Did you know that you can use music to boost productivity? Often overlooked, optimizing your sound environment is a great hack for improving productivity and staying focused.

Here are the steps you can take to figure out the best soundscape for you and how you can employ it in your everyday life.

Discover the noise, sound or music best for you

The first step in hacking your soundscape is to understand what it should be. This varies from person to person.

For me, chill, atmospheric, instrumental pieces like Enchantment by Tuatara are best, but you might get in the zone listening to speed metal or Justin Bieber (no judgment). Some people are very self-aware and can figure out their ideal soundscape right away.

However, if you are not one of these people, here’s a couple of methods that can help:

Method 1. Imagine your best work environment

Picture every detail. Do you sit or stand? Is it in an office, a coffee shop, a cabin in the woods, beachside, or elsewhere? Is it light and airy or shadowy and comfortable?

Finally, what do you hear, if anything? The low murmur of a busy office, the wind moving through the trees, waves going in and out, Cuban music wafting through the door, a fire crackling, a light classical piece, or unbroken silence?

Whatever it is, it should be something that you enjoy but don’t need to listen to closely.

Method 2. Try out different soundscapes

Write down a list of the music or backgrounds that you enjoy and think might be good for you.

Next, give them a dry run. Try them out for a short time. At least 30 mins is best, but less is workable. Keep track of your productivity and how it felt for each type. Remember, you aren’t trying to figure out what sounds or music you enjoy the most, but what helps you be the most productive.

Make sure you don’t just consider music or nature sounds. Sometimes, the best option is silence, white noise, or pink noise (white noise’s lesser known cousin). In any case, you now have your Productivity Sound (PS).

The last step is finding out if your PS is good for all tasks. Does it help your productivity with all the different tasks you do? If not, take the time to find your productivity sound for each task category.

See Also: Get “In the Zone” on Command with a Focus Song 

Evaluate your workspace soundscape

Is your work environment compatible with the sound you find most productive? This is easy to check. For example, unless your PS is the sound of a noisy office and you work in a noisy office, the answer is no. If you don’t already know the answer to this question, take a second to consider it.

Hack your environment

If you’re a writer, self-employed, or work from home, you probably have the flexibility to choose where you work. In some cases, all you need to change is your work location.

However, if this isn’t possible, there are still a number of possible solutions. Here are some that I’ve discovered:

• White Noise devices or programs

I personally llike pink noise over white noise. If you prefer any of these two, there are a number of devices and programs out there that can generate these and other background noises.

A quick search will turn up plenty of apps, YouTube videos, and tracks to download, any one of which would do the trick.

• Create a work playlist

If your PS is a type of music, do a little searching in that category to create a long playlist. Remember, the goal isn’t to find songs you love, but instead to find songs that help you get work done. This means finding a song that you can listen to a hundred times without getting sick of it.

• Recording your favorite environment yourself

If your PS is someplace you can visit but can’t work at, you can always record it. You can use your cellphone, laptop or tablet to do this. There are plenty of free recording apps or programs out there like Audacity for my laptop.

Once you’ve recorded a good amount like 15 to 30 minutes of sound, you can just set it to play on repeat. Plus, having a recording that repeats helps you keep track of time even when you’re “in the zone” since you know how long each repetition is.

• Get a good pair of noise cancellation headphones or earbuds

For most of these solutions, a good pair of headphones or earbuds is required especially if you work with other people. Also, if silence is your thing, you either need noise cancellation headphones, total control over your workspace, or, if all else fails, a pair of earplugs.

See Also: 10 Productivity Musts for Freelancers

Sound supplements

It’s a little-known fact that certain kinds of music can help you accomplish certain tasks, focus, be creative, relax, and meditate. This is known as binaural beats music which uses different tones played in each ear to strengthen brain waves.

The brain waves being strengthened change depending on the difference between the two tones. For example, 200 Hz and 210 Hz tones bolster 10 Hz brain waves.

A quick web search will turn up numerous scientific studies that have proven this effect. Put simply, if you listen to 10-20 mins of the right binaural music when you start a task, it will help you get it done.

Binaural music comes in various ranges. For concentration tasks, the beta range is best (13-40 Hz). For creativity or meditation, alpha is best (7-13 Hz).

For deep relaxation and sleep, delta and theta ranges are best (.5-7 Hz). You can get binaural beats tracks from apps, on YouTube, and various companies that make products that use this brain-hacking sound.

Isochronic tones, on the other hand, are a more powerful alternative to binaural beats. While more effective, they are less popular due to the way they sound.

Isochronic tones are made by turning a tone on and off rapidly, which results in a ‘click’ or ‘buzz’ sound that many people find unpleasant. Personally, I listen to a 35 min advanced concentration isochronic tone whenever I need to focus. Most of this article was written while listening to this.

So, there you have it! The best way to make your sonic environment more conducive to your work, no matter what it is.  Just remember to continue to take regular breaks and never listen to anything for too long!

 

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For many people, work is a miserable experience because it involves doing many difficult and even boring things that become routine with time. For example, a typical business owner wakes up at 7 am, goes to the office at 8 am, works until 6 pm, goes home, eats dinner, and continues to solve business problems that accumulated during the day.

The same could be said about employees as well who cycle through rote office work. A pretty miserable experience, huh?

The good news is that this can all change. Here are 12 awesome tips on how to help to make your business life easier.

1. Develop Email Management Approach

Responding to email is an important aspect of business. To make sure that all letters that deserve your attention are read, try checking your inbox at a specific time of the day.

For example, do it in the first two hours of your morning and make sure that the most important ones are answered first. Eventually, people will notice this pattern and write to you when you can answer them.

2. Improve hiring process

The right people for the job will ensure that you have fewer issues to deal with at the end of the day. Ensure that your hiring process is at its most efficient.

For example, perform checks on potential candidates and make sure to call their former direct managers or employers.

3. Enhance productivity through exercise

It is a known fact that exercise can improve productivity and help to avoid stress and negativity associated with work. This is exactly what most business persons need because their life is all about stress and challenges.

Running, power walks, and workouts in the morning, during lunch, or in the evening will help improve health, productivity, and energy. Eventually, make exercise a part of your everyday routine and you won’t believe how quickly you will feel the benefits.

See Also: 7 Smart Ways to Exercise At Work

4. Surround yourself with positive people

Negativity often comes from people who have a hostile attitude or negative mindset. There is nothing enjoyable about these individuals which makes communication with them difficult and uncomfortable.

In contrast, positive-minded people are great to work with because the entire experience is so enjoyable. By surrounding yourself with positive individuals and staying away from toxic ones, you can increase productivity, improve teamwork, and have fun at work.

5. Do not believe in multitasking

Some people claim that multitasking allows you to achieve more by doing several things at once. However, actual experience shows otherwise. Most people cannot complete multiple ongoing tasks well.

What that means to you as a business person is that you should stop engaging in multitasking while at work. For example, stay away from Facebook while answering work emails. Concentrating on one task at hand is the best way to go.

6. Make your employees feel appreciated

Employee motivation is a powerful tool for entrepreneurs because it increases productivity, boosts morale, and reduces the number of issues if done right. Remember, cash bonuses is only one way to go.

You can be even more effective by giving your employees important responsibilities, having them travel on business trips, or simply showing your appreciation. These things make employees feel that they are important in the company.

7. Get the help of professionals

Business life is full of challenges that one does not expect. Sometimes, some of the tasks that need to be done are out of your team’s expertise.

In this case, enlist the help of people who do these tasks for a living. For example, a professional writing service can be hired to deliver business letters and proposals while advertising agencies can be used for promotion purposes.

Today, any kind of business task can be delivered by professional teams which can give you more time to run other important errands.

8. Build your network of connections

Knowing people is a great tool for any business because they could be potential customers and partners. LinkedIn is one of the best ways to start to building a network of connections that includes other business owners, influential individuals, public figures, and other professionals. Create a profile there and make sure it stays active.

9. Keep your meetings short

Many business experts say that long business meetings are among the top time-wasters in modern business life. Limit time spent on meetings to 20 to 30 minutes.

10. Turn off notifications

Avoid distractions from your phone or mobile devices by turning off notifications. This will ensure that you remain focused during work hours. You can find out your sports team’s wining score later after work.

11. The three-minute rule

Business leaders are constantly bombarded with tons of tasks that need to be done ASAP and you might be completely overwhelmed with them in the end. How about implementing a three-minute rule that has you spending only 3 minutes at most on each task?

Whether you need to reply to an email or answer a colleague’s question, make sure you do it according to the three-minute rule.

12. Take a nap

Naps are powerful when it comes to rejuvenation and productivity. It is a known fact that a short power nap is good for improving memory, energy, and cognitive skills, and this tool is used all around the world to enhance the productivity of employees.

When you feel like it, take a short nap and enjoy having more energy for work after.

See Also: 7 Easy Tips on How to Get the Perfect Nap 

Use these tips to make your life in the office much easier and enjoyable!

 

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Do you need help with figuring out your career?

Life is all about making decisions. Two of the most critical decisions that you would have to make in your life would be “which career to choose?’ and “how to figure out your career?”

Below are seven steps to help you out with these questions in the most efficient way possible. Whether you are planning your career for the first time or changing your career, acting upon them would surely help.

Analyze Yourself

Every individual in this world is unique. Each one has his or her own set of skills, knowledge, interests, abilities and capabilities. This is the reason why some are good at mathematics, while others are good at languages. Some are good at geography, while others are good in history.

Determining your interests, skills and abilities can give you an idea of what career you should be looking into. Self-analysis can be done through a variety of ways. Self-assessment, self-evaluation tests, and counselling are some widely used methods.

List Down Prospective Occupations

After completing proper analysis of yourself and identifying your strengths, you should next consider what you are interested in doing for years to come. Use this information to narrow down your career choices. List down 5 to 10 jobs that best match with your capabilities, skills and interests.

Dig Further into Prospective Careers

After shortlisting your best job picks, get intel about each career path. Make sure that you get as much information as you can about educational or training requirements, job roles, employment outlook, earnings, and growth opportunities.

You can get this data through a professional in each of these fields or through online research. As much as possible, do the first. You might be able to find a number of your colleagues, friends, schoolmates or even relatives who are already working in these niches.

Apart from getting inside information, you’ll also be able to get a headstart in networking with professionals in the field.

Narrow Down Your List

Now it’s time to eliminate the jobs or career paths which you find don’t provide the best opportunities or which you’ve changed your mind about. Most people reject careers on the basis of educational requirement, potential earnings, and growth opportunities, since these things matter the most during your career.

Eliminate the ones you find unsuitable and narrow down your list even further to 1-2 options.

See Also: STEM careers – How to Find the Best Job 

Set Goals

Nest, make short term and long term goals related to your field. Set S.M.A.R.T goals.

S.M.A.RT is an acronym for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. You cannot achieve your short term goals without hard work, dedication and commitment.

See Also: How to Set Personal SMART Goals To Succeed 

Formulate an Action Plan

Once you have developed your career goals, start writing down an action plan. Include potential hurdles, steps to cope with them, and resources that can be used when help is required.

This career action plan should adequately address and anticipate all issues and scenarios that may arise and set you up for success.

Obtain training

This is the final and the most crucial step in how to figure out your career. This is the step that consumes majority of time, effort, and patience of most people.

Commit to obtaining the proper training to achieve your goal. The training you need depends entirely on the profession you’ve finally chosen.

You might be required to obtain a proper college degree, a short course, an internship, or vocational training. This would obviously require money and a whole lot of effort, so make sure that the profession you’ve chosen is something that you’d be happy to wake up for each morning.

 

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Are you owning your FULL power as a leader?

There was a point in my life and career where I sacrificed my own health and personal power for the needs of everyone but myself. I gave it away to anyone who asked and it showed on my body. I put on 40 pounds, developed high blood pressure, and felt just awful about my appearance.

But, then I started my own business, and I looked around at the 3 beautiful, young men I was raising and I knew this just wasn’t cutting it. I knew something had to change. I needed to reclaim my power in order to be successful in all areas of my life. I knew I had to set an empowering example for my boys.

As a registered dietitian nutritionist with over 25 years of experience, I also knew that changing my eating and exercise habits was just a very small piece of the puzzle. I was going to have to change how I lived my life on a deeper level in order to create lasting change. Lasting, empowering change was definitely going to take more than just eating less and exercising more.

And this is especially true for women because we’re emotional in nature. As such, for most of us, taking the practical steps of losing weight by dieting and exercising doesn’t cut it.

We need to go deeper. I call it “reclaiming your power & your body”, because there’s a part of us that is lost. When we have spent so many years of sacrificing ourselves for our careers and the needs of others, we’ve lost that inner fire and we need to reclaim it in order to experience the lasting change.

If this sounds like you, here are 3 ways you can reclaim your power and your body today:

1. Own Your Uniqueness

Have you been spending a lot of time obsessing over your imperfections? Or maybe you’ve spent years trying to get back into the size you used to be back in college?

While there’s nothing wrong with working towards goals, there’s a lot wrong with not loving and accepting who you are right here and now. You can’t get to your goal if you’re not willing to love and accept yourself as you are.

Put your obsession to good use and turn it into obsessive love for yourself!

See Also: Self-Acceptance: The Key To True Happiness

2. Create Meaningful Self-Care Rituals

We’ve all heard that self-care is important, but what’s even more important is creating self-care rituals that are meaningful to you.

If being out in nature really makes you feel good, do it more often. If eating at the table is something you value (instead of eating on the fly), do it more often. The theme here is “Do what you value more often”.

3. Manage Your Energy (not your time)

Instead of putting all of your energy into better managing your time (so you can free up more energy), go about it the opposite way and work on better managing your energy so you can free up more time in your schedule.

Studies show that you’re more productive when your energy is high (or at least stable). So do more of what gives you more energy throughout the day (nourishing food/drinks, walking breaks, soothing baths at night).

When you’re a woman in leadership, it’s important that you take care of not only your body in a physical way, but it’s a must that you care for your mental and spiritual health as well. Being in the FULLNESS of your health is necessary for the evolution of your life and your mission.

See Also: How to Become a Spiritual Badass – The 20 Laws of Spiritual Power

I’ll admit that these methods aren’t for everyone because they aren’t linked to trendy “superfoods” or hardcore exercise routines. But it’s the starting point if you want to finish strong.

True and lasting transformation begins on the inside.

 

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Apps for startups are very useful (and can even be crucial) for new companies.

As a founder of a startup, you want to commit 100% to whatever it is you and your team are creating. You do not want to, nor can you afford to waste time.

If you’ve ever found yourself asking these questions — “Did we miss something in our brainstorming notes? Has David made the interview call? Is the PowerPoint file I am looking at the latest version?” — then it’s time to use apps for startups to streamline your management process and boost productivity.

Here are apps we recommend for you:

1. Evernote

To kick start your ideas

Every goal starts with ideas. Evernote is a note-taking app for you and your team to capture, brainstorm and develop your brilliant ideas. Ideas can be easily and quickly dumped out of your brain and onto your desktop or smartphone, whenever, wherever you like.

2. Quire

To turn your ideas into to-dos

It is like what Lao Tzu said, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.”

Your startup begins with one too. Quire is a simple, fast and lightweight task management tool made to help teams break down their ideas into smaller and smaller tasks, so they can tackle them one by one.

See Also: From Startup Idea to Successful Business: 7 Questions to Ask Before You Pursue That Venture

3. Slack

For efficient communication within your team

In case you have not heard, Slack is an incredible communication app for teams. With Slack, all your conversations with your team are in one go and in one place. You can forget all about the annoying back-and-forth emails because of this lifesaver.

4. Wave

To keep track of your payments and expenses

You hate numbers. However, you need to be in control and know what is going on to your startup accounting.

Wave is an easy-to-understand accounting software designed specifically for small teams. In seconds, you can create and send invoices, payrolls and receipts, and even get insights from useful reports.

5. PomoDone

To make the most of your time

Everyone knows about the Pomodoro Technique. You swear you will stay focused and productive but the next thing you know, you have updated your Facebook status and read through your Twitter feed. PomoDone is an sleek-looking Pomodoro time tracking app that makes sure you do the right things in the right amount of time.

If you are struggling with building your startup, now is a good time to use one or more of the tools mentioned above. Your startup can be successful when you use the right tools, and spend the right amount of time on the right tasks.

See Also: How to Save Your Startup by Hiring the Right People 

 

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Are you looking for ways to improve your life?

I recently turned 44. I’m in the best shape and the happiest I’ve ever been.

Every area of my life has improved in the last 12 months. I’ve gone from being shy, limited, and held back, to being bold, confident and outgoing.

I’m making more money than I ever have and I’m doing what I love. You know you’ve found your purpose in life when you wake up at 5.am on a freezing Sunday morning eager to help people improve their lives.

And my relationships, including interactions with people I’ve just met, are energizing, fun, interesting, exciting, meaningful.

I’m keen to share my journey with you, so let’s get into it.

1. I gave myself permission to know on a deep level that I’m never too old to improve my life

“That’s it…I’m in my forties. This is the way things are meant to be. Too late to do anything about it now.”

This is the way I used to think.

I believed the bullshit people told me that once you hit forty there was no turning back, that life is an up-hill struggle from here on in. Then I remembered hearing the saying ‘life begins at forty,’ which gave me some solace and hope for the future.

But the real turning point came when I read somewhere that Colonel Saunders started KFC in his 60s and the McDonald brothers, Richard and Maurice, opened McDonald’s in their 40s and 50s respectively. I started seeing middle aged men who were in ‘knock your socks off’ relationships with beautiful, young women, and kept hearing about people in their 40s and 50s changing careers, or getting into peak physical condition.

There was enough evidence to suggest I could improve my life as well, so I put together an action plan to make it happen.

See Also: 4 Tips to Adapt The Right Mentality for Success

2. I started by giving myself permission to know on a deep level that I am a big deal

I have achieved many things in my life such as raising a well-rounded, intelligent daughter, completing a university degree, working my way up from sales trainee to sales manager, having poetry published in leading journals and best of anthologies, and convincing two guard dogs why they shouldn’t kill me (long story).

But I’d always write my achievements and accomplishments off as being ‘not that big of a deal.’ I would dismiss compliments and praise from co-workers, strangers, and even the women I was dating.

It’s not that I didn’t want to believe I was a big deal. It’s just I had been conditioned to believe that I wasn’t. This conditioning kept me held back in life and I spent many years shy and socially awkward. As a result, I settled for women I convinced myself I was attracted to, missed out on having meaningful friendships, and took crap from people because I was too timid to fight back.

I knew that if I was to make things better, I had to destroy my old way of thinking and reprogram my thoughts. I took the first step outside of my comfort zone and enrolled in several self-improvement courses. Some were better than others, but through persistence and perseverance, I eventually found what I was looking for.

It’s been said many times before, but I’ll say it again – never give up.

3. Time to challenge my comfort zone

One of those courses was Till Gross’s “Make Yourself Do Anything.” This six week course had one major focus – intentionally embarrass yourself in public.

The idea behind this is to have you stop caring what people think of you. It’s also to help you understand that fear of social situations is just an illusion, and that you can handle being looked at, laughed at, and rejected.

Some of the challenges included howling like a wolf, lying down on the ground for 30 seconds, asking a stranger for a sip of their drink, and asking a person you find attractive for their number.

I committed myself to these challenges and by the end of the course I was able to move towards the things that scared me, stand up for myself, and face conflicts rather than run away from them like I used to.

I can now go out by myself and meet new, like-minded people, easily and effortlessly. I can approach women I’m attracted to and ask them out, network like a boss, and just show up to parties, gatherings and so forth, relaxed and in control.

I welcome rejection now and understand it’s only feedback, an opportunity to learn and grow. Don’t get me wrong. Getting rejected still hurts. But that feeling only lasts for a few minutes, not hours or even days, like it used to.

4. I teamed up with a life coach/mentor

I rocked in my sales career and brought in more than a few major deals for my employers. I was handsomely compensated with a company car, phone, laptop, salary and a big, fat monthly bonus. But for want of a better phrase, I wasn’t entirely fulfilled, satisfied or happy. I always felt like I could be doing more.

This is where teaming up with a life coach/mentor helped. Together we worked out the what, where, and why, and I was able to determine that my true calling is working with people to help them become their best version and live meaningful lives.

I quit my job and started pursing my purpose straight away. I had many setbacks and failures in the beginning, but I stuck it out because I knew deep down this was meant to be. My struggles paid off because I am now making more money than I ever have. More importantly, I’m ‘leaving work’ satisfied, fulfilled, happy, and eager for the next working day.

See Also: 10 Life-Changing TED Talks You Should See Today

5. I joined Toastmasters

Like many of us, I’d had the ‘public speaking – I’d rather die’ way of thinking. Of course, this kept me held back in my career and social life because I would always turn down the opportunity to give a presentation at work or talk at a networking event.

I remember being asked to give a speech at a birthday party once, and even though I (reluctantly) accepted, I was tight and tense and sweated profusely the whole time. The sweating was so bad I had to change my shirt afterwards. I left the party feeling worthless and swore I would never make a fool of myself like that again.

How times have changed.

Since I’ve been a member of Toastmasters, I now can’t wait to give a talk in front of an audience or presentation to a group. And I’m the first to put my hand up to give a speech at birthday parties or weddings. As a bonus, I have built on my leadership, communication, and inter-personal skills, and made genuine connections.

Other things I have done and continue to do to improve my life and become my best version.
• I removed toxic people from my life
• I drink green juice every day and eat a mostly 80/20 alkaline diet
• I practice correct breathing exercises every day
• I meditate
• I stay active
• I read every day
• I don’t watch or read the news until the end of the day
• I have cold showers
• I volunteer whenever I can

Nearly everyone I’ve come across in my time has wanted to improve their lives in some way.

Like it once was for me, many of them talk about it, but never do anything. Some will do something for a little while, but then give up.

It took me 12 months to get to where I am now and I’m still learning and growing, and taking things to the next level. Improving your life is a marathon, not a sprint. I know it’s a cliché, but it speaks volumes.

If you commit to making the changes, take massive action, invest in a life coach/mentor, and – while I’m in the mood for using clichés – stick to your guns, you can improve your life, or make those changes you’ve always wanted to.

 

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