a) Disable notificationsEvery mobile app these days comes with a plethora of notifications. Most of which are garbage and are the ways to grab your attention.In both Android and iPhone, you can disable notifications for individual apps by going into the Settings.b) Delete Unused AppsChances are there would be apps like some photo editing app or a habit tracking app that you never use. Delete them. Free up phone’s memory.c) Move Photos AwayFree up your phone from photos and back them up to cloud storage. If you don’t have much cloud space, you transfer them to your computer.

1. Declutter Your Smartphone

a) Clear Up Your DesktopIf you are like most people, your desktop screen will be crowded with Word documents, Excel sheets, and photos of your children.Out of all those items occupying your home screen, move the useful ones to their respective folders and trash the remaining. Moreover, set a simple wallpaper for your home screen. b) Limit the Number of Startup AppsStartup Apps are the programs that load up automatically when you start your computer.Make sure to turn off the apps that have ‘High Impact’ because these are the ones that consume most of the processing power.

2-i. Declutter Your Computer

c) Organize A Folder SystemUse a folder system to organize your files. Movies go in the movies folder. Songs in songs folders. So on and so forth.Establish a folder hierarchy if a simple folder system doesn’t work for you.d) Backup PhotosJust like your smartphone, backup your photos to a cloud service. You can also transfer them to an external hard drive.

2-ii. Declutter Your Computer-2

a) Take A Break From Social MediaPractice a social media detox. It may sound impossible but it is worth giving a try.Take a month off or at least, and notice the changes in your life. Write your thoughts and feelings in a diaryb) Delete Social Media Apps from PhoneFirst and foremost, kill the biggest culprit. Social Media Apps. Use social media in a mobile browser or on a computer only.c) Fewer Social Media AccountsYou don’t need a have presence on every Zuckerberg platform. Ideally, you should have only one social media account. Maybe two.

3. Declutter Your Social Media

a) Unsubscribe from NewslettersYou surely don’t have time to read all 30 motivational newsletters you have subscribed to overtime.Stick with two or three quality newsletters.b) Clear Your InboxTake a tour of your inbox and Archive any emails that can be important in the future but are not urgent. Delete any spam or marketing emails but be sure to unsubscribe from them before deleting.c) Use Email LessYou don’t need to constantly check and immediately respond to every new message.Follow this golden rule: “The fewer emails you sent, the fewer emails you receive.”

4. Declutter Email

Just like your regular life, your digital life also needs a declutter-drive now and then. As we use the internet and digital devices for more and more services, our life may get easier but our digital life gets messier and messier. Many people have no idea how many emails they are subscribed to or how many online accounts they have. To get hold of your digital life, follow these steps:

Just like your regular life, your digital life also needs a declutter-drive now and then. As we use the internet and digital devices for more and more services, our life may get easier but our…

productivity

Productivity

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

problemsolving

Problem Solving

communication

Communication

timemanagement

Time Management

4 Steps To Declutter Your Digital Life

Most video calls do not need to occur live and can in fact be replaced by asynchronous updates and tasks. I wrote about this in a <a href="https://www.fastcompany.com/90712513/the-future-of-work-is-asynchronous">previous article </a>, “A synchronous work, in short, is when work happens for different people on their own time. Work is instead where teammates set tasks and deadlines for the other without the expectation to respond right away. ” If you need to chat with a team or another teammate, you can always set something up when they have time.

While it sounds impossible, or too good to be true, Kenzo Fong’s company Rock implemented this policy from its start. He says he’s only had success since.


remotework

Remote Work

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

teamwork

Teamwork

5 ways to cut the time you spend in meetings in half

We've created so many distractions in our everyday environment - social media notifications, scrolling the web, socializing endlessly, shopping - that we feel like we might explode. Our hyperactive lifestyles and constant mind-chattering have forced us to develop an allergy to sitting in stillness.

Can't Live A Minute Without A Distraction

Hot boredom feels like being locked in a padded cell. You are bored, miserable and irritated. Hot <a href="https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/bored-of-your-isolation-workouts-just-dance-baby">boredom</a> is that internal groan when you’re in line at the DMV or stuck on the <a href="https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/how-to-get-some-sleep-in-an-airport">airport</a> tarmac, and your <a href="https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/cardio-iphone-distraction">phone</a> dies and there’s not a <a href="https://melmagazine.com/en-us/story/t-pain-cocktail-book">book</a>, magazine or any source of distraction within reach. At its worst, it can feel almost physically painful.

Hot Boredom Defined

<ul><li>Hot boredom is a common struggle people encounter when they first try to meditate.</li><li>A big part of getting past it is learning to sit with that discomfort, instead of fighting it.</li><li>Don't resist it because when we allow for hot boredom to exist, we give ourselves the possibility of transiting to the spaciousness of cool boredom.</li></ul>In order to move beyond hot boredom, you have to feel it burn a bit first.

Hot Boredom Is An Obstacle In Your Journey

What Is ‘Hot Boredom,’ and Do I Have It?

When you're overloaded with work/parenting/caring/domestic admin/stuff to faff around with on your phone, it's easy to fall into the trap of thinking that every second is accounted for.<ul><li>Spending time doing whatever you want will help you get everything else done; that it's not selfish, but actually practical.</li><li>Set aside 20 minutes each morning for yourself.</li></ul>Try to do nothing. It is rewarding, to just do nothing for a short while at least.

How to Microdose Your 'Me Time'

<ul><li>Take a break if it’s something you enjoy.</li><li>Work is not the only thing we do in life - taking a break gives us our humanity.</li><li>Don't worry whether you’re wasting time or using it well, just enjoy it.</li><li>Set your alarm half an hour before your kids wake so you can sit and read or listen to music without interrupting them.</li></ul>

Doing Nothing Is Okay

<ul><li>If you don’t schedule those 20 minutes, it will take effort and willpower to try to make it happen, and finding that time will become a hassle.</li><li>To make it work, you’ll need to schedule your entire day.</li><li>Do not wait until the alarm goes off to decide what to do.</li><li>Prepare what you'll need the night before.</li><li>A schedule is a visual representation of how much time you have every day.</li></ul>

Make A Plan And Stick To It

<ul><li>Take five minutes and ask yourself why you struggle to make time for yourself.</li><li>Is it because you don't set healthy boundaries or are afraid of being alone with your thoughts?</li><li>Taking care of mental health can improve time management and improve your mental health, a two-way street.</li><li>Prioritize your needs,  whether it's a run, white space or sitting down with a blank sheet of paper to write down your ideas and be creative.</li></ul>

If You Are Struggling, Work Out What Is Stopping You

<ul><li>When you have cash in your hand, you can count it, it's quantifiable. But you can't see or feel time, or put a real value on it.</li><li>Because time is invisible, we have a hard time accounting for it. We always think there's going to be more time in the future, but there isn't.</li><li>If it's something that you enjoy, it is time well spent</li></ul>

Treat Time Like Cash, Not Credit

<ul><li>Solitude is a lovely word. It means being alone but not lonely.</li><li>Simple things like listening to music or looking at art can be just as important as meditation.</li><li>Some people find solitude very rewarding and enjoyable, while others are not looking for it. </li><li>Don't be alone, just be in a positive aloneness for a while and see how a blossoming happens.</li></ul>

Solitude: Be In Aloneness

Finding time to do what you want to do can seem impossible. But what if it was less than half an hour a day? Here’s how to microdose your ‘me time’

mindfulness

Mindfulness

Gimme 20! How just 20 minutes a day to yourself could transform your life

The concept of work life balance basically views work and life as 2 separate parts of our life that need to be maintained equally. In a much broader sense, it means to utilise more time for leisure things, family time or simply self care. It is something which many youths, including myself, struggle with. It’s difficult to find a space that is just the right balance of work and leisure.

Introduction To Work-life Balance 0

The reason why work-life balance has become such a growing topic in discussions among the self-help and self-care community is because the “constant hustle” cultre has fixed the idea of constantly being on the go, working and being productive into the workforce and has made it the norm.This has built the toxic idea in most workplace employees that they should be constantly on the go and hustling, being productive instead of taking time off for themselves and doing things that they love.

About work-life balance

Even if you love your job & are motivated to work, overworking yourself without taking breaks will eventually lead to some resentment – either towards yourself, your colleagues or even your job.Constantly being on the run, working even on the weekends will lead to eventual burnout – be it mentally or physically – this is what leads to resentment & negative feelings which is your mind & body’s indication to needing a break.Assuming that working harder than others will lead you to great success in your career is wrong. Yes, it might help to get ahead, but at the cost of your own well being.

<ul><li>Define </li></ul>Before going into work-life balance, you need to know what is ‘balance’ for you.Write down the things in your life that are priorities, then analyse your life daily life and try to make an estimate on how much time you’re able to allot to each priority.Then take a moment to reflect on that.Are you happy with that? What would you like to change? How much of a change do you want? How will that change your life?

Tips to maintain work-life balance

<ul><li>Set Schedules </li></ul>When you realise how you want your day-to-day life to be organized it becomes easier to schedule your day accordingly.Set a fixed schedule for workdays with fixed times for work and fun things that you enjoy .When you have a fixed schedule, especially one that is more or less consistent throughout all workdays, it becomes much easier to get into that ‘flow’ state of work and enjoy uninterrupted work times. Also helps you detangle yourself from work after a specific time and just enjoy other things.

Now, it might seem easy to fix a schedule and plan out your entire day, but the difficult part is sticking to that workplan and being consistent with it. Especially as someone like me who doesn’t fit well with schedules and hates being routine, it gets boring.

Cons To This

<ul><li>Turn Off </li></ul>Turn off work mode – both, from your devices and your head.Turn off work and email notifications. If possible, turn off devices and spend time doing the things that make you happy or spend time with people that make you happy.It’s important to not let work distract you during times that are supposed to be your ‘off’ times. Obviously this won’t work for you if you have a job that requires you to be on alert most of the times.But for a student plus writer like me, it’s easy to shut off my phone and go out on a walk or read or study my favourite subjects.

<ul><li>Make Boundaries </li></ul>When you have a schedule and fixed times for everything, there is only that limited time for you to work and to relax. It’s important to learn to maintain that boundary between your work and your personal life. Learn to not bring your work into your personal space, to give time to people outside of the work environment and maintain balance.The way to achieve this balance is from within, it is a resultant of your own choices and it’s important for you to make wise decisions and respect the boundary that you have created for yourself.

If you are someone like me who finds it difficult to work within boundaries,it’s going to be a difficult task to navigate through them and be disciplined, but the only way to have successful work-life balance is by execution- simply learn to work within boundaries and stick to your routine.

Cons To This 

<ul><li>Reflect </li> </ul>After atleast a month of following through, go back to analysing your daily life. Ask yourself the same questions you asked yourself in the first step. Are your answers different now? Do you feel more happy/content with the way your work-life balance is now? Observe and reflect on your emotions before and after and see if things have changed.

<ul><li>Work-life balance is based on the idea that work and life are 2 different parts of our life that need to be maintained equally. It creates this barrier between work and life and puts a pressure on people to be able to manage both equally and successfully. </li><li>But the reality of the situation is that work and life can never be equally balanced in life. </li></ul>

Cons to work-life balance

<ul><li>There will be times when you will have to make certain decisions based off of your professional life and that takes priority in your everyday life. </li><li>There will also be times when your personal life will take the spotlight and you will set your work away to enjoy your life with people you love or just do things to keep yourself happy. </li></ul>

So when it is clear that having a perfect work-life balance isn’t possible and yet we pressurise ourselves to live that way, it is just like running a race but in the opposite direction to everyone else – you might feel like you’re winning when in reality you’re making decisions that will not benefit you. It’s important to accept that the idea of perfect work-life balance is not correct. Accept that you cannot treat things as rigid blocks, sometimes things are just grey

Work-life integration removes the idea of having a perfectly balanced equation between work and life and blends everything together.To be precise, it removes the rigid boundaries between your personal and professional life and sets your day in such a way that work, health, family, self, everything is given appropriate attention but without the strict regimes and schedules.It is a way of creating a collaboration between many areas of your life.

Work-life integration

With the added flexibility to your life, it becomes easier to manage work and personal life and if you feel like adding more things to your life, you can easily do that.It gives the opportunity to be professional while handling many things at the same time and still remain sane !

Pros Of Work-life Integration 

<ul><li>Create a schedule that focuses on all the main priorities in your life. Unlike schedules from work-life balance that dealt with ensuring ‘equlibrium’ between work and life on almost a daily basis, these schedules are based more on what you feel like and what you’re motivated to do</li><li>For example – one day I might be in the mood to study and write and instead of going out with friends i would just stay at home and read a book or draw. </li><li>The next day I might not be in the mindset to study, so I could spend time with friends and family.</li><li>It’s a way to balance your life,but in a way that suits you.</li></ul>

Tips to work-life integration

<ul><li>The only thing to keep in mind is to make sure that your schedule distributes time to all your priorities in a more or less equal amount and fulfills you and the people most important to you.</li><li>Just like in work-life balance situations, it’s important to have boundaries here as well, but not as strict/rigid.</li><li>Here you don’t have to set times in your day reserved only for work and only for fun. You only have a brief blueprint of how much time you want to spend working and how much on leisure things.</li><li>You just need to try and not let the two (work and fun) overlap and keep them at a distance.</li></ul>

Tips... 

<ol><li>If you don’t spread your priorities out equally, you might end up spending most of your time either working or on leisure things.</li><li>You may not be able to properly navigate through the blend of work and life and might lose the grip on maintaining balance between the two.</li><li>You may have your mind constantly preoccupied with other things due to lack of proper scheduling of thoughts and work times.</li></ol>

Cons to work-life integration

Having work-life balance is an important thing.. or is it? Here is debate about the pros and cons of work-life balance and a slightly better option. 

career

Career

Work-Life Balance?

It might sound counterintuitive. When you want to move ahead in life, hit them goals. Buy that dream house, car or that new phone. Everyone is in such a rush to reach to a place where we feel accomplished, loved, cared, satisfied. Only to realise it is start of another peak.Let the realisation creep in, we are not telling ourselves to stop. It is a sign to slow down. Put car on the side line, press the parking light, check the left and the rights, check the google map, ask a passing stranger.“Are we headed in the right direction?”

Slow down To go faster

If you are go to reply to everything that needs to be done. Be it exercise, family or friends time, community time or even sleep is “ I am busy”. My friend we are suffering from the same thing, disease called “I am busy”It makes us feel engaged, no time to think, wonder, question because we have better things to do. That is being busy. Give yourself the freedom to have some quality rest. Take the walk in the park. Read that book with a cup of coffee and morning sun. Unless you are Putin and working to end the war, you can take the break .

A pandemic called: “I am busy”

Research shows we have recessing attention span. Don’t even need to quote it. Check your temptation to do something else while reading this small post. Did you switched tabs? Did you check the phone which have no notifications? Did you opened mail box to see any new mails or on Whatsapp.When you stand in a line and open your phone just to be engaged for that small pause. Did some life changing opportunity just walked past because you missed to check your phone? Ever ?Those millions notifications are better left unheard. Learn to sit idle. Learn to be idle.

Hello Attention span, bye

Sometimes you need to take a step back to make the jump

It might sound counterintuitive. When you want to move ahead in life, hit them goals. Buy that dream house, car or that new phone. When you seek that elusive tag in the organisation which helps you…

health

Health

Un-offical Guide to go faster :   “Slow down”

Motivational energy from achieving goals, dreams and desire fulfillment.Emotional energy from trust of friends and family.Intellectual energy from practicing mindfulness, experience and knowledge.Physical energy obtained from good sleep, exercise and recovery.

Energy- Feeling Of Capacity

You probably came across development and self help books which talk about motivation and life goals.If you are tired on physical level you don't have energy on emotional and intellectual challenges.

Things that are Important but not the Core.

Physical recovery is a science that nobody talks about, only professional athletes know how important it is.

Interlink Of Various Energy.

Think of your body as a car you used to move through life. It's the only guide you have you can't sell it to replace it. How far you get in life and how quickly you get there depends on how well you take care of your car.If you are not scheduling regular oil change and maintenance, you'll find yourself as disrepair.

Life Is Like The Only Car

1. Keep Moving: studies show we are better when we exercise. Without the movement the car rusts, similarly without moment you feel demotivated and exhausted.2. Take breaks: our bodies are not designed to work 8 hr straight. Take atleast 15mins break in an hr.3.Sleep: it s the absolute minimum you owe your body everyday. Its like daily energy recovery.4. Fuel: you can't put any fuel in your ka do you really think your body is okay with junk food and soda. So eat healthy conciously, not just for yourself but totake care of your brain and body.

Want To Avoid Breakdown

You need to give a chance to your body to recover.

If You Are Tired

Like you take your car to repair shop or wash.Remember recovery is active not passive. Lying on bed and watching tv won't nelp, pur body needs change. Take a walk in park, get a massage, go to yoga class, meditate.Find your way that suits you.Find a stress and energy measurements to track which energy recovery techniques suits you.

What Is The Best Way To Recover

Physical recovery is a science nobody talks about. Only professional athletes know how important it is. Time management may seem like the right solution when you can’t get everything you need done, but it won’t help if you’re exhausted. Energy is the feeling of capability. More detailed information is available on our website: https://welltory.com

Manage your energy, not your time.

When you are tired from doing work, don't pick up your phone to scroll mindlessly. Instead take Real Rest like walking, or a few pushups, or just looking out of the window. This will replenish your energy and will feel refreshing instead of tiring the brain even more.

Take Real Rest

Practice isn't something you do when you are good at something, it's something you do to become good.

Happiness has been proven to increase productivity and efficiency in doing any kind of work, as it gives a sense of purpose and exitement. So try to stay happy to improve productivity.

Happiness

Consider consuming caffiene early in the day to focus better on your work

Caffiene

Our brains remember unfinished tasks better than finished ones, so that we continue to think about our unsolved problems. This can be used to our benefit in many ways. For example, take a break for some time from a difficult probelm. Surprisingly you may have the answer to it while you resume it some time later.

Zeigarnic Effect

"Common Sense isn't common action. "Many times we know the answer to a solution from common sense but we don't do what is needed to be done. Like for example we know that a headache can be cured by putting our phone aside and taking a break, but we continue to use our phones anyway. So do things which seem common sense, instead of undermining them due to their simplicity.

Common Sense

Most humans have trouble focusing on one task. While we attribute this to our laziness, it actually has an evolutionary reason. Early humans always had to stay aware of their surroundings for potential danger (like a tiger lurking around). So our brains have evolved to always have their attention scattered to be aware of their surroundings, hence making it hard for us to focus on one single task. So don't go too hard on yourself and try to improve your focus progreseively.

Why Is It So Hard To Focus? 

Your focus is the most valuable asset you have. You can literally change your life by choosing where to devote your focus.So spend it wisely.

Last Words

Dense important ideas of the book Hyperfocus. 

Our attention has never been as overwhelmed or in demand as it is today; we've never been so busy while accomplishing so little, and we've grown uncomfortable with boredom and a lack of stimulation and distraction.In Hyperfocus, Chris Bailey - described by TED.com as 'the most productive man you could ever hope to meet' - provides profound insights into how we can best manage our attention. He reveals how the brain switches between two mental modes - hyperfocus, our deep concentration mode, and scatterfocus, our creative, reflective mode - and how the surest path to being our most creative and efficient selves at work is to combine them both.The often counter-intuitive wisdom at play includes:- How working fewer hours increases our productivity- How drinking caffeine strategically instead of habitually gives us more energy- How we get more done by making our work harder, not easier- How we do our best creative work when we're the most tired

creativity

Creativity

books

Books

Adviezen om met veel aandacht en concentratie ingewikkelde werkopdrachten uit te voeren.

Chris Bailey is an accomplished writer whose work has resonated with readers around the world. Chris Bailey has published several books that explore a range of topics, from fiction to nonfiction, and has received critical acclaim for the ability to weave compelling narratives. Chris Bailey's writing style is known for its depth and authenticity, and has earned quite a loyal following of readers.

Chris Bailey

Hyperfocus

Meetings which require group thinking and discussion to make decisions and are going to be really mentally-challenging, those meetings are known as High-IQ meetings.Meetings are all about teams and collaboration and if you want your group to be at their best, you need to find a time where everyone can have optimal chance to be fully wake up and get the blood flowing.

'High-IQ Meetings'

"I like to do my high-IQ meetings before lunch, Anything that's going to be really mentally challenging--that's a 10 o'clock meeting. Because by 5 p.m., I'm like, 'I can't think about that today. Let's try this again tomorrow at 10.'"

<ul><li>Get enough sleep</li><li>Feed your soul</li><li>Identify your priorities</li></ul>

3 ways to make High-IQ meetings count

<a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/healthy-sleep/sleep-science/the-science-of-sleep-understanding-what-happens-when-you-sleep">Research indicates that good sleep is vital for "brain plasticity,"</a> the brain's ability to learn and adapt.A good night's sleep also helps you concentrate better when you're awake, while reducing unforced errors and irritability. So, view getting enough sleep as a sound investment.

Get Enough Sleep

Before starting your work, take out some time for yourself, figure out what would help you, your body, and your mind. <ul><li>Is it a workout? </li><li>Some time to reflect and meditate? </li><li>Or, a good breakfast with your loved ones?</li></ul>By feeding your soul first, you'll be prepared to do great work.

Feed your soul

Sometimes we confuse feeling productive with being productive. You might jump into your workday and knock out a bunch of small tasks.Completing this type of work isn't wrong; it's often necessary. But these are tasks that can often be completed quickly, later in the day.This gives you time to focus your prime thinking time on the more important decisions.The more responsibility you have, the more important focus becomes. So, identify your most important decisions for today, and make those your priority.

Identify your priorities

In a recent interview, Bezos shared some tips on how to make "high-IQ" meetings count.

Jeff Bezos Schedules His Most Important Meetings at 10 a.m. Here's Why You Should Too

Knowing what goals you’re working toward is the first step in becoming more disciplined. Without knowing what you’re working toward, it can be difficult – if not impossible – to actually hold yourself accountable. Clearly define your goals and put them somewhere visible. Write them down on sticky notes and put them on your bathroom mirror. Put them on a whiteboard in your kitchen, or on your cell phone’s wallpaper.

1. Make sure you know your goals.

You need more than a goal to develop discipline. You need to look a little deeper and make sure you know why that goal is important to you.Why do you want to earn that promotion at work? Want to stop smoking, eat healthier, or kick that bad habit? Why? By getting really clear on why your goal matters, it becomes much easier to convince yourself to take action and do whatever it takes to get there. If you can remind yourself exactly why you’re running a mile each morning, you’ll be way more likely to lace up your shoes and make it happen – instead of telling yourself it can wait.

2. Understand your why. 

Habits are incredibly powerful tools that benefit numerous areas of our lives – including our ability to develop discipline. Habits are essentially little actions we incorporate into our lives on a regular, routine basis.Consider what habits might help you achieve your goals through discipline – and find a way to incorporate them throughout your day. One effective way to build new habits involves ‘habit stacking,’ or linking habits together so that one triggers the next.

3. Build helpful habits.

Temptation is the enemy of discipline. And while some people are great at resisting temptation, saying ‘no’, and sticking to a plan – some of us aren’t so lucky. If you’re struggling to develop self-discipline because you have too many temptations leading you astray, the answer is pretty simple – find ways to get rid of them. Can’t seem to say no to sweets, even though you’re determined to drop 10 lbs and stick to your diet? Get rid of the temptation by skipping the cookies at the grocery store and keeping your pantry free of the things that’ll derail you from your goals.

4. Get rid of temptation

Do you have goals you'd like to accomplish? Use these tips to develop discipline in your daily life to help you achieve your goals.

habits

Habits

4 Ways to Develop Discipline in Your Daily Life - The Simplicity Habit

Find 100+ Tips for Time Management - Curated from inspiring sources like Books, Podcasts & Articles - Genuine Insights from like-minded Users like You!