%%ADD: examples of systems for strategies for each of these.%% There are three main concerns as we get older: decreasing cognition, increasing loneliness, and decreasing mobility. I've tried to distill down to the five *most essential* habits that one should instill in their life to help combat these issues. - Reading - Writing - Walking - Talking - Doing What do I mean by each of these and why are each important? ## Reading One of the most important concerns as we age is to ensure that we maintain as much of our cognitive functioning as possible. While science continues to learn more about the many factors at play here, perhaps the simplest strategy is to be a lifelong learner. And that means reading. Reading serves other goals too: it's a simple source of entertainment, it can be done in a variety of situations (including while laid up in the hospital bed), and it can be a social activity as well (hello book clubs!). ## Writing Writing may be the most surprising item here for many. [[Writing is thinking]]; it's one of the ways that we process information, make sense of it, and ultimately retain it. It's a cognitively intensive endeavor. While reading is passively consuming content, writing is an active and creative. Writing is also incredibly important for note-taking, which is increasingly important as we age. Writing is also a required skill for journaling, which is a useful practice for dealing with the emotions of getting older, and serves well as a gratitude practice. It also serves as an excellent way to retain memories, reminisce about your life experiences, and pass down wisdom and knowledge to the next generation. And for social aspect, it's a very basic way to stay in touch with others. ## Walking Mobility is an essential key to independence as we age. A daily walking habit is something that can pay numerous dividends: it provides exercise, it increases flexibility and muscle strength, it improves balance, and it provides a break from being stuck in the house. ## Talking Being able to communicate by voice is, of course, an extremely important skill to maintain. By what I'm really referring to here is social communication with others. It's staying connected to family and friends. ## Doing As we age, it gets harder to remember the things we should be doing—whether that's taking our morning pills, calling the doctor to set up an appointment, or making sure we do the laundry before we run out of clean clothes. Having a system for task management is critical to extending personal independence as long as possible, and to ensuring that important items do not fall through the cracks. (We created what we call a [[Life Admin system]] just for this.) A system should include three components: a calendar that shows time-bound events (like a medical appointment), a task list (especially one that allows for recurring tasks), and reference documents. %%Reference [[Create strategic hobbies]]%%