5 Healthy Morning Habits to Make Your Day Productive

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4 May 2022

It’s so true if we are told that our morning and the activities we engage in during those times determine our day. Studying the lives of highly successful people, we understand that they don’t play with their morning because they know its importance and how it can affect the productivity of the day.

A healthy morning routine is a habit to create positivity and fuel your wellbeing. It’s about starting your day off right to feed your soul and enhance your productivity throughout the day. When you take time just for yourself in the morning instead of rushing, you’ll boost your energy, improve your physical and mental health, and set your day up for success.

If the beginning of a new day is full of unhealthy and disorganized activities, then how can you expect that the entire day will give your mind and body a blessing of a good life? Many people have a series of unhealthy morning routine which not only puts stress on their mind, but also gradually develops many health issues. Then what are the ways you can kick start your morning in a better way?

The following are the ways you can start your day that will guarantee success and life fulfilment:

1. Wake up early

Checking the lives of successful people, we will notice they wake up as early as 5am. Millionaires, successful business executives, and athletes, all seem to wake up early. And they say the benefits of starting the day sooner spread to their mindset, finances, performance, and success.

But you don’t necessarily have to wake up at 5:00 am to reap all the benefits of a morning routine. Even if you wake up just 30 minutes late or earlier, you may notice an improved mood, less stress, and more productive days. This is the first key you should note.

2. Don’t start a day with pressing your phone

In this technology-driven world, the first thing we do as soon as we open our eyes is check our mobile phones for messages, emails, updates, etc. that we might have missed during our resting time. But do you know that it’s an unhealthy habit that negatively impacts the rest of your day?

According to a study from IDC, about 80 percent of smartphone users check their mobile phones within 15 minutes of waking up every morning. Doctors today concur that immediately checking your phone as soon as you wake up can start your day off in a way that is more likely to increase stress and leave you feeling overwhelmed. In other words, you are ruining your day before it even begins.

3. Practice gratitude

The day is given to us by God and we should be grateful for it… Take stock of what is good in your life, no matter how small. It will help you focus on what is genuinely important in your life. Every morning, write down 5 things you are grateful for and thank God for those things. It’s essential.

4. Get your body moving (exercise)

A positive mind dwells in a positive body. So start your day by going for a walk or run. It will help you to stay constructive, positive and energetic. Not to forget, the health benefits are considerable. You can also put in few minutes for Yoga and meditation which will help to foster a healthy lifestyle and attain clarity on your goals.

Twenty minutes of meditation will help you stay focused, cheerful and optimistic for the next 24 hours of your day. The most important factor in starting your day with enthusiasm is good sleep. Maintaining a minimum of six to eight hours of sleep helps avoid exhaustion and irritation the next day.

5. Eat breakfast early

If you will skip any food in a day, you shouldn’t skip breakfast. Your breakfast says a lot about your lifestyle. Apart from having bread, milk or juice, you should add some solid proteins to your breakfast plate. Proteins take longer time to digest and will keep you fuller which in turn restricts you to overeat for the entire day.

Note all those points and your day will be as productive as you want it.

If you need more morning habits you can check out this post.

Balancing work and life

By

Johellaa

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3 May 2022

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Having a balanced schedule between your work and life is quite important for everyone. We have so many people breaking down because of the stress work has imposed on them thereby stripping them off their social lives. Balance is not better time management, but better boundary management.

“Balance means making choices and enjoying those choices.” – Betsy Jacobson.

Having a well-balanced work-life is not only about coming to and returning from working on time. In a broader perspective, it’s about prioritizing things as per their importance. Prioritizing things helps one save both their time and energy. Thus, allowing them to set a perfect balance between their work and personal life.

The following are basic tips that will help you balance your work and life:

1. Taking Time Off Between Work

Taking-time-off—Work-life-balance

Taking time off in between work helps in dealing with stress. The human body is not designed to endure for long hours at a go. Physical movements like a light walk or some desk exercises can be really helpful here. Such short breaks will help you recover from fatigue and enhance agility at work.

2. Proper Planning

Planning the day-to-day activities at work is another way for managing a good balance between life and work. It helps individuals to prioritize their actions following the importance of a task.

Moreover, adhering to a well-laid plan also helps save a lot of time at work. Thus, allowing them to focus on things other than work or take it to rejuvenate themselves.

3. Encouraging a Healthy Lifestyle

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle plays a big role in an employee’s quest to achieve a healthy work-life balance. Healthy employees are like the jewels on the crown for every organization. An unhealthy work-life balance disrupts the employees’ physical and mental health. Considering this fact, it hampers their productivity to a great extent. Encouraging the employees to take up a healthy lifestyle eliminates various health risks.

Just like having good physical health helps one to stay energetic, a stress-free mind is a room full of clarity. This helps the employees to excel both in their careers and in life. A healthy lifestyle is also a great stress management solution and helps the employees cope with stress smoothly.

4. Encouraging No Work at Home Policy Post Work Hours

Most often, the employees carry their work home to make up for the deadlines. The inability to leave work at the workplace is a major issue resulting from the excess workload born by the employees. Committing to work during off-hours hinders the amount of rest needed by the human body.

Further, it maligns the social life of individuals that is necessary for a healthy mindset. Employers can make sure that this doesn’t happen by adopting a strict “No Work at Home” policy.

5. Flexible Work Schedule

Maintaining a good balance between work and life isn’t possible if there’s no personal time left after leaving work. In such a case, having a flexible work schedule becomes very important. Flexibility in work timings helps the employees lay equal focus on their own personal and social side of life like that of their work.

Further, such a schedule can positively affect an individual’s performance at work. As well, it works as an alternate stress management technique.

Also Check Out: 6 Great Characters That Can Help You Get A Job In An Interview

6. Time Management

Time management is a very important aspect when it comes to having a proper work-life balance. Most individuals tend to ignore this phase. As a result, they end up getting overwhelmed by work at the end of the day with no time for themselves. So, one must make sure they have a proper routine in place for the day.

7. Encourage Hobbies

Every one of us has a hobby like reading, painting, photography, dancing, collecting old stamps and so on. A good work-life balance is not only limited to giving importance to work and family. It’s also about giving importance to the things that one loves doing on a personal level. With all the hues and cries between managing work and family, we often miss feeding our own hopes and aspirations. Having a hobby encourages an employee to take up some time for themselves.

This indeed helps them fulfill the thirst for a good life according to an employee’s preference. Having a hobby helps the employees to make up time for themselves even amidst their tight schedule.

7 Best Tips On How To Discover Your Passion

By

Johellaa

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2 May 2022

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Passion is one of the positive drive that helps in the fulfilment of life. One common piece of advice you might hear when looking for a job is to “follow your passion.” Following the work, ideas and projects that make you feel fulfilled and motivated can help lead you to jobs you will enjoy and succeed in. This is because of the fulfilment that comes with working in line with our passion. While the idea is simple enough, it can still take some careful consideration to identify and find your true passions in life.

Some people choose to pursue their passions during their free time outside of work, while others prefer to dedicate their day-to-day work life to their passions. The choice you make will depend on what your passion is, whether or not it is easily transferred into sustainable living and whether or not you want your income to be tied to your passion. When you’re passionate about what you do, work can feel like less of a chore and more like a fulfilling way to contribute to your industry and community.

Being happy in your career choice is an important part of finding a healthy work/life balance. Whether you’re just starting to think about your career or you’re feeling stuck in a job that doesn’t bring you joy, it’s never too late or too early to identify and follow your true passions.

How to Discover Your Passion in Life

How do you discover that thing that you are passionate about? These following suggestions will help you find out your passion:

1. What time of the day are you eager for its arrival?

There might be a certain day of the week or time of the day you look forward to for some reason. Maybe it’s because of a specific meeting, task or time you have set aside. You might also notice certain surprises or unexpected times that end up being the best part of your day. Pay attention to both seemingly significant and insignificant things that you would consider to be the peak of your day.

While many of these high points may happen during work, you may notice that your high points occur outside the workplace in the time you have for yourself, friends and family. Making note of where and with whom your high points take place will bring you one step closer to knowing whether your passions are related to your career or other parts of life.

2. Pay attention to what you spend your time and money on

We tend to focus our resources on things that are meaningful to us, including time and money. Look at your credit card bill or bank statements and see if there are any themes. Look at the topics of books, magazines, films or podcasts you consume. Take note of how you are spending your free time and what activities bring you joy.

Finally, recognize if there is a particular genre, subject or theme that your hobbies and interests have in common. The interests that have remained with you through the years may be more related to a passion versus a newly emerged interest.

3. Consider topics you love to teach or talk about with others

Consider your interactions with others. What types of conversations do you enjoy the most? Do you find yourself particularly animated when talking about a specific subject? It might also be helpful to consider if there are any tasks or topics you tend to teach others about. These are often the things we find most important to us.

4. Think about your strengths

Identifying both your soft and hard skills will point you toward the specific interests and passions that you’ve already taken the time to develop into personal strengths. Alternatively, you might have a natural skill that makes you feel confident and motivated when completing certain tasks.

Also Check Out: 7 Important Self Development Techniques You Need To Know

5. Check out if those passions can be a source of income for you

As stated above that if we could make our passion our ambition, work will be fully enjoyed. You can check out if your passion is enough to fund your living and if the answer is yes, you should pick that out.

6. What did you love doing as a child?

Growing up, what did you derive joy in doing? What was that thing or those things that would always give you joy when you are doing it. It will really help you discover your passion because as a child the society hasn’t eaten deep into you. You were still doing the things you genuinely loved doing. So, when you remember those things, you will find out that some part of you still hold onto it and that is your passion.

7. What makes you lose track of time?

What is that thing that when you start doing, you lose track of time and also forget to eat and pee? That thing is your passion. There is no way you will be doing something you don’t like for long that you will forget the most important thing to do in life Eating. That one thing that can make you forfeit your sleep. And make you feel happy and satisfied doing.

When you find out that thing then you have discovered your passion.

Final Thoughts

Discovering your passion will make your life worth living. It will make your life a happy one. When you have time, make sure you give those questions a great thought, write the answers down and then look at it to know what your passion is.

Finding a way to engage in our passion will really go a long way in making our life fulfilled however, not all passion can be done full time.

Building Your Self Esteem: 5 Simple Ways To Do It

By

Johellaa

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30 April 2022

0

Are you thinking of your self esteem right now? There’s a saying that “what we think about ourselves really matter the most than what others think of us”. There’s no truer truth than this. The way we see ourselves really goes a long way to determine how people sees and treats us.

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is the way we see ourselves, the way we carry ourselves and value ourselves. The way we present ourselves to the world.

It’s not a coincidence that many people already know the type of profession we are in to by just seeing the way we dress. Though the way we dress doesn’t really have much effect on our esteem but it’s also important we dress well because the way we dress will determine how we are addressed.

Type of self-esteem

We have two types of self-esteem:

1. Low self-esteem

Low self-esteem is the bad type you shouldn’t have. Those with low self-esteem are thinking they are not enough, they think so less of themselves thereby creating the chances for people to use and maltreat them. They are people who walk with their heads down, who thinks they are nothing to no one and that’s why they are treated the same way. They are always doubting their capability and ability.

Most people with low self-esteem are imparted with it from their childhood by what they are exposed to. Some people’s esteem are drenched by their parent’s words or community measuring standard.

We have so many places where ladies aren’t expected to talk when men are talking. Ladies in that particular world could develop a low self-esteem thinking they are not appreciated.

2. High self esteem

High self-esteem is the type of esteem we all should build. People with high self-esteem are sometimes mistaken for being proud. The two is quite different. People with high self-esteem are those who believe in themselves, they are happy with their lives. Who walk with their heads up and a broad smile that depict self-confidence.

People with high self-esteem can’t be manipulated, used or addressed any how because they carry themselves with so much value. Now the question is, how can we build a high self-esteem?

The 5 simple ways to build your self esteem are:

1. Face your fear

Some of us have this voice in our head that keeps telling us we can’t do somethings and we truly believe it. Those voices are programmed by our past and we shouldn’t accommodate them. If your head is telling you, you aren’t beautiful, take your bath, dress nicely and stroll out to the street.

2. Give yourself a challenge

We all feel nervous or afraid to do things at times. But people with healthy self-esteem do not let these feelings stop them, from trying new things or taking on challenges. Set yourself a goal, such as joining an exercise class or going to a social occasion. Achieving your goals will help to increase your self-esteem. Don’t be intimidated.

Also Check Out: THE 3 BEST STAGES OF SELF AWARENESS

3. Start saying “no”

People with low self-esteem often feel they have to say yes to other people, even when they do not really want to. The risk is that you become overburdened, resentful, angry and depressed.

For the most part, saying no does not upset relationships. It can be helpful to keep saying no, but in different ways, until they get the message. Let your yes be based on your feelings not based on what others are telling you to do.

4. Build positive relationships

People with low self-esteem are always permanent in that stay because they are so much stuck with people that criticize them every time because they are gaining one thing or the other through their ignorance.

If you find that certain people tend to bring you down, try to spend less time with them, or tell them how you feel about their words or actions. Try to build relationships with people who are positive and who appreciates you.

5. Be easy on yourself

Being easy on yourself means being gentle to yourself at times when you feel like being self-critical. Think what you’d say to a friend in a similar situation. We often give far better advice to others than we do to ourselves. Tell yourself that mistakes are unavoidable and you are not perfect.

Try giving yourself positive affirmations. It’s okay to make a mistake once, after all you are a human being. Don’t be harsh on yourself. Learn to be kind and polite because your head hears everything you say to it.

Conclusion

It might not be easy doing all these but just know that you can do it. You can improve your self esteem. You can become self confident. Mind you, there are times your self esteem will go low, so make sure you are always checking to know when you are lacking it too.

How To Set Achievable Smart Goals

By

Johellaa

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29 April 2022

0

Setting plans is one important thing we all must know how to do. If you really want to make something out of your life, you need to set realistic, achievable goals. When talking about achievable goals and plans, we are talking about plans that can be achieved and it’s visible. We’re not saying you should stop dreaming big, we’re just saying you should start small and be more realistic.

We need goals because they provide us focus and direction. Learning how to set achievable goals gives us more control over our lives and destinies. If we have no goals set, how do we know whether we’re successful or not? It’s not other people who should tell you whether you’re successful or not. The only metric of your success is you and your achievable goal-list. But be aware that setting achievable goals and plans is a process, not a single step. It takes time, energy, adjustments, mistakes, and an open mind.

It’s normal for you to have plans for the next 10yrs and even more. This doesn’t mean you really have control of time and season but it will be a push that will strengthen you to run your race.

Here are the important steps to consider when setting plans that makes your plan achievable.

Set smart plan

Smart is an acronyms popular to those in the marketing world because it’s used to measure the probability of a project to know if it’s achievable or not.

Let’s discuss S.M.A.R.T.

SPECIFIC

A good goal and plan should be a specific goal. Be as clear as possible, and use specific vocabulary not just guessing or trying to describe.

You Saying “I want to lose weight”, or “My goal is to get better at my job”, or “I want to spend more time with my family” simply means that you’re expressing the wish you have. In terms of goals, it means nothing but it’s just a wish.

If you’re not sure how to get more specific, try answering the five Ws:

Who?

What?

Where?

When?

Why?

What exactly do I want to get better at? How many pounds do I want to lose? How am I going to spend more time with my family? And so on…

“I want to take my family out to the park for 2 hours twice a week.”

“I want to lose 20 pounds by doing these exercises….”

This means getting specific. If your goals are specific enough, it’s easier to track your success at achieving them.

MEASURABLE

The weight-loss example works here as well: including the specific information about how much weight you want to lose makes the goal measurable.

If you’d like to start saving money, it’s not enough to say: “My goal is to save money.”

How much money do you want to have in your bank account? The more quantifiable your goal is, the better!

But, what do you do when your goals are abstract, like improving your relationship with your parents, for example?

The question you need to ask yourself is: how do I know that our relationship is improved?

More open communication? Having conversations about the past, the future, your emotions? Doing more activities together? In this case, these could be your measures!

ATTAINABLE

Is flying to space within the next two years a S.M.A.R.T. goal? It’s specific, it’s measurable… but, unless you’re an astronaut, it’s not really attainable.

Perhaps this is a drastic example, but you get the point. If you want to set an achievable goal, you need to account for your current situation and resources. These can have to do with your finances, emotional capacity, time, family circumstances, your position at work, etc.

If you’d like to save $10,000 within a year, but your salary is $2000 and you have a bank loan hanging over your head, then this probably isn’t an attainable goal. However, if there’s a promotion coming up, and you have only two loan payments left, then perhaps it is.

RELEVANT

What does it mean to set a relevant goal? Is there such a thing as an irrelevant goal?

Well, not in terms of importance. You’re the one who decides which goals are important to you. When we say “set relevant goals”, we mean goals that are relevant to you.

If you’re a hairdresser who’d like to expand their business and make it more visible, a relevant goal would be to get your business online, create a marketing campaign, or share posters and flyers.

TIME-BOUND

Finally, creating a time boundary will help you become more motivated, and will keep you on schedule.

If your plan is to lose weight, but there’s no time boundary, you can keep saying “I’ll start on Monday” every single Tuesday or Friday.

However, if you put it this way: “I’ll lose 20 pounds within the next two months”, you’ll hold yourself accountable to really start working out this time.

These are the basic tactics in building a smart and achievable goals and plans.