of yourself. And take care of the people that you care about. I'll see you next time. Let's get after it.