Welcome back to Hugo’s Habits! 🚀 

This week’s habit will be focusing on happiness.

(Estimated read time: 2 minutes)

Click the poll below and decide on next week’s habit! 👇️ 

This Week’s Thoughts. 💭 

This week I got the first bit of criticism about writing a newsletter.

“Nobody cares what you think, but you tell everyone in an email every week.”

Immediately, and surprisingly, I thought “Fair enough.”

One of the main reasons I write this newsletter every week is a selfish one.

I enjoy it.

I enjoy thinking of ideas, writing, and creating content, turning something in my head into something readable and digestible.

I do enjoy it.

It is a fair point to say that “nobody cares”.

I get severe imposter syndrome constantly.

“What makes qualified to write about how to improve people’s lives?'“

This is true.

My only qualification is that I have built small, consistent, and healthy habits over time that have made me happier and healthier than I used to be.

If one person reads this, builds and incorporates one of our habits, and their life improves in any way.

Then I’m happy enough.

Enjoying it so far? Then you’ll love last week’s issue 👇️ 

Quote of the Week 💬 

📚️Turn 5 Minutes Into 5 Books a Month.

When we are young, we build various habits.

Some good, and some bad.

Brushing our teeth, and picking our noses, are all habits developed as children.

Another one hammered into us as children is reading. And this is for good reason.

I am an avid reader and always have been.

“Reading is for the mind what exercise is for the body.”

I have found two main benefits of reading:

1. Boosts Focus and Concentration

In an age of constant distractions, reading requires sustained attention, which can help improve your ability to concentrate over time.

Regular reading strengthens your focus, which translates to better productivity in other areas of life.

Taking 10 minutes out of your day without looking at a screen can have huge benefits.

2. Reduces Stress and Promotes Relaxation

Reading can be a form of escapism, providing a mental break from stress and daily challenges.

Getting lost in a book allows your mind to unwind, similar to meditation, which helps lower stress levels and can improve your overall mental well-being.

Don’t believe me?

Watch the clip below 👇️ 

🧱Building a Reading Habit

I currently read around half an hour every day.

This is broken up into 15 minutes during my lunch break at work, and then 15 minutes before I go to sleep at night.

This works well for me (feel free to copy), but I understand may not suit everyone.

I recommend starting 5 pages per day and building from there. If you don’t enjoy it after a while, don’t force it.

Just try the tips below:

1. Choose Shorter Books

• Start with shorter books or novellas (around 150-200 pages). This makes it more feasible to complete multiple books in a month without overwhelming yourself.

• If you choose books in the 150-200 page range, you’d need to read about 5-7 pages per day to finish a book in around 7-10 days.

2. Leverage Audiobooks for Idle Time

• Use audiobooks to complement your reading. You can "read" while commuting, doing chores, or exercising. This makes it possible to cover a book or two each month without setting aside extra time. There is thousands of audiobooks included in your spotify membership.

• Listen at 1.5x or 2x speed if you're comfortable with it—this speeds up consumption without losing content.

Another massive tip is don’t feel obliged to finish a book you start.

If you start a book, get 50-80 pages in, and find it’s not grabbing you, just put it away. The only thing making you finish a book you’re not enjoying is pride.

Just to tick it off the list?

Who cares.

Keep trying until you find one you love.

This is one of the best habits anyone can build!

(Click the link below for a list of MY TOP 10 FAVOURITE BOOKS) 📚️ 🏆️👇️ 

That’s all for this week! Any questions?

I answer all DMs on my socials, or reply to this email! 📨 

This newsletter is designed for you to introduce habits to allow every reader to be the happiest, healthiest, and wealthiest version of themselves! 

See you next week,

Hugo.

P.S. Take some time to check out the best links section below.

Some amazing reading in there! 👇️ 

Best Links This Week ⚡️ 

(Click “Link” to open the entire article. 😉 )