Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 9/6/20
From Productivity Wishfulness to Mindful Productivity
(Anne-Laure Le Cunff | Ness Labs | Subscribe | 1100 words)
Many productivity systems that promise to make you superhuman are just fantasy.
Some telltale signs are that they make unrealistic demands, promise unrealistic results, or are advocated by a guru-like personality.
Studying these can become a form of procrastination itself. Instead, focus on building a system that works for you individually, based on your own individual needs and tendencies.
Develop this system by identifying bottlenecks, making time for self-reflection, managing your information-diet, and learning by doing.
Related: Don’t challenge yourself!
I found this in Khe Hy’s Rad Reads newsletter.
13 Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Finances
(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 2300 words)
Ways to improve your finances that take no ongoing willpower, effort, and minimal time-commitment. Some highlights:
- Invest your money in index funds without paying attention to the stock market.
- Don’t use a savings account
- Max out your company sponsored 401k match
- Get a rewards credit card, and pay it off every month
- Don’t use debit cards
- Set up automatic bill pay
- Refinance your mortgage and student loans right now
Good Enough is Just Fine
(Lawrence Yeo | More to That | 1150 words)
There’s no such thing as perfection.
But perfectionists can hamper their efforts by endlessly chasing this quality that doesn’t exist. And thus they never release their work.
Instead of struggling for the unattainable 100% standard, aim for a “Good Enough” standard of 95%.
Related: Perfectionism Paralysis Can Be Beaten By Half-Assing It
Replacing Negative Thoughts With Positive Thoughts
(Barrie Davenport | Live Bold & Bloom | 2500 Words)
Remind yourself to regularly examine your thoughts. And when they are negative, try to replace them with positive thoughts.
For example, replace “I am helpless” with “I am powerful and in control of my own destiny.”
Replace “Nothing good ever happens to me” with “I am surrounded by an abundance of opportunities.”
Replace “I am so angry at that person” with “I respect and love myself enough to let go of anger and live in peace.”
7 Grounding Exercises For When You Feel Overwhelmed
(Steven Handel | The Emotion Machine | 1650 words)
When you find yourself feeling stressed or overwhelmed, try grounding yourself in the present moment with these techniques:
- Five Senses: What do you see? What do you hear? What do you feel? What do you smell? What do you taste?
- 10 Slow, Deep Breaths
- Mindful Stretching: Yoga, Tai Chi, or just stretching while paying attention to your body.
- Nature Bathing: Go outside and take a walk. Ideally in a forest or park, but if that’s not convenient, just getting outside is helpful. Or if you can’t get outside, watch a video of nature.
- Spend Time With a Pet or Stuffed Animal
- Feel-Good Smells
- Sound Meditation: Take 30 seconds to listen to the world
Bonus Boost
Who’s to Blame For Your Weight
(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 700 words)
Focusing on blame when it comes to weight is unhelpful. Blaming yourself is demotivating and unfair, because you may have been cursed with a lousy metabolism.
But saying you’re not to blame is also demotivating – that’s just making excuses.
Instead, focus on taking ownership. Your weight may not be your fault. But only you can take the necessary actions to improve it.
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