Tag: Happiness

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Five Boosts For Life Satisfaction

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Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 2/23/21

Today’s boosts are about being satisfied.

The easiest way to improve your life is to be happier about the life you already have.

Daily Happiness: 13 Simple Ways to Find it In Your Life

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | 1,050 words)

There’s a lot of happiness to be found in regular days. Suggestions include:

  • Appreciate your partner, friend, family member, or yourself.
  • Take 5 minutes to help someone out.
  • Smile more.
  • Say yes to something new.
  • Take a 2-minute laugh break

Related: 10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Be Happier

5 Questions to Deepen Your Joy

(Ingrid Fetell Lee | Aesthetics of Joy | 2,200 words)
  • How did adults demonstrate joy when you were a child?
  • Who are you when you’re most joyful?
  • When did you struggle, then change and find more joy?
  • What will your joy be like when you’re 80?
  • How would you change your life to make joy a priority?

Related: 7 Ways to Make 2021 a Year of Growth and Joy

How to Be Happier About Your Money

(Nicole Andrews | Happier Mindset | 1,850 words)

Struggling to make ends meet can make you miserable. But wealth doesn’t necessarily make you happy. You need to use money the right ways:

  • Don’t prioritize money over time.
  • Give yourself a safety net.
  • Learn to budget.
  • Buy experiences instead of things.
  • Spend on others.

You’re Never Going to Feel Good Enough

(Holly Riordan | Thought Catalog | 500 words)

Everyone makes mistakes. Everyone feels inferior to others’ social media highlight reels. Nobody’s life fits the pattern they planned. Nobody’s perfect. Nobody’s 100% satisfied with themself.

Everyone has room to improve. It’s great to strive for improvement. Don’t think this means you’re not good enough.

How to Be Lucky

(Christian Busch | Psych | 2,850 words)

“Luck” is more mindset than chance.

Lucky people aren’t favored by fate. They’re better at noticing opportunities, understanding how they’re opportunities, then acting on them.

To become luckier:

  • Prepare for the unexpected.
  • Challenge how you do things to see if there’s a better way.
  • Start journaling, declutter your life, and carve out “me time.”
  • Use “serendipity hooks” – questions or comments that may lead to something.
  • Reframe mistakes and setbacks as opportunities.

Bonus Boost

It’s not entirely on topic, but this will make you feel good about the world. Watch this amazing POV footage from the Perseverance rover landing on Mars.

Excel: Beginner to Rockstar

I’m launching a new business.

Before switching to Self-Improvement and Weight Loss, I spent 20 years in Accounting and Finance for start-ups, rising to the level of CFO. Now I’m putting my expertise to use teaching Excel.

Could winning at Excel win your next job?

Or save you hundreds of hours as an entrepreneur?

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to increase your Excel skills 100% or more in four weeks. You’ll be able to get twice as much done in half the time, amaze your boss and potential employers, and enjoy unparalleled job security.

Rockstar Excel Presents

Excel: Beginner to Rockstar Course

Starting March 18, 2021

Are you an entrepreneur who struggles to finish everything?

Are you an employee whose career is stuck in neutral?

Are you looking to become more efficient and organized?

Would you like to get more done in less time?

Mastering Excel could be the solution!

Imagine taking minutes to complete what used to take you hours. Picture what you could do with five extra hours a week. What if you never had to worry about layoffs, because your skills made you too valuable for your company to lose?

I want to rock Excel
and get my free Expense Tracker

Be sure to follow @YourselfHelping on Twitter.

Enjoy Five Boosts By Self Helping Yourself? Be sure to Subscribe and check out the Self Helping Yourself site.

Enjoy Five Boosts? Please consider buying me a coffee.

As well as writing the posts for Self Helping Yourself, and Rockstar Excel.

If you can’t donate, you can always help by subscribing, recommending Five Boosts, Self Helping Yourself, or any articles to your friends, or by rating/reviewing The Weight Loss Habit on Amazon. (If you’ve read it.)

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How to Have a Happy New Year – Five Boosts 12/29/20

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Photo by Candice Picard on Unsplash

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 12/29/20

How to Maintain a Happy, Healthy Mindset

(NeuroGym | 2775 words)

To be joyful and happy:

  1. Let go of perfection
  2. Ask “How can I?” instead of “What if I fail?”
  3. Feel grateful, and receive graciously
  4. Focus on what you want to be, instead of what you want to have
  5. Smile for your health and happiness
  6. Be excited to give love

Note: This article is about the holidays, but applies to life in general.

Related: 10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Be Happier

5 Ways Being Vulnerable Can Make You Happier

(Caitlin Sinclair | The Self Improvement Blog | 1100 words)

A willingness to be vulnerable, rather than put up walls, improves your happiness.

  1. You accept your feelings
  2. Others feel more comfortable around you
  3. You catch your own self-tricks
  4. You stop destructive behaviors
  5. You’re okay with imperfection

Happiness Can Be a Choice

(Perry Gruber | Blisspot | 375 words)

Happiness is more about mindset than circumstances.

When you decide to be happy, it creates happiness.

Which then leads to better circumstances.

Related: Optimism and Pessimism are Self-Fulfilling

How to Spend Your Money For Maximum Happiness

(Gulnaz Khan | Popular Science | 2225 words)

Money can buy happiness if you spend it the right way.

Buying an expensive car doesn’t bring long-lasting joy. But there are other ways cash can make you more content:

  1. Use money to buy time.
  2. Invest in experiences.
  3. Spend on others.
  4. Focus on human connection.

I found this article in Greg Roth’s The Idea Enthusiast.

In 2021, Start Making the First Move

(Holly Riordan | Thought Catalog | 525 words)

Don’t wait for life to come to you.

Take action to improve your life. Be the one to initiate things.

In romance, career, friendship, or self-improvement, it’s up to you to take the first step.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Be sure to follow @YourselfHelping on Twitter.

Enjoy Five Boosts By Self Helping Yourself? Be sure to Subscribe and check out the Self Helping Yourself site.

Enjoy Five Boosts? Please consider buying me a coffee.

I work hard reviewing hundreds of articles a week to find five that contain the best advice on easy ways to improve your life.

As well as writing the posts for Self Helping Yourself, and Rockstar Excel.

If you can’t donate, you can always help by subscribing, recommending Five Boosts, Self Helping Yourself, or any articles to your friends, or by rating/reviewing The Weight Loss Habit on Amazon. (If you’ve read it.)

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Five Boosts 12/1/20 – Be Thankful for Imperfections

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Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 12/1/20

Before getting to this week’s boosts, I want to thank Lynn DeLong for her lovely review of The Weight Loss Habit. Please do check it out.

5 Reasons to Embrace Your Imperfections

(Josh Spector | For the Interested | 700 words)

Imperfections make us unique. They make our creations interesting and relatable. And give us room to grow.

Perfect is boring.

Moreover, there’s no such thing as perfect. It’s an unattainable standard. Chasing perfection is an excuse to avoid finishing our work.

Related: Perfectionism Paralysis Can be Beaten by Half-Assing It

The Power of Thankfulness: 5 Essential Tips

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | 725 words)

Gratitude hugely increases your happiness.

  1. Think of three things to be thankful for today, and 3 people to be thankful for in life.
  2. Tell people you’re thankful for them.
  3. Think of 3 aspects of yourself you’re thankful for.
  4. Be thankful for things you take for granted.
  5. Start and end your day with thankfulness.

Delightful December Can Make You Happier

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 825 words)

Delightful December is a month-long challenge to dramatically improve your mood.

  1. Avoid posting anything negative on social media.
  2. Instead, every day in December, post:
  • Something you’re grateful for.
  • Something that made you happy.
  • Something you’re looking forward to.

5 Tools to Manage Anxiety When it Arises

(Kristina Hallett, PhD, ABPP | Mind Body Green | 875 words)

A certain amount of anxiety is normal. To manage it:

  1. Stop with the “what-ifs.”
  2. Return to the present moment.
  3. Engage your senses.
  4. Practice progressive muscle relaxation.
  5. Go for a walk.

What Successful People Know About Failure

(LaRae Quy | laraequy.com | 1300 words)

Everyone experiences failure. It’s naturally unpleasant, but it’s also an opportunity.

  1. Failure feeds the starving brain. Is this a challenge to keep pursuing, or should we shift focus to something else?
  2. Failure gives us humility.
  3. Failure leads to new discoveries.
  4. Failure gets our attention.

Bonus Boost

15 Ways to Avoid Gaining Weight Over the Holidays

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 1750 words)

The holidays are an especially difficult time for those of us who struggle with weight.

Here are some tips to avoid common pitfalls, without relying on willpower. Including:

  • Skip less exciting dishes.
  • Serve yourself tiny portions.
  • Compliment people while declining their food.
  • Use a smaller plate.
  • Don’t sit or stand near food.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

Be sure to follow @YourselfHelping on Twitter.

Enjoy Five Boosts By Self Helping Yourself? Be sure to Subscribe and check out the Self Helping Yourself site.

Enjoy Five Boosts? Please consider buying me a coffee.

I work hard reviewing hundreds of articles a week to find five that contain the best advice on easy ways to improve your life.

As well as writing the posts for Self Helping Yourself, and Rockstar Excel.

If you can’t donate, you can always help by subscribing, recommending Five Boosts, Self Helping Yourself, or any articles to your friends, or by rating/reviewing The Weight Loss Habit on Amazon. (If you’ve read it.)

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Doubt, Optimism, and Decisions – Five Boosts 10/27/20

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Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 10/27/20

Photo by Jill Wellington from Pexels

How to Overcome Self-Doubt – Secrets to Believing In Yourself

(Tanuj Sarva | INYK | 1175 words)

Self-doubt can hold us back from achieving our goals. Common reasons for self doubt are:

  • Comparing ourselves to others
  • Being our own worst critic
  • Overthinking things
  • Fear of failure

Some ways to overcome this are:

  • Make a decision within 5 seconds
  • Direct all your energy in one direction instead of splitting your focus
  • Accept that progress isn’t linear
  • Be okay with mistakes – you’re still learning

10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Live Life Better

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 2100 words)

Ways to live better that don’t take any effort, willpower, or time-commitment, including:

  • Write down your goals every day
  • Turn off notifications
  • Don’t take one-size-fits-all advice
  • Realize that nobody has it all figured out
  • Be grateful for the modern world
  • Assign names to your problems and negative feelings

How to Become an Optimist: 3 Daily Habits

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | 525 words | Subscribe)

To become more of an optimist:

  • Ask yourself questions to help see the optimistic viewpoint
  • Get optimistic support from the world around you
  • Start your day in an optimism creating way

How to Change a Habit Using This One Simple Rule

(Dean Yeong | deanyeong.com | 775 words)

Yeong suggests that to change habits, start small, and do slightly more each day.

I write a lot about habits. I even named my weight loss book after them. I think this advice might be a bit oversimplified, but it’s certainly a good place to start.

Your Guide to Making Big Decisions

(Sunny Fitzgerald | TheLily | 1850 words)

If you’re struggling with a difficult decision:

  • Assess the moment
  • Make sure you’re in the right state of mind
  • Put time aside to really think about it
  • Get advice, especially from people with different points of view
  • Do the best with what you’ve got
  • Have hope

I found this in Tuseet Jha’s Happier Today newsletter.

See also: Eight Things to Consider When Evaluating Risk

Bonus Boost

Celebrate Your Diet

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 900 words)

Your diet will be much more successful if you see it as an act of joy, and not a miserable burden.

You need a sense of pride and excitement to reward yourself for good eating decisions, in order to turn those good decisions into an automatic habit you’ll be able to keep for life.

If you’re dieting out of a sense of shame, you’ll make yourself miserable. You’ll be motivated to quit so you can stop feeling that shame and misery.

But if you focus on excitement for what your future body will give you, then all your motivation will be to keep going, and to keep that body once you achieve it.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

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Creativity, Happiness, And Sleep – Five Boosts 10/20/20

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Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 10/20/20

Photo by Belinda Fewings on Unsplash

14 More Incredibly Easy Ways to Sleep Better

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 2150 words)

Sleeping better will improve your life in every way.

It will make you happier, more productive, improve your relationships, and allow you to get more done.

Here are some methods to sleep better that don’t take any effort, willpower, time-commitment, or sacrifice.

Related: 15 Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Sleep

5 Subconscious Behaviors Guaranteed to Kill Your Creativity

(Tuseet Jha | tuseetjha.com | 1325 words | Subscribe)

Everyone can be creative. But you may be sabotaging yourself by doing the following:

  1. You don’t think you can be creative.
  2. You refuse to try new experiences.
  3. You assume you are the expert in what you know.
  4. You don’t challenge your assumptions.
  5. You wait for inspiration to strike.

Also, thank you to Tuseet Jha for recommending my Incredibly Easy series in his newsletter.

How to Be Happy in Hard Times

(Melissa Burkley PhD | Psychology Today | 1050 words)

A lot of people are going through difficult times these days. But there are still things you can do to increase your happiness:

  1. Listen to music.
  2. Focus on values.
  3. Connect with others in new ways.
  4. Get outside.
  5. Be grateful.

A 5-Step Road Map for Saying ‘No’

(Erin Zammett Ruddy | Forge | 350 words)

To avoid overcommitting yourself, you need to learn how to politely say “no.” Remember, every time you say “yes” to something, you’re also saying “no” to whatever you would have used that time for.

  1. Remind yourself time is valuable and you can’t get it back.
  2. Ask yourself if you’d be willing to do it tomorrow.
  3. Respond quickly.
  4. Own your “no” if it’s not a priority.
  5. Reframe your “no” if it’s something you wish you had time for.

I found this article in the Recomendo newsletter.

Getting Things Done

(Julia Evans | jvns.ca | 1075 words)

I generally don’t include productivity systems in Five Boosts, because I don’t believe there’s One True Method of Doing Things. Different strategies work for different people.

However this article is more about mindset, and I think it will be helpful to most people.

Evans suggests you:

  • Have a vision
  • Focus by doing one or two things at a time
  • Learn how to break things down
  • Get something done every day
  • Talk to someone when you get stuck
  • Don’t be scared of small problems
  • Do whatever’s necessary
  • Have deadlines
  • Believe in yourself
  • Know you can do a lot

Note that this article is unrelated to the David Allen “Getting Things Done” productivity system.

I found this in Trevor McKendrick’s How it Actually Works newsletter.

Bonus Boost

Don’t Let a Slip Up Make You Give Up

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 825 words)

Everyone makes mistakes.

This is true when trying to lose weight, and it’s true in any other life improvement.

Making a mistake shouldn’t be an excuse to quit.

You should simply learn from it, forgive yourself, and do your best going forward.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

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Sleep, Focus, And Time – Five Boosts 8/30/20

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Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 8/30/20

The Power of Bright-Line Rules

(Rakaelle Price | Medium | 1,050 words)

A bright-line rule is a commitment you make with no wiggle-room.

While gradual improvement might seem easier, in many cases giving yourself a strict rule actually helps you out.

For example, you may decide to spend less time on social media. But that’s vague. How much is “less time?” It creates a lot of decisions, with the potential for rationalization and guilt.

But if you set a rule saying “No social media after 6:00,” you know the right thing to do.

I found this in Nir Eyal’s Nir and Far newsletter.

15 Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Sleep

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 1,650 words)
  1. Don’t cut back on sleep to get more done
  2. Wear orange glasses before bed
  3. Get blackout curtains
  4. Wear an eye mask
  5. Spend between $800 and $1,500 on a mattress
  6. Buy the right pillow
  7. Take your own pillow on trips
  8. Don’t take long naps
  9. Take short naps
  10. Don’t use a snooze alarm – ever
  11. Sleep in the right position
  12. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon/evening
  13. Make your bed when you first get up
  14. Don’t weekend-jetlag yourself
  15. Learn your individual chronotype

8 Really Bad Habits (We All Do) That Drain Our Focus)

(Nicolas Cole | The Ladders | 1,450 words)

You’ll be a lot more focused and productive if you stop doing these things:

  1. Constantly checking your phone
  2. Not really listening
  3. Multitasking
  4. Working with the TV on
  5. Working in unproductive environments
  6. Working with unproductive people
  7. Lack of preparation
  8. Using notifications

Why Time Management Won’t Solve Your Time Problem (And Nine Things That Will)

(Becky Kane | Ambition & Balance by Doist | 2,200 words)

Ways to feel less busy:

  1. Identify the values you’re sacrificing to busyness
  2. Accept that you can’t do everything
  3. Do one thing at a time
  4. Invest in aimless acts of creativity
  5. Read a book
  6. Spend time with friends
  7. Give your time away
  8. Spend 15 minutes outdoors
  9. Make space for stillness and solitude

How to Deal With Disappointment: 12 Helpful Steps

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | 1,950 words | Subscribe)

Sometimes disappointments happen in life. To move forward afterward:

  1. Accept how you feel
  2. Remember you’re not a disappointment
  3. Learn from it
  4. Remember disappointment happens when you leave your comfort zone
  5. Refocus on what you’ve got
  6. Talk it over with someone close
  7. Adjust your expectations
  8. Take a break
  9. Get outside your own head
  10. Find energy and motivation with help from others
  11. Find a small step to start moving forward
  12. Improve your self-esteem

Bonus Boost

Everything You’ve Heard About Dieting is Wrong

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 1,050 words)

Diets don’t work because they’re too hard, and you can’t maintain them for life. At best, you’ll temporarily lose weight, but gain it back as soon as you stop the diet.

The right way to lose weight is to use the right strategies to build habits that are easy enough to keep for life.

The most important habit is to think before you eat, make, or buy food, make a rational decision about what and how much to eat, and then celebrate and take pride in your good decisions.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

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Toxic People And A Second Brain – Five Boosts 8/23/20

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Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 8/23/20

Build Your Second Brain

(Dean Yeong | deanyeong.com | 225 words | Subscribe)

Keep a file on your favorite note-taking app called “Quick Capture,” so you can jot down any thoughts as they come to you, and don’t have to worry about remembering them.

Then schedule time at the end of the day or week to review these so you can act on them, add them to your to-do list, or do whatever’s appropriate.

I like this because it’s so much simpler than most personal information management systems I’ve seen. My general belief is that self-help advice needs to make improvement easier, not harder.

11 Incredibly Easy Things to Stop Doing to Be Happier

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 2025 words)

Common ways people sabotage their own happiness that would be easy to stop, including:

  • Arguing on the internet
  • Doomscrolling and catastrophism
  • Expecting people to be mind-readers
  • Wishing things were better and dreaming up solutions to problems they have no control over
  • Spending time around toxic people
  • Taking it personally when someone’s a jerk

How to Deal With Difficult People

(John Hernandez | Addicted2Success | 900 words)

Sometimes there are difficult people in life that you can’t avoid. The best way to handle these are:

  1. Listen, then wait.
  2. Reinforce your relationship.
  3. Understand the person.
  4. Make progress.

As someone who’s generally able to get along with difficult people, I’d add that you shouldn’t argue with them. If they say something awful or stupid, just inwardly roll your eyes and move on. Challenging them will only make it worse.

Note: I recommend reading the last two articles in order. They connect well together, with both discussing ways to handle toxic people.

10 Unusual Problem Solving Methods

(Nelville Medhora | KopywritingKourse.com | Infographic | Subscribe)

If you’re stuck on a problem, here are some offbeat ways to reframe it that might help you find a solution. Suggestions include:

  • Write out many solutions, then rank them by effectiveness and difficulty
  • Thank the problem
  • Think of a hilarious solution

Quiet Your Inner Critic – 5 Powerful Strategies

(Shane Walker | The Self Improvement Blog | 1000 words)

Ways to fight the negative voices in your head that prevent growth.

  1. Use counter-affirmations
  2. Write down your critical thoughts
  3. Challenge your inner critic
  4. Quiet your inner critic by disassociation
  5. Know your value

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

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Comfort, Happiness, And Energy – Five Boosts 8/16/20

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Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 8/16/20

The Four States of Distress: How to Comfort Someone When Something Bad Happens to Them

(Kat Woods and Spencer Greenberg | Clearer Thinking | 1200 words )

When a friend or loved one suffers a trauma, it’s difficult to know how to comfort them.

The most helpful response will depend on both the individual person and what phase of distress they’re in. The four phases are:

  1. Shocked or confused
  2. Feeling bad and not ready to feel better
  3. Feeling bad but wants to feel better
  4. Feeling better and wants solutions

The article suggests the best ways to comfort people for each of these phases.

I found this article in the Recomendo newsletter.

10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Be Happier

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 1600 words)

Ways to be happier that take no effort or willpower, and minimal to no time commitment. They are:

  1. Be kind and respectful to people, whether or not they “deserve it.”
  2. Make out with your romantic partner daily.
  3. Smile more.
  4. Curate your social media.
  5. When feeling overwhelmed by an intractable problem, improve the world in some tangible way. (Even if it’s unrelated.)
  6. Keep a gratitude journal.
  7. Make reminders to be more positive and less negative.
  8. Keep a “Done” list.
  9. Spend money on experiences, not on objects.
  10. Use visual pattern-matching games to fight anxiety or anger.

An Easy Way to Read More Non-Fiction Books

(Mark Manson | Mindf*ck Monday | 1550 words | Subscribe)

Manson suggests a strategy that seems obvious, but I’ve never seen before or thought of myself:

When when you come across a section in a non-fiction book that says something you already know or is uninteresting to you, skip past it.

If you pick up later in the book and discover things are confusing because you missed something, you can always go back. But most of the time, you’ll still be able to follow it.

You can also look at the table of contents, and only read the chapters that are interesting/new to you. There’s no “book police” forcing you to read the entire book in order.

You can get through books in half the time, which means you can read twice as many books.

I Tried 7 Popular Strategies to Boost My Energy: Here’s What Works

(Rachael Kable | Medium/BetterHumans | 2000 words)

The author tested energy-boosting strategies on herself. She found that the ones that worked for her were:

  • Early morning sunshine
  • Mindful breaks
  • Vigorous workout
  • A fun activity and laughing out loud

And what didn’t work was:

  • Cold shower
  • A brisk walk with a friend
  • Breath of fire (short powerful exhales)

Though an important caveat, which the author notes, is that every person is different. What works for her may not work for you.

You should experiment with strategies yourself, rather than copying her specific results.

I found this article in Greg Roth’s The Idea Enthusiast

11 Habits to Be Less Absent Minded and Start to Be More Attentive

(Dr. Carol Morgan | Relationship Development & Transformation | 1100 words)

Some easy, pragmatic, actionable ways to overcome your absent-mindedness.

Even if you aren’t absent-minded, this is some good general advice for being more productive and effective. Examples include:

  • Put everything back in the same place
  • Set timers
  • Delegate responsibilities
  • Have an accountability buddy
  • Stop talking and start doing

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

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Hedonism, Civility, And Useless Days: Five Boosts 8/9/20

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Hedonism, Civility, And Useless Days: Five Boosts 8/9/20

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 8/9/20

15 Things to Do When You Have No Idea What to Do

(Barrie Davenport | Live Bold and Bloom | 1900 words | Subscribe )

What to do when you just can’t seem to kick your brain into gear. Suggestions include:

  • Do mindless tasks
  • Try meditation
  • Help someone else
  • Take the logical first step
  • Do nothing and take the day off

Related: Disembarking From the Failboat

In Defense of Hedonism

(Kyle Shnitzer | The Ladders | 350 words)

Hedonism gets a bad rap.

But a big part of happiness is the ability to take time to just enjoy yourself, without being distracted by worries over long-term goals.

Obviously focusing on long-term goals and enjoying yourself are also important. But you should have a balance.

10 Incredibly Easy Ways to Improve Your Health

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 2050 words)

Ten ways to lose weight and be healthier that take no effort or willpower, and minimal to no time. Including:

  • Switch to diet soda.
  • Use smaller plates.
  • Look up how many calories are in your favorite dishes at restaurants.
  • Buy your own exercise equipment instead of going to the gym.
  • Use chopsticks when eating chips.

Turning Violent Disagreements Into Civil Discourse

(Michael Hyatt | Michael Hyatt & Co. | 575 words)

We live in polarized times, where screaming and hate have replaced civil discourse.

Here are some excellent suggestions on how to better communicate with people that disagree with you:

  • Begin where you agree.
  • Keep an open mind.
  • Get your facts straight.
  • Be willing to state your view but with humility.

I especially like that this article gives no indications of the author’s own political views. That’s how it should be, since this advice applies to people of all beliefs.

If you like this piece, I suggest you check out the organization Braver Angels, which is dedicated to political tolerance and depolarization.

Related: How to Win Allies

7 Small Habits That Will Steal Your Happiness

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | 1625 words | Subscribe)

To be happier, stop doing these things:

  1. Immersing yourself in negative voices.
  2. Waiting for just the right time.
  3. Letting criticism get under your skin.
  4. Focusing on envy, powerlessness, and the wrong people.
  5. Not allowing yourself peace and rest.
  6. Never trying anything new.
  7. Taking things too seriously.

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Fear, Investing, And Impostors – Five Boosts 8/2/20

Written by Steven Ray Marks Leave a Comment on Fear, Investing, And Impostors – Five Boosts 8/2/20

Five Easy Ways to Make Your Life Better for 8/2/20

The Incredibly Simple, One Sentence Guide to Investing

(Steven Ray Marks | Self Helping Yourself | 1700 words)

The one sentence is:

“Once you’ve paid off all your credit card debt, invest as much as you can in your 401k, and park your money in an index fund without paying any attention to the market.”

That’s all you need to know about investing.

Anything more complicated will give you worse results.

The article gives more detail on why this is the case, what an index fund is, and how to pick which index fund, so it’s definitely worth reading. (If I do say so myself. 😉)

21 Ways to Overcome Impostor Syndrome

(Kyle Eschenroeder | Startup Bros. | 3100 Words)

Impostor Syndrome is the feeling that you’re not qualified to be doing your job, and that everyone will realize you’re a fraud. It’s shockingly common, even among elites and experts.

It’s hard to summarize this lengthy article, because each of the 21 diverse suggestions will resonate with different people.

But if this is something you ever suffer from, or you ever haven’t pursued something you wanted because you thought you weren’t qualified, I highly recommend reading this.

I found this article in For the Interested, which gives advice mainly directed toward online creators, but is useful for everyone.

Optimism 2020: A Manifesto

(Trevor McKendrick | How It Actually Works | 450 Words | Subscribe)

Fifteen suggestions on being more optimistic, including:

  • Focus on things you can influence.
  • Do something today instead of daydreaming about tomorrow.
  • Move fast. Most decisions can be reversed later.
  • Recognize the pie is not fixed and life is not zero sum.
  • Believe we can solve any problem.

6 Strategies to Overcome Fear

(Henrik Edberg | Positivity Blog | 1400 Words | Subscribe)

  1. Ask what’s the worst that can happen.
  2. Write out the fear.
  3. Change your perspective.
  4. Question your fears and what they’re based on.
  5. Breathe and take a moment to accept the fear.
  6. Take small steps forward.

How to Change Your Personality For the Better

(Olga Khazan | Next Big Idea Club | 600 Words | Subscribe)

Most people assume that their personality is fixed.

But you actually can change your personality if you want.

All you have to do is act the way you want your personality to be, and eventually your personality will change to follow your actions.

I found this in Nir Eyal’s Nir and Far newsletter.

Self Helping Yourself Tweet of the Week

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