productivity Archives - Page 12 of 13

How The Past And The Future Can Get In The Way

What takes people away from living in the moment is focussing heavily on the past or future. From the past, this could be remembering a bad experience or wishing you were 10 years younger again. From the future you could be living in a negative version of yourself or what’s to come, you expect the worst-case scenario which can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for no reason.

I’ve been in both and it sucks. It’s something I have no control over and I have come to realise it’s not healthy for my mindset. Now I take control of the past or future whenever I spend time there. I only visit the past for success stories I call my victory list and I only visit my future for planning a positive outcome or seeing myself in a moment I want. I do my best not live any negative version of myself because this brings my mindset down to its knees if I let it.

Focus On The Now

7 exciting ways to focus more on the present

Through studies on happiness. Living in the present is a big factor in how you can take control of your inner happiness. It’s something I have been working on daily for a long time building my willpower to withstand the distraction of my past and future self and be present in that moment.

When we live in the present we can be grateful for what we have built for ourself and how we intend to develop ourself today for a better tomorrow. Focussing on the present depletes stress and anxiety and the more we live there the better we are within our mind.

It allows us to be grateful for family and friends we have, the environment around us and the gratefulness to be alive today.

Take a minute to look up and live in the present. How does it feel? As I was writing this I did this too and in the middle of my stomach, a feeling emerged that’s hard to describe but overall a feeling of content and happiness came about. This is a fuel we should keep topped up. Living 80% in the present and 10% in either the past or future. This will help lead a life of happiness and creates an opportunity to get more stuff done and end procrastination.

The Comparison From Yesteryear

We shouldn’t compare but we should be grateful for the privileges we have. If we compare ourselves from the average person living before the 1920s. Our standard of living as a whole is far superior and we take for granted running taps with freshwater hot or cold even an indoor toilet.

These things we can sometimes take for granted whereas it would be seen as a luxury not too long ago. Be grateful for the information we have at our fingertips. The average person can know more now than anyone from their family tree.

How I have Become More Present

Below I will discuss techniques that have allowed me to stay in the present. I’m no Buddhist monk but I’m a work in progress to live a more present life. What’s helped me is catching myself drifting too far into the past or future. If it’s something positive I let myself remain to see it’s full benefits but if it’s negative I get the hell out of there intermediately. From focussing on this I live a happier more fulfilled life. The reason I’m writing this is that I want this for you and for you to go on this journey to find your inner peace and happiness.

So below are my favourite 7 exciting ways to focus more on the present.

Tips to stay in the present

Turn Off Autopilot And Be Conscious

What can zap away being present is living life constantly on autopilot especially a constant routine that you do without thinking. Going day by day doing the same thing. Daydreaming about the future and living in the past are ways that can demoralise the best of us if left there. When you shake yourself off and begin to be conscious of where you are, this is when you can be grateful for the now and what you have in that present moment.

Focus On Your Breath

Breathing is an amazing way to be present in the moment. With all the wandering thoughts that can happen throughout the day. Coming back to the breath is an important way to regain control. Proven with studies it has many benefits to health as well as keeping us alive.

Importance Of Journaling

This is a great way to zone in on the present as you have to be consciously present to able to write what’s happening with your day and life. With amazing health benefits to boot. Journaling for me helps me gain control of my many wandering thoughts and puts them on paper and stay conscious with every thought. Also reviewing your day is a great way to stay present with what’s happening in your life.

Turn Off All Technology

In the digital age, there is nothing that can compete with taking you away from your present life. You can be hooked watching never-ending YouTube channels, streaming services and games. When you turn off your phone and become present you see what you have and what’s actually around you. Set yourself a challenge of putting your phone down and look up and experience what’s around you.

Get Out Into Nature

Getting out in nature allows you to focus on the now and create an abundance of gratefulness for what’s around you. It’s being proven to boost mood when in nature and it can create a feeling of being alive in the moment. Find your spot wherever you are to stay present in nature.

Start Listening

Sometimes we can talk too much or just zone out of conversations. Try staying present and focusing on listening intently to the person you’re communicating with. As well as building a more engaging relationship. This allows you to zone in on what’s happening right now.

Start Yoga

This is one of the best physical activities that keep you centred and in the moment. With you focussing on every breath and stance. It’s hard for you to getaway. Yoga teaches you about staying present and from your efforts you feel amazing from it.

Final Thoughts

All of the above 7 exciting ways to focus more on the present allows you to slow your life down and live in the present. When we do this we start to feel grateful for the moments we have and everything within it. How can you stay more present? Do you feel more grateful when you focus on what you have?

By Adam Smith

how to make a daily schedule that wins your day — Photo by Estée Janssens on Unsplash

The Importance Of A Daily Schedule

When growing up you probably noticed a major difference between mornings on a school day compared to a weekend. For instance, the school day was more regimented with a daily schedule. It was breakfast, get ready, brush teeth etc. The weekend was a lot more relaxed and watched a lot of Saturday morning children’s TV. As an adult, I look back and understand now the importance of what I was being taught and how a routine could allow me to take control and win my day.

The difference is that on a weekday I was productive and on the weekend I was less. This showed when I apply a daily schedule I achieve a lot more compared to days that I don’t.

If you have goals, a mission or a purpose you want to achieve. Having a daily schedule is a priority.

What Is Scheduling And Why It’s Needed

Scheduling the night before, every week and month can help organise your life. More importantly, it helps your brain for what’s to come. The more prepared you are the easier it is to execute your goals with little effort on thinking what to do next.

This is true if your building your own business where you have so many moving parts you have to deal with. It’s also the case for a manager, leader or a parent which is just as stressful as running a company.

Having a schedule gets things done and is the difference between executing and not. Just imagine your favourites sports team going out on the pitch without a plan. They would surely lose compared to someone who does if they are similar in their ability.

Is scheduling glamorous? NO! Of course, we all love days when we are free to do what we want when we want without responsibility. So schedule those days in and call them free days where you can anything you want. Sometimes we need that.

To move forward faster and execute all of your desires. Knowing what they are and when to apply them matters. You’re going to have to create a schedule to help you out. Treat it like a friend who holds you accountable for your life.

Benefits Of Scheduling

Your Never Be Late Again

What’s great about a schedule you know where you are in life and where you need to be and at what time you need to be there. How annoying is it when you forget to be somewhere or you miss that zoom call because your mind was busy on other tasks that went on for way to long. That’s why knowing beforehand and setting yourself an alarm reminder can make sure you don’t miss or be late for anything again. Also, it gives your subconscious a heads up and 8/10 times it will let you know.

You Become The Productivity King

With a schedule say bye-bye to lazy days of doing nothing and say hello to achieving your life purpose. When you have a plan of action, you act and when you act on something the law of motion takes over and momentum builds from there.

At times I never quite realise how far I have come in life. However when I look back on my week or month. I’m just amazed at the amount of stuff I have got done. That’s all down to planning and preparing my month and week ahead of schedule.

You Become A Person People Can Count On

When you know what you’re doing and act on those plans with success. People around you will take note. You will be a person who follows through on what they say and therefore become a person they can trust. On the other hand, somebody who doesn’t know what there doing in life and always say they are going do this and that but never acts upon it. Are people you can’t depend on.

If you want to be a person people can rely on. You need to plan and act on everything you set out to do. The return you will get from it will change your life with relationships, friendships and further opportunities.

Keeps You Focused And Engaged

What stops anything happening to a high standard is the focus you put into a task. When my 6-year-old son focusses, the things he achieves are incredible. When we take away a schedule from him where he can do whatever he wants to do. Just watch the chaos unfold. It can have it’s benefits and is just a great way to unwind.

Although compared to what he learns and accomplishes there’s a big difference. By him knowing his schedule that he creates himself. He stays on topic and focuses on what he has to do. A Skill that is crucial for adulthood with even more moving parts.

It Holds You Accountable

When you have a schedule and you tell people about it. It’s like glue, you’re stuck to completing it now. If your a person of integrity it acts as a motivational tool to put into action what you have set out. Make sure you tell people close to you or communities of like-minded people of what you wish to achieve. It can have some great effects.

The Tools To Set You Up For Success

Write It Down

This is a no brainier. When designing my schedule. First I write down my agenda and next to it I put a small square box. So when I achieve that intended goal. I can just tick it off. It allows me to have a sense of achievement for completing it and helps motivate me to do more.

Also, there are many apps out there that help you prepare your schedules on the move. I use Notebook to transfer my schedule onto my phone so I can have it everywhere. This helps to remind me and set me back on course

Get The Big Stuff Done

With every schedule, there are easy, hard, quick and time-consuming things to do. I always work best when I can start with the heavy stuff first with the hardest goal on your list.

Throughout the day your energy will diminish and no one wants to leave the hardest challenge to the end of the day. For instance writing, I always write in the morning because I need a fully engaged brain whilst doing it. Whereas later in the day, I do the easy stuff like networking, researching and reading.

To Conclude

Hopefully, there’s enough in this post today that inspires you to take on scheduling today. I guarantee the benefits you will gain from it will be life-changing. Just find out a strategy that works best for you and just go for it.

I would love to hear your tips and strategies of getting more out of your day. Do you agree with scheduling? Are you an avid scheduler yourself?

Processing…

Success! You're on the list.

Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.