Below are some extremely easy tips to start the new year. Little hacks can have profound impacts.
1. PLACE YOUR ALARM ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE BEDROOM
Every YouTube productivity guru seems to start with this simple hack and swear it allows them to get up on time. The trick works because you get up, turn the alarm off and since you are already up, complete your morning routine. What works better is setting the alarm in a different room and walking out of your room.
2. CARRY A WATER BOTTLE WHEREVER YOU GO
This is key to staying hydrated and not mistaking thirst for hunger. This helps with weight goals, having glowing skin and reduced temptation towards sugary and calorie-filled drinks. This simple hack can help you save money.
3. LIMIT/HAVE NO JUNK FOOD IN THE HOUSE
If you have biscuits, chocolate, sweets and crisps in the house YOU WILL EVENTUALLY EAT THEM. The trick is to make it difficult for yourself to get junk food. It's easier to eat what is in front of you than to put on clothes and shoes then drive to the nearest shop and get the junk food you need. So making it difficult to get junk food and easy to have non-processed options can help you curb this habit.
4. KEEP YOUR PHONE ON SILENT AND UPSIDE DOWN
Phones are designed to steal as much of our attention as possible. With every buzz and every ping, we develop the habit of checking our phones. An easy little tip is to put your phone on aeroplane mode and keep it away from you or flipped downwards. This will slowly allow you to build focus.
5. WRITE A TO-DO LIST WITH A SCHEDULED TIME AND PRIORITY SET
To-do lists are very popular and quite common. However, simply making a to-do list isn't good enough as most people tend to do things they enjoy and neglect anything that is difficult or they simply spend too much time on one task without taking into consideration the priority of this task as compared to the others. When setting an item on a to-do, it's important to state how important it is and also what time you intend on doing it. This is known as an implementation intention, where you state when and where you plan on doing something
6. INCORPORATE TIME-BLOCKING
Time-blocking is a concept that was highlighted in the book Deep Work by Cal Newport. This is a neat little way of making sure each hour of the day is accounted for. By following this method, one can get more done as this is another form of an implementation intention. Time blocking is the process of scheduling each hour of every day and then adjusting as the day progresses.
7. TAKE AT LEAST 10 MINUTES EVERY DAY TO BE STILL/QUIET
We unfortunately live in a world where we rarely have time to simply sit with our thoughts. The truth is if one wanted we could wake up to music, go to work listening to a podcast/audible, have lunch whilst conversing, drive home listening to music and then sit in front of the binge-watching Netflix. Our brains need solitude, time to work through problems, time to deal with mental issues, and time to rest. Yet, we don't give it any time whatsoever.
Take ten minutes to sit in a room alone, do devices and simply breathe allowing your mind to wonder.
There is no one-size-fits-all all. Make sure to tailor your changes to your personality and lifestyle.
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