10 Ways to Boost Your Health and Productivity
Y’all. You know you wish you could snap your fingers and make time.
Maybe you feel there’s never enough time to spend with your kids. Or spouse. Or girlfriends. Maybe you’ve been dying to read all 10 of those books staring at you from your nightstand … yet there they sit. You want to meditate, but there’s no time. You need more sleep. More time at work. More time to get a six pack (abs, not beer lol). FILL IN THE BLANK!
“There aren’t enough hours in the day!!”
If you’re like me, you know this sentiment well.
Yet time is the great equalizer. None of us can stop time … or manufacture it. But we can hack life to gain back the time we were wasting. Here’s how:
Kill the phone time pit. This means: Stop checking your email and apps. Turn off ALL notifications (Do not disturb or airplane mode on phone when you’re trying to be present in the moment — which should be always. You can always flip it off and check what is important 2-3x a day, which is plenty). For more info and a better butt kicking on this topic: read the 4 hour work week by tim ferris.
Close your eyes and take 10 deep breaths. It takes 2 minutes. You will be come more focused immediately, and therefore more productive.
Wake up earlier. Create this habit and it won’t even be hard after a month. (especially if you’re going to bed earlier. I’ve heard every hour of sleep you get before midnight counts double. Myth?? Maybe. But I’m digging it.)
Pray that God multiplies and honors your time, focus, and effort. (God cares about the sparrow…how much more does he care for you? Matthew 6:26-34)
Drink tons of water. Like 64-80 oz/day. You’ll pee a lot at first and then your body will adjust. Your skin will glow and your brain will work like it’s meant to!
Say no to more. Those optional things in your life you’re doing out of a sense of obligation? If they don’t breathe life into you or bring you joy? Let them go. Open your hands to what fuels you and matters most.
Plan like mad. Write out your morning and/or evening schedule and snap a pic. Send that pic to a friend who will hold you accountable!!
Sit up straight. This will improve your organ function and help you feel more alert, confident, and productive. (Your back will get stronger. See? Do you feel it already? Set reminders on your phone!)
Work then rest (25 minutes on, 5 minutes off or 10 on, 2 off, or 50 on, 10 off). This is called the Pomodoro Method. Work with focus, no distractions, and intentionality for 25 minutes and then go on a short walk, grab some water, stretch, or listen to a favorite song. This keeps your brain alive and fresh!
Fuel your body – Wah, wah, I know. You want to eat like crap and feel amazing. Well it ain’t gonna happen, babe. The way you look and feel is 80% affected by what goes into your mouth and only 20% what goes on at the gym. More veggies! More REAL food! Easy hacks: Keep snacks by your desk or in your car. Like apples, almonds, baby carrots. Order simple. Shop smart. Keep your head in the game, one day at a time. Don’t throw it all away, but just stop buying all the boxed/processed crap and replace it with hummus and delicious, whole food from there. More to come on healthy living in the weeks to come!
Start small. Tiny, even! You can get way more done in a focused 15 minute window than in a big, distracted window of time. If you’re waiting for an uninterrupted 5-hour time window to come knocking, you’ll never do it. Just 20 intentional minutes a day (taken from something else that you’ve wasted time on … sleeping/Netflix/shopping/SCROLLING SOCIAL MEDIA) can add up quickly to something real and wonderful.
Okay, that was 11. Because I love you and couldn’t stop myself.
I’m working on better time management over here too. We are in this together, friends!
It’s Monday. A fresh slate. A new week. A beautiful sunny day (at least here in the Midwest). And God’s grace is all around us. Breathe it in. Feel it wrapping around you, hemming you in. I know I need it today!
Huge hugs,
~Liv