Productive Lifestyles And 5 Ways To Build One

Hello there! The fact that you looked this up makes me think that you're tired of those dull couch potato days and want to see some serious changes in your life. Well , change is just one step away.

First of all let's dwell on what a Productive Lifestyle is?

In my opinion a productive lifestyle is characterised by a person spending most time in achieving her/his goals and doing valued and progressive work. For instance if you spend most of your time scrolling through Instagram or chilling on Netflix, then my dear, you're wasting your beautiful self. However, if you spend your time trying to finish the assignment you have to submit next week or completing your notes or practicing for the next match or performance, reading a good book, learning new words then we'd be safe to say your day has been productive.

Now how does one shift from this sloth like existance to achieving ones goals? The answer lies in the next five points.

HEALTHCARE

Your health is above everything and I can't stress enough on this fact. You need to suck it up now so you don't have to suck it up later!

What is being healthy ? The WHO definition says that it's not just the absence of a disease but the presence of physical , mental and social wellbeing. So with three mental breakdowns a week, are you really healthy? Now how do we switch?

• Exercise- You need to get up and get moving honey! Research suggests working out three times a week for half an hour can do wonders. This doesn't just improve your blood circulation, bone strength and metabolism it also helps improve concentration, reduces agression and raises the brain levels of serotonin - the Happiness hormone.

• Eat good food and keep yourself hydrated- Fries and Coke is fine once in a while but this is not what you'll be thankful for when you're 60 and dying of cholestrol. You need to add more natural and unprocessed ingredients to your meals. Raw fruits, vegetables, plant protiens and carbs will be highly appreciated by your body. Drinking 8-10 glasses of water are highly recommended.

• Maintaining proper hygiene- I'm pretty sure you've heard this before but nevertheless i'll repeat it. Brush your teeth atleast twice a day , shower everyday, wash your hair three times a week , wear clean clothes and also cut your nails regularly. Not so tricky, right?

• Have a positive mindset- Quit being stuck on that one negative remark and try embracing the countless times you've been praised. Always remember that "Good things are coming." and "This too shall pass."

TIME MANAGEMENT

You dont need more time in your day , you just need to decide!

Time management is the key to solving your biggest excuse - "I don't have time!" It simply means organising and planning how to divide time between different activities. Proper time management allows you to work smarter, not harder and get more done in less time even when the pressure is high. If you lack time management skills, you can usually find yourself netflix and chilling throughout the day. Again , How do we switch to proper time management? Listed below are some tips to help you achieve good time management skills.

• Set your goals precisely - What you could try is the SMART method which stands for Specific , Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time bound. So instead of saying "I want to be rich." , say "I want to have a $100,000 in my bank account by the time I am 25."

• Prioritize your goals - What you could try is categorising your goals into - Important and Urgent, Important but not Urgent, Urgent but not Important and Not urgent and not Important.

• Ensure breaks- " All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy." is very true for all of us so you should have a few proper breaks in between tasks for relaxing your mind. This energises and motivates you for what lies ahead.

MEDITATION

Meditation is a practice to train attention and achieve a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state. The body benefits from movement and the mind benefits from stillness. Countless studies have proven meditation helps reducing stress, anxiety and pain. Researchers from John Hopkins found 47 well designed studies on meditation and on reviewing them, found that mindful meditation can help reduce psychological stress. Suggested below are some forms which you could try out.

• Deep Breathing- Deep breathing is done by contracting the diaphragm, a muscle located above the abdominal cavity. In this exercise you make sure its your stomach that moves while breathing and not the chest.

• Body scan or progressive relaxation- In this type of meditation the person is encouraged to scan their body for areas of tension. The goal is to notice tension and to allow it to release.

• Kundalini Yoga- This is a physically active form of meditation that blends movements and mantras with deep breathing.

FEEDING YOUR BRAIN

A scientifically proven fact is that people who keep learning new things have sharper brains than those who don't. These days you don't need to hire tutors or travel miles to learn something, its all one click away!

Here are some tips you could use-

• Learn a new language

• Learn how play an instrument or drive or even ride a bike

• Master any skill - ive always wondered what ill do if my car breaks down on an isolated road , have you?

• Engage yourself in brain games.

JOURNALING

Journaling is a very productive habit. It helps you keep tabs on everything that you did and all you plan to do ahead. You task here is to get a notebook and get down everynight or morning and write what you did the previous day, reflect on it and then plan what you wish to do the following day. Some interesting things you could add in your jounal are-

• To Do lists

• Habit tracker

• Mood tracker

• Quote of the day

• Word of the day

Now that we've gone through the five ingredients that can help you improve your life from day one, all that's left to do is in your hands. Ofcourse there are a lot of other things that you can do to be more productive but you could always start with one of these and then move to whatever suits you. Remember that there's no key to success, all that exists are different ways to your very own personal key, which only you can figure out. Now don't just sit, its you who's going to decide if this is going to be just another blog you read or your first step towards a better you.

Goodluck!