Habits To Be More Productive

[moonwolf]

I have always been confused about the ultimate sleep routines and schedules in some phases of my life i tried sleeping for 5 hours  that maintained me focused, productive and good reflex but the down side to this was anxiety , lack of  peace of mind,meditation was harder,lack of consciousness ,stressed ,lack of creativity and harder time using memory plus the inability to take a nap .

how ever when i took 8 hours of sleep i felt tired ,unhappy,but in the same way my mind felt more peaceful and more relaxed ,focusing was harder but i can use memory better ,harder time speaking and most of all  distracted easily.

do i need to change my sleeping schedule ? do i need to have a morning routine or a diet ? what is the best sleeping time ? what is the ultimate food ? and the most imprtante question is what habits i need to maintain in order to remain both focused and responsive as well as better acces of memory and feel fresh throught the day ?

 

[denselayman]

from what i read, to me it seems like you don't really need some grand advice from anyone.

as i see it, you already have tested what does what for you. align that with your goals and/or natural flow of your character and that's it =]

[Alex]

I would encourage you to build a morning rountine into your schedule its will have a big impact on your entire day. In my experience the morning mostly determindes how the rest of your day is gonna be. I do 5 min. streching rigth after waking up and then 20 min. meditation. After that i feel great energized and ready to start in the day.

Also on the topic of sleep, from my experience 6:30-8 hours of sleep is the optimal duration for sleeping, recently i try to do a max. 30 min nap during afternoon and it does wonders, it charges your batteries after an hard day of work and you have the energy to do something productive.

Furthermore for diet i think a vegetarian low fat diet is great to not feel clumsy after every meal i can recomand on the topic of neutrition this video from Leo.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LD3UozF8Hn0

[denselayman]

Alex has a point about that morning thing, but for me it never lasts. it should be one very motivating thing in morning and one or more things that you can do when effects of that are fading to stay one that focus. i shif from positive to negative moods so many times a day, that none of this method is any help for me. but for those who can control they're focus with some activity, it should be done throughout the entire day, not just morning, although just doing in morning is good way to start =]

[Alex]

Start small if you try to change too mayn things at once you will drop one of them at the time and end up doing none of them at the end. I started with meditaion as my first possitiv habit on my journey and it did wonders, if you havent started it jet I recoment doing it Leo did some grest videos on this topic. Trough its benifits (more Focus ,more will power, less angst, and many more ) meditation is a great foundation for all other habits that help you personal growth if you have no starting point start here.

 

This is the video i found most helpfull so far on meditation if you have one hour free i would encourage you to watch it.

[moonwolf]

i certainly agree that a morning routine is necessary thought we need to keep doing it by committing to do it daily and we have to maintain the motivation it's just a habit worth keeping even while struggling on maintaining it meditation and moving your body creates wonderful feeling and the best thing i did while trying different morning routines is dancing i maintained this routine for many days ,but these days i guess i'm too lazy and attached to drugs.   

layman i certainly think you are right i guess i was literally questioning what i know having less confident in my self i think i need to get back to the habits i tried in the past and maintain them i'm going to meditate regularly now and work out guess i was depressed that i did not stick to positive habits. i think that i need to work more on psychology now.     

[denselayman]

3 minutes ago, moonwolf said:

layman i certainly think you are right i guess i was literally questioning what i know having less confident in my self i think i need to get back to the habits i tried in the past and maintain them i'm going to meditate regularly now and work out guess i was depressed that i did not stick to positive habits. i think that i need to work more on psychology now.     

i get that confidence loss from time to time too, over time i know that advice from others and effort behind they're long posts are just motivation to fall back on what i have really learned for myself and go from there.

in essence that what self-help is. you learn to help yourself, it is like a homework for yourself. at points of low motivation you compare your work/progress/sketches/calculations with others enough to realise you are on right track and then keep on with it=]

[MIARIVEL]

I get about 5 hours of sleep a night and I work 7days a week (I usually take one day off a month though). I've tried meditation a few times but overtime I tend to fall back asleep again, so it hasn't worked for me. However,  I'll share my routine (which may be common sense and may also not be for everyone). 

* Go to bed and wake up the same time everyday

* Glass of water when I wake up

* Say 3 things I'm grateful for

* Whilst getting ready for work I listen to one of Leo's or someones else motivational videos to get my mind right for the day

* I have my favourite affirmations around my house which keeps me in a positive mood usually and this helps maintain my positive happy attitude

* Every morning I drink hot water, lemon, honey & apple cider vinegar to get my energy levels up and wake me up in the morning

*I Take fish oil and multivitamins to help with memory and my general over all health

* drink green tea throughout the day and lots of water

* I work off a to-do list every day to keep me organised so I am not stressed out

* I always take an hour lunch break (usually I will go for an hour long walk or run during my break) this ups my energy levels for the afternoon.

*Snack on fruit throughout the day & always try to have a healthy breakfast & lunch

* I take 1/2hr nap when I get home (no more than half hour) other wise i'm over tired and end up sleeping less

* I usually like to make different salads with fish or meat for dinner

*Say prayers before bed as this puts me & my mind at peace.

I usually do this every day that now its just all become a habit for me. I found when I changed my diet and started to do my regular lunch walks, I had a lot more energy and didn't feel so tired. Maybe try buying some health and fitness magazines to educate you on some food and exercises you can try (it makes all the difference in the world keeping your body and mind healthy. Look some things up on the net to get an idea of ways you can improve sleeping patterns, health and fitness, feel more relaxed and things to help with memory. 

 

[Jow]

In regards to the 'sleeping earlier' aspect of a morning routine...

I found with myself and my baby son for sure, that there is a link between when your body wants to sleep and what but importantly WHEN you eat.

If I want to get up earlier, having a good filling breakfast makes it easier on day 1 but the following day it's like your body remembers and finds it easier to wake up at that time again. As long as you are eating quality food I think a good amount of calories and nutrition will help a lot! 

The reverse seems to be true in that - eating late seems to make it harder to fall asleep earlier. So I try to eat my last meal as early as I can.

i should really find an article I read a while back that links this routine in regard to feeding and sleep to 'mammalian behaviour' but for now I just hope it helps! One of the rare 'carrots' in the otherwise 'stick-filled' awfulness of getting up early. 

[Spiritjunkie]

Your breakfast should consist of healthy food only with vitamins that will fuel your brain and get it ready for work. Organic shakes in the morning are something you want. Buy multivitamins supplements and take them.

Avoid coffee and soda
Take a 5 min break every 40-50 minutes
Exercise 1 hour every day
Turn off notifications on your cell phone to not get distracted from other people's agenda
Check emails one time after breakfast and one time after your work is done
Do the most important stuff in the morning
Never multitask it can reduce productivity by 40%
Don't worry about being productive

For your sleep, don't use any electronics at least 1-2 hour before going to bed. 
Take supplements to support your sleep like magnesium and krill oil
Make the room as dark as possible and just read a book instead of exposing yourself to blue light disturbing your sleep rhythm

[Walter B]

On 2/7/2016 at 5:21 AM, moonwolf said:

I have always been confused about the ultimate sleep routines and schedules in some phases of my life i tried sleeping for 5 hours  that maintained me focused, productive and good reflex but the down side to this was anxiety , lack of  peace of mind,meditation was harder,lack of consciousness ,stressed ,lack of creativity and harder time using memory plus the inability to take a nap .

how ever when i took 8 hours of sleep i felt tired ,unhappy,but in the same way my mind felt more peaceful and more relaxed ,focusing was harder but i can use memory better ,harder time speaking and most of all  distracted easily.

do i need to change my sleeping schedule ? do i need to have a morning routine or a diet ? what is the best sleeping time ? what is the ultimate food ? and the most imprtante question is what habits i need to maintain in order to remain both focused and responsive as well as better acces of memory and feel fresh throught the day ?

 

Sleep when you can, eat well starting early, exercise, and do what serves your purpose with the rest! 

[LETGO]

@Alex  I love this! I am going to try and work in a positive routine like this in the mornings, thank you for sharing!

 

[abrakamowse]

Thanks for sharing, I am working on creating a routine.

[Peter Paul]

I am trying to sleep for 5 hours at night - from 1am to 6am. I also sleep 1 hour at lunch time. I have done this for 1 week and it is Ok. However, I do not know if it is ok in the long run. Could someone advise?

[Caelis]

my habits:

-5:30 wake up

-drink a glass of lemon water

-do some yoga stretches

-do my bed + laundry

-take a cold 5 minute shower

-6:00 have a healthy breakfast (avocado, spinach & two eggs) + meal/smoothie preps for the day +  cleaning the kitchen after I'm done

-brush my teeth + read my positive affirmations I put on my mirror

-drink a glass of fresh mint tea + read a book/watch a self help vid to get my mind off of things

-meditate for 20 mins

-Journal/introspect

-play the guitar for a bit or take a walk outside with my music on to relax

-8:30 drink lemon water + have my snack (green apple + 2 rice cakes with almond butter)

-do some work 

-11:00 lemon water + have my lunch (broccoli, basmati rice & chicken)

-read some more or do some personal development work

-13:00 go to the gym for an hour (every weekday) (take lemonwater with me)

-14:00 drink my protein smoothie + eat banana

and for the rest of the day I'm free to do whatever. Sometimes I go downtown to meet new people or I just stay at home to read some more or have conversations with my friends over the internet. I might take a powernap if I feel like it. Or I do some cleaning in the house if that's necessary.

-17:00 drink lemon water & prep my dinner

-17:30 have my dinner (2 cups of greens, 6oz lean protein, 1/2cup sweet potato, 1/4 cup rice + extra veggies like peppers, tomatoes, carrots etc.)

-watch a documentary 

-20:00 drink protein smoothie + eat 2 closed fists nuts

-make a plan for the next day for what I am going to work on

-choose my clothes for the next day

-21:00 read a book or an article in bed

-21:30 go to sleep (:

Starting on Monday I'll start my vegan life style so the chicken/fish and eggs won't be in my meals anymore. Gotta figure out a replacement tho (:

 

 

[MIARIVEL]

@Peter Paul This sounded like me for a while, I go to bed at 1 am get up at 5am, as soon as I get home from work I sleep for 45mins (no longer or I will over sleep), and I usually find that my energy levels are low, and I can't seem to focus or concentrate. I have tried to force myself to go to bed earlier at least 11pm or 12. The body needs its rest/sleep in order to perform at its best when it is awake.

[Rita]

@MIA.RIVEL sounds like a perfect routine...i'll take note.

[Will]

1. sleep as little as possible.. find your own min sleep.. 
2. do what you have to do to minimise your  natural sleep (not drugs ect), improve technique, coloured lights sleep hygene, activity during the day, diet ect.
3. do what you can to maximise your activity during the day
4. achieve while your asleep too (use OBE's to study your ego in your sleep) there must be other things you can achieve while sleeping..
5. look for balance and keep it all natural.. once you find your min sleep try it out for a while and check for any long term affects.. challenge it occasionally and adjust up or down as appropriate..