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Hello! Welcome to this week’s WiredforHappy resource.

 

In the mp3 audio recording below, I discuss my productivity and relaxation go-tos. Having a guide ensures that no matter what, I start (and end) the week with a solid plan to accomplish my goals, and most importantly, to remain calm, confident and in control of how and where I spend my time. Before I dive in with the tips, I want to give a super shout out to Corbett Barr, from corbettbarr.com, because I hijacked this video template from him. Thanks Corbett!

 

Listen to the sanity-making strategies below:

 


Transcript of the video:
Contrary to popular belief, calm is an inside job. To achieve a relaxed state of mind requires intentional effort. The good news is you don’t need a lot of time or toil to put these steps to work for you.

 

Tip #1. Start Sunday with the Big Picture Planning

In the evening, I light a scented candle, grab my breathing rock, and turn off my mobile phone. Next I listen to the app calm.com because the relaxing nature sounds and soothing music set the stage to get my quiet time on.I begin by writing out my big goals for the week — in terms of work, parenting, exercise, connecting with others, household tasks, etc.I go through my calendar and look for previously booked appointments, deadlines and other obligations and I fill in the gaps. I only spend about 10 minutes as I want this activity to be relatively seamless and doable.

 

Tip #2. Monday Morning Calm

Before beginning the week by practicing short blocks of meditation, mindfulness practices and deep-breathing, I check my Monday morning thoughts. Usually my first thoughts of the day signal my state of mind. Because I’m a natural worrier, I spend extra time on Mondays making sure I reframe the negativity and focus on deep-breathing and stretching to ease into the week the calm way. One of the biggest mistakes I’ve made is sleeping until the last possible moment, then waking up in a rush and before you know it, the stage is set for a frazzled, frantic week ahead. Yuck! No thank you. I spend an extra 2-5 minutes in bed on Mondays and visualize myself in a calm, relaxed state for the week ahead.

 

Tip #3 Identify Mindless Candy

Mindless candy is whatever habits you’ve developed that get you distracted and unable to focus on the task at hand. This could be trolling Facebook, reading about salacious current events, or getting lost on Instagram. The last one — major mindlessness candy for me. Identify your common distractions and come up with a plan to gently remind yourself that while these activities keeps you entertained, they’re not bringing meaning and calm to your days, and most importantly, they’re standing in the way of you feeling in control of your time. Come up with a reminder cue when you’re distracting yourself, or set a time limit for engaging in mindless candy.

 

Tip #4 Complete Your Top-priority Task

Completing one big thing every day ensures that if all else fails, you’ve accomplished the most important task of the day.

 

Tip #5 Pomodoro Technique

This is an awesome productivity tool I use for myself and for my 14 year old son when it’s time to do homework. The idea is you work in short sprints, so you’re consistently productive. You also get to take regular breaks, which bolsters your motivation and creativity.

The Pomodoro Technique consists of five steps:

1. Choose a task to be accomplished.
2. Set a timer to 25 minutes
3. Work on the task until the end of the 25 minutes
4. Take a 5-minute break
5. After every 4 rounds, take a longer break

Personally, I do 40-minutes on, and then a 10-minute break. But choose what works for you.

You can use your phone to alert you when your time is up, but I prefer a good old-fashioned egg timer set in the kitchen, so I have to get up and move to turn it off.

 

Tip #6 Calm Journaling

At the end of the day, I take 5 minutes and jot down what went well and what didn’t go well. This is a wonderful practice in reflection, plus it builds psychological insight, and it’s a great habit to stay connected to yourself and to your goals.


There you go. I hope these tips help you develop a calmer mindset each and every day.


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Yours in solid planning,

Linda