I trust you’re having a good (and productive) week! “Get Things Done” is our theme for this week. Today you’re getting two more of the 10 tips to boost your productivity. A quick count finds that 4 more tips will be coming your way, giving you 10 in all.
You’re getting these as a kind of “drip feed” so you can put your full attention on each one. I like to say that what you think about is what you bring about!
TOP TIPS
Do you want to be more productive? The following tips are easy to implement and can help you increase your productivity immediately. Being more productive will help you achieve your goals and success more quickly.
5. Time Block: Identify when you are at your most productive. Are you at your best firstthing in the morning? Whatever time of day it is, schedule your most important tasks for that time.
Photo Courtesy Jan Willem Geertsma
6. Use an Accountability Partner: Make yourself accountable by telling someone else what you want to achieve. Make sure you give them a target date. Report your progress regularly. By making yourself accountable you are increasing your chance of success. You’ll also have someone to talk to should things go wrong.
Back with another couple of easy to implement tips to boost your productivity so you’ll get things done. We’re taking it slowly so you can think about each one- pretty easy to do on a cold, dark winter day!
As you put your attention on them you’ll keep yourself open for ways to carry them out. By the end of the week, you’ll have 10 tips in all.
TOP TIPS
Do you want to be more productive and really get things done? The following tips are easy to implement and can help you increase your productivity immediately. Being more productive will help you achieve your goals and success more quickly.
3.Delegate or Outsource: Having too much to do can hinder progress as you will focus on those items that aren’t getting done which will cause stress and anxiety. Wherever possible delegate or outsource anything that is inessential or that you are not interested in completing. Paying a cleaner to look after your housework will save you time, energy and stress.
4. Plan: You can’t achieve anything without knowing what it is you want to achieve. You need to know your goals. It’s also important to create a plan on how to achieve them. Set yourself daily goals and use a to-do list to help you identify what you need to achieve each day. Tick things off as they are completed.
We’re well into another year, and the big holidays are behind us. Days can feel longer, especially if you live in a colder climate and you’re looking forward to Spring. I know how that feels. I grew up in snow and ice in the industrial northeastern US. But you still have to get things done, both at home and in the workplace. How do you keep your focus on the tasks at hand?
This week GenuLines will suggest ways to stay in that “good energy” toward making it through the dark winter days and functioning at your best.
Starting today and all this week you’ll receive a couple of “reminders.” They’re designed to get your attention on simple ways to help your productivity, even when your mind checks out and wants to hang out somewhere in the tropics!
At the end of the week, look for some actionable steps you can put into practice right away.
TOP TIPS
Do you want to be more productive? The following tips are easy to implement and can help you increase your productivity immediately. Being more productive will help you achieve your goals and success more quickly.
1. Don’t Multi-Task: Focus on one task at a time. This will ensure that you are giving your full attention to what you are doing and increase your ability to utilize the power of the flow state. Use your to-do list and pick off one item at a time.
2. Stay Hydrated: Make sure that you drink water at regular intervals throughout the day. You can, of course, drink other beverages that contain water such as regular or herbal teas but don’t consume too much caffeine. Maintaining proper hydration will ensure that your brain and energy levels are optimal.
Since today is Valentine’s Day I want to remind you that “true love” is more than flowers and mushy cards. So we’re going to go back a few years for the CHI FOR YOURSELF interview with Dr. Debra Reble, who told us that happy relationships are the stuff not only of dreams but also of real life.
In this Chi For Yourself edition we heard of a provocative new model of relationship set forth in Soul-Hearted Partnership: Creating the Ultimate Experience of Love, Passion, and Intimacy, from longtime counselor Debra L. Reble, Ph.D.
The book intends to show how dreams of amazing relationships come true when individuals cultivate first a soul partnership with themselves and then a soul-hearted partnership with a loved one.
Unwilling to sacrifice their soul’s expression or look for a partner to complete or guide them, men and women of all ages and circumstances, Dr. Reble reports, are manifesting partnerships that foster their spiritual growth.
I’m old enough to remember the time when meditation got some rough treatment. It was seen as a practice for “hippie types” and health “nuts.” Meditation was considered, well, woo-woo! Today meditation is getting a much kinder reception as it proves its worth in areas like stress and anxiety reduction and addiction recovery.
This report takes some of the mystery out of meditation. It shows you how you can put meditation to work in your life.
Meditation refers to a state where your body and mind are consciously relaxed and focused. Practitioners of this art report increased awareness, focus, and concentration, as well as a more positive outlook on life.
Meditation is most commonly associated with monks, mystics and certain spiritual disciplines. However, you don’t have to be a monk or mystic to enjoy its benefits. And you don’t even have to be in a special place to practice it, although a quiet place is best. You can try it in your own living room if the TV is switched off.
Although there are many different approaches to meditation, the fundamental principles remain the same. The most important among these principles is that of removing obstructive, negative, and wandering thoughts and fantasies, and calming the mind with a deep sense of focus. This clears the mind of clutter and prepares it for a higher quality of activity.
The negative thoughts you have – thoughts of noisy neighbors, bossy colleagues, that parking ticket you got, or unwanted spam – are said to contribute to the ‘polluting’ of the mind, and shutting them out is allows for the ‘cleansing’ of the mind so that it may focus on deeper, more meaningful thoughts and ideas.
Some practitioners even shut out all sensory input – no sights, no sounds, and nothing to touch – and try to detach themselves from the commotion around them. You may now focus on a deep, profound thought if this is your goal. It may seem scary at first since we are all too accustomed to constantly hearing and seeing things, but as you continue this exercise you will find yourself becoming more aware of everything around you.
If you find the meditating positions you see in books and elsewhere threatening, you need not worry. The principle here is to be in a comfortable position conducive to concentration. This may be while sitting cross-legged or on a chair, standing, lying down, and even walking.
A good starting point is a position that allows you to relax and focus. While sitting or standing, the back should be straight, but not tense or tight. In other positions, the only no-no is slouching and falling asleep.
Loose, comfortable clothes help a lot in the process since tight fitting clothes have a tendency to restrict you and make you feel tense.
The place you perform meditation should have a soothing atmosphere. It may be in your living room, or bedroom, or any place where you feel comfortable. You might want an exercise mat or cushion if you plan to sit cross-legged on the floor. You may want to have the place arranged so that it is soothing to your senses.
Silence helps most people relax and meditate, so you may want a quiet, isolated area far from the ringing of the phone or the humming of the washing machine. Pleasing scents also help in that regard, so stocking up on aromatic candles or incense isn’t such a bad idea either.
The monks you see on television making those monotonous sounds are actually performing their mantra. This, in simple terms, is a short creed, a simple sound which, for these practitioners, holds a mystic value. You don’t need to perform anything like that. Focusing on your breathing is enough.
The principle here is focus. You do not have to try to control your breathing or anything else, just be aware of it. You could also try focusing on a certain object or thought, or even, while keeping your eyes open, focus on a single sight.
One simple routine is to silently name various parts of your body and focus your awareness on each. While doing this you can be aware of tension in any part. Mentally visualize releasing this tension. This can be very effective.
Studies have shown that meditation does bring about beneficial effects to the body. And there has been a growing consensus in the medical community to further study these effects. In all, meditation is a relatively risk-free practice and its benefits are well worth the effort (or non-effort – remember we’re relaxing!)
(The earlier version of the Mark Coleman post apparently had some audio player issues so let’s try it again!)
The CHI FOR YOURSELF interview with Mark Coleman is up and available for your listening. Mark made quite a life turn early on. He was a punk rocker who found mindfulness meditation and he’s stayed with it ever since.
Mark Coleman is the author of MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR MIND: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You From Your Inner Critic.
Here are some talking points from the show:
Mark goes from punk rock to mindful meditation
Kids and social media
Helping parents recognize their children’s inner critic
Mindfulness and body image
Mindfulness and neuroplasticity
Click below to hear the interview. By the way, you’ll be getting some additional meditation tips by way of a GenuLines blog post in the days ahead!
(The earlier version of the Mark Coleman post apparently had some audio player issues so let’s try it again!)
The CHI FOR YOURSELF interview with Mark Coleman is up and available for your listening. Mark made quite a life turn early on. He was a punk rocker who found mindfulness meditation and he’s stayed with it ever since.
Mark Coleman is the author of MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR MIND: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You From Your Inner Critic.
Here are some talking points from the show:
Mark goes from punk rock to mindful meditation
Kids and social media
Helping parents recognize their children’s inner critic
Mindfulness and body image
Mindfulness and neuroplasticity
By the way, you’ll be getting some additional meditation tips by way of a GenuLines blog post in the days ahead!
Many of us are well acquainted with our “Inner Critic.” It’s the voice that makes us second-guess our every step by saying “not enough,” “not good enough,” or sometimes “too much.” At times the Inner Critic can be so strong that it feels invincible, but bestselling author and renowned meditation teacher Mark Coleman promises that it is not.
Mark Coleman is the author of Make Peace with Your Mind: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You from Your Inner Critic
You can hear the interview–pardon my congested voice 🙂 — and other CHI FOR YOURSELF interviews by clicking on the player below:
Many of us are well acquainted with our “Inner Critic.” It’s the voice that makes us second-guess our every step by saying “not enough,” “not good enough,” or sometimes “too much.” At times the Inner Critic can be so strong that it feels invincible. Mindfulness is not on the critic’s menu!
On the next CHI FOR YOURSELF, bestselling author and renowned meditation teacher MarkColeman will join us. Mark’s world changed for the better when he went from punk rocker to mindful meditator. He’ll bring tools we can use to begin turning the lens of attention inward, with kindness and clarity. Mark Coleman is the author of MAKE PEACE WITH YOUR MIND: How Mindfulness and Compassion Can Free You From Your Inner Critic
The interview will be posted this Thursday or Friday but due to scheduling conflicts. it will NOT be available to hear live on the chiforyourself.com home page.GenuLines will let you know the exact time and date in the next few days.
Today on CHI FOR YOURSELF we welcome Helene Segura for her second visit. We’ll be talking about New Year’s Resolutions- making them and keeping them. Helene Segura is the author of The Inefficiency Assassin: Time Management Tactics for Working Smarter, Not Longer.
I trust you’re having a good (and productive) week! “Get Things Done” is our theme for this week. Today you’re getting two more of the 10 tips to boost your productivity. A quick count finds that 4 more tips will be coming your way, giving you 10 in all.
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