Tag: productive

MAJOR LEANINGS FROM THE BOOK : THE 5 AM CLUB

1. The first hour of the day is the golden hour and thus in the first hour from 5 am to 6 am applying  the 20/20/20 formula can truly change your performance of the whole day.

2. It states that the first 20 minutes are for exercising, the next 20 minutes are for growing i.e. reading or listening podcast or audiobooks.

3. By performing these activities you awaken the 4 interior empires( mindset, heart set, soul set, and health set) because if you want to experience empires in your outer life you need to develop your inner ones first.

4. Waking up at 5 am can enhance peoples productivity and happiness and as a result people can achieve an epic height of success in their professional as well as personal life.

I recommend everyone reading this blog to please read this book once.

HAPPY READING ; )

Thank you!

How to Restore Our Sleep Cycle

Pandemic has a huge impact on the sleep pattern of the people around the world. Some of them are tossing side to side to get a proper sleep during night time, other stay long awake but unable to regulate their usual pattern. Many experts also suggested that these days people often faces troubled sleep, with many going to bed far later and sleeping longer than usual.

Image: Shutterstock

Our sleep schedules do vary from person to person, depending in large part on the environmental causes. Because according to our circadian clock , that control our sleep schedules are sensitive to light like things like how much sunlight we’re exposed to throughout the day and what types of light we’re exposed to at night affect our sleep schedules. It’s really a huge problem, having a disrupted sleep schedule can result in deteriorating sleep pattern. But this will led to severe health ailments linked to several chronic health problems, such as sleep disorders, obesity, diabetes, depression, bipolar disorder, and seasonal affective disorders etc.

Image: Banala lite

But there are some suggested ways to get our disrupted sleep back on track:

  • A proper bed time routine: Try to stick to a schedule of sleep, like keeping your sleep-wake cycle the same. Our bodies have a circadian rhythm and walking up at different times disrupts it. The less you deviate from your normal bed and wake up times, the better you sleep. To get to sleep earlier, even doctors recommends going slowly and in small increments, adjusting no more than 15 minutes earlier every two to three days.
  • A touch of nature: Get a good amount of sunlight every morning. It serves an important purpose: it shuts down the release of melatonin, this hormone promotes sleep. Aim to get at least 15 minutes of sunlight every morning.

      Image: NPR

  • Cut off caffeine before sleep: Caffeine has a half-life of six to eight hours and a quarter-life of 12 hours. That means if you drink coffee at 4 pm, you’ll still have a quarter of the caffeine floating around in your brain at 4 am.
  • Limit your drinking habit: Alcohol suppresses REM sleep cause sleep disruptions. If you drink alcohol, limit that to two drinks or stop the intake at least three hours before bed.
  • Limit the screen timings: Avoid screen timings just before going to bed. As blue light of mobile screen interfere with sleep habits by sending wrong signals to stay awake. But many of us do it anyway. Avoid screen time before 2 hours of going to bed.
  • Journaling: You can’t get a proper sleep if something is bothering you, it’s always better to pen down your worries in a diary. Making this a habit can lessen your worries. Sit down with a blank piece of paper one to two hours before bed each night. Writing down your thoughts, especially anything that is bothering you. It will help you to schedule your activities and calm your mind.
Image: Unsplash

Meditation and Music: Meditation eases your woes by giving a direction to your thoughts. To get a proper sleep one should practice this 10 minutes daily routine. On the other hand, music calms mind and listening to a relaxing one will help to achieve sleep.

  • Avoid sleeping at day time: To promote better sleep one should avoid day time nap, so as to get a better sleep at night.
  • Environment: Make a good sleeping environment like switching off unnecessary lights and put on the curtains to prevent the entry of noise and lights. Take a warm bath and play some relaxing music, for instance. Make sure your bed is comfortable, the room is dark, and the temperature is not too warm.

These are the ways which enable us regain our disturbed sleep pattern. Sleep, itself promotes body healing. So, this is advised to get a proper 7-8 hours of sleep during night time.

Image: PBS

HOW TO HAVE A PRODUCTIVE WEEKEND

Nothing brings a human joy more than a weekend. Friday evening, when you logout of your office and take a huge sigh of relief, nothing could beat that. We often make huge plans for the weekend but end up curled up in bed doing the bare minimum. And this is a universal phenomenon. Weekend brings a wave of laziness with it and we give into it. Although weekends are made for resting but doing something productive could be a cherry on the cake.

Some things you can try to do to get something extra out of your weekends are listed below:
1. Firstly, to do anything you need to have a plan. You must figure out what tasks you have to complete in those two days and the amount of time then left for all the rest and leisure activities.
2. Household chores always come at top of the list. These are the only two days when you can oversee everything.
3. Next do something you have been putting of for a long time. For example- exercising, meditating, gardening, etc.
4. Some people like to go out every once in a while. Weekends are the perfect opportunity to go out and meet your friends and family.
5. Some people like spending this time alone and honestly, that is the best use of the weekend. You need to give yourself time to rejuvenate from the chaotic week you had.
6. Lastly, take the trip you have been delaying for so long. Go to your nearest spot, have a picnic and make a day out of it.

The most important thing you can and should do is disconnect yourself from social media. Just for two days, try being away from the world. We use this time for rest but if we stay on our phones all the time watching useless videos then what’s the point of it all. Instead of letting social media dictate how you spend your weekend, keep your phone aside and go outside. Go for a long drive, eat at a restaurant, go to the gym, just do anything that would keep you away from those adorable cat videos on the internet. Another thing to keep in mind is that you not only need to disconnect from social media but the world all together. Stop being available for people on the weekends unless it’s an emergency. Use this time to be with yourself. You must set boundaries especially with your work colleagues. You can check your messages once in a day but letting people think you are available will only take away your weekend joy.

The above tips were for people who like to do things according to a plan but there are a lot of people who are spontaneous. I need not tell them how to spend their weekends. They will go wherever their heart takes them. It could be a short trip, a weekend long party, a get together, etc. These are the people who know how to unwind properly. You must rest but you should also do something productive before you head into another hectic week. Spending your weekend doing nothing will only lead to regret in the coming week while accomplishing even a single task will keep you satisfied and you can look forward to another fun filled weekend. Lastly, weekends are a great opportunity to plan ahead for the coming week and ensure you stay productive throughout the week.

Go ahead, have some fun, it’s the WEEKEND!

How can you improve your English during Lockdown?

Business English Course in London

 

 

As Indian we’re mostly multi-lingual and almost 85 percent people know Hindi or use it to communicate but with globalization and with the arrival of big MNCs we’ve realized the importance of English. Even though we learn English in school, why aren’t we so confident while speaking? We learn a language and attain fluency in it only when we practice it in our day to day life but learning English is limited to school or coaching classes. Maybe you’re weak point is reading or you face problems with pronunciation or what so ever. I believe you could utilize your lockdown into being productive and overcoming your flaws by improving your English Language.

Here are some of the ways that you may try to get a better grasp of English Language:

  • Reading everyday-

Make it a habit to regularly read aloud a text for at least 15 minutes daily. You could either read a newspaper/ e-newspaper, begin with a simple book or read paragraphs in English online.

 

  • Listening to Music-

You could find different kinds of English music according to your genre. Try listening to them while looking at the lyrics. Start with slow English songs for better understanding.

 

  • Listen to Podcasts-

Podcasts are a great way to learn a language. You could listen to podcasts where two people are conversing, a monologue by a person or a story narration.

http://https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/podcasts

 

  • Refer dictionary-

I personally prefer online dictionaries as they also correct us with our pronunciation and for better understanding they use the word in a sentence as an example  for better understanding.

http://https://www.merriam-webster.com/

 

  • Learn by chatting-

In the world of social media we’re used to chatting online but most of the time we don’t talk in  English. There are Chatting apps available as  a simulator to learn English.

http://https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yobimi.chatenglish&hl=en_IN&gl=US

 

  • Write-

Whenever you get time just start writing on any random topic. It doesn’t matter if there’s grammatical mistake or you’re unable to find exact words for the sentence. Pick up a random topic from google and start writing about it as per your understanding. Later on you can correct your mistakes my pasting the content on grammar checker apps and learn from your mistakes.

 

  • Duolingo-

This app is probably the best for learning any language. I highly recommend using it.

http://https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.duolingo

 

  • YouTube/Online course-

If you aren’t willing to pay for learning English, there are lots of options available online. One of them is YouTube where you’d find detailed explanations and better tips for English. Secondly, you can enroll for free online courses as well.

 

 

Procrastination

There is a rule of science according to many great scientists “The entropy of this universe always tends to increase”. Now, what does this mean? It simply means that everything in this universe eventually moves from order to disorder. Nothing wants to settle itself unless or until some force is applied to it. Ok, if we go to some literal definitions of procrastination, it is the delaying or postponing of a task. It is the force that stops you from doing what you are going to do, regardless of whether you term it a degenerative or procrastination or anything else.

So definitions are all cool but let’s come to the reasons now. Why do we procrastinate tho we know it is harmful to our future?

Has it something to do with your self-control or is it fair enough to call a person lazy? Being lazy means doing nothing or state of inactivity but procrastination means doing something which is not important at that time by ignoring what is important.

Being very specific the answer is no. The Quote simply says it all.

“I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.”

Jerome K. Jerome (Three Men in a Boat, 1889).

Let’s see this scientifically, say we have two versions of ourselves one is our present self and the other one is our future self. We know eating healthy and doing workouts is good for our future self. And for his sake, we make plans at night about being productive the very next day, but in the morning we usually don’t follow our plans. And one of the major reasons for this is the comfort of our present self, who doesn’t want to ruin his sweet sleep early in the morning.

We make decisions for our future self but ultimately our present self has to implement those plans. And being very truthful our present self does want to do anything which will comfort us only in our future. I mean who wants to eat a bowl of salad for being healthy after months when all you can have is a donut now. Why would I wake up early in a winter morning for doing workout whose results are going to show after months from now when I am in my warm soft bed, cuddling my favorite pillow.

So now the major question is how to stop procrastinating? Let’s explain each step one by one.

Phase 1: Recognize that you’re going to procrastinate

You could be putting off a job because you had to re-prioritize your workload. If for a very good reason, you are momentarily avoiding a significant mission, then you are not procrastinating. Nevertheless, if you start putting things off indefinitely, or changing the emphasis because you want to stop doing it, then perhaps you are.

Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday.

Phase 2: Try to find out the reasons why you procrastinate

Try to find out why you don’t want to do a task which is that important to you. There could be a lot of reasons like you just don’t want to continue with your job but you have to due to some reasons, maybe you are not active enough when it comes to working, it could be anything and surprisingly perfectionism could also lead to procrastination sometimes as we might think we don’t have enough skills to complete the task, but try to find out a solution for your every reason.

Phase 3: Forgive yourself that you have procrastinated in the past. Research suggests that self-forgiveness will make you feel more optimistic about yourself and that the probability of procrastination in the future.

Phase 3: Come on to the job. Keep on doing that, not avoiding it. Write down the tasks you need to do, and determine the time to complete the tasks. It will allow you to take a positive approach to your job.

Phase 4: Promise yourself a reward for that. When you’re finishing a tough task in time, reward yourself with a treat, such as a slice of cake or a coffee from your favorite coffee shop. Just make sure you remember how good it feels to finish things off!

Phase 5: Rephrase the internal conversation. For example, the phrases “need to” and “have to” mean that you don’t have a choice in what you do. It can make you feel helpless and even lead to self-sabotage. Nonetheless, saying, “I want to,” means that you own a project which can help you feel more in control of your workload.

Phase 6: Minimize the noise. Switch off your email and social media, and stop sitting anywhere near a TV while you’re working!

The aim is to “eat the elephant beetle” first thing, every day! Get those things you find the least fun out of the way early. This will allow you the rest of the day to focus on the job you find more enjoyable.

So lets conclude this with a message which actually define procrastination

“Procrastination is reading all the quotes on this page when you have a huge report due tomorrow.”

R. T. A. Birektt (wish I thought of this one)

Here is some tips for people who wish to pass their time productively and it’s benifits!

3 ways to spend your time productively

1. Online course

Variety of programs and courses: From traditional four-year universities to completely online career colleges, higher education today offers a variety of options for students. This means that no matter what students study, from nursing to neuroscience, they can find the courses or programs they need online. Students can also earn every academic degree online, from a career certificate to a doctorate.

More comfortable learning environment: Commercials that feature online students studying in their pajamas only skims the surface of one of the benefits of online education no physical class sessions. Students listen to lectures and complete assignments sent to them electronically, with no need to fight traffic, leave work early for class, or miss important family time.

Convenience and flexibility: Online courses give students the opportunity to plan study time around the rest of their day, instead of the other way around. Students can study and work at their convenience. Course material is always accessible online, making special library trips unnecessary. All of these benefits help students balance work and family commitments with their education.

Lower total costs: Online programs prove a more affordable option than traditional colleges. Though not all online degrees offer less expensive net tuition prices than traditional colleges, associated expenses almost always cost less. For example, there are no commuting costs, and sometimes required course materials, such as textbooks, are available online at no cost. In addition, many colleges and universities accept credits earned via free massive open online courses (MOOCs), the most recent advance in online education. These free online courses can help students fulfill general education requirements.

2. Volunteering

  • Gain confidence. Volunteering can help you gain confidence by giving you the chance to try something new and build a real sense of achievement.
  • Make a difference. Volunteering can have a real and valuable positive affect on people, communities and society in general.
  • Meet people.Volunteering can help you meet different kinds of people and make new friends.
  • Be part of a community. Volunteering can help you feel part of something outside your friends and family.
  • Learn new skills. Volunteering can help you learn new skills, gain experience and sometimes even qualifications.
  • Take on a challenge. Through volunteering you can challenge yourself to try something different, achieve personal goals, practice using your skills and discover hidden talents.
  • Have fun! Most volunteers have a great time, regardless of why they do it. 

3. Digital Marketing

Marketing is all about connecting with your audience in the right place at the right time. In the age of digitization, your best strategy would be to meet your customers online where they are already spending much time. Digital platforms are increasingly getting associated with marketing schemes and everyday life. In such circumstances, it’s essential to understand the key benefits of digital marketing. By incorporating technology-focused strategies into marketing, business owners can gain better outputs easily. So, What Exactly is Digital Marketing?

According to Victor he says, Digital marketing is the promotion of products/services via various forms of electronic media, mainly based on the internet. Basically, the definition of digital marketing refers to all of your online marketing efforts. Many businesses have already experienced advantages of digital marketing over traditional marketing. Unlike traditional marketing, it involves the use of channels and methods for a proper understanding in the real-time scenario. Thus, organizations can analyze marketing campaigns and implement necessary steps accordingly. Regardless of what your company sells, digital marketing can work effectively for any industry. With digital marketing, you can see results much faster than you might with offline marketing. The interactive nature of digital marketing strategies helps companies to grow their client base in a short span of time.

So what are you all waiting for don’t spend all your precious time by just sleep or gaming let’s do something productive.

You can also try blogging or start your very own YouTube channel or sketch the idea’s in your mind and make it into a reality!