Friday, May 5, 2023

Secret to success: go to bed

10 strategies to help you get a good night's sleep.

Focus on:

Sleeping 8 hours a day won't affect productivity, but is essential for peak performance

If you don't take care of yourself, your life will be too short

No one sleeps less is okay, you are not an exception

Don't leave your phone next to you when you sleep

Get up early and exercise

Read and write a diary before bed

Some people are proud of themselves on getting less sleep. Because it proves that they are hardworking and determined.

 

And me?

I'm proud of the complete opposite.

We ordinary people only have so much energy to devote to our work, our relationships, and ourselves. Smart people know this and protect it carefully. Smart people know that getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night won't affect their productivity, but it's critical to working at their best.

1.    Beware of overtiredness

Arianna Huffington has quietly grown The Huffington Post into a behemoth, with about 200 million monthly unique visitors and 17 international editions. Her stake in The Huffington Post is worth an estimated $21 million. But there was a time when Arianna Huffington wielded wealth and power at the expense of living a good life. She regularly worked 18+ hours a day, seven days a week, for years - and then the sleep tax collector came. One day, Arianna Huffington fell headfirst on her home office desk, broke her cheekbone, and woke up in a pool of blood. Doctors at the hospital examined her several times.

Diagnosis? Excessive fatigue

Arianna is different from many overworked people. After this tragic incident, she looked at herself in the mirror and did one thing that too many people can't: she began to change. She realizes that life isn't all about work, putting your head down, exchanging sleep for a few more phone calls, watching a few extra minutes of TV, or meeting important people, there's nothing glamorous about them. So, despite being at her peak, both financially and professionally, she left The Huffington Post in search of what she called a "third yardstick" of success and launched Thrive Global, Through this project, she began to use the resources of scientific and philosophical wisdom to combat the growing epidemic of stress and burnout.

You can work hard, but also made sure to "take good care of yourself. Life is too short if we don't take care of ourselves, if we don't want to make changes, our lives will be shortened.

2.    You are not an exception

People say I can do just fine with just four or five hours of sleep. No, you don't. You say, I am an exception. No, you are not.

In a study conducted by scientists in the University of Pennsylvania, participants were divided into four groups: those who were sleep-deprived for up to 88 hours, and those who were allowed to sleep at night. 4 hours of sleep, one group slept 6 hours per night, and the last group slept 8 hours per night. The study made two important findings. One is that the physical damage in the 4-hour sleep group and the 6-hour sleep group was the same as that in the sleep deprivation group.

3.    Don't leave your phone next to you when you sleep

If your alarm is a real alarm and not a time app, your phone can be put in another room, and if your phone is in another room, you can't look at it while you sleep at night .

This means you won't know if you've received a text or email. This means that you won't have to scroll through social media all the time. That means you won't be staring at the screen.

4.    get up early

The morning is the most productive time of the day—the time when no one else is up, before you go out, and you won’t be disturbed or distracted. If we get up early, we are free.

Of course, when you wake up in the sun, you're more likely to relax in the early morning sun. man is born to work at sunrise and rest at sunset. "If you want to know the secret of success, if you want to execute on a higher level, you have to get into the habit of getting up early. You have to realize that you are at your best when you are in rhythm with the sun. .

5.    Get active every day

I walk and run almost once every 2 days. Doing this has nothing to do with burning calories or raising my heart rate or training for a marathon. "It's really stupid to work on building muscles, widening shoulders, and strengthening lung capacity.  The purpose of exercise is simply to "wear the body down" so we can get a good night's sleep afterward. .

Physical activity leads to better sleep, which promotes physical activity, which then leads to better sleep, creating a virtuous cycle. In "Why We Sleep," Walker wrote: "It's clear that a sedentary life doesn't contribute to good sleep, and we should all try to get some level of regular exercise, which not only helps keep our bodies fit and healthy," Walker wrote. , but also helps to ensure the quantity and quality of sleep.

6.    Go to sleep

You don't feel like an early bird...but it's mostly because you don't go to bed early enough.

When you're exhausted and worn out, when you've had a long day and all you want to do is just relax on the couch? This is exactly when you need a little more self-control to get up and go to sleep.

 A morning routine is fine, but a bedtime routine is also important. Relaxation is necessary.

7.    Write a diary before bed

"Is there anything better than seeing what one does all day? Think, sleep after this self-examination.

Here's what it takes to get a good night's sleep. A state of mind free from clutter. This is a state that will never be out of reach, as there are so many opportunities every day to throw you into confusion or thinking - responsibilities, dysfunctional jobs that make you stressful, contentious relationships, realities that don't meet your expectations . But journaling is a unique tool that helps us organize our thoughts.

Don't close your tired eyes and go to sleep until you've reviewed what you've done throughout the day: "What did I do wrong? What did I do? What responsibilities are left unfinished?" your own actions, then condemn yourself for those vile [or cowardly] actions, but also rejoice in those that are well done.

8.    Treat the weekend equally

It hardly matters what the problem is, and the solutions tend to be consistent routines. If you tell a sleep expert you're not sleeping well, here's what they recommend. If you tell a psychiatrist that you've been anxious all the time, that's their first recommendation. If you tell a productivity guru that your work output isn't what you want, that's where they start to tackle the problem. Tell the trainer that your dog is naughty, and that's where they start to fix the problem. Tell the strength trainer you want to get stronger, tell the writer you want to write better, tell the stoic you want to end the day in a calmer, more peaceful state—a consistent routine is the answer.

No matter which practice you implement, the best way to improve your sleep is to do it consistently 7 days a week.

9.    Napping can refresh the mind

Arianna Huffington's story inspired me that sleep loss not only reduces the quality of life...it even takes it. People get depressed when they don't sleep. will be exhausted. Will pass out in the bathroom and hit his head. "Sleep is the source of all health and energy". "Sleep is the interest we pay on that capital which is recovered at the time of death: the higher the rate of interest, the more timely the payment, the later the date of repayment."

If you want to live a good and long life, go to bed now, not later

10.  invest in sleep

When I made a little money from working for a few years, I went to the cheapest mattress store and bought the cheapest mattress, and I slept on it for almost ten years. I can't remember exactly when I decided to upgrade my mattress, but it was long after I could afford it. The point is: if sleep has benefits of one kind or another, and if it does save lives, then investing in sleep makes sense. Maybe that investment is buying a better mattress. Maybe bite the bullet and buy a reclining seat on an international flight. Figure out what makes you sleep better and consider it a good deal.


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The sooner the better when you get rid these 3 inconspicuous bad financial habits

Listen: Podcast

Friday, April 28, 2023

The sooner the better when you get rid these 3 inconspicuous bad financial habits

Your future financial situation is tied to your habits. It is almost everyone's dream to not be troubled by money, but most office workers are still worried about financial management. If this is the case for you, you might as well re-examine yourself now and quit bad financial habits to take back control of your money.

Bad financial habits are like a toxic relationship.

You know you should break up with him, but you hold on tight.

But the question remains - why is it so hard to break out of these destructive financial habits?

Sometimes we know nothing about them, and sometimes we are afraid to face the unknown. But wouldn't we be able to stand it without these habits? Can't we live without a Starbucks once a week?

I know a thing or two about money matters. I also lost all my money a few years ago due to a stupid financial mistake.

But I also learned that quitting some bad spending habits is actually a lot easier than you might think.

In fact, you can save yourself hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars a year by quitting these three common financial habits.

1. Procrastination on financial decisions

I always procrastinate when I need to make an important financial decision because I'm afraid of making the wrong choice.

I would spend hours browsing the web for articles and videos on personal finance, trying to train myself as well as possible before taking action.

But inevitably, by the time I was ready to make a decision, the opportunity had passed and I had missed it.

I've since learned that procrastinating on financial decisions is one of the worst things. It keeps you from taking advantage of those opportunities, and it makes you miss important information that could help you make the right decisions.

If you are also procrastinating making financial decisions, ask yourself two questions:

Are you afraid of making the wrong choice?

Are you worried about the consequences?

Once you've identified where your fear spots are, you can address them. Depending on your needs and goals, there are many great investment options.

For example, if you're looking for a short-term investment, consider opening a high-yield savings account.

If you're looking for long-term investments, consider stocks, bonds, or mutual funds.

Investing can be scary, but there's no need to delay making a decision about it.

The sooner you start, the sooner you'll see results.

 2. Not diversifying your income streams

When life hit me hard, I learned the importance of having multiple income streams.

I used to rely on only one source of income.

I live on a paycheck and don't have much savings for a rainy day. When the pandemic hit and I was suddenly laid off and lost my income, I was stuck.

This has taught me the importance of having different sources of income so that if one goes down, I have other sources to fall back on.

Start increasing your income stream.

Having multiple income streams is important for two reasons:

It can provide you with a buffer if one of your sources of income goes down.

It can help you grow your income faster.

Best of all, you don't need to go to great lengths for this.

If you want to have multiple income streams, then you need to consider what skills or assets you have that you can profit from.

For example:

Do you have writing skills? Then you can start a blog, make money with ads, or become a freelance writer. (That's my choice. When the time came, I quit my 9-to-5 job because my side hustle was already generating more income for me and I could develop multiple income streams from it).

Do you have a house that you can rent out?

Or do you have a car that you can use for your ride-hailing business?

There are many different ways to make money, so take some time to brainstorm and see what you can do.

Remember, it's never too late to start!

It might take a little more work at first, but it will be worth it in the end!

3. Spending consumption habits

Growing up, I always liked eating out and spending money on new clothes.

As a result, I quickly developed the bad habit of overspending on entertainment and unnecessary luxuries, and it was inevitable that I would not be able to make ends meet each month.

But thankfully, I was able to recognize my bad spending habits and develop a plan to correct them.

If you're struggling with overspending too, here are a few tips to help.

1. Follow the 50:30:20 rule

50% of income is used for basic expenses/needs: eg rent, insurance, utility bills, groceries, etc.

30% of your income goes to things you want: e.g. dining out, gym memberships, entertainment.

20% of your income goes towards saving and paying down debt.

2. Delay your gratification

Wait at least one to two weeks before purchasing any non-essential items online or offline. If it's really needed, it's still there. If it's just something you want at the time, it will gradually disappear from your life.

3. Don’t do window shopping

My psychologist friend told me: Window shopping is more dangerous than you might think (window shopping means just wandering the streets without buying anything). When your body touches an object, the brain is tempted to take pleasure in it.

So you end up buying something you don't really need.

By doing these three things, you can break the cycle of overspending and get your finances back on track.

Now you know the three most common bad financial habits that can wreak havoc on your savings.

But don't worry, these habits can be changed.

All you need is the conscious improvement and small steps you can take to get yourself back on track.

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Fatty liver?

Friday, April 21, 2023

Fatty liver?

I did my full medical check up a few months ago and the result was I got fatty liver. It was quite shocking to me because I never associated myself to obesity. I went to read up more on the issue of fatty liver and how I can reverse fatty liver.

The liver is a very important organ of the human body. However, in recent years, the incidence of liver diseases, especially fatty liver, has not only increased, but has even shown a trend of younger people.

Experts believe that there are many factors that induce fatty liver, such as unreasonable dietary structure, frequent drinking, prolonged Sit still and wait.

After suffering from fatty liver, the patient will not only encounter various uncomfortable symptoms, but with the passage of time, the disease will worsen, and even induce liver cirrhosis and even liver cancer, which is life-threatening. It must be treated quickly.

At the same time, it is necessary to change bad habits, such as the followings.

1. Pay attention to your diet

The factors that lead to the appearance of fatty liver above, includes the unreasonable diet structure. Therefore, in order to prevent fatty liver from getting worse, I must first adjust the diet structure.

I stay away from fatty meat, animal organs and other high-cholesterol, high-fat foods. Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables, supplement vitamins and at the same time improve the metabolic rate and help the burning of fat.

The second is to consume a moderate amount of high-protein foods, such as eggs, lean meat, and milk, because protein can promote the regeneration and recovery of liver cells, which has a relatively good effect on the recovery of fatty liver.

2. Insist on exercising

Clinical data show that among people with fatty liver, many people also have obesity problems, and this symptom is clinically called obese fatty liver. .

I choose to exercise 3 times a week.

Normally, I will choose to jog or practice yoga, because these two kinds of sports do not have high requirements on the body. Persistence can not only improve metabolism, but also promote the improvement of fat burning in the body and insulin resistance, which is conducive to the development of fatty liver disease. get better.

3. Stay away from alcohol

Long-term heavy drinking is the behavior that causes alcoholic fatty liver, so I cut down on alcohol.

Relevant research data show that when fatty liver patients quit drinking for about a few weeks, the fat in liver cells will gradually disappear.

And even if there is already cirrhosis of the liver, if you insist on abstinence from alcohol, you can slow down the rate of progress and gain opportunities for further treatment.

4. Avoid staying up late

For people with fatty liver, it is also very important to ensure enough rest time. It is recommended to fall asleep before 11 o'clock and ensure 7-8 hours of sleep.

Because from 11:00 in the evening to 3:00 in the morning is the stage of liver self-metabolism and repair, if you stay up late for a long time, it will inevitably affect the liver and aggravate the disease. Thus I also make sure I make the effort to go to bed earlier rather than surfing the social media.

In general, although fatty liver is a common clinical liver disease, it does not have a great impact on the human body when it is mild, but if it is not treated; fatty liver will further develop into severe fatty liver or even liver cirrhosis.

Therefore, no matter how fatty liver develops, you must seek medical attention in time, and do 4 things at the same time, including not staying up late, staying away from alcohol, sticking to exercise and having a balanced diet.

 

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