How to Have a Good Day Every day…Pretty cliché eh?
Read on before you think it’s just another useless article because it’s not.
This article will guide you on how to make every day of your life more productive and worthwhile.
Let me ask you something, do you feel like you are always lagging behind? Tasks pile up, deadlines loom closer and slowly you begin to spiral out of control? Pause.
Set things right before things actually get out of hand.
And the strange thing is, you aren’t having a bad day because you weren’t the chosen one for the free burger at Burger King or because you got a seat on the bus next to a pervert…
You and I both know it’s not always about the external, isn’t it? Don’t fret.
Square your shoulders and toss your hair, because all you’re ever having are good days.
Take control of your wrecked life by sticking to this simple schedule so that you can be at your best at everything!
Read on, your new schedule awaits…
7 AM: Wake up to Coldplay
While most people dream of waking up to breakfast in bed, you can wake up to Chris Martin (not in that way).
Music has the power to lift your spirits and shake off all the sleepy headfuzz.
David M Greenberg is a renowned music psychologist, and says that the perfect wake up tune should comprise of three vital elements for stirring your brain: a strong tempo of hundred to one hundred and thirty beats per minute (bpm), a slow build and most importantly- positive lyrics.
No wonder his favorite tune happens to be Viva La Vida.
Check out songs on Spotify and pick up your tune.
After all, to each his own!
7 15 AM: Work Out
No, you don’t have to haul yourself to the gym every morning. Take the easy way out and practice yoga.
Yes, it’s not as cool as hitting the gym but it will recharge you in no time.
A study by the Indian Journal of Psychiatry tested the stress hormone, Cortisol, levels in fifty-eight patients and found they were obviously lower in patients who practised yoga every day.
Simplest move? Practice the Child’s pose.
Having the head on the ground will bring pressure to the vagus nerves which after being stimulated help in triggering the ‘rest and digest part’ You can actually do it while you’re in bed.
Could stretching out be easier than this? I’m afraid not.
9 AM: Make Your To-Do List
Sit down and sort out your to-do list as soon as you walk in your office.
It has been found that individuals tend to perform fifteen per cent better once they’ve made concrete goals that need our focus.
Give your tasks a ‘you’ slant, motivate yourself by rewarding yourself at the end of that task.
For example, treat yourself at a fancy restaurant after you pitched in an important client because you deserve it.
This technique is known as intrinsic motivation and is a firmer kick in the butt than doing things because someone has told us to.
11 30 AM: Time for a Break
Break already? Yay!
A short morning break tends to make individuals more productive in the afternoon.
Break times of nine hundred and fifty-nine workers were surveyed by Professors at the Baylor University and it was found that those workers who took their break in the morning had more energy and concentration than those who took them in the afternoon.
Want to know something better?
Snack on a little dark chocolate- it boosts everything from memory to endorphins.
Bring on the chill!
11 47 AM: Get back to the grind
The ideal time for a break is seventeen minutes.
A recent study undertaken by the University of Toronto found that the most productive employees work consecutively for fifty-two minutes before taking a seventeen-minute break.
1 30 PM: Limit your Socializing
Never finish your to-do list?
Your phone is to blame.
An average iPhone user unlocks their phone around eighty to a whopping hundred and thirty times a day!
Rather than reacting to every notification, set a time for phone checking.
Try a lunchtime slot to make the most out of it.
HootSuite is a platform for managing multiple social media accounts.
2 PM: HIIT It Up
Big PM meeting?
Rather than spending your entire lunch hour cramming, we suggest you hit the gym.
It has been found by Bristol University that individuals who exercise have better concentration.
John Ratey, author of Spark: The Revolutionary New Science Of Exercise And The Brain, also supports this fact and says that the increased blood flow causes a near-instant brain boost.
Twenty minutes of exercise just before giving a speech or taking a test can drastically improve your performance.
Just, er, remember to shower…
3 10 PM: Sip on A Mocha
Plan your coffee break strategically as it takes caffeine about twenty minutes to kick in.
According to UK-based Nick Littlehales, a sleep and productivity expert, if you have a piece of work that requires immense focus or have an important meeting where you need to be sharp for, then time it accordingly and use it as a performance enhancer.
The best mug of joe?
A mocha.
A recent study by Clarkson University found that the combination of chocolate and coffee is perfect for helping you stay focused.
It said nothing about whipped cream…
4 35 PM: Rack your brain
The perfect time to brainstorm is when you are tired.
Researchers split participants into two groups and set them to two types of creativity tests: one measured insight (the type of problem requiring a leap into the unknown) and the other, analytical ability (where you have to work steadily towards the answer) at different times.
It was found that those who were unfocused were much better at the insight tasks and linking random ideas to solve them.
So embrace your inner entrepreneur when you’re tired.
Bet you the blanket was invented around 4 pm…
6 PM: Cut Off Your E-mail
If you’ve ever taken out time to be a little more observant, then you must have noticed that you get curt replies to e-mails that you send after working hours.
Economist Caroline Webb believes that happens because people’s heart sinks when they receive an e-mail just as they’re wrapping up and that colors their reply.
That’s if you get a reply at all; a study of more than 5,00,000 e-mails found reply-rates are highest when e-mails are sent in the morning.
Bottom line?
Save it and send it first thing the next day.
Wrong Time, Wrong Place
Following are some really bad times to do these things:
9 AM: Scheduling a Meeting
If you schedule a meeting bright and early and expect everyone when they’re bright-eyed, then you are fooling yourself.
They will just ignore you. whenisgood.net, a meeting scheduling software found that ‘first thing’ is when fewest people accept meetings.
1 PM: Making a Cold Call
Apparently, nobody wants to be bothered when they’re trying to artsy- Instagram a sandwich- but research by business professor James Oldroyd backed up that is the worst time to receive these calls.
4 PM: Asking for a Raise
Your boss will probably care less about you, and more about their budgets, in the afternoon.
The Morning Morality Effect found that adults indulged in more unethical behavior as the day went on.
Bid adieu to bad days with that!
