Improve Every Day

You get 86,400 seconds every single day. And guess what? It all comes down to how you choose to spend yours. Whether you use them productively or waste them, that's your choice.

How many times do you go through the course of the day and realize, that you didn't do anything you should have done?

You obviously spent that time somewhere, but it wasn't on the things you wanted to. Instead of trying to find another technique to make you more productive, you should look into which habits you're currently wasting so much time on.

Sometimes to achieve success it’s not what you do that matters, but what you stop doing. So today I'll talk about 4 time wasters, that by avoiding, you could have more time for the things that actually matter.

Back when I was in still in school there was this stereotype going around.

Kids who were nerdy and never did any kind of sports were considered the most intelligent and bright.

The jocks who were sporty and fit, were often branded as simple-minded and empty-headed.

So by following this stereotype you had two groups: Smart and weak. Dumb and fit.

However in the recent years, there's a new stereotype that's gained popularity: A smart jock.

An individual who is both intellectually gifted and is physically fit.

Did they win the genetic lottery or is it possible that exercise could make you smarter?

Today we'll look at the body-brain connection and how moving our body can benefit the brain.

Some of the studies mentioned in the video:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

http://people.stu.ca/~raywilliams/Psy...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NB...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

https://gardnercenter.stanford.edu/si...

http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

Images © Piers Baker www.svgdoodlewhiteboard.com

#smarter #exercise

If you want to become better than yesterday, you need to know how to form good habits.

However, like many people do, you might notice that the first few days are easy. You feel super motivated starting a new workout plan, learning a new skill or playing an instrument.

But a week in to it, you find that life has started taking over again and your motivation is nonexistent.

ou skip one day, then another, and all of a sudden you find yourself giving up, or forgetting about the habit altogether.

In today's video I'll give you a habit formation technique that's incredibly effective. I've been using it for months now and you might have even heard of it before. It's called "don't break the chain" method.

Have you ever been interested in becoming more productive or managing your time better? Then you've most likely come across the Pareto Principle before, also known as the 80/20 rule. If you've never heard of it, then you'll learn more about it in this video.

The Pareto principle states that in any situation, 20 percent of the inputs or activities, are responsible for 80 percent of the outputs or results.

For example:

You wear 20% of your clothes 80% of the time.

In a book, 20% of its pages contain 80% of the most important information.

20% of the company's customers, produce 80% of company's revenue

When it comes to YouTube, 20% percent of my videos generate 80% of my views and subscribers.

The Pareto principle shows up over and over again, in almost every field. But the inverse is also true. That means that the other 80% is only generating 20% of the results.

So think about what are some of the things that you could double down on, and which ones you should eliminate. Let me know how are you going to use the 80/20 rule in the comments below.

#ParetoPrinciple #80/20

Today I will share with you my morning routine, which works wonders at keeping me productive. It might not work as well for you, as it does for me, since we have different goals and different schedules. However you might get some ideas which you could implement and tweak in your own routine.

The use of social media has skyrocketed in the last decade. We are spending more and more time on Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter. Whenever we have some free time, we check our news feed, to see if something new has happened. Whether we'd like to admit it or not, it's changing why and how we do certain things; and especially how we look at them.

Too much use of social media has been linked to higher levels of loneliness and depression.

And we know that an entire new generation is growing up with lower self-esteem than all previous generations.

Interestingly enough, people who browse social media more often than others, seem to suffer the most.

Let's take a look at why this is happening.

We all know that exercise makes us feel better, but most of us have no idea why. We assume it's because we're burning off stress or boosting endorphins. But the real reason we feel so good when we exercise is that it makes the brain function at its best. And in my opinion this benefit is far more important than what it does for the body.

Building muscles, conditioning the heart and lungs are essentially side effects.

Nowadays we spend most of our time sitting behind a desk or lying on the couch, and we have basically removed movement from our lives.

Our ancestors had to walk five to ten miles on an average day, just to be able to eat.

Since it takes tens of thousands of years for our biology to evolve, you can see there's a huge mismatch between our lifestyle and our genes.

The brain isn't a fixed organ that cannot be changed. It's adaptable and it can increase in size like any other muscle on your body. Or in the koala's case, decrease in size.

So guess what turns out to be the best thing you can do for you brain today. That's right, physical exercise.

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If you want to succeed, you need to set goals. Without them you lack focus and direction. They also provide you with a benchmark to determine whether or not you're actually succeeding at them.

We all struggle sometimes to achieve our plans. And it's not that we lack the effort, but our goals are not structured efficiently.

To accomplish your objective you need to know how to set it up properly. You can't simply say, "I wish I could make more money" and expect it to happen.

A goal without a plan is just a wish.

It is also important to recognize, that not all objectives are created equal.

So, today I'll explain the SMART method of goal setting and how it will amplify your chances of actually succeeding.

S stands for: Specific

Your goal must be clear and well defined. You can only get to where you want by defining precisely how you'll get there.

M stands for: Measurable

Tracking the progress of your goal is an important part of keeping you motivated. It allows you to set milestones that you can celebrate when you achieve them and reevaluate when you don’t.

A stands for: Attainable

Make sure that it's possible to achieve the dreams you set for yourself. Far too many people fall into the trap of setting impossible goals. While they may push you forward for a while, you will almost certainly end up giving up on them. Instead of being impossible, your goals should be challenging yet achievable.

R stands for: Relevant

Your plans should be relevant to the direction you want your life and career to take. A common issue we face, is having too many goals at the same time, or pursuing the wrong goals. Unless your plan is relevant to your overall life plan, achieving it may not accomplish anything.

T stands for: Time bound

This is one of the most important factors.

You plans must have a deadline. If you don't set a time limit you have basically unlimited time to achieve your goals.

But there's one last thing. Most people think that goal setting is a one time event. Like you set your goals once and you're done. However it's actually an ongoing process. It never ends.

Your plans will need evaluation and revision so it's important to stay flexible.

#smart #goals

Music has been an important part of every human culture, both past and present.

It can play a part in brain development, learning, mood, and even your health.

One of the most common affects music has, is that it can alter our mood and feelings, by stimulating the formation of certain brain chemicals. When you listen to music you actually like, your brain releases a neurotransmitter called dopamine.

So basically music can makes us feel good.

Another interesting aspect is how listening to music can affect our exercise regime. As our body realizes we’re tired and wants to stop exercising, it sends signals to the brain to stop for a break. Listening to music competes for our brain’s attention, and can help us override those signals of fatigue.

In the last few decades, neuroscientists have made enormous breakthroughs in understanding how our brains work, by monitoring them with instruments like fMRI. Through brain scans we have found that musicians have different brains than non-musicians. People who play an instrument have bigger, better connected, more sensitive brains.

So both listening and creating music has it's own benefits.

Sources:

https://www.nature.com/articles/nn.2726

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2...

https://journals.plos.org/plosone/art...

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1...