7 Extremely Simple Habits to Get 1% Better Everyday
(1.01)³⁶⁵=37.78X better; (0.99)³⁶⁵=0.03X worse after a year, the choice is yours.
Growing by just 1% everyday makes you 37.78X better after a year. — James Clear (Atomic Habits)
1. Deep Work in Sacred Hours
I cannot explain how much change this simple habit has brought into my life.
What are sacred hours?
Sacred hours mean the time period when you're most active and willing to work.
I personally put on my earplugs, grab a comfortable place, and start writing.
The best feeling I have gotten to date.
Also, the words that come out at this time are magical.
Even the article that you're reading right now was written during that time period.
It can be studying, working on a side hustle, completing freelance projects, or anything else that you like doing.
I'm sure getting yourself into this routine will bring a significant change in your life.
2. Doubling down your water intake
Our brain is composed of 70% water.
- Studies show that staying just 1% dehydrated can result in a 5% decrease in cognitive function.
- and if we increase it a bit by 1%, then it can result in having trouble solving mathematical calculations.
So provide it with enough water to help it perform at its peak.
I've personally noticed a huge spike in my focus levels whenever I drink enough water.
According to studies, an average adult male should drink about 3.7 liters a day and 2.7 liters a day for women.
I know your intake might be half of it at this point. That's why I mentioned in the heading that you should double down on your water intake.
3. Spend time in silence.
Now, I don't mean meditation by this.
I know most of you might be fed up with this advice.
I can understand ;)
Instead, try to do nothing for 15 to 20 minutes.
By nothing, I mean literally doing nothing.
No phone. No talking to anyone. Not listening to music. Literally doing nothing.
Just grab a comfortable place and try to keep your body straight. Otherwise, you'll fall asleep.
Now allow your brain to get bored.
I got this tip from the legendary book on productivity named "Deep Work."
It has a topic called "Embracing Boredom," which explains this concept.
It not only boosts your creativity but also gives you more mental clarity.
Try it once.
4. Be grateful
If you have enough food to eat, you're lucky.
If you have a healthy and well-functioning body, you're lucky.
Be grateful for it.
Because there are thousands of people who don't have it.
Every morning, when I wake up, I say thank you to God for giving me this beautiful life.
Yeah, my life is not perfect. There are tons of problems out there, but at least he has made me capable enough to fight against them, and that's the best part.
Understand that there is nothing permanent in this world. Everything you have is on rent.
One day, you have to leave everything and go back empty-handed.
So why not make the best use of it and do something that will actually have a positive impact on the world?
5. Donate if you have enough.
Now I am not forcing anyone in this part.
It is completely your choice.
If you don't want to donate money, That's okay. Donate food. Donate clothes that you don't use anymore.
Your little contributions might make someone’s day, and their blessings will make yours.
6. Mute social media
I know some people just cannot stop using social media.
Because it has become a need nowadays.
Some people have their business pages on Instagram, and some have their YouTube channels, so it is impossible to completely run away from them.
So the best way to fight it is to mute social media for a limited time.
This is called "the bimodal approach" mentioned in deep work.
It says getting yourself into the deep work mode for a fixed amount of time.
Then allow yourself to leave the rest of your time open for everything else.
How do I apply it?
I don't turn on any notifications on my phone except the most important ones, like calls and messages.
Even I logged out of Instagram and Twitter after using them, so it takes extra effort to open them next time.
and from my experience, I can say that this definitely works.
I have noticed some crazy changes in my watch time after applying it.
7. Planning your week in advance
I learned this concept from the famous productivity book “Getting Things Done (GTD)” by David Allen.
For more information, check out this article.
Now let’s come back to the topic.
While making a to-do list, people start filling in everything in a day.
I will do this, I will do that, etc.
and what happens in the end is that they don't do anything and ultimately give up.
Understand that we're not superhumans; we've got limited energy.
So the better alternative to tackling this problem is to plan your week in advance.
Systematically arranging your tasks in the span of a week so that you don't feel overwhelmed and everything gets done on time.
Final Thoughts
I purposely wrote this article at the start of this year to get you used to these habits.
Anyway, thanks for reading.
Don’t forget to share your thoughts in the comments.
Have a great day. See you next time.
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