The Hidden Trap of Self-Improvement

Welcome to Effective Habits, a weekly newsletter where I share evidence-based strategies and tools to help you live a happy, healthy, and productive life.

Today at a Glance:

• Cognitive Multiculturalism: Training Your Brain to Switch Between Worlds

• Why Some Carbs Spike Your Blood Sugar More Than Others (It's Not For The Reasons You Think)

• The One-Month Knowledge Sprint: How to Read Books, Take Action, and Change Your Life

Cognitive Multiculturalism: Training Your Brain to Switch Between Worlds
Anne-Laure Le Cunff

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Cognitive multiculturalism isn’t just about traveling the world or learning new languages, it’s about the mental flexibility that comes from moving between different worlds of thought. Whether you’re explaining quirky traditions to a family member from another culture, debating abstract theories online, or moving between your work and social circles, each transition builds mental agility. Exposure to diverse groups, content, and identities helps you develop multiple mental “codes,” making it easier to see from different perspectives, adapt quickly, and connect more deeply with others. Psychologists even find that people with richer, more complex social identities are less prejudiced and more creative, because switching between worlds sharpens perspective-taking and expands problem-solving. In short, every border you cross, between books, conversations, jobs, or communities, broadens your mental toolkit, giving you the flexibility to navigate life with nuance, empathy, and originality.

🎬Action!

1. Expand your inputs: Read books from different eras and regions, explore ideas from new disciplines, and consume media that challenges rather than confirms your assumptions. Each fresh perspective you take in broadens your mental map.

2. Diversify your people: Build relationships across generations, professions, and backgrounds. Every person brings a unique way of seeing the world, and exposure to these perspectives helps enrich your own

3. Broaden your identities: Step outside a single role by experimenting with new hobbies, joining different communities, or working in unfamiliar environments. Pay attention to how your behavior shifts, and use that awareness to grow into a more flexible version of yourself.

Why Some Carbs Spike Your Blood Sugar More Than Others (It's Not For The Reasons You Think)
Dr. Rhonda Patrick

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Why do some carbs send your blood sugar soaring while others barely make a dent? A new study shows it’s not just about carb type or glycemic index, it’s about you. Researchers tracked healthy adults eating rice, bread, pasta, potatoes, beans, berries, and grapes and found wildly different “carb-response types”: some were rice-spikers, others bread- or grape-spikers. The key predictor wasn’t the carb itself but individual metabolic health, especially insulin sensitivity. Insulin-resistant people spiked hardest with potatoes and pasta, while insulin-sensitive ones reacted more to rice and grapes. Even common strategies like eating protein, fiber, or fat before carbs worked better for the insulin-sensitive than the insulin-resistant. Add in microbiome and molecular differences, and the picture gets even more personal and explains why two people can eat the same meal and get very different outcomes. The big takeaway: nutrition isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your personal biology, not a carb’s label or its glycemic index, determines how your body responds, making the case for truly personalized nutrition.

🎬Action!

• Identify your personal “carb-response type” by tracking how different carbs affect you. Instead of relying on generic glycemic index charts, try using a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) or keep a simple food-and-feeling journal and note what you ate, then how your energy, mood, or focus felt 1–2 hours afterward. Pay attention to which foods (rice, bread, grapes, potatoes, etc.) give you the biggest spikes, then steady those responses by limiting or pairing them with protein, fiber, or fat. This is most important when sedentary, since exercise helps control glucose no matter what type of carb you eat.

The One-Month Knowledge Sprint: How to Read Books, Take Action, and Change Your Life
Scott H. Young

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The idea of a one-month knowledge sprint flips the common narrative about self-improvement on its head: instead of endlessly stockpiling books or waiting until you’ve “finished learning” to start acting, it treats reading and doing as complementary forces that should happen in parallel. Books provide the scaffolding for better decisions, but progress comes from experimenting in real life, adjusting as you go, and letting mistakes guide refinement. The key is not to read endlessly before beginning, nor to rush into action without any grounding, but to create a short, structured cycle where knowledge and practice feed into each other. A month turns out to be a great length, as it’s long enough to build meaningful understanding and habits, short enough to stay motivated, and flexible enough to repeat as needed. Instead of imagining a grand year-long plan that fizzles, a sprint creates real momentum, whether you’re exploring a skill, a hobby, or a part of yourself you’ve been meaning to develop.

🎬Action!

1. Choose a Theme. Pick a theme you want to improve over the next month’s sprint, whether personal (health, career, relationships, hobbies) or skill-based (a language, a field of knowledge, a tool). Keep it focused but not extreme: avoid themes so broad that your reading becomes scattered, and avoid themes so narrow that your assumptions predetermine the outcome. For example, “improving health through fitness” is more balanced than either “better health” (too broad) or “using keto for running performance” (too narrow).

2. Take Action. Start doing something immediately within your chosen theme, even if your strategy isn’t perfect. Use your current knowledge as a starting point, then let your reading refine and redirect your approach. If you’re in an area where you truly know nothing, choose a practical guide or workbook and work through it as you go, combining reading with hands-on practice.

3. Read Strategically. Pair your initial actions with structured reading to deepen and correct your understanding. Begin with textbooks, which give you a broad, consensus-based foundation. Then move to credible popular books that represent expert consensus, and finally explore more unconventional or “interesting” books. This order ensures you build a reliable base before considering fringe perspectives, helping you avoid rabbit holes and misconceptions.

4. Adjust Based on Feedback. Continuously refine your approach as you learn more. Treat each insight from your reading as an opportunity to tweak or even overhaul your strategy. Think in terms of experiments (“what happens if I try…?”) rather than rigid rules. Flexibility and willingness to change mid-sprint are not signs of failure. They are what make the sprint successful.

TOOL TIP

In Page AI: A Chrome extension that adds an AI assistant to your browser that automatically understands the context of whatever you're looking at, accessible via a keyboard shortcut with no tab switching.

FUN FACT

Oxford University is older than the Aztec Empire. The culture now known as Aztec may seem like ancient history, but the origin of this Mesoamerican empire is usually dated to 1325, with the founding of the capital city, Tenochtitlan (the site of modern-day Mexico City). By contrast, teaching at Oxford University, which still welcomes hundreds of students every year, began in one form or another as early as 1096. University, Balliol, and Merton Colleges were all founded between 1249 and 1264.

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Disclaimer: The information provided in this newsletter is for informational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult a medical professional for advice, diagnosis, or treatment. We are not liable for any risks or issues that may arise from using this information.