Hello reader,
“The things you do every day will determine the kind of person you will be in a month, a year, and a decade from now.”
I read this sometime last year and reflected on what things I do on a daily basis.
It turned out that a lot of my time was getting consumed with urgent but mundane stuff. I was always fighting for time, and my mind was always filled with my to-do lists.
Here are my top 3 time management hacks that gave me a sense of control over my time. But before we get to the top 3 hacks, the first and most important thing to take care of when trying to manage your time better is – have clarity on your long-term goals!
So, work out your priorities and long-term goals first, if you want to get the most out of the tips that follow next.
Using a Monthly Planner: In order to not get overwhelmed by my short-term to-do items, I set aside half a day where I plan the entire month.
I mark all the important dates with upcoming travel or events like birthdays, festivals, dinners, or friends’ visits. Then I will mark off the time I need to prepare for them as needed. For example, if there is an upcoming trip, I will note the day when I will pack my bag or do my shopping.
I also mark all my gym days, golf days, and yoga days. Yes, I do all three multiple times a week 😀
For these to work, I need to plan my days around them. I make note of my goals for the month – read xyz books, or lift targets, etc.
This monthly planner helps me keep my sanity and handle urgent tasks while also keeping my long-term goals in view.
Use Calendars for Personal Tasks: The day I started syncing my personal and work calendars is when I freed up tons of my mind space! Once my monthly planning is done, I mark my time outside of office hours in my personal calendar.
From meal planning to workouts to my meditation time, everything is there in my personal calendar. This way you have fewer things to count off in your head and you will get an insane number of things done in a day!
No scrolling when in bed: This last tip allowed me to actually follow the plans that I created. The days I am scrolling on my phone at bedtime, I do not fall asleep for hours after. This means the next morning tasks also go out of the window. A lot of us know this and don’t do anything about it.
This is a game-changer because it allows you to have restful 7-8 hours of sleep. I find I really do suffer the mornings after if I don’t follow this rule.
I hope these tips help you claw back some of the hours in your week. Most importantly, they will allow you more control of your time, and you will be inching your way to happy and fulfilled days, weeks, month,s and years!
To help you learn more about this topic, I have two posts for you. The first post talks about productivity. The second post talks about the time blocking technique.
Trending on the blog
The term productivity is gaining a lot of popularity. Usually, we may believe that being productive means getting our work done. But productivity means much more than this.
The quality of the work done must also be considered. Understand the details of productivity in the following blog.
How to Use Time Blocking to Manage Your Day?
Time management is an important concept if you want to get productive in your life. Time blocking can help you manage your time and reduce the unnecessary stress that you may be subjected to due to procrastination.
Read the article to understand and use this method to your advantage.
Introducing our new section: Readers’ queries
Query from Eedula Pavan,
Hi. I have been suffering from severe histamine intolerance. The IgE levels in my blood are 700 in the count; they should ideally be below 100. Due to this, I have severe itching all over my body. It’s been 3 years now. I have been following a strict diet where I avoided non-veg, and am a complete vegan now. I have also been going to the gym for the last 1-2 years. I have a good physique, but I still need to gain 10 kgs of body weight. I initially lost 6 kgs unintentionally. I am currently trying to increase my weight and reduce the IgE count. Please advise.
Response,
Management of histamine intolerance is challenging due to the widespread presence of histamine in several foods. However, with the right nutrition and appropriate physician guidance, you can surely tackle this condition.
Coming to the first part of your query, wherein you wish to increase your weight, eating in a moderate caloric surplus above your daily caloric requirement will definitely help you.
Opting for a quantified nutrition approach will help you accurately monitor your caloric intake, ensure a surplus, and gain weight. Ensure that the surplus comes from healthy sources such as protein-rich foods, foods rich in omega fatty acids, fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
Consult a nutrition coach who will help you set a calorie limit, track your progress, and provide you with the right nutrition advice.
To reduce the IgE levels, make sure you are following up with your physician and taking the necessary medication. Maintain a food diary and identify trigger foods that flare up your hives or other symptoms, and avoid those foods.
You may also want to consult a gastroenterologist to rule out a co-existing gastrointestinal disorder. Low histamine diets are clinically proven to help reduce the symptoms of histamine intolerance.
You may include low-histamine foods such as non-citrus fruits, quinoa, rice, and fresh vegetables except spinach, tomatoes, and avocado. Since you are already consuming a vegan diet, you are avoiding most histamine-rich foods; hence, maintaining a food diary and trying to identify trigger foods will be useful.
Also, continue with regular workouts, resistance training, and adequate protein intake – chickpeas and lentils are some low-histamine protein sources that you may consume. If you are comfortable consuming eggs, they are also great low-histamine foods for protein and healthy weight gain.
Basic Fitness and Nutrition Course
The INFS Basic Nutrition and Fitness Course is designed specifically for people who are at the absolute start of their fitness career. In this course, you shall learn the basic whys and the hows of nutrition and exercise sciences, along with a number of fun tasks that you are sure to have fun doing!
It is designed specifically for people who are at the absolute start of their fitness career. It is highly recommended for a fitness enthusiast or anyone keen to learn how to get results through scientific principles of nutrition and fitness.
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