“As you move outside of your comfort zone, what was once the unknown and frightening becomes your new normal.”

– Robin S. Sharma

Wellness Tip:

Hack Your Zeitgebers

Did you know you can use zeitgebers to regulate your precious sleep-wake cycle? 

Wait, WTH are zeitgebers, you ask? 🤔 They’re environmental cues that influence our circadian rhythms. Things like light/dark, meal times, exercise, temperature, etc.

Some things you can try:

• Get exposure to morning sunlight
• Avoid blue light from screens for at least an hour before sleep
• Sync workouts with your chronotype (i.e. if you’re a morning or night person)
• Avoid caffeine and nicotine in the second half of the day
• Set regular meal times and avoid large meals right before sleep

Here are some more ways to hack your zeitgebers. Why not give some a try?

Productivity Tip:

Try High Intensity Work Intervals

A period of intense, hard work followed by a period of rest and recovery. Sounds like the kind of HIIT you do at the gym, but what about using the same idea for work?

“When you intentionally push yourself outside of your comfort zone and schedule periods of rest and recuperation, something interesting happens—your capacity to endure stress increases,” says Nir Eyal. 

The logic here is that if we stretch our sense of what’s possible, we feel less stress. We create a new “set point” for what feels normal, and we feel more in control. 

An example is working an extra long day once a week, followed by a much shorter work day (don’t forget that the recovery after the sprint is crucial!).

Check out this article to read more. This is a personal thing – so it’s important to know your limits and experiment to see what works for you.

Routine Breakdown

Naz Beheshti, Executive Coach, Author, Speaker & CEO of Prananaz

Naz Beheshti says she learned her healthy habits for high performance from her first boss and mentor, Steve Jobs. Here’s what her daily routine looks like:

• Beheshti has a nonnegotiable morning routine she calls RPM Squared – rise, pee, meditate for 20 minutes, move for 20 minutes. 
• She practices mindful self-check-ins throughout the day. She asks, “Am I breathing? Am I thirsty? What am I thinking? What am I feeling? What is my posture?” and corrects herself. 
• Every night at the dinner table she and her husband share a gratitude practice. “If you’re ever feeling stressed or burnt out or frustrated, think of something you’re grateful for,” she says.

Why it works:

• As Beheshti says, “To build a habit that lasts, attach it to a habit that you already do every day.” Going to the restroom is her cue to meditate and move.
• Brief check-ins throughout the day are a simple way to practice mindfulness, which has many proven benefits.
• Gratitude really is powerful stuff. Connecting with loved ones is too.

Have you tried mindful self-check-ins? If the idea grabs you, here’s how to try it yourself.