“Effort is one of those things that gives meaning to life. Effort means you care about something, that something is important to you and you are willing to work for it.”
Wellness Tip
Try Mindful Eating
Ever find yourself inhaling a sandwich at your desk, or mindlessly throwing down Oreos in front of the TV? Yep, we’re all guilty.
Something that can help kick the habit is mindful eating. Research shows it can reduce emotional eating, prevent binges, prevent weight gain, and promote healthier eating choices.
Mindful eating can include any or all of the following:
- Paying deep attention to the texture, taste, and smell of foods
- Thinking about the origins of foods and what went into the preparation of a meal
- Eating slowly
- Focusing only on eating during meals (no multitasking)
- Noticing your responses to particular foods (likes, dislikes, physical sensations) without judgment
Don’t feel like you have to eat mindfully all the time. You’re human!
A good place to start is by doing a simple mindful eating exercise once a day for a week. The raisin meditation described here is a good one – and it only takes a few minutes. Why not try it today?
Productivity Tip
Save Time With Canned Responses
Is it deja vu, or have you typed this same response (100 times) before?
In any field of work, there tend to be certain emails we send repeatedly. So a great way to save time? Automate them!
If you haven’t yet set up email templates and canned responses, get on it – it’s a small investment of time and effort that will pay off big in the long run.
You can use canned responses for things like:
- Replying to customer queries
- Responding to meeting requests
- Sending invoices
- Sending follow-up or reminder messages
...And anything else that suits your workflow!
Here’s how to set them up in Gmail or in Mac Mail (simply search Google for instructions for other email clients).
Routine Breakdown
Josh Haynam, CEO and Co-Founder of Interact
The CEO of software company Interact, Josh Haynam, has his morning routine down pat.
Here’s what he does each morning:
- Wakes up at 5 am and drinks a liter of water
- Journals. “My journaling process is to first write what I am grateful for, which can range from someone who made a positive impact on my life to a beautiful sunrise.”
- Writes out a prayer. “I write out a prayer, telling the Lord what’s on my mind for the day.”
- Makes a quick breakfast, usually coffee and a Clif Bar. “It’s not glamourous, but it gets me enough fuel to start the day and doesn’t detract from my focused time.”
- Sits down and works on his focused task for the day. “Since I’m a CEO, my day is full of interruptions. I need my morning time before the rest of the world starts to work on my bigger projects.”
- Starts work at 8am.
Why it works:
- There’s research showing that early rising has health and productivity benefits.
- According to studies, gratitude journaling offers a bunch of benefits for both mental and physical health – and the same can be said for prayer.
- Keeping breakfast simple cuts down on decision fatigue.
- The morning is the perfect time to get into focused time and cultivate flow.
If you read Routine Hacker regularly, you’ll notice a theme here... Productive people use the morning to work on their most important task for the day. That’s how they make sure the important work gets done!
Panda Planner is designed to guide your daily habits in that direction. Use the Priorities section to determine what your most important tasks are for the day, then block out time in your schedule to actually get them done. It’s so simple, but trust us – it works!
Try it tomorrow – you’ll be powering through those projects in no time.
