“The spirit in which you do something is often as important as the act itself.”
– Mark Williams in Mindfulness: An Eight-Week Plan for Finding Peace in a Frantic World
Wellness Tip:
Give Every Activity Your Full Attention
Does this sound familiar? You’re doing a task you don’t enjoy. You’re impatient. Your mind is skipping ahead to all the other things you have to do or would rather be doing.
We all have those moments. So here’s something to try:
Simply decide to give the task your full focus and attention.
Yep, that’s it! This little mindset shift is surprisingly powerful because:
- It dispels the sense of urgency that you could or should be doing other things.
- It encourages you to be more present and mindful.
- It’s empowering. You accept what you can’t change (having to do this task) and take control over what you can (your attitude!).
Now, this isn’t to say you have to stick on a smile and pretend that doing your taxes is fun.
It’s about making the conscious decision to be present and focused on this activity. To do it and make it count, whether you enjoy it or not.
And here’s the best part: you likely will enjoy the activity more once you commit to it fully!
Give it a try and let us know how it goes!
Productivity Tip:
Become A Keyboard Shortcut Master
“If only I had a few extra seconds,” said no-one ever.
But here’s the thing: seconds add up. Shave off a few from every task, and before you know it – boom! Greater productivity levels.
Enter keyboard shortcuts. They may be boring to learn, but they’ll make you more efficient. Especially for tasks you do frequently – like switching browser tabs or archiving your Routine Hacker newsletters so you don’t forget these handy tips. 😉
Here’s a great infographic with 60 keyboard shortcuts covering Mac, Windows and Email. You can also google shortcuts for specific programs.
Side note: If you repeatedly do creative tasks – like photo or video editing – you might even consider a special console instead of a keyboard to really streamline your workflow.
Routine Breakdown
Dr. Travis Zigler, Entrepreneur
Optometrist turned entrepreneur and founder of Eye Love, Dr. Travis Zigler, is no slouch in the morning routine department. He:
- The night before, puts on blue-blockers at 8pm and reads until 9.
- Wakes up at 5am by putting his alarm across the room.
- Uses a meditation app. “I’ll meditate for usually 10-30 minutes depending on how I’m feeling that day.”
- Works out – usually 250 reps of an exercise like pushups or squats plus cardio.
- Has a green smoothie.
Why it works:
- The jury on blue-blocking glasses is still out, but they may help you sleep better. Staying off gadgets for an hour before bed definitely does.
- Keeping your alarm far from the bed is a good tactic to stop you hitting snooze.
- Meditation is good, and a number of studies support the use of apps.
- Bodyweight exercises have big benefits; add cardio for the best of both worlds.
- Green smoothies are great if you put the right things in them.
If dragging yourself up at 5am sounds like torture, note Dr. Zigler’s (extremely tame) bedtime. The key to getting up early is pretty simple…
Go to bed early! Do you get your 8 hours of sleep each night?
