Guide
What do you want to work on?
Choose one. You get a plan of four to seven steps, each with the reason it is there, the effort it takes, what is known or uncertain, and what to be careful of. Save it in your browser and switch goals whenever you like.
Goals
Beard care
Take better care of my beardWash, condition, trim, and know when an itch is a dermatologist's question.4 stepsOpen the plan →A simple skin routine
Build a simple skin routineWash, moisturize, protect from the sun, shave with less irritation. Nothing you will not keep up.5 stepsOpen the plan →Steadier mornings
Have steadier morningsA fixed wake time, light and movement, water and food, caffeine with a cutoff, and the first minutes kept for yourself.5 stepsOpen the plan →Calmer evenings
Wind down for calmer eveningsA wind-down hour, dimmer light, a warm cup, a few minutes of slow breathing, and a bedroom set up for sleep.7 stepsOpen the plan →Heritage grains & greens
Cook with heritage grains and greensOne heritage grain a week, a pot of greens twice a week, black-eyed peas alongside, seasoning over salt, and a weekend batch that carries you to Wednesday.5 stepsOpen the plan →Move for your mind
Move more for a clearer, steadier mindWalking most days, strength work twice a week, a kind of movement you will keep doing, a hearing check, and a pass on brain-training games that promise too much.5 stepsOpen the plan →
Reading
Short pieces on the practices, herbs and supplements the plans refer to. Every one ends with the pages it was written from.
Supplements · 3 min
How to read a supplement label
What the panel must show, what the percentages mean, who has checked the claims, and why the small print matters.
Lifestyle · 3 min
What “evidence” means here
The four labels this guide puts on a claim, and the questions worth asking before you believe a headline.
Grooming · 3 min
Beard care basics
A beard is only as good as the skin under it: how to wash it, what to put on it, and when an itch is a dermatologist's question.
Grooming · 3 min
A simple skin routine
Cleanser, moisturizer, sunscreen and a shave that does not fight your skin, none of it taking more than a few minutes.
Lifestyle · 3 min
Steadier mornings
The first hour sets the clock for the whole day, and most of what steadies it costs nothing.
Lifestyle · 3 min
Calmer evenings
A wind-down window, less light, a slower breath, and the same bedtime every night.
Herbs · 3 min
Herbs and medicines
Why a plant in a capsule can change what a prescription does, which combinations the NIH and FDA name, and who needs to know what you take.
Herbs · 5 min
African herbal products to be careful with
Most traditional plants in this guide are foods and teas with modest evidence and modest risks. A few are different: they have caused heart attacks, liver failure or poisonings, or they hide real drugs. Here is what the sources say about each.