“The easiest way to increase happiness is to control your use of time. Can you find more time to do the things you enjoy doing?”

– Daniel Kahneman in Thinking, Fast and Slow

Wellness Tip:

Take a Scheduled Breathing Break

Sometimes we need a reminder to stop what we’re doing and just… breathe. 😮‍💨Why not schedule that reminder?

This idea comes from Coralie Rose, who shared her routine with us below. “At 11 am, an alarm goes off in the office which serves as an invitation for us to stop what we are doing and take three breaths. We started during lockdown when we were adjusting to working from home and it stuck.”

Take those deep breaths, check in with your body, let go of stress. Why not give it a try?

Productivity Tip:

Give Your Brain a Boost with Priming

Ever heard of priming? It’s when exposure to one stimulus subconsciously influences how you respond to a later one. While it can be a negative thing, you can also use it to your advantage. 👊

Before you start a task, expose your mind to related stimuli. Read articles, look at images, even smell a certain scent. This primes you to be in the right mindset for the activity.

What are you working on today, and what can you do to prime your brain before you start?

Routine Breakdown

Coralie Rose, Founder & Director of Road Casting

Coralie uses a series of small rituals to give power to her mornings. Here’s her routine: 

• Affirmations. “I repeat a mantra when I’m coming out of the theta state.”
• Prayer/breathing. “I’ve found that even a few intentional breaths make a difference.”
• Check phone for any important messages. “I’d prefer not to be on my phone but I have many international clients in different time zones. I like to get a feel for how my day is going to look and be able to prioritize what needs my attention.”
• Slow time with her son. “We talk about our dreams and cuddle the dog.”
• Incense. “I burn them in a treasured incense holder I found at Shoyeido in Kyoto. This is one of my favorite rituals.”
• Make tea and have breakfast + supplements. “Making good decisions around nutrition sets the tone for the day and I enjoy mindfully cutting fruit and laying out a colorful balanced breakfast.”

Why it works:

• There’s science behind affirmations. Just be sure to do them consistently.
• Breathwork is a good antidote to stress.
• Spending quality time with kids is crucial to their well-being – and it benefits the parent, too.
• Small rituals are powerful. They give structure to our days and reduce anxiety. 

Coralie also loves writing gratitude lists or texting them to friends. “I love receiving other people’s lists,” she says. Have you tried sharing gratitude lists with others?