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Whether last year was the best year of your life or the worst, it can be better this year.

The default human emotion is happiness. It’s only when things get in the way of happiness that you fail to experience it.

How many people really focus on making each year a happy year? Not many. Luckily, it doesn’t take a lot to have a good year filled with more good memories and fewer annoyances.

Make this year better than last with these strategies:

1. Limit clutter.

Clutter is stressful and annoying. Being annoyed is stressful, too! Clutter can be embarrassing, and it makes things harder to find when you need them. Clutter also makes you feel like your life is out of control. Luckily, with effective routines, clutter can be easy to avoid.

• Get rid of the things you don’t need.
• If you use something, put it away when you’re done
• Spend five minutes tidying up the living areas before you go to bed.

2. Address all the things that annoy you.

Fix, address, or get rid of everything that annoys you. Avoid allowing these things, people, and situations to linger in your life.

3. Limit the amount of time you spend criticizing, condemning, and complaining.

In the book, “How to Make Friends and Influence People,” one of the cardinal rules is “Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain.”

• This is a simple rule that’s challenging to put into practice, but you’ll be more likeable and even like yourself more. You’ll reap benefits from both qualities.

4. Spend wisely.

Treat your money with respect. Money that is spent wisely can do wonderful things for your life. Money spent unwisely is a wasted resource. Think of all the things you’ve purchased, but later regretted. It would be nice to have that money now.

5. Avoid additional debt.

This is another aspect to spending wisely. Debt is stressful. Avoid adding more debt to your life, and you’ll be likely to have a better year.

6. Use your brain for thinking, not remembering.

It’s silly to use your brain to remember things when you could free up your mental resources by writing yourself a note and putting your attention on more important matters.

• Write things down.
• Record lists in your phone.
• Use reminders and timers.

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If your concentration skills are lacking, it’s not your fault. No one ever taught you how to concentrate and focus. In fact, most of us are experts at distracting ourselves.

You’re probably pretty good at finding something to keep yourself busy. However, that something probably isn’t very productive. It’s just comfortable or entertaining.

Do you want to be successful or comfortable?

The world we live in is full of distractions. It’s never been more challenging to concentrate than it is right now. If you’re struggling to keep your attention on what matters, you’re not alone.

However, you can greatly strengthen this important skill and enhance your life as a result.

Start Slowly

If you’d like to increase your attention span, it’s more effective to start by doing it little by little, especially at first. You wouldn’t try to jog for 20 miles the first time you went running or try to bench press 300 pounds the first time you went to the gym. You’d start at an appropriate level and move forward from that point.

The same goes for training your mind.

See how long you can concentrate on a task before your mind wanders. Is it a minute? Five minutes? Start where you are and move forward from there.

Slow progress is okay. It will pick up. Take your time.

Use these exercises to train your mind to develop greater focus:

1. Be mindful.

The best way to increase your concentration is to practice concentrating. Instead of driving to work and daydreaming about work, your finances, or your spouse, put your attention on the road. Keep your attention on whatever it is you’re doing throughout the day.

2. Practice listening.

When someone speaks to you, you’re most likely thinking about what you want to say or thinking about something else other than the conversation. Practice putting all of your attention on the other person during a conversation.

3. Sit still.

Take a chair and position it so that you’re facing the wall. See how long you can sit in the chair without moving or looking away from the wall. You’ll notice little aches, pains, and itches crop up after a few minutes. Ignore them. They will move to a different part of the body soon enough. How long can you last?

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https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/7-concentration-exercises-that-will-train-your-mind

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Most people consider getting their bodies in better shape. But few people think about growing their intellect. However, a mind is a terrible thing to waste!

Yes, it’s important to keep your body healthy and fit. But put the rest of your available exercise time toward building your intellect!

Try these techniques to build greater intellectual capacity:

1. Read. Reading is great.

You can often find out more about a topic in a few hours of reading than you can in a lifetime of experimenting on your own. There are smart people that write books and condense their knowledge into a few hundred pages for the rest of the world to read.

2. Debate.

Debating with others forces you to consider every perspective and to organize your thoughts. You have to think on your feet and build persuasive arguments. Keep it friendly, though!

3. Develop your memory.

There are plenty of books and other resources on how to enhance your memory. All the knowledge in the world won’t help you if you can’t remember it. You’ll have less trouble finding your car keys, too.

4. Develop your artistic talents.

You can’t just cram a lot of facts into your head. There’s more to your intellectual growth than that. Work on your artistic talents, too.

5. Play a musical instrument.

There’s nothing that serves as a good substitute for music. Pick an instrument that interests you and begin the process of mastering it.

Read More On Our Blog                     
https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/11-tips-to-maximize-your-intellectual-growth

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If you want to maximize your effectiveness and the amount you get done each day, organize tomorrow, today. The second that you open your eyes you can already be clear and certain about what you have to do that day.

It’s much more effective than trying to plan your day on the fly!

In the evening, you’re much more objective about the next day than you are when you’re in the midst of it. It’s easy to plan a trip to the gym the day before. It’s not as easy to do so on the same day when it’s raining, and you’re just not in the mood.

The best time to plan tomorrow is today!

Follow this process:

1. What do you want to accomplish?

Depending on your job, health, family, hobbies, and life in general, what you want to accomplish will vary. Make a list of all the things you want to accomplish tomorrow. Include tasks that help you to reach your goals. Your list might have activities like this:

● Make a nutritious lunch for kids.
● Be at the office by 7:45.
● Give a great presentation at work at 2:00pm.
● Eat a healthy lunch.
● Work out for 30 minutes.
● Practice piano for 30 minutes.
● Speak with an employee about frequent absences.
● Call my financial planner to schedule a meeting about my portfolio.

2. What are the best ways to accomplish those tasks?

There are many ways to accomplish something. But there is only one best way. Think of your resource constraints (including time) and determine the optimal way for you to accomplish the tasks you’ve identified as most important.

● What foods will you include in your child’s lunch?
● What is the best route to get to work? What time do I have to get up in order to be at work by 7:45?

● What do I need to do to be prepared for the presentation? Do I need to reserve a room? Who should be present?

● What will I have for lunch? Will I bring it or go out to eat?

● What type of workout will I do? Where?

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https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/the-value-of-organizing-tomorrow-today

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You don’t have to attend college to get a great education these days. There are so many educational materials readily available, often for free, that formal education is unnecessary in many circumstances. You can’t teach yourself to be a licensed teacher or physician, but there are a lot of things you can learn on your own.

You don’t have to attend school to learn about Egypt, speak French, train your dog, play the piano, or how to weld. With the right habits, you can learn just about anything you like.

Effective learning requires a set of effective habits:

1. Follow your motivation.

It’s much easier to study or practice something that truly interests you. There are plenty of things you don’t know that you’d like to know more about. What are those things? Make a list. Life is short, so spend your time wisely.

2. Read.

Whatever it is that interests you, odds are that someone has written a book about it. In fact, there are probably hundreds of books on your topic of interest. Make it a habit to read, at least a little, each day. Seek out the most important books related to your area of study and work your way through them.

3. Practice.

If you’re interested in learning a skill, you’ll have to practice regularly if you want to master it. Break up your practice into several sessions a day if possible. The more frequently you practice, the more skilled you will ultimately become.

4. Study daily.

There’s reading, and there’s studying. Reading is a passive activity. Studying takes things to a higher level. When you study, you have the intention of educating yourself. You have the intention of understanding, not just adding facts to your knowledge base.

● Reading a math book isn’t the same as studying for a math test.

Read More On Our Blog                     
https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/self-education-habits-that-enable-you-to-teach-yourself-anything

LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.

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A few people are lucky to have a lot of talent for a specific skill and seem to progress very quickly without a lot of effort. For the rest of us, it’s best to make an intelligent effort to progress quickly.

There’s so much information available today that the only real limiting factors are time and motivation. Still, there is a smart way to do anything. With the proper approach, you can develop mastery at the highest possible rate!

Follow this process and be amazed at what you can do:

1. Educate yourself.

Whether you want to master fundraising for a charity, the piano, cooking, gardening, or learning a language, there are hundreds of books on the topic. There are also podcasts, videos, and courses on your area of interest.

● Read three books on the topic. Avoid just reading the book. Take notes, too. Find three popular books on your topic and educate yourself.

● Watch two videos. There are plenty of videos online to choose from. Find an expert and see what they have to say.

● Listen to one podcast. Podcasts have never been more popular. Find an expert in your field of interest and listen.

● Look for the recurring themes in all the educational sources you use. These are the foundational items that are the most important to master.

● Learning and getting better at anything are active processes. Look for these recurring themes rather than digesting the information passively.

2. Find a mentor.

Mentors make everything happen faster. They know what matters and what doesn’t. They know all the obstacles you’re likely to face. They can provide focus, encouragement, and most importantly, feedback.

● A mentor can take the form of a coach, teacher, guru, expert, or whatever term resonates with you.

Read More On Our Blog                     
https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/how-to-get-better-at-anything-as-quickly-as-possible

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Laziness is frustrating. There are things that you know you should be doing, but you simply don’t feel like doing them. Everyone has been in this situation more than once.

A lazy day isn't an issue on occasion, but chronic laziness can cause a lot of short and long-term challenges in your life.

Learning to deal with laziness in an effective manner is an important tool in your life skills toolbox.

If laziness is negatively affecting you, try these techniques to curb it:

1. Start with the hardest task.

Many people find that there’s actually just one task that’s preventing them from taking action. If you could just put that task in your rearview mirror, everything else would be a piece of cake. Try doing your most dreaded task first and watch your productivity rise!

2. Start with the easiest task.

On the other hand, if you could just gain a little momentum, you might find yourself motivated to continue. Try doing the shortest or easiest task first and see what happens.

3. Reward yourself for taking action.

A little reward can go a long way. Tell yourself that you can have a cup of coffee after you work for 30 minutes. Or, let yourself read a chapter from your favorite novel after putting in a couple of hours of work.

4. Get organized. A cluttered workspace increases the amount of resistance you feel.

Whether it’s a messy desk, a dirty kitchen, or a bunch of toys in the yard that are standing in your way, spend some time tidying things up.

5. Force yourself to do the task you’re avoiding for just two minutes.

Many tasks are easy to do, but it can be hard to get started. Force yourself to work for just two minutes and you might find that it’s easy to continue for much longer.

Read More On Our Blog                     
https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/11-tips-for-overcoming-laziness

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You might be accountable to your boss at work, but are you accountable to yourself? Do you regularly let yourself down or fail to live up to the standards you’ve set for yourself? You’re not alone.

Most people struggle to behave in a way that is congruent with their values and goals. Most people make plans that they never follow or set goals they never come close to achieving.

This is a frustrating and ineffective way to live. There’s no one to hold you accountable if you don’t do it yourself.

Be accountable to yourself and anything is possible!

Follow these tips to master the art of accountability:

1. Keep a to-do list.

If you don’t have a plan, you can’t hold yourself accountable to anything. Start each day with a detailed plan of what you want to accomplish. This list should consist of things that need to be done to maintain your life, as well as things that will bring you closer to achieving your goals.

● The first step to self-accountability is a to-do list that you take seriously.

2. Make a schedule.

A list of tasks isn’t enough. When are you going to do each item on that list? What is most important? What needs to be done first? Create a schedule and hold yourself to it. Start each day with a plan.

3. Review your performance.

Review your performance each day. You can review at the end of each task or review all of your tasks at the end of the day. Make note of your successes and failures.

● What can you learn that will make you more effective?
● What do you feel good about?
● What embarrassed you about your performance today?

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https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/how-to-make-yourself-accountable-to-yourself

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Every day gives you the opportunity to make your life a little better or a little worse. Most of us are too focused on surviving another day, or too distracted, to focus on the things that matter most to us.

Asking yourself questions is a great way to focus your attention and set your priorities. When you ask yourself something, your brain can't help but try to answer it. Give it something worth answering.
Asking yourself meaningful questions on a regular basis can change your focus and your life.

Consider asking yourself these questions:

1. What is the most important thing I need to achieve?
To get the most out of each day, you need to accomplish a few things. What are the most important things you need to accomplish? How you spend your time determines the quality of your life.

● Asking yourself this question each morning will give you the opportunity to design your day around your most important goals.
2. What am I tolerating?
We tolerate too much. We are taught to be harsh, uncaring, and tolerant. But all the things that make you nervous take their toll after a while. You are the only person who will constantly look out for your best interests. What are you tolerating?

● Bad relationship?
● A stove with a broken burner?
● A dead bush in front of your house?
● A terrible boss?
● 30 extra pounds?

3. What problems or challenges do I foresee in the future?
Most of the challenges we face in life are not surprises. We can reasonably predict that they have a good chance of happening. We simply prefer not to address or even think about them.

● It is easier to prevent a disaster than to face it. Look to the future and be proactive.

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https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/7-questions-to-ask-yourself-to-make-the-most-of-each-day

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Many people are poor at getting started. They make big plans but never take the first step. Others can get started but seem to bail out before they reach their goals. It’s quite maddening to put in a lot of work and then quit just before you reach success.

The most successful people are masters at finishing what they start. They’re like a bulldog with a bone. They’ll never give it up without a fight.

We all have a story of quitting that seems to haunt us. You can put a happy ending to these stories - and this behavior - by learning to finish what you start.

Try these techniques:

1. Develop the habit of being a finisher.

This is most easily done by finishing all of the little things you start. Complete every little task you start.

● Wash ALL of the dishes.
● Fold ALL of the clothes.
● Finish the chapter you start reading.
● Be obsessed with driving through to the end.

2. Set reasonable time estimates.

We often greatly underestimate how long something will take. When something takes longer than we think it should, we become discouraged and quit the task. Instead of assuming everything will go perfectly, assume there will be challenges and plan accordingly.

3. Release yourself from the need to be perfect.

Perfection is a burden that gets in the way of progress. It takes too much time and destroys your enthusiasm. You can still do something well without taking the time or energy to try to make it perfect.

● Remember the adage, “Better done than perfect!”

4. Keep the benefits of finishing in mind.

List the benefits of getting this task done. What will it do for you? How will you feel? Focus on the positive, and you’ll be much more motivated to complete it.

● This is much more effective than focusing on how much you don’t want to do it, or focusing on how miserable the experience will be.

● Keep the end in mind.

Read More On Our Blog                     
https://lestallion.com/blogs/index/10-ways-to-finish-what-you-start

LeStallion offers premium PU leather journal notebooks for writing, dedicated to all those who are pursuing their dreams and goals, or nurturing their personal development and mental health.

For More Info on LeStallion, check out:
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