You wake up early morning and decide that you are going to work your ass off today. You glue yourself to your desk, put your mind to the task, and manage to squeeze 16 hours without taking rest breaks at work! You do that for three days at a stretch.

What happens the next day? Your productivity level drops.

Taking wise, pre-planned breaks is one of the least harnessed (but the most essential) tools inside an entrepreneur’s productivity toolbox. If you are still not buying the idea, here are 3 good reasons why taking rest breaks at work is more important than the actual tasks.

Breaks trigger your brain’s diffuse mode

Studies show that your brain works in two complementary but contrasting modes: the focused and the diffused.

From a layman’s perspective, the focused mode is when concentrated thinking takes place. It happens when a person gives his full attention to the task at hand. The diffused mode, on the other hand, is more of a relaxing state where you just work with the flow.

Interestingly, your brain can never be in both states at the same time.

When you take a break, your mind enters into a diffuse mode. This mode tends to create a room for creativity and is usually where most of the revolutionary ideas pop.

Studies show that being in the focused mode for excessive periods often leads to “Einstellung effect”. It’s a phenomenon where you find yourself stuck in a problem because your mind is pre-programmed to solve it in a pre-defined manner.

Imagine this:

Your car has to pass through an under-bridge that is an inch shorter than your car’s height. How do you solve the problem? While most intellectual engineers crack their heads to get it done, a child might simply point out that puncturing the tires would do the job.

Is the child smarter than those professionals?

The smartest of the engineers would probably restrict themselves into thinking about the mechanics of the car or the construction of the bridge simply because their brains are wired into thinking that way.

The above illustration is a perfect example of how Einstellung tremendously impacts our ability to produce innovative thoughts.

So how do you avoid this deadly effect?

Avoid staying in the focused mode for too long. Whenever you feel drowned in your thoughts, go outside for a few minutes to take a break.

It helps free your working memory

Your brain has a “working memory” constituting of everything you’re thinking of at the moment. Most of us have roughly four slots of that memory available while some people can have as many as nine.

When you think of something, it occupies your working memory before moving to the long-term space. It is pretty obvious that your working space can get filled easily if you always do deep work.

Have you ever felt frustrated after working for long hours at a stretch? Overloaded working memory is the culprit.

Taking rest breaks at work helps your mind assimilate these thoughts and move them to the long term space, thereby freeing up your valuable slots.

Tip: Consider writing down pending tasks at hand before taking a break. This would take away the pain of having to recall the tasks.

See Also: 5 Top Weird Brain Facts

You feed yourself some love

When you take a break, you stand a chance to open yourself up to the world. You get to observe the scenic, innate beauty of nature as you take a walk in the park.

You get to realize how blessed you are to have a loving family and a friends’ circle. More importantly, it will help you realize how beautiful life is.

Recent studies reveal that emotional intelligence (EQ) might be more important than your IQ for your success. And how do you develop your EQ? Simple, you just have to steal some of your working hours to interact with the world.

I hope this article helped you in understanding the importance of taking regular rest breaks at work and not overworking yourself.

What do you do while taking breaks? What is your favorite recreation activity?

See Also: 10 Brain Damaging Activities You Need To Stop Doing Now

 

The post 3 Reasons Why Taking Rest Breaks At Work Is Important appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

http://ift.tt/2nikqaG

There are people who hate writing while others have no interest in selling their skills or products. Despite these differences, I still believe everyone can benefit from having a blog.

Here are seven good reasons to start a blog today.

It’s the easiest way to market yourself

A blog is a brilliant marketing tool for both business owners looking to attract customers and employees hoping to impress future employers.

It provides a simple way to demonstrate your knowledge of a certain subject. It’s a fantastic platform to show off your passions.

Passionate people are attractive. So, as personal brands become increasingly important in the business world, a blog can really make you stand out from the crowd.

See Also: How Online Blogging Is Influencing Business Trends

It’s a great way to channel your creative desires

Everyone has a natural desire to be creative. Some turn this into a career while others channel it as a casual hobby.

Writing is much of an art as it is a means of communication. It’s a great outlet for self-expression.

It brings satisfaction of building something from scratch

When you start blogging, you’ll be terrible. You’ll have no audience and you’ll feel like it’s a waste of time.

Stick at it though and continue writing meaningful content. Market it relentlessly and you’ll soon be celebrating all sorts of milestones.

Once your writing improves, traffic will slowly build. Before you know it, you’re already an established blogger.

There’s nothing more satisfying than slowly improving at a skill, especially when you’re building from scratch. It’s one of the reasons why so many people practice sports and musical instruments.

It ensures flow state

Flow state is the sensation that occurs when you’re so absorbed in a task that nothing else seems to matter.

Your sense of self disappears and time seems to pass quicker. When your performance levels improve, you’ll find it as an addictive feeling.

This type of flow state is commonly associated with sports, like when athletes train for hours at a time. You can also reach this flow state when reading a good book, painting, knitting and, in my case, writing.

Whenever I compose a blog post, I become so immersed in trying to express my ideas and attempting to construct the sharpest sentences and metaphors. I often find myself typing into the early hours of the morning.

This isn’t because I’m desperately chasing a deadline, but because being in this flow state feels so good. When you are writing about something you are passionate about, you may find yourself in the same situation.

It forces you out of your comfort zone

There are approximately 2 million blog posts published online every day. And if you want to keep people’s attention to your post, you need to write content that will truly shock them.

This can be uncomfortable since fantastic contents typically ruffle a few feathers. It might offend people and you run the risk of getting laughed off the internet.

This necessity to push the boundaries is a positive thing. It drives you to dig deeper into certain issues and forces you to create content that truly stirs emotions.

If you write a personal blog, it can push you to live a more exciting life so embrace the awkwardness. Everything that’s truly incredible begins outside of your comfort zone.

See Also: How To Find The Best Topic For Your Blog

It can create great relationships

Blogging is a fantastic way to attract people with similar passions and beliefs. Many bloggers make lifelong friends as a result of their writing.

I first got in touch with Las Vegas club promoter Drew Schroeder because he also wrote a dating blog. We wrote a couple of guest posts for each other and kept in touch on social media.

Last year, I went to party with him in Sin City’s biggest nightclubs. That holiday remains one of the best weeks of my life.

It’s a source of passive income

Many successful bloggers make a passive income through their posts and this is one of people’s most common reasons to start a blog. This can be done either through ad networks, affiliate sales, or selling their own products.

If you’re a business owner, a popular blog can boost leads by attracting more people to your website through search engines and social media. Your leads will also be more likely to convert to customers if your blog represents a likeable brand with a superior knowledge of your niche.

Many business owners say they don’t have time to maintain a blog. I’d argue they can’t afford not to.

The post 7 Life-Enhancing Reasons To Start A Blog appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

http://ift.tt/2nw5BSJ

You may be feeling overwhelmed with life, burnt out, and losing energy.

You have work commitments. Your friends want you to come out for drinks after your busy schedule. Your personal space, that you intended to tidy when you got back from work, is still cluttered.

Simply put, your plate is full.

Although you don’t want to feel this stressed out all the time, there just isn’t enough time in the day to do the things you really want to do. And it’s destroying you and your self-esteem.

The good news is that it doesn’t always have to be this way. Here are seven reasons why you’re feeling overwhelmed with life and how you can easily solve them.

Reason #1 – You are going to bed too late

I know what you’re thinking. You go to bed late because the evenings are the only time you get to yourself. I get it.

But consider this:

Going to bed late leaves you feeling sluggish and lethargic the next day. This has an impact on the rest of your day because you’ve woken up and jumped straight into your busy routine without a moment’s thought about yourself.

The Solution

Go to bed one hour earlier and wake up an hour earlier. I know it’s tempting to go to bed as late as possible and lay in as much as you can, but by waking up an hour earlier every morning, you’ll have time to care for yourself.

You can journal, meditate, read a book, or workout. Starting your day like this sets you up right for the rest of the day. No matter what happens from there on, you know you’ve already had one hour to do something meaningful and worthwhile.

See Also: Get Strong, Sleep, Repeat: The Importance Of Sleeping

Reason #2 – You are financially stretched

We live in a society where we are advertised to all day long. We are bombarded by adverts and offers constantly. You’ll feel like you just need to keep up with the latest trend or you’ll feel like you’re ‘falling behind’.

This can easily make you feel overwhelmed, especially when you don’t have the money to buy all of the latest things. It can make you feel frustrated to the point that your self-esteem gets damaged.

The Solution

Create a budget and live within your means. If you really want to buy the latest gadget or devices, save a portion of your income until you can afford to buy it without going into debt. Set aside money to pay your bills and living expenses.

If you need to spend any more money, ask yourself if it’s really a necessity. Say “no” more often to everyday situations that require spending money unless it’s something that’s really important. The reason why you’re financially overwhelmed is because you’re not yet disciplined enough to say no. You’ve been conditioned to spend your money.

Reason #3 – You are socially bombarded

So you’ve had a busy day at work. You can’t wait to get home, grab something to eat, and put your feet up. Then out of nowhere, your phone rings. It’s your best friend. She wants to go out for a couple of drinks to celebrate her promotion. You accept and tell yourself that it’s alright and you’ll have time for yourself at the end of the evening when you return home.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to resist your Whatsapp and Facebook messages that you end up laying in bed for hours and replying to your friends’ messages. No wonder you wake up feeling so lethargic and unmotivated.

The Solution

There’s nothing wrong with socializing with friends. But when you really don’t want to, just say no. Saying yes when you really mean no can only make you feel more overwhelmed.

Set an arrangement with yourself to put your phone on the other side of your bedroom at a certain time of night. For me, that’s 10:00 pm. That provides me some time to brush my teeth, get into bed and read a book before turning in for the night.

Reason #4 – Your personal environment is ‘visually noisy’

If your personal space is untidy and cluttered, it can create all sorts of disordered thoughts and feelings even if you don’t realize it. A pile of books on the nightstand, a countertop full of dishes and random items cluttered together on the dining room table can make you feel more stressed out.

Just looking at and being around all those things can release the stress hormone Cortisol. It can make you feel tired and unmotivated.

The Solution

Select one area of your physical space that you want to tidy up and start there. It might be your nightstand, dining room table, or your desk. It doesn’t matter where you start – just start somewhere.

Once you’ve tidied away the clutter and got rid of any trash, you need to maintain a habit of tidying your space so that things won’t build up again. It can be as simple as putting a book back on the shelf or putting a cup in the sink rather than leaving it empty on the table. Make a point of being mindful about this every day and notice how different you feel as a result.

Reason #5 – You don’t have a calendar

Or maybe you do, but it’s poorly organized. One of the biggest causes of stress and overwhelm is the feeling of not being in control of your time. It’s really easy to give away chunks of your time to those who request it even when you don’t want to. As a result, you’ll end up feeling like you’re doing everything for everyone else and neglecting your own needs. It can lead to burnout and feelings of resentment.

The Solution

Take back control of your time! Get yourself a calendar and block in your most important and non-negotiable activities, such as work or medical appointments. Next, set appointments with yourself. Use this time to do what’s meaningful to you.

It just comes down to saying no and guarding your time wisely. It doesn’t always mean that you won’t help anybody. You just need to have self-respect to dedicate some time to your own development and to do things that make you feel happy and fulfilled.

Reason #6 – You lack self-perspective

Self-perspective is the ability to look at your life objectively without attaching emotions to it. When daily life is stifling you and you feel overwhelmed by everything, it’s really hard to zoom out and see the big picture.

The Solution

This is where a couple of dots are connected. By either 1) getting up and hour earlier or 2) putting your phone on the other side of your bedroom before you get into bed, you are giving yourself that time to reflect. If you like to journal, then this provides a great opportunity to zoom out objectively and be honest about what you see.

Reason #7 – You lack self-awareness

Self-awareness is the ability to go inward to feel what’s going on inside you, rather than what’s going on outside of you. When you lack self-awareness, you aren’t connecting with your feelings. Essentially, you are ignoring the warning signs that your body is giving to you. This leads to you not being able to act on what your gut is telling you and that may leave you feeling trapped in certain situations or circumstances.

The Solution

This is the perfect time to start a daily meditation practice. You’ll only need ten minutes per day but this little window of time is enough to provide you with amazing benefits. You’ll be able to check in with your feelings so that you can be calmer, sharper, and much less stressed.

Imagine waking up in the morning feeling energized and eager. Imagine what it’d feel like to sail through the day with confidence. You know exactly where your life is going.

Feeling overwhelmed sucks. However, once you know the things that make you feel overwhelmed with life, you can easily resolve the issues and you’ll be amazed at how quickly your life will change.

See Also: Questions and Answers: A Beginners Guide to Meditation

You can step off at any time. You are in control.

The post 7 Reasons Why Life Is Overwhelming You (And How To Fix Them) appeared first on Dumb Little Man.

http://ift.tt/2nWtBdZ