“The training and rewiring of your mind is a badass endeavor.” —Dan Harris, 10% Happier.

Know this: You can sculpt your brain through meditation just as you build and tone your body through exercise.

A 2012 study found that people who practice meditation develop more folds in the outer layer of their brain. This development (known as gyrification) increases the brain’s ability to process information.

Among other benefits of meditation are:

• A trained ability to focus
• Enhanced creative and strategic thinking
• Less anxiety, more inner peace

Meditation is a skill. So, what’s the best way to learn any skill? Being an apprentice to a world-class practitioner.

For meditation, Sam Harris is my teacher. His Waking Up app, the classroom.

INTRODUCING WAKING UP APP

Sam Harris’s Waking Up (iOS, Android) is the least woo-woo, most science-driven meditation experience I’ve encountered. Also, the educational modules in the app are deeply insightful for understanding theory, which creates belief.

Waking Up teaches several meditation practices: breath-based (vipassana), loving-kindness (metta), open-eyed and closed-eyed meditation, and general mindfulness.

You can get started with a 7-day free trial. Afterward, you can continue with a monthly ($14.99) or annual ($99.99) subscription.

SUPERHUMAN SCORING

In every edition of All Systems Go, I assess the featured product across four superhuman dimensions: impact, setup, maintenance, and aesthetics.

Unlike your typical product review, I focus on factors that influence personal growth. Get to know the evaluation system.

Impact (10.0/10)

I rarely talk about this, but I went through a brutal breakup a few years back. Depression ensued.

I credit meditation—specifically, Sam Harris’s Waking Up—for pulling me through. It helped me be mindful of my thoughts, reconnect with my identity, and cultivate self-love.

During that time, I meditated twice (sometimes three times) per day for 10-20 minutes at a time.

If you’re ever going through some heavy shit, realize you’re not alone. Life comes preinstalled with challenges. You have tools like meditation to lift you.

I’ve learned something else: Meditate when things are going well.

I’ve found that meditating when things are going badly takes you from survival mode to baseline. Meditating when things are going well takes you from baseline to new levels of creative and strategic thinking.

Setup (9.5/10)

1. Sign up for the 7-day free trial

2. Download the app (iOS, Android)

3. Take the introductory track (a mix of guided meditations and learning modules)

Pro tip: Pick a space/chair that you use exclusively for meditation (no lotus position required). So, when you sit down in THAT chair, your body knows it’s time to meditate.

Maintenance (8.0/10)

Here’s the most common meditation mistake I see: “meditating” but not setting a clear intention for your practice and allowing the monkey mind to run wild the entire time.

Showing up is essential, but, to get the benefits, accountability matters.

I follow Waking Up’s 10-minute guided session each morning, during which my total meditation time is logged in the app automatically.

Pro tip: Meditating during a lunch break can be a great way to break up the day. You’ll feel recharged going into the second half.

“But, Ben, my workplace isn’t a good place to meditate.”

If you live in a big city, see if there’s a local church you can walk to. For example, when I worked near Union Square in NYC, Grace Church was my spot. Regardless of your religious affiliation, these spaces are open to the public, quiet, and are some of the most inspiring interiors anywhere.

Aesthetics (9.0/10)

Fun fact: Waking Up app was developed by renowned agency MetaLab (the same folks that made the apps for Uber Eats, Slack, and Vice). Unsurprisingly, Waking Up is intuitive, inviting, and sleek.

It has 4.9/5 stars with 30.9K reviews in the App Store.

BRINGING IT HOME

I’m a big fan of the Tim Ferriss Podcast, in which Ferriss asks “masters of the universe” about the tools, hacks, and tactics they use to be successful.

The most mentioned habit by far? Meditation.

My takeaway: Don’t attribute luck to that which can be explained otherwise.

All systems go,

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Resources

• Newsletter Archive: Read past issues of All Systems Go
• Energy Dashboard: Get an under-the-hood look at my self-tracking metrics for energy management (updated weekly)
• [Quick Win] Phone Charger Challenge: Save 60 hours every year with this simple morning hack