Personal Development Archives - Page 17 of 31

11 Little Things That Show You Are An Intelligent Woman

You don’t need to win a Nobel prize to show you’re smart. Often it is the little things that show people that you are an intelligent woman.

How many of these things apply to you?

1. You know how to figure things out by yourself

As nice and efficient as it is to have someone who takes your hand and shows you the ropes, it is not a realistic option in every situation in life.

More often than not, you have to figure things out for yourself. Luckily, there is enough information out there nowadays that you can pretty much teach yourself anything!

An intelligent woman knows how to systematically and confidently do that, while many others frantically grasp at many different staws or don’t try at all.

2. But you don’t try to figure everything out by yourself

Yet, at the same time, it is a sign of intelligence not to let your pride keep you from asking for help.

I’m sure you’ve seen at least one person who stubbornly refused to let others help him only to end up wasting time being frustrated.

An intelligent woman doesn’t make her path unnecessarily difficult. She is well aware that there will be more than enough hurdles, anyway. She might as well avoid some through the guidance of others.

She keeps a careful balance between trying some things on her own and asking for help from others further down the path.

3. You’re curious about a wide range of topics

It’s relatively easy to be knowledgeable in one topic and reproduce that knowledge when necessary.

Intelligence shows itself in interdisciplinary thinking and creativity, which require knowledge beyond one topic.

And curiosity often precedes knowledge.

That’s why people who are curious about a wide range of topics appear intelligent.

4. You think through everything that you do

An intelligent woman rarely does something without reason. For her, time is valuable, and she doesn’t want to waste it if there is a better alternative.

She doesn’t succumb to peer pressure or mindlessly follows the path society has laid out for her.

If she goes to university, it’s because she’s thought through her options and decided it was the best one for her.
When she gets vaccinated, it’s not because everyone tells her to but because she’s done her research and decided it’s the right thing for her.
She does it her way if she starts a business instead of just following a ‘guru’s‘ advice.

Few people think through the things they do, which is why doing so can be a subtle sign of intelligence.

5. You’re doubting your knowledge

Paradoxically, doubting your knowledge is much more a sign of intelligence than unwavering confidence.

You should always be careful around people who claim to know everything about a topic. Chances are, they haven’t touched deeply enough on it to realize how much there is to know.

If you have the knowledge to show for and can also define the limits of that knowledge, it shows people that you actually know your stuff.

6. You go against the stream

Peer pressure is real and all the more seductive when you are insecure about what you should do.

An intelligent woman knows that the path most people walk is not necessarily the best one, which is why when she discovers a way more suited for her, she takes it regardless of whether she walks alone on it.

7. You can adapt to any situation in a short time

The ability to adapt quickly to changing circumstances is more important than ever nowadays.

It often requires street smarts more than book smarts.

8. You are very productive and get a lot done in a short amount of time

Some people claim procrastination is a sign of intelligence. Perhaps that is true for people with a crazy high IQ.

But I believe that productivity and effectiveness are far better indicators of more ‘ordinary’ intelligence.

After all, any intelligent woman with ambitions will take the time to establish this crucial habit of success.

Productivity and effectivity are things that don’t just happen by accident. They require practice, planning, and discipline.

You also need to ask the right questions, where most people ask the wrong ones.

Don’t find more time to study; ask yourself how you can get more done in the same amount of time.

Don’t get more done by multitasking and sacrificing your work’s quality; instead, see what tasks you can ditch or accomplish more effectively through batching.

9. You’re surrounded by people who have their life together

People with similar interests, habits, and goals attract each other.

It’s only natural that an intelligent woman has a social circle of people who are smart and have their lives together.

Of course, you can still love someone who is currently a mess. But on average, your social circle is likely going to be made up of high achievers.

10. You actively learn things outside of school or your job

Smart people never stop learning. That’s why they are so smart, after all.

They realize that the educational system only teaches us so much and that there is a world full of knowledge for you to uncover and use.

People will quickly see you as an intelligent woman if you are seemingly always learning something new.

11. You take care of your health

An intelligent woman does not neglect her health. She knows that the momentary comfort of eating junk food or having fun instead of going to your regular doctor’s appointments is not worth it in the long term.

So she makes sure to always take care of her health in whatever way possible.

This means everything from eating healthily, not drinking alcohol excessively, strictly following the health guidelines in a pandemic even though they might be annoying, not smoking, working out regularly, having a good desk chair, etc.

What are some other signs of intelligence? Have you ever seen someone do something and thought, ‘damn, that chic is smart?’

What was it?

Share your thoughts with us and your fellow boss babes!

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!

11 Subtle Ways To Command Respect | How To Earn Respect

Blog, Personal Development, Success

Being respected helps accelerate your way to success. But what do we need to do to command respect from the people around us?

Here are 11 subtle things that will earn you respect.

1. You are punctual

Nobody likes to waste time, especially not waiting for someone who clearly doesn’t care about you wasting your precious time.

Being late is, therefore, an excellent way to make a terrible first impression.

By contrast, being punctual might not get you noticed much initially, but it will earn you respect from most people over time.

2. You are organized and don’t lose things/your life is organized

Losing stuff is bothersome. First of all, because it wastes so much of your time and energy to find what you’ve lost or rather misplaced.

And second of all, it is highly annoying for everyone around you to always have to wait for you to sort yourself out.

On the other hand, being organized takes some discipline, so it is an admirable trait to see in another person.

It makes us wonder how much thought they spend on their organization system, and we appreciate how easy dealing with them is.

If you want to command respect, showing up organized is a great way to do so!

3. You are kind and patient; especially in annoying situations

Kindness and patience are always going to be traits that draw people towards you. But they are admirable even more so in stressful and annoying situations.

Surely you’ve witnessed someone taking out their frustration on a waiter or shop assistant or hotline worker at least once or twice. Has it ever made you feel anything but uncomfortable, angry, or pitying?

Even if your waiter messes up your order or spills the drink on your lap, the situation will only get worse for absolutely everyone involved by spitting cruel words, being insulting, or shooting disdainful looks.

Since this seems like the automatic response of many people, it is all the more impressive when you watch someone stay calm, patient, and gracious.

4. Your shoes are clean

Shoes are often a part of your outfit you won’t spend all too much time obsessing over. And unless you’ve got a whole closet full of shoes, it’s also the part that gets worn much more often than your other clothes.

As a result, they also tend to get dirty sooner or later.

Ensuring your shoes are always clean is a very subtle way to show that you care about details and are organized enough to take care of them.

5. You give people and projects your undivided attention

In a world full of distractions, giving a task or person your undivided attention is rare. This is why it leaves such a big impression.

It makes the person in front of you feel important, and people remember how you made them feel far more than what you said.

It also saves time, because you are much less likely to have to ask the other person to repeat themself.

6. You listen to other people’s opinions and counsel but only follow that of a few carefully selected people

Too many prideful people brush aside the mere suggestion of other opinions because, after all, they already know everything there is to know.

This show of (perceived) superiority not only makes a bad impression it’s also creating unnecessary difficulties for everyone involved.

There is always the chance of gaining something valuable by listening to other opinions and counsel. Sometimes the argument might not be new, but the way it is expressed can cause an idea to spark in you.

As much as it earns you respect to listen to other people’s opinions, you will lose all of that respect if you follow every new counsel you’re given.

Successful people who command respect know not only how to listen to outside advice and but also when to follow or disregard the advice.

7. You hold yourself to high standards

Many people hold others to high standards and expect them to do their best regardless of the circumstances.

Yet few of these people hold themselves to the same high standards. Instead, they grasp flimsy excuses to justify their less than ideal performance.

How can you ever expect to command respect when you don’t hold yourself to the same standards as everyone else? It will only make you seem like a hypocrite.

However, if you hold yourself to even higher standards, you are almost guaranteed to earn at least reluctant respect for that.

8. You separate your private and professional life and don’t overshare

Unless your private life is part of your brand, it should stay far from your professional life.

Few things are as annoying as someone not being able to stay professional.

The people you strive to be like don’t want to know about your struggles at home. They want to know how to get the job done most efficiently.

Don’t appear to work with wrinkly clothes and unkempt hair because you had a fight with your spouse.

Don’t hire someone entirely incompetent and lazy just because they are your cousin.

And please, don’t have your children screaming in the background of your Zoom call.

It will earn you much more respect if people realize one day that while you were giving 110% to this big project at work, you had to juggle a difficult family matter, and it didn’t impact your work at all.

Or, if you truly can’t give it your all, make sure to take the initiative and take some of your vacation days before you start to slack at work.

That’s impressive. That will earn you respect.

9. You surround yourself with respectable people

The people you surround yourself with speak volumes about the kind of person you are.

If you are surrounded by many high achievers who are all giving their best, people expect you to be similar, which will raise their respect for you.

By contrast, if people associate you with liars and deceivers, they will only become vary of you.

10. You don’t gossip or deal with unnecessary drama

As entertaining as gossiping might be, it inevitably stirs some mistrust towards you.

People will ask themselves what you think about them and what you tell others about them when they’re not around.

It can also create the appearance that you don’t have anything better to do with your time.

After all, the time you spend gossiping at work others spend doing things worth their paycheck.

To command respect, don’t participate in the gossip, neither actively nor passively, by listening in.

11. You keep your word

Keeping your word makes you appear in two ways: Honest and reliable.

Don’t appease people with false promises just to get them off your back, and always make sure you are organized enough to fit the additional favor into your life.

It’s next to impossible to command lasting respect as a notorious liar or by being unreliable.

So the next time you …

Promise to send a message by tomorrow; you do so.
Say you’ll get the task done in a week; you do so.
Know you can’t do it in a week; you don’t promise them you will.

How many of these things are you already doing? Is there anything you want to stop/start doing?

Also, what do people need to do to earn your respect?

We’re curious to hear from you.

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!

21 Fun Challenges That Will Improve Your Life | Challenges To Try

Blog, Personal Development

Here are a couple of fun challenges for you that will help you feel less bored and even better your life in the long run. Try them out today!

1. Learn how to write with your non-dominant hand

Being ambidextrous is not only cool but can also come in handy when you can’t use your dominant hand because of an injury or if it is already occupied.

So why not challenge yourself to learn how to write with your non-dominant hand?

2. Learn how to brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand

This is a great way to wake up your brain in the morning, prime it for the day, and practice working with your non-dominant hand.

The long-term effects of using your non-dominant hand are debated.

Some claim it increases your creativity and problem-solving skills.

Others argue that each hemisphere in your brain intentionally has a specific task, and balancing out its functions will not make you smarter.

Either way, it is a fun challenge to try out when bored.

3. Learn to do splits

Learning to do splits takes patience and commitment to regular stretching.

Many lose their motivating after a few days at a seeming lack of process.

This also happened to me a couple of times over multiple years until I finally committed to my daily stretches.

Much to my surprise, it only took me two weeks to manage my first splits.

Don’t push yourself too much tough! If you overstretch yourself (you will notice it when one leg suddenly stretches less than the other), you will have to take a break for a few weeks to let your muscles heal again.

4. Learn to hold a handstand

Again, this takes practice and patience.

Do it safely, and make sure to use the right technique straight from the beginning before you form bad habits.

5. Learn to speed read

The informational age causes us to spend much of our lives reading everything from books, news articles, blog posts, subtitles, Instagram captions, e-mails, and text messages.

Yet, most of us still read at a speed barely faster than elementary school kids.

Imagine how much more time you’d have each day if you could double or even triple your reading speed while retaining your comprehension!

6. Practise the Memory Palace technique until you can use it with ease

Probably every student has wished at one point in their educational career to memorize information more easily.

Well, the memory palace is a technique memory pros swear on for effective memorization of information.

And while the rules of this technique are rather simple, applying it takes some practice and can be frustrating.

So challenge yourself to get this technique down and ready to use.

7. Learn the Major System to memorize numbers with ease

The Major System attributes letters to numbers so that combined with the memory palace technique, you can visualize a picture that translates into a number.

That way, you can remember phone numbers, birthdays, passwords, and more much more easily.

But again, you have to get the major system down first.

8. Go a month without sugar

Going sugar-free is challenging not only because of our sweet tooth but also because virtually everything nowadays contains sugar.

You might not even be convinced whether staying away from sugar really has any major health benefits.

That’s why a trial month is a perfect challenge for you to see the effects a sugar-free diet has on your body and overall well-being.

9. Go a month without gluten

Seemingly all beautiful foods have gluten in them: bread, noodles, cereal, etc.

It’s difficult to go without it, but there have been some speculations that gluten might cause acne and other health issues, so it might be worth a try.

10. Eat vegan for a month

Besides the obvious reasons for going vegan, I think it can be a nice challenge that will clarify whether or not you really need that much meat in your diet to be healthy and happy.

Try it out! You might just discover a new favorite recipe!

11. Practise Yoga daily for a month

Depending on what type of Yoga you do, its practice can have calming effects or make you lose a ton of calories.

However, all of the different Yoga types will positively impact your body and overall health if practiced regularly.

There are many YouTube videos you can check out to learn about people’s experience with doing Yoga daily and the health benefits found by science.

12. Learn how to juggle

I always thought being able to juggle was a neat skill.

I just never dedicated enough time to learn it.

When I finally did so, I learned to juggle with three balls in only about a week! Now I only need to commit enough time to learn how to juggle with four balls.

My tip: Use rolled up socks and do it over a bed. That way, you won’t damage anything in the room, and you won’t get back pain from picking up the ball off the floor countless times.

13. Learn to spin a pen between your fingers

Again, just a fun little skill that looks really cool but takes a while to get the hang of.

Take some time to practice at home (not at school!) and make sure there is nothing breakable near when your pen slips out of your grasp mid-spin.

14. Learn to type with ten fingers

Some lucky children learn this early on in life.

If you are one of the people who didn’t, go and download one of the free typing programs and spend a few minutes every day on it.

Being able to type fast is a necessary skill in many high-paying jobs. If you can type even faster, you will save yourself a lot of time.

15. Cook one new recipe daily for a month

Eating the same few meals over and over again can get monotonous. But finding new recipes and cooking them for the first time takes a lot of time many people don’t have.

So let’s make it easier through task batching.

Just dedicate one month (or maybe just two weeks) to cooking a new recipe every day.

Before you start into that month, you spend some time accumulating 28+ recipes you want to try. Then you plan them out so that recipes with similar ingredients will be cooked close to one another, making shopping easier for you.

And then you’re already good to go!

You’ll end up not only having one month full of new recipes and improving your cooking skills, but you will also have an arsenal of new recipes for the months that follow.

16. Find less-waste-producing alternatives for at least four household items in one month

There are many people online who advocate the merits of living without plastic, entirely vegan or entirely vegetarian.

These people often make changing your lifestyle sound like a daunting 180° flip. It makes us forget the significance of small steps.

You don’t have to be all vegan or all vegetarian.

And you don’t have to live entirely without plastic.

Reducing the amount of plastic you use even by changing one of your products is already a valuable step you should be proud of.

Because it is a step that can take a lot of time and effort since it can take some time to find a suitable alternative and an affordable and available one.

So challenge yourself to find less-waste-producing products for at least four household items during this month.

Some ideas for products to replace: wet wipes, detergent, shampoo, water bottles.

17. Journal every day for 30 days

Many people recommend journaling, and while we might believe in its benefits, it can still be difficult to start.

I believe the biggest problem is that people don’t know what to write about. And the second biggest, that they don’t block out a fixed time in their daily schedule for their journaling session.

Use this challenge to work past these two issues.

18. Improve your selfie skills with ten selfies a day for a month

If you are not a selfie pro, this can be a fun challenge to overcome your awkwardness when taking pictures.

Confidence in any skill requires practice. So commit to taking ten selfies a day for a month and play around with different poses.

19. Try a new makeup look every day for 2 weeks

It doesn’t need to be anything big. Especially if you feel incompetent with makeup, make sure to stick to subtle looks that you can do quickly and wear every day.

At the end of the challenge, you will be more competent in applying makeup and have over a dozen looks to choose from in your arsenal.

20. Challenge yourself to read one book a week

Many people don’t even read one book a year. Few read one book a month. Even fewer manage one book a week.

Challenge yourself to belong to this last group and maybe couple it with becoming a speed reader.

21. Summarize every day of a month/a year in a sentence

It’s not only fun to be able to look back on the day-to-day happenings of your year.

It also causes you to remember that year better and, as a result, not feel like it has flown past in the blink of an eye.

Do you have any additional challenges to recommend? If you do, we might add them to the list.

Either way, I hope you found some inspiration from this. I wish you lots of fun and motivation while doing the challenges.

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!

9 Fun Ideas To Start Journaling Daily | How To Start Journaling

Blog, Personal Development

Many recommend journaling as a daily habit. But it can be difficult to start when you don’t know what to write about. Here are 9 fun ideas to start journaling daily.

1. Content commentary

This is how I got into daily journaling.

I took some personal development content – mostly YouTube videos – and analyzed in how far I lack what they recommend.

For example, for content like 16 Habits of Highly Successful People, I would write about which of these habits I already have, which I really should implement and how I could do so.

This is a very structured and easy but valuable way to journal. It increases your self-awareness and helps you to not just consume self-help content but actually use it to change your life.

Also, you will never lack anything to write about since there is an abundance of personal growth content out there.

2. Scripting

Scripting describes a way of journaling in which you write in the first person as if you are already living your dream life.

For example, don’t write about how today was just another day studying all day long while spending a few hours on your side hustle.

Instead, write about how your business hit the 5.000 €/month benchmark today. Write about how you found the dream apartment and what exactly it looks like.

Just write as if your goals have just become your reality, and make sure to imagine vividly and really feel the emotions along the way.

3. Problems turned to solutions

Another way I like to use scripting is by directly writing about how I solved a problem that I currently still have.

So, for example, instead of lamenting about how I am struggling to get clear skin or to learn faster or to get more blog traffic, I write about how I finally have these things and how all the effort and patience were worth it.

This helps to get unstuck from self-pity mode and it instead directs your attention to how you could reach this future reality.

4. Daily Summary

This is a very short journaling idea, but it can ingrain the habit of opening your journal every day.

Simply write a one or two-sentence summary of the most noteworthy things that happened during the day.

This will not only be nice to look back on, but it will also make you remember more of what you experienced and accomplished.

5. Letter from your future self

People always talk about writing a letter to your younger self. Why not turn that into an affirming and manifesting practice by writing a letter from the point of view of our future self.

What do you imagine your future self will be able to tell you?

You are on the right track; just be patient!
All the hard work is going to be worth it!
Things will turn out even better than you’ve expected them to!
XYZ isn’t a problem anymore!
I’ve come such a long within such a short time!

6. Journaling Prompts

Another great way to start journaling is by using the abundance of journaling prompts offered online.

Especially Pinterest can be a great source of inspiration, so make sure to create a Pinterest board full of journaling prompts for yourself and aim to write and answer to at least one prompt a day.

7. Diary

Recounting your day and working through the things that happened in diary-style can also be a form of journaling.

It’s not my personal favorite because I’ve already recounted everything often enough by the time I sit down to journal.

Any additional recounting is an unnecessary dwelling that will only keep me stuck in a possibly unhelpful energy.

8. Daily gratitude, affirmations, positive/negative, and self-worth

Ok, so this is part of my morning routine, which is why it’s a perfect idea to start journaling daily. I start the morning by writing down :

three things I’m grateful for (try to find new ones as often as possible)
three affirmations (in the present tense, as if you already have it)
one good thing that happened yesterday and one bad thing (this is referencing to one of the Universal Laws, the Law of Balance, which basically states that for everything positive, there is something negative)
lastly, one skill or attribute that makes me feel proud and worthy (because if we feel unworthy, we won’t manifest our dreams)

Being consciously aware of the law of balance is important because you can make your life very difficult if you try to only stay on the positive side.

People who try to stay positive often have a big emotional crash that balances them out again.

So make yourself aware of the negatives to every positive in your life. For example:

More income means more taxes.
Finding your dream apartment means additional costs for moving all your stuff there.
A good grade means it will be more difficult for you to keep your performance on the same level and people have higher expectations of you.
Finding the perfect dress means having to spend the money to buy it.

You get the point. There is always a downside to every good thing, but these downsides don’t mean we can’t appreciate the good.

9. Journal through your regrets

Most of us try to suppress the memories of embarrassing situations or other regrets. Of course, we do. After all, it hardly creates comfortable feelings.

However, this doesn’t help us because ‘what you resist, persists.’

Suppressing these memories will only make them pop into your mind at random during the day. Maybe you were in a good mood, and then the memory pops up and makes you feel bad.

So how do we prevent this from happening? The answer: By working through our regrets and overcoming them.

Usually, I do this as a meditation with eyes closed, but writing it down might be better for you if it helps you process and feel the emotions.

This is how you do it:

Allow yourself to vividly remember the situation you regret and let yourself feel the regret.
Then imagine yourself standing next to your past self or the person who wronged you, and tell them: “I forgive you, and I ask that you forgive me.”
Next, imagine how your past self or the person who wronged you looks at you and tells you the same thing.
Lastly, breathe in deeply, and when you breathe out, release your regret out through the breath.

Depending on how deeply ingrained your regret or anger is, it will take a few of these sessions to get rid of it.

But if you do it for every new uncomfortable memory, you will notice yourself cling to them far less.

Which is your favorite idea to start journaling daily?

And who got you interested in journaling in the first place? I think for me, it was Kalyn Nicholson and Kimberley Wenya.

As always, make sure to share any additional tips down below. We always appreciate your advice.

Until next time, Felicity Seeker!

55 fun journaling ideas to get you started

11 Habits That Destroy Your Productivity | Unproductive Habits To Avoid

Blog, Personal Development, Success

Successful people know that success requires productivity. That’s why you need to know about these 11 habits that destroy your productivity.

1. Having YouTube, Pinterest, Facebook taps open while you work

I’m one of those people who keeps a ton of tabs open in their internet explorer so that I can quickly jump between them.

Most of the time, this habit can be beneficial. However, whenever you are trying to get work done, it can destroy your productivity.

It is all too tempting to ‘just take a look’ at that open YouTube video, Pinterest image, or Facebook account. However, before you know it, you’ve already wasted 15 minutes clicking and scrolling around instead of working.

So how can you ditch this unproductive habit? You could, of course, be hardcore and simply never leave open any taps to these sites.

A more comfortable option would be to bookmark the page so you know you won’t miss out on it and can always find it again later.

Or you could just use a different internet explorer for work-related purposes. Perhaps Google Chrome for private purposes, Microsoft Edge for work-related purposes, and Firefox for other projects.

2. Listening to fast-paced music or songs with lyrics

I get it; sometimes, you just want to vibe to some good songs while working.

While there certainly are some more mindless tasks you can easily do while singing along to songs, it will destroy your productivity for tasks that require concentration and a lot of thinking.

Fast-paced music can get your blood pumping and make you all fidgety. Lyrics catch and divert your attention from what you were originally thinking about.

Remember: There is no such thing as multitasking; only a splitting of attention that significantly decreases your focus.

Luckily, there are a plethora of better options to choose from that will even support your productivity.

Lo-Fi music is a popular choice that can be described as non-distractive but silence filling ambiance music.

Nature sounds are great, too, if you want to filter out the outside noise of your work-environment.

Binaural beats, on the other hand, are on an entirely different level. They are not only filling the silence or blending out environmental distraction, but they actively influence your brain waves (as long as you wear headphones).

Why should you care about brain waves? Well, depending on our activity (sleeping, resting, meditating, focusing), our brain waves change.

Binaural beats can help us to get into a focused flow full of alpha waves more easily.

3. Working in a cluttered room

Clutter distracts.

Not just the clutter on your desk right in your line of sight but also the mess all around the room you work in.

It catches your attention when you look around, and even when you don’t see it, you know it’s there, which creates a feeling of having left tasks unfinished.

So make sure to do a quick sweep through the room before you get down to work.

4. Working in bed

The easiest way to trigger a habit is by being in the location that you’ve consciously or unconsciously designated to the habit.

For example, if you tend to open your fridge every time you’re in the kitchen, you will feel the need to do so every time you enter the room.

This automatic triggering can be a good or bad thing depending on the habit.

For example, if you designate your bed only to sleeping, you will have a much easier time falling asleep as soon as you hit the pillow.

On the flip side, you will automatically get tired when trying to do work in bed. Or you will have a harder time falling asleep because usually, you fight sleep while being in bed to do work.

Also, you can hardly maintain a good posture while sitting in bed.

So altogether, working in bed is one of the habits that destroy your productivity.

5. Having notifications of any kind activated

Getting into a focused flow state for work is often difficult enough. The last thing you need is notifications popping up on your screen or making sounds and ripping your hard-fought-for attention away from work.

So make sure to turn off all notifications – both the sound and the banners or popups.

6. Consuming any kind of content in your breaks

I get it, you’ve worked or studied diligently, and now in your break, you want to do something that you actually enjoy doing – most likely Netflix, YouTube, social media, fanfictions, etc.

However, the problem is that consuming content like this will give your mind new things to think about as soon as your break ends.

While trying to focus back on work, you will still be thinking about how that episode will continue or that Instagram image you saw.

It is much easier to get back into the productive flow by taking a walk in your break or juggling or listening to music while dancing around a bit.

7. Not following a clear sleep schedule

Sleep is important not only for our physical health but also for our cognitive functions.

If we want to do our best work, we need to be at our best, which means getting proper sleep.

But not just that. It’s also about always sleeping at the same time.

If you are used to sleeping until 9 am, it will take a few days until you are not tired anymore between 6 am and 9 am, even if you’ve got seven hours of sleep.

That’s why sleeping in on weekends is an unproductive habit we should avoid. After all, your body doesn’t know that weekends have a different schedule compared to workdays.

This is why by sleeping in, you weaken the habit of waking up at the same time you do during the week.

Waking up quickly and energized is much easier if you have the same sleep schedule seven days a week.

8. Focusing on aesthetics over functionality

I’m sure you’ve come across images of pretty study summaries on Instagram and Pinterest.

These images often motivate students to study more and create summaries like that themselves. The problem is that creating such summaries usually takes way too much time compared to the study results they bring.

Another example is stylish but uncomfortable outfits. It’s understandable to want to look good for work or school. Still, if the outfit is distracting you from actually being productive, it is not worth it.

An example for entrepreneurs is designing every Pinterest pin individually instead of using templates. Trust me, that one gorgeous pin won’t get you the traffic.

Focusing on aesthetics instead of functionality is one of the habits that destroy your productivity.

9. Eating junk food or drinking alcohol before work

Junk food and alcohol make you sluggish. You will have much more energy if you eat healthily and drink water before starting to do any work.

Eating junk food is therefore one of the habits that destroy your productivity.

10. Starting to work when you have a lot on your mind instead of clearing it

Sometimes life gets in the way of our work sessions. A hectic day or a thought-provoking message can forcefully push us far away from anything akin to focus.

It stays on our minds when we want to focus, and it makes us fidget when we want to sit still.

If you try to be productive in such a state of mind, you will fail spectacularly and waste your time.

Instead, make sure to take as long as you need to clear your mind. Journaling, taking a walk through nature, doing Yoga and meditation can help you.

11. Focusing more on how long you work than what you do in that time

Parkinson’s law states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

That’s why giving yourself four hours a day to study and setting your Pomodoro timer doesn’t guarantee you will use that time productively.

It’s just, if not more likely that you will half-heartedly work until the time runs out and then half-heartedly pat yourself on the back for doing your daily hours of studying.

But imagine you were about to go on holiday and had to get the tasks done in only two hours. Chances are high this deadline would have motivated you sufficiently to accomplish the same amount of work in half the time.

It also shows that the time invested is not proportionate to the results you reap.

For example, some companies have experimented with a four-day workweek. Surprisingly, the employees got the same amount of work done in four days that they initially took five days for.

That’s why for optimal productivity, you should always challenge yourself to get your work done in a shorter amount of time.

Do you know any other habits that destroy your productivity? We always appreciate tips on how to do our work better.

Also, what’s your biggest procrastination tool? Mine are fanfictions ^^’.

Until next time, lovely Felicity Seekers!

19 Ways To Make Life Less Boring | How to make life less monotonous

Blog, Personal Development

Life can feel monotonous if we are going through the same routine every day. Luckily, I’ve got 19 ideas for you to make life less boring.

1. Have a long-term project/goal to work on

Projects are always a great thing to focus on and direct your energy to. If you are busy chasing a goal, you can’t really be bored.

A few long-term goals for you to pursue are:

Learning a language.
Getting a degree.
Healing your damaged hair.
Learning to draw.
Writing a thesis.
Learning how to sew.

2. Have a short-term goal to look forward to

While the above-mentioned long-term goals are great, they can at times take too long to keep up your motivation.

To balance this out and make life less monotonous, make sure to also pursue short-term goals.

Here are a few ideas:

Watching a newly released episode of a series.
Reading the new chapter of a fanfiction (that gets regularly updated).
Looking forward to the next Formula 1 race.
Looking forward to the release of a movie.

3. Do a digital detox

Many of us get bored easily simply because we are usually stimulated all the time. As soon as this constant stimulation stops, boredom kicks in.

It’s not only helpful to practice being bored, but the mental solitude you experience in the absence of stimulation is actually immensely crucial for a happy life.

Cal Newport points out in his book Digital Minimalism how mental health professionals have noticed an unmistakable correlation between the spike in anxiety-ridden patients and the coming of age of the first true ‘smartphone’-generation.

It turns out that being always connected is not the formula for happiness but rather constant anxiety.

So, be smarter than most people and do a digital detox to relearn that solitude is not boring but a key ingredient for happiness.

At the very least, it’s going to be a fun challenge to tell others about.

4. Give yourself a monthly challenge

If we don’t push ourselves to do anything besides our daily tasks, we spend weeks or even months lost in the monotony of doing almost the same things every day.

That’s why giving yourself a monthly challenge is such a nice idea.

Here are a few you should try:

Learn how to brush your teeth and write with your non-dominant hand
Learn to juggle
Practice to do splits
Improve your selfie skills with ten selfies a day
Try a new makeup look every day
Challenge yourself to read one book a week

5. Switch up the series you watch instead of sticking to them for a long time on end

Ok, so this is a tip mainly for people like me, who don’t binge-watch series within a handful of days.

I don’t spend much time on Netflix. Many days, it’s not even an entire hour. So you can imagine how long it takes me to get through a series like ‘Friends.’

To create more variety in your life, make sure to sprinkle in other series or even movies. Maybe dedicate your morning Netflix session to watching Friends, and then in the evening, you watch something shorter like Sex Education.

Just switch it up.

6. Exchange series time for audiobook, book, podcast, or youtube time

Use the different mediums that are at your disposal. Don’t just cling to your all-time favorite.

There is a lot of fun and value for you to discover!

7. Change your hair color

You don’t even have to do something big. A small change in tone that is noticeable enough to feel novel can help you make life less boring.

But if you’re brave, go all out and try pink or blue hair or maybe those two-colored layers like Dua Lipa once had.

8. Rearrange your furniture

You might not have the money to move somewhere new or travel far.

But you could always rearrange some of your furniture.

Hell, it doesn’t even have to be the furniture. You could just rearrange all the things standing on your table.

9. Decorate according to the season

Another way to make life less boring is by using the variety that nature already presents you with.

There are four (or, if you’re Swabian, five) seasons a year. Use them to change the look of your home.

Decorate with snowflakes in winter, tulips and easter eggs in spring, perhaps melons in summer, and colorful leaves in autumn.

These different aesthetics are a nice way to spruce things up.

10. Study the moon cycle and do some fun rituals

Another cycle presented to us by nature is the moon cycle.

In the last years, some businesses have been coming up that focus on teaching how you can synch your lifestyle to the moon cycle.

There are, for example, some fun and witchy rituals you can do in the different phases.

Perhaps it sounds too woo-woo to you, but give it a try for a cycle or so. It will definitely make your life less boring.

11. Study the star constellations

And another variable of nature that is always changing are the constellations we see in the night sky.

This change is not particularly fast, so it won’t offer much excitement to distract from your life’s monotony. However, it can still be a nice project that will spruce things up a bit.

12. Write a one or two-sentence summary of each day and its most memorable moments

A whole year seems to flash by in the blink of an eye because we didn’t make enough memories that could create benchmarks for us to measure time on.

Without those timely benchmarks, the days blur into each other, and we feel like we are repeating the same day over and over again.

So take a few minutes out of your evening and write a one or two-sentence summary of your day, highlighting the most memorable moments.

13. Actively search for new songs

You can make life less boring by having a fun playlist to accompany you throughout the day.

So make sure to not only listen to your all-time favorites on repeat and wait for new songs to be released but also actively go and search for new songs to vibe to.

You can do this through Spotify playlists, YouTube edits, TikTok videos, or soundtracks to series.

14. Join a book club or purchase a monthly subscription

Following the reading recommendations of a book club can bring the variety that will make life less boring.

You could also purchase a monthly subscription for books or games or whatever exciting product you can find.

15. Challenge yourself

Challenge yourself by doing something you wouldn’t have thought you were capable of.

You could try to read one book a week for a month instead of just one book a month.

You could try to learn to juggle with three balls in a week and with four balls in two weeks.

Or how about joining the Yoga With Adriene challenge of daily yoga sessions all throughout January.

You could also finally commit to stretching daily until you can do the splits.

And how about learning to spin a pen in between your fingers.

There are truly endless options for fun little challenges!

It’s time to do all the things you would have always liked to do but never had the patience to sit down and actually learn.

16. Take personal development courses

Immersing yourself in personal development is a great way to make life less boring. But it can be tedious to do it all on your own. That’s why having a self-help course with a clear curriculum, lessons, and tasks can be such a refreshing option.

Besides the tons of individual courses offered by countless online entrepreneurs, websites like Masterclass, Mindvalley, and Skillshare offer several high-value courses for a yearly or monthly subscription.

17. Plan out a future vacation

You might not be able to afford to travel anywhere far away right now, or there might be travel restrictions, or perhaps you’ve only returned from your yearly vacation.

Either way, another great way to make life less boring is by immersing yourself in planning and researching.

You could create a binder full of potential hotels to stay at, routes to take, restaurants to eat at, and sights to see at your dream destination.

The more you’ve got planned out now, the more spontaneous you can take that trip you’ve been dreaming of.

18. Cook one new recipe every day for two weeks/a month

Cooking can take a lot of effort. First, there goes the planning: What recipe appeals to me? What ingredients do I need? Where can I get them?

Then the actual cooking comes, which always takes much longer if you’re doing the recipe for the first time.

While rotating through the same couple of recipes saves you time, it can get rather monotonous and boring.

That’s why dedicating a month to finding and trying out new meals not only makes that month more exciting but also makes the following months less boring.

19. Create a past and future milestones list

It’s always exciting to see how much you’ve already accomplished, and it’s motivating to see clear future goals laid out in front of you.

So take a page in your journal or make a new note on your phone where you list all the milestones you’ve accomplished this year/since you started college/since you started your business/in your life.

Make sure to take a moment and truly be proud of them.

Next, take a new page and list all the milestones you want to meet in the upcoming months or years.

Which of these ideas do you want to try out first to make life less boring? Do you have additional ideas to share?

Share your thoughts with your fellow Felicity Seekers!

Until next time!