In today’s world, the glorified nature of the hustle culture leads us to believe we should be always working hard. For most of us, working hard means working for someone else - be it a company or whatever kind of employment you have. But what does working hard lead to? Impostor syndrome, burnout, literal health issues, and a lack of social life. None of these are desirable unless you crave for a dystopian society where your financial overlords control every second of your life.
That sounds like a great sci-fi book, but to see it implemented in real life will take all the charm out of the idea. Here are five tips to get you to focus and prioritize your life over work.
Wake up Early
I get it. Some of us work weird hours, we work at night. And this advice is probably not for them. This is for what might be 90% of the world. Waking up early helps you in more htan one ways.
It sets the tone for the rest of the day. You wake up early and with little or nothing else to do, you end up ticking chores off your list.
Exercise
For many people, exercise is seen as a way to stay physically fit. And while it does serve that purpose, the key purpose of the exercise is to also regulate your mood. I won’t go into the science of it, but exercising and putting your body through the stress helps you to stay in a positive mood throughout the day.
The key point is not whether you are lifting 50 kilos or 5 kilos. The key is to remain consistent and make it a routine. I’ll write more about routines in a later blog post, but routines define life and make things infinitely easier.
Drink Water - Lots of it
Our bodies are made of 70% water. But our bodies also need a lot of water to function. From basic activities to maintaining a level of fullness, water is probably the most important intake ingredient.
Quite often, when we feel hungry, we are just thirsty. And 90% of the time, drinking a glass of water solves the hunger issue. Of course, we still need our nutrients and food, but the next time you feel like you are hungry, try drinking some water - give it 5 minutes and then move ahead.
Go out - Especially if you WFH
Post-COVID a lot of us are working from home. But working from home eventually leads to more time indoors and less time going out or even hanging out with friends. The human body is conditioned to being outside.
We need sunlight and being around nature to function properly. Of course this is due to thousands of years of conditioning, but that’s just the case. We are conditioned to natural things, to having ourselves around sunlight and nature. And without that natural simulation, different parts of our brain shut down or don’t work properly.
Reduce stimulation
Speaking of simulation, the modern era provides multiple ways of simulating ourselves. We spend several hours each day in front of our computers. After work, we spend (sometimes) an equally large amount in front of our mobile phones. Every day, we are staring at real people, real visions, and nature less and less. If you’ve been tucked inside your home for a few days, try going to a park one day and see the difference…feel the difference. It works wonders to stimulate certain areas of the brain and these are mostly the creative areas of the brain.
Reduce on-screen time and try to inculcate more non-screen activities into your daily routine.
These tips might seem trivial, but doing them on a consistent basis works wonders for your physical as well as mental health. It all starts with small steps. Do it for 1 day, then 3 days, then 8 days and so on. Before you know it, it’s very easy to convert these activities into habits, which then means you do it without much effort.
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