People Usually Start To Value Something When They Lose It
Mar/100
People usually start to value something when they lose it. This is a universal truth especially when it comes to their health. Very often we forget to take care about ourselves and think that we will always be strong and healthy. We consider our bodies to be too strong to cope with junk food, alcohol, and sedentary life, lack of sleep and rest, poor ecology. Certainly, when we are young, we may afford not to pay attention to all of the abovementioned factors. But as years pass, we obtain a number of complications and diseases, get extra kilos, become tired and irritated. This happens, because the resources of our organisms become exhausted and we no longer can resist to everyday stress and workload. And of course it is much better to prevent such conditions than to solve already existing problems.
Firstly, we should not forget to rest and sleep enough irrespective of how busy we are. Work and complicated tasks will never end. This is an endless chain. It is necessary to establish priority and not to attempt to do everything immediately. Those who always intend to do more than they actually can within a day, for instance usually feel frustrated, because they didn’t manage to do everything they planned and tired, because they really did a lot. Consequently, there is no satisfaction from work and life. That is why it is so important to set accomplishable tasks and have timely rest. In this case life will be more pleasant and interesting, than if to try to set the world on fire.
Another important condition of good health and happy living is food. Everyone knows that we are what we eat. So, please think of all those products we get at fast-foods and imagine what we are. All those products are rich in salt and spices as well as artificial additives which are rather harmful for our organisms. Obesity becomes a real problem of modern generation, since we consume more calories than we burn sitting the whole day in front of our monitors. That is why preference should be given to vegetable salads, fish and cereals instead of hamburgers and chips. Sweet fizzy drinks should be substituted by herbal teas, water and fresh juices. You will feel much better if you refuse from alcohol and smoking. You will also look better since your state of health will inevitably reflect on your appearance.
And the last important condition of good health is positive emotions. Try to spend more time with your family and friends, devote time to your hobbies and favorite occupations. This will help you to enjoy life by causing positive emotions. Life is beautiful and interesting and we should not forget it in our everyday turmoil.
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Strong Health Is A Key To Success In All Your Endeavors
Mar/100
It is self-evident that strong health is a key to success in all your endeavors. It is much easier to reach your goals, if you are not disturbed by various diseases: you feel and do not have to waste your time by paying visits to doctors. That is why you should do your best, if you want to preserve good health, since all your life depends upon it. Below are a few tips which will help you to keep fit without any efforts and special procedures. There is nothing easier than to follow a few simple rules every day and remain in good shape, but unfortunately very often people really forget it.
Firstly, it is not good to forget to timely and properly eat. Our daily tight schedule makes us either forget about our lunch or grab a quick bite and rush further. A lot of people prefer fast foods, because they are cheaper and the food is quickly prepared. But by saving their time they contribute greatly to their health deteriorating. Fast food is rich in saturated fat, various spices, salt, artificial colorants, flavorants and preservatives. Everything remains in our body and causes various complications and further diseases. Digestive system is the first to suffer from such food. The stomach will remind of the short-term negative consequences. You will feel unwell, and if you do not stop abusing junk food, everything may go even more serious. That is why it is worth thinking of shifting your gastronomic preferences towards fish, fruit and vegetables, cereals, and dairy products. Sweet fizzy drinks should be substituted by water, herbal teas, and fresh juices. Due to such changes in daily meals you will also preserve good shape and will never have problems with extra weight.
Another thing we should always remember is physical activity. We spend so much time in front of our monitors that our muscles become weaker and weaker. But our bodies were created for motion. That is why we often feel slack even when we are just awaked. We lack energy, and working day becomes very long and difficult. It may be a surprise to someone, but in order to become energetic it is better to move rather than to sit more. Those who regularly go in for sports (aerobics, swimming, jogging or even dancing) are always full of energy and are not susceptible to stress. Physical activity makes them even happier and helps enjoy life.
It is not necessary to be a professional sportsman in order to keep fit. You may even start from refusing from elevator in the office and a car when you need to walk only a few blocks. You will feel much better, because your muscles will always be toned up and strong. If you add hourly cardiovascular workouts (aerobics, for instance) two or three times per week, you will remain slim, healthy and strong.
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That is why if you are properly armed with the info in your sphere of interest you can be sure that you will always find the way out from any bad situation. So, please make sure to track this site on a regular basis or – best of all – sign up to its RSS feed. Thus you will have a direct shortcut to the latest info updates here. Blogging can be helpful, you just need to understand how to use them.
Becoming Connected With Intimacy Routines
Mar/100
A happy marriage has the attributes of friendship. There’s someone to zip your dress, give an opinion about what tie goes with the jacket, get aspirin for your headache, or laugh at your jokes. Good stuff. But what sustains a marriage and makes it GREAT is Emotional Intimacy. The chance to improve intimacy is what makes living together on a day-to-day basis, with all its ups and downs, easy and comfortable and why it’s important for every couple to have intimacy rituals that can be practiced daily.
No, I don’t mean candles, heated massage oil, and the hot tub. Those are great – for sexual intimacy. But let’s not confuse physical intimacy with emotional intimacy. The best marriage advice will emphasize the importance of both but they occupy different realms of the relationships. In the falling-in-love fireworks stage of your relationship, intimacy equaled SEX! But once you settle into your nest, the stork pays a visit or two, there’s a lawn to be mowed, the cat has to go to the vet, kids need chauffeuring or help with homework, the car breaks down, the toilet backs up, one of you loses a job, gets sick, or has an argument with a friend. All of that makes you too tired to think, let alone have sex.
The priority to create intimacy is more important than ever. Now that the less-frequent opportunity for sex presents itself, there will be times when you really do have a headache, are too irritated by your mouthy teen-ager’s attitude, have an early flight to catch, or for whatever reason you’re just not in the mood. You cannot rely on sex to provide the intimacy you need to have a great relationship. Yes, a good sex life is crucial, but without emotional intimacy, your marriage is likely to wither and die no matter how great the sex may be.
Intimacy rituals don’t have to be complex or take a lot of time and can even be part of a daily chore or event. Here’s what Hubby Dale and I do. At the beginning of the day, Dale sits in the bathroom and chats with me while I get dressed for the office. We don’t talk about anything important, we’re just together for a few minutes before we go our separate ways. We come back together over dinner. We don’t answer the phone and the television is off. We talk about current events or Dale’s trip to the grocery store where he ran into an old friend, we chuckle over something cute a nephew said, we plan a dinner party, or revisit a favorite memory. An eavesdropper would find it mundane, but for us, it’s a reconnection after being apart all day.
For you, an intimacy ritual might be calling each other on your lunch hour and taking 15 minutes to catch up on your day, making dinner together, doing a puzzle, playing dominoes, or turning off the television, snuggling and chatting for a little while before going to sleep.
This bit of marriage advice is easy to follow. Adapting an everyday routine into an intimacy ritual may require nothing more than a change in how you view that action. Finding the time may be as easy as doing together what one usually does alone. Bathing the baby, pulling weeds, grocery shopping, cooking the evening meal, washing the cars, etc., are all opportunities for the kind of togetherness that fosters emotional intimacy. You just need the right state of mind.
Give it a try and see how much more intimate you will be.
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11 Simple Ways To Avoid Burnout
Mar/100
Are you exhausted, annoyed, and ready to throw in the towel on something that once made you leap out of bed with joy every morning? I know that feeling well. It’s one I suffered from often in the past and still encounter occasionally. It typically signals an impending burnout.
Not the type of burnout you get from dropping your 93 Honda Civic into 3rd gear at 6,000 rpm’s. The type of burnout that makes you avoid work, question the value of your existence, and eat large quantities of Oreo cookies while watching bad television.
How can you avoid burnout and stay in a productive rhythm? Here are 11 ways you can start safeguarding your life against burnout:
1. Schedule regular social activities
Remember when you used to spend time with people you were neither working with nor sleeping with? You watched movies, ate meals, played games, and went on trips. You were active and you had fun!
You can regain some of that emotional fulfillment by contacting some of your old pals and scheduling regular activities. It doesn’t need to be anything crazy. Sure, rafting in Alaska would be fun but a monthly brunch with people you don’t see every day will do just fine. The point of this exercise is to expand your social horizon and crush the feeling that you’re stuck doing the same thing every day.
2. Follow a fitness plan
Why we give up exercise in order to sit in a chair and work for an extra hour at a lower level of intensity is beyond me. I used to do it myself. I dealt with stress by eating and worked instead of working out. The result? Not only did I burn out but I got really chubby, too!
If you want to avoid burnout, resurrect that New Year’s Resolution and figure out what it takes to get you exercising on a regular basis. Apart from all the physical benefits of exercise, you’ll enjoy the mental satisfaction of knowing that you’re taking good care of yourself again.
3. Pursue a hobby
Pick a hobby that has little or nothing to do with what you spend most of your week doing and pursue it with passion! A hobby that uses an entirely different skill set can provide your heart and mind with a satisfying break from the weekly grind and set you on a good path for increased productivity.
You probably won’t even need to worry about picking a new hobby out. The one you abandoned when you sold your soul to the work week is waiting for you to return. Shine up those golf clubs, get out the fishing gear, or buy a new pair of boxing gloves and get moving!
4. Volunteer
Nothing brightens the soul or warms the senses like giving to another for no reason other than to give. If you’re feeling run down by life, I implore you to seek out somebody less fortunate than yourself and work to help them.
Reach out to your local soup kitchen or professional organization and ask for referrals to local places that need your help. They’ll be glad to get you started and you’ll soon forget about badly you thought you had it!
5. Write a manifesto
Have you forgotten what you want out of life? It’s easy to lose track of time and even easier to forget about what makes us glad to be alive. What can you do to bring back that focus? Take a day or perhaps an entire weekend and write a manifesto, a declaration of purpose, for yourself.
The process will give you focus as you put your intentions into writing. You’ll also discover that stepping back and looking at your life as a whole has a way of putting the stresses of the moment into perspective.
6. Ask for help
This is a tough one, especially if you’re a resourceful I’ll-do-it-on-my-own type of person like me. But it’s worth the time it takes to ask for help making sense of something that’s been dragging you down. It’s worth the embarrassment of admitting that you can’t do something on your own to really get help.
Whether your struggle is with a particular part of a project or with something general, like time management, asking for help will get you to a solution faster than you could ever hope to alone. If you want to avoid burnout, you’ll need to swallow your pride on occasion and reach out for help.
7. Make others laugh
Humor keeps us sane even through the most stressful of circumstances. Laughter is fun and a great way to reduce stress. Even better, finding ways to make others laugh doesn’t just reduce stress for all involved. It allows you to begin viewing yourself as a source of fun and laughter in your social or work group.
You’ll find it hard to be glum and entertain unhappy thoughts when the people around you are excited and happy to be near you. There’s no need to be a genius comedian. Start out by learning a few good jokes and add as you go!
8. Make an escape list
An “escape list” is a list of everything you’d need to do in order to escape a situation that’s driving you nuts. In a work context, your escape list might include things like turning in a final presentation or asking for a raise. It might also include smaller things like submitting your resume to a new opportunity or drafting a letter of resignation!
You might never follow up on the items in your escape list but the process of writing one will help clarify in your mind that you are not truly stuck. You have options. Perhaps not the best or most fun options, but you are certainly not stuck.
9. Embrace a morning ritual
Are you starting your day on the wrong foot by waking up late, rushing about, and skipping out the door at the last minute? Try slowing down your morning instead. Set your alarm a few minutes earlier than usual and spend the “extra” time sitting in a sunny spot in your living room with a cup of coffee and a good book.
As you slowly add more to your morning, you’ll develop a fierce attachment to “your” time. Why? Because you’ve chosen to start your day with a focus on taking care of yourself instead of busting out of bed like a bomb squad.
10. Stop making excuses
Is everything that’s dragging you down right now because of something your boss, partner, friend, or client did? Getting caught up in how much everybody else is screwing up will put you on the fast track to gray hair and a stupendous burnout.
The fix? Accept responsibility for your part of the problems that plague you. Then start digging your way out. Once you’ve given up on blaming others you’ll start seeing more of the good in your life and the sordid claws of desperate solitary thought will no longer draw you down.
11. Be accountable
Accountability is something we’re all familiar with but rarely put into useful practice. You can use accountability to drive your personal development and avoid burnout. The trick is find somebody you can trust to give the down and dirty on what you’re trying to do and how you’re moving forward.
For best results, have your accountability partner NOT be a relative or somebody you’re dating. They typically won’t have the capacity for objective review of your progress. People who love you will often make excuses for you and you want to avoid excuses at all costs.
“Accountability breeds response-ability.” ~Stephen R Covey
Avoiding burnout is a matter of constant vigilance and regular maintenance. What are you doing to avoid burnout? Do you have any tips to add? I’m glad for your thoughts!
Seth Simonds is an editor here at Lifehack.org. Have a lifehacking tip and want to be featured in a future article? Follow @lifehackorg on Twitter, say hello, and we’ll go from there.
I’m an editor here at Stepcase Lifehack. I know the value of long walks, good books, joyful repartee, and a well-made martini. Say hello in the comments here, find me on my blog or hit me up for a follow on Twitter.
9 Ways To Handle Interruptions Like A Pro
Mar/100
Are you easily distracted? I bet you are. If I told you this link led to a list of funny pics of deranged kittens, you’d likely click through and quickly forget our conversation.
That won’t happen this time!
Interruptions do the most damage when we allow their appearance to affect us long after we’ve returned to our initial task. This can happen for a few reasons:
- We treat any break in our work flow like it’s a fracture in the final product.
- We resent our seeming inability to avoid distractions and end up treating their appearance as a personal weakness.
- We view distractions as a change in our journey instead of just another bend in the river.
What can you do about it?
1. Embrace Your Fear
You are not, contrary to what your mother may have told you, different from the rest of us. We all get distracted. We all get annoyed when a productive moment is interrupted. We all get fed up when scheduled events don’t go as planned. If you allow trepidation to sneak into your mind at the prospect of distractions, you’ll cripple your productive abilities.
Fearing distractions also fosters resentment against the ones doing the distracting. Recognize that you will be distracted sometimes and accept those distractions as opportunities to improve. You can’t stop distractions but you can keep them from taking over your day. This is your time!
2. Plan For Interruptions
Effective planning is a cornerstone of the productive lifestyle. Planning for interruptions might seem impossible. Does it to you? Here’s an easy visualization that will help you get started with your planning:
Start each work session by drawing a few squares on a small piece of scrap paper. These represent distractions that will almost certainly pop up. As you encounter and conquer distractions, put a check mark in the appropriate box. After awhile you’ll be able to do this in your head. Sounds easy, right? An expected distraction has no power over your day. You still have control.
3. Delegate And Postpone
Once you’ve identified an interruption as something that needs attention and not just a nascent longing to goof off, try to postpone your involvement. The brute way of doing this is to shout out, “I don’t have time right now. Don’t bother me!”
The classy option is a bit more involved. Take a moment to understand what the distraction involves. Is somebody dying? Is there a deadline you’ve forgotten? Is there a networking opportunity here? If it turns out that you’re not facing an emergency, postpone your involvement and delegate as much of the detail work to somebody with available resources.
4. Attack Procrastination
It’s safe to say that most of us welcome far more distractions than we should. Why? Because we’re chronic procrastinators and distractions offer us a way to slack off without being overtly lazy. The simplest way to attack procrastination is to synthesize urgency with truncated deadlines. If it normally takes you 3 hours to do something, hit the bathroom, grab a glass of water, set a timer for 90 minutes, and tear into your work! This won’t work for every project but it’s a lot of fun when it does!
5. Split Your Day Into Targets
Distractions are most dangerous to the person working without short-term goals. You can keep yourself out of the danger zone by setting targets throughout your day. You’ll probably only need to do this for tasks you really don’t want to complete. For example:
- Send uncomfortable email by 9am
- Complete meeting agenda by 12pm
- Say pleasant thing to annoying boss by 2pm
The power in this process is that you now have time-sensitive targets to steer toward once you’ve escaped distractions. That 8:45am phone conversation that might have gone on for an hour? Nixed by the email deadline. Crops dying on Farmville at 11am? Overruled by the meeting agenda!
6. Limit Inputs
The more you limit channels people can use to distract you, the less likely it is that you’ll be distracted. It takes strength of character to ignore social media and your ever-friendly smartphone. It takes trust in the people who work for you to step away from the rush of business and crunch numbers in the back room. It’s hard to disconnect because we often feel a tinge of irrelevance when we step out of the rush.
Do it. Your results will be proof that it was worth the effort.
7. Batch Outputs
Responding to emails in batches and scheduling a block of time to make phone calls can seem like a dreary way to do business but it’s a highly effective way to keep distractions at arms length. Batching is even more effective in minimizing the collateral damage caused by Twitter and other social networks if you jump in without a set time frame.
To get started, make a list of the things you must do every day to maintain good communication in your business and throughout your social networks. Give each tool or action it’s own time slot and allow a bit of margin at the end. You won’t get the momentary social high of constant real-time interactions but the long-term benefits will make up for your loss.
8. Communicate Your Schedule To Others
When it comes to managing people-based distractions, communication is key. Need to finish a project? Let the people in your work group know that you’ll be off-limits until a certain time. Trying to finish a freelance project in a houseful of kids? Let them know that unless somebody is dying or the house is burning down, you’ll murder a kitten if they interrupt you.
Obviously, if you haven’t taken the time to create a realistic schedule for yourself, sharing that schedule won’t help as much.
9. Begin With The Main Point
When you encounter a distraction, get to the heart of it immediately. Your “get to the point” style may go over badly with some people who prefer to give back story before sharing their main point. Apologize for any possible rudeness and ask for the main point anyway.
Once you know the main point you can ask for supporting information and make a smart decision about what to do before getting back to work.
Getting back to work is what you were about to do, wasn’t it?
If you’ve found a particular tip or trick helpful in your quest to beat distractions, I hope you’ll take a moment to share it!
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work. ~Thomas Edison
Seth Simonds is an editor here at Lifehack.org. Get even more tips by following Lifehack on Twitter or subscribing via RSS.
I’m an editor here at Stepcase Lifehack. I know the value of long walks, good books, joyful repartee, and a well-made martini. Say hello in the comments here, find me on my blog or hit me up for a follow on Twitter.
