Life is extremely hectic. Moving ahead while working full-time, running a side gig, and having family responsibilities might be overwhelming. To balance the three primary components of life: health, family, and work, you must give enough time to each task.
Work-life balance is a journey, not a destination. I always put my health first in whatever I do, which makes a lot of sense. Let me tell you why? That is the only way to spend quality time with family and also increase productivity at work. Period!
Do not put everything on hold; oh, I will do it tomorrow. Here is the correct definition of tomorrow.
Tomorrow (n): a mystical land where 99% of all human productivity, motivation, and achievement is stored.
The purpose of this story is to analyze your time and finally put the time in different buckets; therefore, you don’t miss any bucket in life to move ahead. There is also nothing new I am going to tell you which you already don’t know.
You are in charge of your life’s journey, and it is up to you to determine what to do and then figure out how to do it.
I am always building tiny sustainable routines to transform life. Here are the 5 simple and easy things I am asking you to do every morning to change your life.
- quality sleep
- move your body
- king size breakfast
- Shower to get new ideas
- read 20 pages daily
Let’s dive into the learning part.
5- Get a quality sleep for 7–8 hours
According to the National Sleep Foundation survey poll, 35.2% of American adults sleep less than 7 hours per night. The survey also showed that 40% of adults experience daytime sleepiness — imagine someone sleep-deprived behind the driving seat.
On the other hand, quality sleep boosts productivity at work, increases mental wellness, alertness, longevity, and also aid in reducing body inflammation.
I highly recommend to start building this habit to have quality sleep for 7–8 hours each night. I write a lot on this topic. Please read this article if you want to know the importance of sleep and/or the science behind our sleep.
If you can pick one habit to build in the next 3–4 weeks, focus on quality sleep. I used to go to bed at 3 am then up again at 7–8 am hustle all day.
I never thought that I needed more than 6 hours of sleep and functioning great. But now, in my 30s, I am prioritizing my health, and quality sleep is on the top to live a long healthy, and productive life.
4- Move your body every day
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, an adult between 18–64 years old needs at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of strenuous exercise every week to live a healthy life.
That’s roughly 21 minutes moderate and 11 minutes of vigorous activity each day. However, only 22.9% of American adults fulfill this recommended criteria each week.
Pick any successful individual, and you will see they make the exercise an absolutely necessary part of their daily life. A gym is a great option to start your day.
I am not a found of confined spaces like gyms and am fortunate to live on a hill station. I prefer to go for a run, walk, or even a 30 minutes strenuous hike in the morning before even starting my day.
Make sure to move your body to get optimal results. Physical activity has been found to decrease stress and anxiety on a massive scale if you want to improve any aspect of life, including sleep (first pillar), prioritize moving your body.
3- Begin your morning with a king-sized breakfast
I am a huge fan of Tim Ferris’s writing. If you don’t know who he is, he is the author of The 4-Hour Workweek book. He also wrote the 4-hour body book, in which he suggests 30g of protein first thing in the morning.
Study shows that protein keeps blood-sugar levels stable, which controls spikes in hunger. Eating protein first thing in the morning also decreases your white carbs cravings. These are carbs that can cause fat: toast, doughnuts, and bagels.
Mr. Ferris suggests a couple of ways to take protein first thing in the morning.
a. Make sure 40% of your breakfast consists of protein
b. Egg whites are the best protein source. Each egg contains around 6g of protein. Try to add 2–3 eggs to your breakfast.
c. For example, I consume Grass Fed Whey Protein Isolate Powder first thing in the morning if I don’t have time or am not in a mood to eat eggs or sausage.
Here is a quick recipe to make a power shake in the morning if you are not in the mood to cook.
Power shake recipe:
1 cup of egg whites
1/2 cup of oats
1/2 scoop of whey isolate
1 banana
1 tablespoon of natural peanut butter
2- Long showers will help you to bring new ideas
Long showers are known as the idea generator. Elon Musk is famous for taking long showers to come up with new ideas.
Apparently, cold showers have tremendous health benefits. But I feel they are not sustainable. If you can take a cold shower, that’s the best. I don’t enjoy cold showers.
Many productivity gurus like Tony Robbins love to take cold showers. Cold showers boost metabolism, which can help you lose weight. Study shows that a cold shower can help to treat depression symptoms — Adapted cold shower as a potential treatment for depression.
1- Become a perpetual learner
My father always told me — Never trust anyone whose TV is bigger than their bookshelf. — Emilia Clarke
I’m always more inclined to read than watch television. I understand why I prefer to read than watch television. We didn’t have television when I was a kid growing up in a small village in the 90s. There was no electricity. This was the type of kerosene lamp we used to have.
I was a bit of the topic to share my thoughts. Anyway, highly successful people always find time to learn something new each day. The objective of continuous learning has been known to improve your productivity and self-development.
You don’t need to finish a book or spend an hour reading every day. Start small and try to read 10–20 pages a day. Let’s do simple math. Let’s say you read 20 pages each day.
At the end of the year, you will complete 30+ books. How? The average book is 200–450 pages, and 20*365 = 7300 pages in a year. That’s the power of micro-habits.
The bottom line
After you’ve completed these 5-steps approach first thing in the morning, you are set for the most productive day.
You will see a massive change as a most productive person in your personal and professional life in a few days. You will definitely have more clarity towards your life goals.
Take these tiny steps, and I can guarantee you your life will change in no time.
