3 Easy Steps to Get In The Zone.

You know that feeling when you’re getting work done and time just seems to fly by without you realising it.

Be it when you’re writing, doing homework, video gaming, running errands or working on anything else

You’re fully focused and engaged in the task at hand.

And by the time you’re done, you realise that you accomplished so much.

That’s called being in the zone.

And there are some things that you can do to ensure that you get in the zone more often.

Get enough sleep.

There’s nothing that disrupts being in the zone more than a lack of energy.

Not getting enough sleep means you’ll be constantly nodding off and wishing you could just stop and get some sleep.

You’ll get distracted easily, be less productive and feel unmotivated.

Clear your mind and be present.

We’re hardly thinking about anything except the task that we’re working on when we’re in the zone.

We’re not thinking about what we’re going to have for lunch later.
Or how tired we’re feeling.
Or how much work we need to get done.

Be fully immersed in the present moment.

When the mind is free from thought, worry and anxiety, we’re more likely to be in the zone.

Let time do its thing.

Reaching the flow state and being in the zone doesn’t usually happen instantly.

It takes time.

About 30 minutes or so.

And during that period of time, it’s important that you put all your focus and attention to the task without any distraction.

So get enough sleep, focus on being fully present and let time do the rest.

You’ll be in the zone in no time.

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Unconventional Flexible Dieting.

Here’s a concept of dieting that’s probably unpopular.

We’ve all heard that vegetables and fruits are healthy for us.

And processed foods and sugary drinks are bad for us.

Sure that holds true to a certain extent.

But here’s an unpopular and controversial opinion that I follow.

You CAN eat whatever you want and still be at a healthy weight.

Which means donuts, ice-cream, pop tarts, whatever.

BUT. 

And here’s a huge but.

You need to adhere to the following conditions.

First, you need to have a consistent exercise routine that consists of resistance training and cardio.

This is the most important condition of all.

With extra emphasis especially on resistance training.

This makes it more likely that the excess calories you’re consuming will turn into muscle instead of fat, especially if you’re in a caloric surplus.

As you gain more muscle over time, your maintenance calories and metabolism will continue to increase while your body fat levels drop. 

Second, you need to make sure you’re drinking a lot of water and eat protein-rich foods.

You need to supply enough water to your body to aid digestion, prevent bloating and help your kidneys flush out toxins. 

More often than not, the “unhealthy” foods that we love eating tend to contain a lot of carbs and fat.

Eating protein-rich foods helps to balance your macronutrient intake and aids in gaining muscle and recovery from resistance training.

Third, is to track your weight every day.

Sure you can eat whatever you want but you still need to keep things in check and not go overboard.

Track your weight every day then adjust the amount you’re eating based on how much weight you’re gaining.

If you realize that you’re gaining weight then cut down on some food.

But over time you’ll start to gain some muscle because of the resistance training which will further increase the amount of food you can eat without gaining fat.

This is something that I personally follow and it has served me well over the years.

Energy levels, productivity, focus and mood are constantly sky-high throughout the day.

And I can honestly say that I’m currently in the best shape of my life.

The Dangers of Inactivity.

Our bodies were designed to move.

In this day and age where we’re confined to our desks for the majority of the work day and sit in classrooms for hours in school.

It’s easy to forget that we don’t get enough physical activity going on in our lives.

Some of us don’t even get any exercise at all.

The scariest part is that even studies have shown that inactivity kills more than obesity.

About 676,000 deaths each year are due to inactivity.
Compare that to the 300,000 deaths caused by obesity.

Inactivity kills twice as much.

It’s even more dangerous than obesity.

And it doesn’t matter if you’re overweight, underweight or at a healthy weight.

It affects everyone.

And it seems to be the main cause of a lot of deaths and diseases.

It’s time to change that.

Think of it as an investment for your long-term health and longevity.

And it’s free too.

Commit to getting some physical activity every day.

It could be just a 10-minute walk or a few push-ups.

As long as you’re getting some physical activity in.

But commit to it every single day and they’ll add up over time.

You’ll be ensuring good health, energy and productivity in the long run.

Why You Need A Good Morning Routine.

We all know how important the early hours in the morning are.

If you’re a morning person that wakes up regularly at 5 am, you can probably relate to this.

Because what you do in the morning sets the tone for the rest of the day.

So the sequence of activities you perform after getting up is going to matter a lot.

And it’s the perfect time of the day to get some ‘me time’ when everyone’s still asleep.

This is why you need a morning routine.

And a good one too.

So using your phone when you get up from bed is probably a bad idea.

Ideally, your morning routine should consist of:

1. Hydration
2. Movement / Exercise
3. Reading
4. Introspection

The benefits of having good morning routines have long been documented.

You can do a quick google search on it and you’ll see what I mean.

You’ll have more energy throughout the day from exercise and drinking water.

Having more energy contributes to a positive mood.

Which leads to being more productive.

Which also leads to having more meaningful interactions with the people around you because of your positive mood and energy.

You’re pretty much set to own the day.

So get up in the morning, drink some water, meditate, exercise, read and journal your thoughts.

And let the benefits accumulate over time.

Self-Actualization.

Every human being has needs.

The most basic ones are to fulfil hunger and thirst.
Do you have the means to ensure that you don’t die of starvation and dehydration?
Do you have access to food and water whenever you need them?

Then comes safety and security.
Do you live in a safe environment?
Do you have to worry about yours and your loved ones’ lives being in danger?

Then love and belonging.
Do you have meaningful interpersonal relationships?

Then self-esteem.
Do you have a high degree of self-esteem?
Do others respect you?
How self-confident are you?

Then self-actualisation.
Do you have the desire to be the most that you can be?
Do you seek growth and personal development?
Are you consistently performing at your peak?

A famous American psychologist named Maslow estimated that only 2% of the world’s population reaches the state of self-actualisation.

Because the only way to do so is to satisfy all of the previous needs.

This means 98% of the population is stuck in either one of the first four needs.

You may be asking, how does this concern you?

Well, this means that we’re probably part of the 98%.

Myself included.

We’re very likely not functioning at our highest capacity yet.
And we’re very likely to have a lot more room for growth and development.

But that’s fine.

Life is supposed to be a constant effort of self-discovery and improvement anyway.

Being stagnant in life isn’t the best way to live.

What matters most is always having the desire to be better.

And it’s about time that more of us realise our fullest potential.

It’s time to step up.

Read more.
Observe more.
Learn more.
Do more.

All in the name of becoming the best version of yourself that you possibly can.

Without judgement, without hate.

Fun Ways to Increase Your Mental Ability.

Games have always been a source of entertainment when we’re bored or with the company of others.

Be it video games, card games, drinking games or any other type of game you can think of.

But we overlook an important aspect of games in general.

Sure, games are fun and awesome to play.

But an interesting thing about them is that they also have the ability to increase mental clarity and in a way, make you smarter and sharper.

Different games have varying degrees of mental and logical stimulation though.

Needless to say, those of the highest stimulation tend to elicit the most benefits.

Think about games like chess, sudoku and puzzle games in general.

They all involve a lot more logical stimulation than Flappy Bird or Pokemon Go because they’re mentally tough games.

Not only will they boost your mental clarity over time but they’ll also prevent mental diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Dementia when you age.

One game, in particular, is known for boosting working memory, short-term memory and fluid intelligence.

It’s called ‘Dual N-Back’.

You can download it on your phone’s app store and give it a try.

I won’t spoil the fun by letting you know what it’s all about.

So go ahead and have some guilt-free fun.

Think of it as a long-term investment.

Although their main purpose is entertainment, it’s also a mentally beneficial activity.

You’ll be sharpening your cognitive abilities and ensuring that your brain is functioning at its peak in the long-term.

How To Make A HUGE Task So Much Easier To Complete.

Simply by doing just a little every day.

We put off things to do and procrastinate because we say things like we’re tired and we’ll start doing it another day.

But one of the biggest reasons that procrastination occurs is because the task just seems too daunting to complete.

Like having to write a thousand word essay by the end of the week.

Or having to come up with a ton of ideas for a project by the end of the week.

Then we push it to the very last minute and unnecessarily stress ourselves out because we didn’t start earlier.

So to make a task easier to complete, break it down and do just a little every day.

Let’s say you have to submit a thousand word essay by next week.
Just write about 150 words every day and you’ll have a thousand by the end of the week.

Or say you have to come up with a ton of ideas for a project by next week.
Just think about 5 ideas every day and you’ll end up with 35 by the end of the week.

Daily small actions build up over time.

And it’s a great way to beat procrastination since you’re not thinking about completing everything all at once.

Think about doing just a little every day.

The task seems a lot less overwhelming that way.

Start early, do a little every day, and let momentum take care of everything else.