You’re reading 10 Tips to Maximize Your BALANCE + PRODUCTIVITY, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Balance and productivity are two of my favorite topics. They go hand in hand because our drive to produce can make us feel unbalanced, and our desire for balance can make us feel unproductive. So I offer you 10 tips to maintain both, so you can live more joyful and ease-ful days. Included in this bonus is a COOL video, which can be found here

1. Take Mini-Boosts

A mini-boost is an activity you do for a short amount of time that gets you away from your work and screens and gives you a shot of natural energy. Mini-boosts do not involve caffeine, alcohol, or screens of any kind. Mini-boosts give you a second wind, refresh your mind, stretch your body, and occasionally offer you a laugh.

In fact, studies show that brief diversions from a task can dramatically improve one’s ability to focus on that task for prolonged periods.

Action: Make a list of mini-boosts that feel good and work in your schedule. Tape the list to your computer or other visible spot to serve as a reminder.

2. Establish a Morning Routine

This little ritual can have the effect of skyrocketing your balance and productivity. The hardest part of establishing one is getting started. Once you get started, you’ll immediately see the effects, and you’ll be naturally motivated to maintain it.

Action: To get started, take one SMALL action one morning this week. That action can be 2 minutes of meditation, writing in your journal, or setting your daily intentions. Try to find a space in your home that you love, and make that your morning routine space.

3. Bundle Your Tasks

This simple technique has an amazing effect on your balance and productivity. When we bundle tasks we focus on only one category of tasks for a block of time. When we do a variety of different tasks in a time period, it takes more time and energy to complete, and we often don’t complete the tasks as well.

Action: Simply designate a day of the week or month to deal with certain tasks. For example, set aside a day of the week to do your finances, a time of day to write emails, and a block of time for personal errands. This may sound simple and obvious, but try bundling something that you normally tackle in an ad-hoc fashion and notice the difference.

4. Don’t Take Your Technology to Bed

You may love your smart phone or iPad, but there’s a time to put those lovely little distractions to bed…and that’s BEFORE you go to bed. Digital technology has the effect of turning your brain ON, not off.

Action: Keep your technology out of your bedroom (that includes the TV). Instead, unwind with a nice book, a cup of tea, some easy stretching, or a bit of meditation. You’ll sleep better and wake up the next morning more refreshed.

5. Set a Technology Timer

Scrolling. We all do it. Whether you scroll newsfeed, tweets, or pins, scrolling can be a nice way to connect with cool people, and/or it can be a huge waste of time.

Action: Allow yourself a set amount of time during the day to scroll social media, and set a timer. Maybe that’s 5-10 minutes in the morning, afternoon and evening. If you’re on a timer, you’ll be more disciplined to use your scrolling for good, not evil.

6. Take Time for Rest and Relaxation

Countless studies show that most of us are over- worked and sleep deprived. Rest and relaxation come in the form of naps (I love them), a restorative yoga class, walks, or light reading. Sadly, many of us have been taught that taking an afternoon nap, for example, is an indulgence. The truth is there’s nothing indulgent or luxurious about it. If you feel like taking a nap that means you need rest. You’re not lazy, you’re not wasting time, you’re simply tired.

Action: Make a list of activities that you find restful or relaxing, add one activity to your weekly calendar

7. Water and Nature

To help you with #7, there are two extremely restorative activities that are easy to fit into busy days. The first is water. Submerging yourself in water is extremely restorative to the body. Our skin is our largest organ, so water is both hydrating and replenishing. Second, connecting to nature grounds us and fills us naturally with energy. As we spend more of our days indoors behind a desk, we can suffer from “Nature Deficit Disorder,” thus it’s important to proactively carve out time to spend in nature.

Action: When you’re feeling harried or stressed, take a bath or shower or hit the pool (or lake or ocean). Second, incorporate into your routine time to go to the park or forest for a walk, hike, or bike ride.

8. Schedule Time for Fun

When you’re focused on a goal or have a full schedule, the fun activities are often the first thing to fall off the calendar. The best way to prevent that from happening is to schedule in fun time

Action: Brainstorm things that are truly fun for you and add one thing to your calendar. You can do this by signing up for a fun class, getting together with a group of fun friends for a weekly outing or activity, and identifying fun things that you can do alone at home (such as singing, painting, or working in the garden).

9. Watch Your Thoughts

How many times have you said to yourself, “I just don’t have the time.”? That may feel VERY true, but what if it’s not? Hendricks Gay makes a compelling argument   in his book, The Big Leap that we have the ability to create the right amount of time that we need in a day. Any time you say or think to yourself, “There’s not enough time,” that’s exactly what you create.

Action: Change your inner dialogue to: “I create enough time to get everything done.” Or, “there’s always enough time.” See what happens.

10. Set Intensions

This is easy to do and easy to forget. Setting intentions is your way of asking the Universe for help with your to do list.

Action: Set intentions. For example, if you’re at the grocery store and remember that you have to pay a bill, simply say to yourself, “I intend to remember to pay that bill.” When your days feel hectic, then, “I intend to create a joyful and ease-fu schedule.” When you feel lonely, then, “I intend to attract the perfect circle of friends.” If you’re feeling poor, then, “I intend to attract unlimited abundance.” Once you set your intention, then let it go and allow it to arrive to you.

Allyson Scammell is a Life and Career Coach who purpose-driven professionals pursue their passions. Prior to becoming a coach, Allyson spent over 15 years working in post-conflict humanitarian response for the United Nations, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in countries all over the world. She now lives in Brussels, Belgium with her husband. Learn more by signing up for her free 10-day Bold Action Challenge at: shantipax.com.

You’ve read 10 Tips to Maximize Your BALANCE + PRODUCTIVITY, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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You’re reading 5 Happy Hacks to Set Tech Boundaries in the Digital Age, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

Welcome to the Digital Era. Technology is flooding into our lives, seeping into every crevice from the moment we wake up to our smartphone alarms to the second we try (and fail) to fall asleep next to…our smartphones. We’re drowning, but it’s mostly because we fail to set healthy tech boundaries for ourselves. I dedicate an entire chapter to this phenomenon in my book The Future of Happiness, but I’d like to share with you 5 Happy Hacks for Tech Boundary Setting that will turn you into a happier spouse, parent, co-worker, and/or manager.  If only I can get you to focus on my writing for the next five minutes…

1. Turn off notifications. “But Amy, I don’t need to turn them off, I have amazing willpower.” Or “Amy, what if I miss out on something like a news headline or a sports score?” If it sounds like I’m writing this to my husband, don’t worry, he probably won’t ever read this because he’s too busy checking his notifications.  Research has shown that individuals who keep their notifications “on” report high levels of inattention and hyperactivity, which in turn predicts lower productivity and psychological well-being.
2. Limit information feeds. As much as possible, limit checking of information feeds (email, social media, news, sports) to three times a day. A recent study showed that checking email less frequently significantly decreased stress, leading to an increased sense of meaning, social connectedness, and even sleep quality! And, not to get too crazy, but try waking up to an old-fashioned alarm clock (the kind with big boring digital letters and a radio or the kind with a metal bell that your parents used to have). Using your smartphone alarm increases the likelihood that the first thing you do when you wake up is read depressing news headlines or cringe at the mountain of unread emails waiting for you.
3. Protect your brain’s consolidation time. Consoli-what? Yeah, your brain actually utilizes downtime to download and consolidate all of the information it receives during the day (think of how much more efficient your brain would be if you only remembered one song from the movie Trolls and not the entire score, including the names of all the adorable trolls?).  If you fill your downtime with digital distractions (playing games on your phone, posting on social media, even reading e-books), your brain has no time left to process the world, chunk information, and form long-term memories. The National Sleep Foundation and the Mayo Clinic recommend eliminating screen time one hour before bed to block the release of stimulating neurotransmitters that keep your body from entering a restful state. Try to establish device-free brain breaks to help your brain recharge and refocus (right before bed/after waking up, during a walk or free time).
4. Set up safeguards. Parents, don’t be afraid to protect your kids by establishing wi-fi free times at the house or utilizing protective hardware and software like the KidsWifi router and Qustodio. Heck, you could use the same safeguards if you’re out of control in terms of your Internet usage (set your router to turn off at a set time each night or block distracting sites after a certain time).
5. Model digital citizenship. You’ve got standards for what you wear when going out, for how you speak when kids are around, and even for the jokes you’ll share with others. Why not have standards for your use of technology when interacting with others? Try these ones on for size: look up from your computer when someone walks into the room, take out your earbuds to say hello, and close your laptop when having a conversation.

I truly believe that tech boundaries are a great first step towards controlling that flood of technology in our lives. You’ll be happier, and you’ll make those around you happier as well, as they learn from your tech discipline. When people ask you why you seem so grounded, share these strategies with them!

Amy Blankson has become one of the world’s leading experts on the connection between positive psychology and technology. She is the only person to be named a Point of Light by two U.S. presidents for creating a movement to activate positive culture change. A sought-after speaker and consultant, Amy has now worked with organizations like Google, NASA, the US Army, and the Xprize Foundation to help foster a sense of well-being in the Digital Era. Amy received her BA from Harvard and MBA from Yale School of Management. Most recently, she was a featured professor in Oprah’s Happiness course. Amy is the author of two books: The Future of Happiness and an award-winning children’s book called Ripple’s Effect.

You’ve read 5 Happy Hacks to Set Tech Boundaries in the Digital Age, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.

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