The highest leverage activities that are best for ensuring that you have a good life by Visakan Veerasamy on quora.com

Life Advice: What are the highest leverage activities that are best for ensuring that you have a good life?

  

Visakan Veerasamy, blogs @ visakanv.com

TL;DR:

1: Reading
2: Exercise
3: Investing in Relationships
4: Sleep
5: Mindfulness/Conversation

The highest leverage activities in my life have been:

1: READING

I believe that any advantage I might appear to have in computational ability, imagination, perceptiveness and expressiveness- ALL OF IT is a consequence of the vast amounts of reading I did as a child. Reading expands your mind. It gives you new and interesting perspectives to work with. Reading exercises the mind, it gives you new possibilities, it allows you to learn from the minds of others.

I believe that the benefits of reading have compounded effects- when you have had your mind expanded, you approach the rest of life with a more open mind, you're more perceptive to little details, you pay more attention, you get more out of every subsequent experience. This compounding never truly goes away.

Read a chapter a day (any book!) for a great life.

2: EXERCISE

Physical fitness is vastly underrated by anybody who isn't physically fit. There are very strong links between the body and the mind. Sometimes you can get upset, lethargic and frustrated simply because you've been too much of a slob too long.

The long term health benefits of exercise cannot be ignored. I know some old people who are haggard, frail and struggle to walk. I know others who are springy, fit and independent, with sparkles in their eyes. The difference? Usually exercise.

This point is meant to focus on the physical, but there are all sorts of other exercises to consider. Reading is a mental exercise. Compassion is an emotional exercise. Whatever it is that you care about, use it or lose it. Play chess, play guitar, play. Exercise.

Exercise for 20 minutes every day for a great life.

3: INVESTING IN RELATIONSHIPS

We can't make it on our own. We are inherently incapable of fully understanding ourselves without the valuable perspectives and insights of others. We can try to be as independent as we possibly can, but we will still always need shoulders to lean and cry on, people to nourish and motivate us, to teach us.
My new favourite soul-enriching thing to do is to PM people on Facebook. We can post on their walls, sure, but there's something very public about that in a way that forces superficial interactions. PM them, ask them how they're doing, ask them how they've been feeling. Sometimes me and my wife send each other lengthy emails even though we see each other all the time, because quiet moments of introspection and thoughtfulness yield different (and, in my opinion, superior) interactions.

Of course, there is no substitute for human contact. I try to have coffee with my mates at least once a week, and it is enriching beyond measure.
By the way, don't neglect yourself. You are the one person you can neither leave nor escape, so invest in your relationship with yourself. Take yourself out for coffee, sit yourself down and get to know yourself. What do you care about, what are your dreams, what sort of novel would you write? (See: Visakan Veerasamy's answer to Interpersonal Interaction: What is the single most illuminating question I can ask someone?) How are you doing, how have you been feeling? These are important questions.

Spend a few minutes a day with your friends and loved ones (including yourself) for a great life.
EDIT: I'd like to mention the one thing that needs to be done that I'm not doing enough of.

4: SLEEP.

Whenever I sleep well, life is awesome. I'm  bright and clear. I make good calls, and sometimes I even come up with interesting and creative solutions to everyday problems, in startlingly quick time! I get my reading done, I get my exercise done, I enjoy my conversations more. I pay better attention and I speak more lucidly, with clearer thoughts.

Whenever I neglect my sleep, I notice myself making worse decisions, being more lazy, lethargic, passive, irritable and less cognizant, less in-control. I complain more. I am more susceptible to spending too much money on unnecessary things, more susceptible to losing my temper and generally behaving in ways in which I do not deem fit.

Sleep well every night for a great life.

2ND EDIT: This one occurred to me while I was going to bed, and I had to add it in. It's a little abstract, and I'm still not entirely sure how to express it, but I hope you get the idea.

5: MINDFULNESS/CONVERSATION.

I define conversation as the meaningful clashing of ideas and perspectives. You don't need to be talking to someone else- you could explore your own mind, or the natural world, and that would be a form of conversation- anything that leads to insight and understanding. Mindfulness.

Exercise can be a kind of conversation you have with your body- if you're not listening, you could get injured.
Reading is, ideally, a conversation with other human minds, past and present.
Your relationships grow the most in moments where you are paying the most attention to one another.
Passive, thoughtless routines will not do in this pursuit. Pay attention. Give a damn. Care. Listen. You can differentiate all great experiences and mediocre ones by assessing the mindfulness/thoughtfulness present in a process. Steve Jobs was a mindful, thoughtful guy with regards to his work. Buddha was a mindful, thoughtful guy. So was Jesus. All good artists, all great anything- be mindful, pay attention, have a great conversation- with yourself, with each other, with the world. Devote yourself to learning and understanding new points of view, so that you better understand your own.

Pay attention and be engaged for a great life.

Sharing 100 Reasons to Exercise Now-- By sparkpeople.com

We all have those days that we don't want to work out even though we know we should.

When you need a little motivation, look no further.

Here are 100 reasons you shouldn't skip your workout  today.

100 Reasons to Exercise Now

1. Because it makes you feel confident 
2. Because it helps you get stronger
3. Because exercise helps combat depression
4. Because you'll feel proud of yourself
5. Because you have goals you want to reach
6. Because you'll feel bad if you don't
7. Because you want to move forward, not backward
8. Because it burns more calories than not working out
9. Because it improves your heart health
10. Because you want a great butt
11. Because it prevents diabetes
12. Because you want to be a good example to your kids
13. Because you want to feel good in your clothes
14. Because it reduces your risk of cancer
15. Because your body was made to move
16. Because you want to be an athlete
17. Because you want to look better
18. Because it lifts your mood
19. Because you want to stand taller
20. Because it reduces back pain
21. Because it feels good
22. Because it makes you feel accomplished
23. Because you spend most of your day on your butt
24. Because swimsuit season is always coming
25. Because strong is the new skinny
26. Because dieting only works so much
27. Because it strengthens your bones, too
28. Because it helps you lose weight
29. Because it allows you to eat more food
30. Because it's the best way to spend "me" time
31. Because it helps you de-stress
32. Because it's cheaper than therapy
33. Because you want a strong core 
34. Because you want to take care for yourself
35. Because you take pride in your body
36. Because it strengthens your legs
37. Because it helps your clothes fit better
38. Because you want to push yourself
39. Because you are capable of more than you ever imagined
40. Because moving your body feels good
41. Because it keeps your mind sharp
42. Because it helps you beat belly bloat
43. Because it helps you sleep better at night
44. Because it gives you energy
45. Because you want to stay healthy as you age
46. Because you want to look younger
47. Because you want toned arms
48. Because it improves your balance
49. Because it burns off last night's dessert
50. Because it boosts your immune system
51. Because sweat is sexy
52. Because you want to live longer
53. Because you want to get better at your game
54. Because you want to catch someone's eye
55. Because exercisers earn more money
56. Because you're more likely to eat better when you exercise
57. Because you want to shave time off your running pace
58. Because you want to breathe easier
59. Because you want to see the scale drop
60. Because exercise improves your sex life
61. Because you are worth it
62. Because being fit makes everything in life better
63. Because you promised yourself that you would
64. Because you deserve a better life
65. Because it'll help you drink more water
66. Because you want to do real push-ups
67. Because it reduces your health care costs
68. Because you'll miss fewer days of work
69. Because you want to create a new future for yourself
70. Because it'll help you like what you see in the mirror
71. Because it makes clothing shopping more fun
72. Because you want to look and feel incredible
73. Because exercising can be fun
74. Because it'll give your skin a glow
75. Because it's a good way to spend time with your friends
76. Because it'll help you prevent the middle-age spread
77. Because it reduces your blood pressure
78. Because you don't want to let yourself go
79. Because you don't want to squeeze into an airplane or rollercoaster seat
80. Because it strengthens your spirit
81. Because it's a cheap way to entertain yourself
82. Because you'll be able to reward yourself
83. Because you need a reason to wear those new workout clothes
84. Because you're tired of being tired
85. Because not working out is not going to get you very far
86. Because it's a great way to spend time outside
87. Because you made a commitment to yourself
88. Because you're tired of starting over
89. Because there will always be another wedding, vacation or reunion
90. Because you're not a quitter
91. Because it improves your cholesterol
92. Because it boosts your metabolism
93. Because it prevents age-related muscle loss
94. Because if you can do this, you can do anything
95. Because a fit body is a healthy body
96. Because it beats sitting on the couch
97. Because  everyone has at least 10 minutes to spare
98. Because you want to be stronger than your excuses
99. Because not working out isn't working out for you
100. Because the only workout you ever regret is the one you skip
101. Mine : Because exercising is awesome.