How To Stay Present In Life- 5 Simple Steps To Live More Mindfully!
Hello everyone!
Today we are talking about how to stay ahead in life and some simple steps to living more mindfully! Staying on top of things and living mindfully go hand in hand. How can you expect to be present and in the moment if you’re constantly trying to catch up on work and errands?
Taking steps to be more efficient in your daily life and to be more present has been said to reduce anxiety, relieve stress, and allow people to be more productive and creative.
It may be hard to get ahead when you feel like you are so behind with things already but with these 5 tips, you will be back on track in no time and enjoying your days much more!
So let’s get into it!
1. Daily Scheduling
Scheduling your day-to-day tasks is essential to staying ahead. When you know all the tasks you must complete that day, you can plan your time accordingly and be more efficient. Some people like to schedule their least favourite tasks in the morning and leave the easier stuff later in the day. Find what works for you and see how efficient things will become!
We like to use a physical daily planner to plan out our days. Putting the estimated amount of time to finish a task beside each errand can help you be more motivated to do it! For example, if you put clean room on your planner at 6 pm, you may just ignore it but if you put clean room (15 minutes) you’ll be more inclined to do it realizing the amount of time it takes isn’t that significant.
2. 5-minute Rule
We spoke about the 5-minute rule before in our post about productivity. Essentially, the 5-minute rule means that you have to complete all your daily tasks that take 5 minutes or less to complete ASAP. Instead of leaving all the tedious work until the end of the day when you’re tired, if you commit and finish all your small tasks at once in the morning, you’ll leave yourself way more time and energy to do the harder stuff! Don’t think too much and just get up and get going!
3. Stop Multitasking
Now that we’ve spoken about how to stay on track and get ahead- now it’s time to learn to be mindful. Multitasking is the worst way to detach yourself from what you’re doing. It may be efficient and even necessary at times but when we are multitasking we are dividing our limited attention across multiple channels which can decrease our overall productivity. Sometimes, if you just commit to one task at a time, you may be more productive and you will be more intentional in your work.
Some people take a dopamine detox to reduce unnecessary multitasking and to increase mindfulness. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is involved in our reward and pleasure system. The detox involves avoiding things that trigger this reward system. The detox is quite simple! It includes avoiding dopamine triggers for a certain amount of allotted time, it can be hours to days. This can include watching TV shows or movies, social media, fast food, etc. At the end of the detox, you’ll be able to focus on one thing at a time without feeling bored or unproductive. It will allow you to be in the moment again!
4. Take Your Time
This one may be hard but take your time! To increase your mindfulness, you need to stop rushing the actions of your daily life. As seen on TikTok (@thejenniijohnson), this person recommended simple tasks to slow down your life and increase your mindfulness. It included small things such as picking the longest line at the grocery store, using a real alarm clock (not your phone), avoiding driving in the passing (fast) lane, and taking a full stop at each stop sign while driving. These tasks may seem tedious or ridiculous but they will teach you patience! We don’t realize how much of our life we are trying to rush through to get to a certain moment and these practices can help ground you and improve your awareness of the present moment.
5. Enjoy Your Hobbies and Work
Indulge in your hobbies and enjoy your work! This one is obvious but sometimes we forget our “play” time when we get older and/or busier. Daily scheduling can help you make time for your hobbies! Also, when partaking in your fun activity- make this time truly yours! Enjoying your work as well is essential to being mindful. If you hate your job, the last thing you’ll want to do is “be in the moment”- you want the shift to be over! Obviously, in certain circumstances, you’ll have to work jobs that are most likely not your life passion but make sure you are working towards creating opportunities for yourself to work your dream job in the future.
Do not embark on a journey to work in a passionless career as a means to an end! In our generation, work can dominate your life and if it is, you want to be something you love!
What do you think of the practice of mindfulness? Do you incorporate mindful practices into your daily life? Let us know in the comments below!
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