Zach Highley

Learning how to live better
- MD, Consultant, and YouTuber (500k+ subs)
- Science-backed methods to build a better life
✉️

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

Today I took my last exam in medical school.

I've been in higher education for 11 years.

I went from a B student in high school to scoring in the top 3% of my peers.

Most people are studying all wrong. Here are 10 study techniques that made me a top performer:

[ 🧵 thread]

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

If you can do something that is creating (writing, coding, music, woodworking, etc.) for 1 hour a day with no breaks for 365 days you are ahead of 99% of people

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

If you can do something that is creating (writing, coding, music, woodworking, etc.) for 1 hour a day with no breaks for 365 days you are ahead of 99% of people

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

3 Equinox NYC gym men’s locker room discussions tonight:

1. How many dates before you buy dinner? → response: never, only after bf/gf

2. How’s your app going? → I stopped because waiting on Fable 5

3. Tornado warning? → they aren’t real here bro

Good or bad?

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

Can everyone please stop lying that fable 5 is back, I don’t think my dopamine can take it

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

@Drshashwath 1000% planning to do way more personal content on building businesses and web apps etc.

Marketing and dist has always mattered, but good product execution is more important. People still build things that no one wants or will pay for no matter the reach

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

Holy moly I sold an app on the App Store!! (I know NOTHING about code)

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

Other than it reversing me graduating med school, I like itttt

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

A 16-year-old recently asked me for advice because he didn't know what he wanted to do "long term", here was my response:

Hey X, here is my advice to my 16-year-old self (which may not necessarily be relevant to you!):

1. Pay very careful attention to what feels like play to you and work to others (this will be your superpower going forward); especially the process over the end result (like enjoying the practice of playing guitar, not just performing at concerts).

2. Avoid the consumption trap everyone else your age is falling into (days on TikTok, Instagram, Netflix), just doing this puts you ahead of 90% of people and also will just make you feel happier (you can’t beat these algorithms).

3. Have fun! You are so young, you could screw up for 20 years and be ok. Enjoy the freedom and time you have to do everything. Pay careful attention to your heart on what you enjoy doing and be ok not doing what you don’t enjoy, especially when the things you don't enjoy is what others think is the "right thing." (I love soccer and hiking and tinkering on my computer and reading, I dislike cities and drinking and staying up late at night).

I still don’t know what I want to do long-term!

Don’t stress, everything will be ok!
Zach

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

@marclou what's your tech stack? Do you use codex and/or claude?

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

@jonaswillett1 Cafe!

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

@levelsio @miguelgbandeira Where's the best place to be inspired/around builders @levelsio?

[CooperBaggs 💰🍞 @edgaralandough]

We are overstimulated and we don't even notice. Netflix while eating. Reels in the bathroom. Music while cooking. Podcasts on walks. We consume by default, not by intention. You keep filling every gap, then wonder why you feel foggy and unmotivated. Boredom and silence are the real growth drivers. They give you space to think and create. That's when solutions show up for problems that have been stuck for months. Leave some room.

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

iPhone App #2 Launched!

Stretch to unblock your phone

https://t.co/BSPPIfTI6f

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

Launched an iPhone app combining spaced repetition and micro-learning! Please be MEAN if you don't like it (have to get better!) https://t.co/wJp9o1b7Ls

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

@BeadWhoYouAre Hope all is well!

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

@bryan_johnson What's your opinion on naps?

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

19 life rules:

1. Remember, you will die.

This could be your last day alive. If you had one year left in life, what would you do?

2. Have the courage to listen to your own heart and intuition.

You know what you truly want to become, everything else is secondary.

3. Speak less. Do more.

Actions speak louder, and speaking louder rarely results in action.

4. Own it. Always say the truth.

Who are you? Own it and you can never fail.

5. Good.

Oh you hurt yourself? You have to run? To wake up early? Work hard? Good. It makes you better.

6. Say "hi" first.

Put yourself out there. Life is too short. Trust the world.

7. Be genuinely interested in others.

This will invigorate your life and their's. Not interested? Leave.

8. Keep your baseline.

Wake up early, meditate, read, exercise, clean, eat well, don't drink, sleep, smile. You are the one drawing the line in the sand.

9. Stop complaining, criticizing, and condemning.

Enough people do this already (caveat is jokes).

10. No one has any idea what they are doing, you can do anything, anything, anything.

Anything.

11. If you follow the same actions, you will get the same results.

Iterate, try, change, grow, be nervous, look stupid, no one cares.

12. Decide the "why" and the "how" will come.

See rule #2.

13. There is no finish line. What track would you be ok running endlessly on?

See rule #1-2.

14. Put the phone down, engage, smile, ask.

Be in nature, let nature filter your brain junk. There is a lot of unnecessary attention being given out (by you) willy-nilly.

15. Master your performance, improve daily, don't compare.

Kaizen.

16. Your days are your years are your life.

Take time to think about #1-2 at least once a month for at least 3 hours.

17. Your environment matters. What are you optimizing for?

People, nature, fun, money, creativity.

18. Craving is suffering, stop craving or realize you will suffer while you crave.

Buddhism.

19. Don't take anything seriously, laugh, have fun, screw up. You can say sorry later if you need to.

There are serious things in the world. Likely you are not a part of them, your life is ok, and you aren't that big a deal. That's ok. You're ok.

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

@BeadWhoYouAre Cheers!

[Zach Highley @ZachHighley]

19 life rules:

1. Remember, you will die.

This could be your last day alive. If you had one year left in life, what would you do?

2. Have the courage to listen to your own heart and intuition.

You know what you truly want to become, everything else is secondary.

3. Speak less. Do more.

Actions speak louder, and speaking louder rarely results in action.

4. Own it. Always say the truth.

Who are you? Own it and you can never fail.

5. Good.

Oh you hurt yourself? You have to run? To wake up early? Work hard? Good. It makes you better.

6. Say "hi" first.

Put yourself out there. Life is too short. Trust the world.

7. Be genuinely interested in others.

This will invigorate your life and their's. Not interested? Leave.

8. Keep your baseline.

Wake up early, meditate, read, exercise, clean, eat well, don't drink, sleep, smile. You are the one drawing the line in the sand.

9. Stop complaining, criticizing, and condemning.

Enough people do this already (caveat is jokes).

10. No one has any idea what they are doing, you can do anything, anything, anything.

Anything.

11. If you follow the same actions, you will get the same results.

Iterate, try, change, grow, be nervous, look stupid, no one cares.

12. Decide the "why" and the "how" will come.

See rule #2.

13. There is no finish line. What track would you be ok running endlessly on?

See rule #1-2.

14. Put the phone down, engage, smile, ask.

Be in nature, let nature filter your brain junk. There is a lot of unnecessary attention being given out (by you) willy-nilly.

15. Master your performance, improve daily, don't compare.

Kaizen.

16. Your days are your years are your life.

Take time to think about #1-2 at least once a month for at least 3 hours.

17. Your environment matters. What are you optimizing for?

People, nature, fun, money, creativity.

18. Craving is suffering, stop craving or realize you will suffer while you crave.

Buddhism.

19. Don't take anything seriously, laugh, have fun, screw up. You can say sorry later if you need to.

There are serious things in the world. Likely you are not a part of them, your life is ok, and you aren't that big a deal. That's ok. You're ok.