Stop Overthinking.
Stop Underthinking.
Start Thinking.
Think with intention.
Think without worry.
Think without anxiety.
It’s an art.
Think well and you gain insight into problems.
Think poorly and you gain nothing but stress, anxiety and worry.
It’s time we learn how to think better.
Develop an inquisitive mind.
Be curious.
Ask a lot of questions.
Detach emotions from your thoughts and questions.
Seek knowledge and insight without judgement.
Be a better thinker.
“Practice not-doing and everything will fall into place”
– Lao Tzu
There is a concept in the Eastern philosophy of Taoism that goes against the grain of modern-day productivity.
It’s called ‘Wu Wei’.
And it means ‘non-doing’ in Chinese.
But perhaps a better translation of its meaning is ‘effortless action’.
Because in this day and age, we’re too caught up with wanting to get more done.
To accomplish more.
To have more.
To be more.
And we’re constantly exerting effort beyond our natural means.
Yet, we don’t place enough emphasis on getting things done in the best way possible.
Through effortless action.
Slow down your movements and stop rushing.
Fully focus on the task instead of the end goal.
Rest when you’re tired.
This isn’t about being lazy.
It’s about being at peace while engaged in the most frenetic tasks so that we can complete them with maximum skill and efficiency.
Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.
– Lao Tzu
What does working smarter mean?
It means different things to different people.
But fundamentally, what is smart work all about?
We hear the saying all the time too.
“Work smarter, not harder”.
But when we break it down, the philosophy of working smart is simple.
It’s all about leveraging on your strengths or best practices to complete tasks efficiently.
It’s about saving time.
It’s about saving energy.
It’s about saving cost.
That’s it.
So if you have to move 5 huge boxes from point A to point B, you’d use a trolley instead of carrying them by hand.
If you have to cut down a tree, you’d spend hours sharpening the axe instead of hacking the tree with a blunt axe.
If you have a huge project to complete, you’d get the help of others instead of doing everything by yourself.
Every task has a smarter way of getting it done.
Think more, do less.
Eat less.
Exercise more.
Period.
Good sleep hygiene is all about putting your body in the optimal state for restful, uninterrupted, quality sleep.
So you’ll have much better sleep that way.
But achieving good sleep hygiene includes certain dos and don’ts.
You should:
– Indulge in relaxing activities such as reading, meditation or breathing exercises before bedtime
– Stretch before bedtime
– Have a consistent sleep schedule
– Exercise regularly
And you should avoid:
– Using your phone or computer before bedtime
– Taking caffeine, sugar or any other stimulants before bedtime
– Eating a huge meal right before bedtime
– Exercising too close to bedtime
We only have 6-8 hours of sleep before we get on with the busyness of life for the next 18-16 hours.
Let’s make the most of it.
So many diets to choose from and follow.
But the big question is, which one is the best?
As controversial as this may sound, the best diet to be on is actually not the healthiest one.
So it’s not the one that provides the most benefits.
It’s not the one that will make you lose a ton of weight.
It’s not the one that will make you gain a ton of muscle.
The best diet to follow is the most sustainable one.
If you’re not able to sustain a diet plan for life, you’ll eventually regress at square one once you’re off the diet.
So try different diet plans.
See which ones stick with you.
Tweak them to balance the trade-off between health and indulgence.
You’ll eventually find/come up with something that’s uniquely sustainable for you.
But until then, never stop fine-tuning and experimenting with your diet and eating patterns.
Walking is perhaps one of the easiest forms of exercise you can do.
You don’t need any equipment.
You don’t need to depend on anyone else either.
You don’t even need to break a sweat.
Just put on some shoes and get out of the house.
It’s effortless.
And I guarantee that you’ll come back from your walk feeling better than before.
Do this in the long term and you’ll start to see some interesting benefits.
You’ll feel more active.
You’ll feel and be lighter.
You’ll have more energy.
You’ll be more productive.
You’ll be in a better mood.
The weight loss effects are enhanced even more when you take walks in a fasted state.
This is all influenced by the body’s need for movement.
We were not designed to live sedentary lifestyles.
The human body was made to move.
Start by slowing down.
There’s no reason to rush.
Slow down your movements.
Do less.
Everything eventually falls into place anyway.
No reason to speed things up.
You’ll just tire yourself out faster.
And there are a ton of other benefits to slowing down too.
You’ll be more present.
You’ll make lesser mistakes.
You’ll feel less anxious.
Life becomes that much more enjoyable when you slow down.
How comfortable are you spending time alone?
A lot of people experience anxiety at the thought of spending time alone.
And it’s not surprising that there’s even a term for it too – Autophobia.
But it’s alarming to think that almost everyone has it… to some extent.
Do you cringe at the thought of going to the movies alone?
Do you shudder when you think about eating at a restaurant alone?
Do you get anxious at the idea of travelling alone?
If you said yes to any of these questions, you probably have autophobia to some extent.
That’s fine.
But do know that it’s okay to spend time alone.
It’s okay to go to the movies alone.
It’s okay to eat alone.
It’s okay to travel alone.
No one’s going to think any lesser of you.
They might actually respect and admire you for it.
“I’m all alone, but I’m not lonely.”
– Haruki Murakami
“It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.”
— Confucius
The little things add up over time.
Do a little.
Do it often.
And don’t stop.
You can apply this to almost any area in your life.
Exercise a little every day.
Eat a piece of fruit every day.
Write a little every day.
Sowed seeds eventually bear fruit.
Efforts eventually bear results.
Investments eventually yield returns.
Whatever goals you have, work on them a little each day.
Then watch over time as the results speak for themselves.
Rome wasn’t built in a day, but they were laying bricks every hour.
