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Edited By : OMNINSPIRE
“I want to start studying at 6:00 AM but now it is 6:07 AM, So Let’s round it off and start studying at 7:00 AM!”
“I want to practice meditation and make it a daily habit. But…It’s just that I cannot find 10 peaceful minutes in my day!”
“I want to lose weight but For the love of God I am not able to stick to the schedule!”
If you have found yourself feeling a sense of deja vu reading the above situations you aren’t alone. Most of us find it hard to get started and do things even when we know how important they are. It is also the main reason why most of us fail to make and stick to habits. You can read the most well researched scientific papers on the same or listen to podcasts where experts are teaching you on how to overcome this slump or state of inertia, But you can truly overcome the problem at hand only when you just start DOING. This App that comes with every mobile phone for free will help you to get going, make a new habit and stick to it.
**Drumroll**
And That app is called ‘Clock’! Now..Now…don’t go all mocking-faced on this. The clock app on every phone comes with other inbuilt features like World Time, Stopwatch and the TIMER. This wonderful age-old feature called “TIMER” will help you make new habits and stick to them.
#1. Exercise
We all know that we must exercise and as we age we also need to meditate for both our mental and physical health. We also make plans and resolutions to do these things but for many reasons we push them to the bottom of our bucket lists.
TIMER on your phone to the rescue!
- Start by Setting your timer to 5 mins, Lock your phone and put it aside. Do simple stretches; all the videos you have watched while trying to sleep will help you (get the sarcasm?).
- As it is your first day, once the 5 minutes timer goes off, set it to another 5 mins and do some simple breathing exercises.
- If you know suryanamaskaras, Set the times to another 5 mins and you will be able to push 2-3 sets of suryanamskaras!
It is just 15 minutes of exercise but you did it that too without any distractions! That’s a win! You will realize that you do have time but you just need an external force to make you commit to it. This one simple app timer will do that for you. In no time exercise will become a habit whether you use a timer or not.
Also Read : 10 Steps To Make Fitness a Part Of Your Daily Routine
#2. Studying
Learning something new and tough is easier when you know that you have an exam coming up. Au contraire it isn’t easy when you are a working adult who has to study to keep up with the current trends in the industry you are working in. At the same time you also know how important learning is to keep growing and have a long and fulfilling career. But you just need that external push…Well TIMER is here for you;
- Set your timer to 20 minutes, Start reading and promise yourself that you won’t look at any screen until that timer goes off.
- If you’re learning something from youtube videos or any online courses make sure you are taking notes in a book. This way you can stay focused.
- Once the timer goes off, Set it to another 5 mins and take a break. And Repeat.
You will realize how quickly you were able to complete a few topics that would have taken hours without the help of a timer. Studying is the one habit that you cannot let go off in your life.
Take that “Life-long Student” philosophy seriously.
#3. Doing Something You Hate
At this moment, be honest to yourself and answer this question; “What is it that you know you MUST do but are postponing it because you hate it?”. We are sure that there will be at least one. Now, let’s not delve into the reasons as to why you are avoiding them; it could be fear, unpleasant memories attached to the task or need for perfectionism, It could be anything. We just need to get going and the task will be completed in no time. Well, at least better than not doing it at all.
- Based on your task at hand, divide it into chunks. Chunks of time and not the task itself.
- This will help you in getting a sense of moving ahead. i.e., When you work on a task that you hate for 10 minutes with interrupted focus, you will feel a sense of achievement rather than worrying about completing the first two steps of the task.
- Follow up these 10 minute focus sessions with a 5 minute break at the beginning and incrementally extend the length of focus sessions with the fixed break time of 5 minutes in between each focus session.
These same methods can be implemented for kids. Get them started by saying that do this for just 10 minutes and then we can see how you feel about it. See, We are dolling out parenting tips while trying to parent ourselves! (true adulthood shenanigans!)
Also Read : How To Transform Your Dreams into Achievable Goals
#4. Being Effecient
Want us to make you feel bad? Just say this count out loud; “How many screens do you have at home (including mobiles, TVs, Laptops, Home Theaters, Play stations…everything)? And How many people live in your house?” You see what we mean? We have surrounded ourselves with all these exotic, addictive and irresistible focus stealers that we have long forgotten the difference between necessity, fun and luxury. How can anyone think of making new habits and sticking to them when these gadgets have become something akin to unavoidable!
So how to be efficient in this maze of distractions? Well, Again TIMER to the rescue!
- Start measuring your life with time.
- Divide every task into chunks of time.
- Once you set the TIMER. Nothing else matters except for the task at hand.
- Always have break time in between focus sessions.
We all know that time is important but are never really taught how to live life in the measure of time and not just as milestones set by the society or family. It’s never too late to start living life on your own terms because life as of now is progressing only forward and the lost time cannot be brought back.
#5. Resolving Fights
“You never listen to what I say!”
“Why should I tell you everything, Can’t you just understand?”
“I can’t do this right now. I have a long day tomorrow.”
Relationships aren’t easy. Unlike the tasks, tips and methods we discussed above we cannot take ‘one solution fits all’ approach with relationships. But one commonality is TIME. Giving time to your partner resolves almost all the problems. YOUR time that is completely THEIR’s. Be adults about resolving your issues. Never go to bed with unresolved issues. Yes, Some problems take time but postponing them or completely avoiding them will only strain the relationship further.
- Once you put your kids to bed or are done with everything else for the day, Set your timer for 20 minutes and both of you get into discussing the problem at hand.
- Before you start your session promise each other that you will not be sarcastic, dismissive, use rude or foul language.
- Take turns to speak and completely hear out what the other person is saying without interjecting.
- Give your partner your unwavering attention.
Setting time to resolve differences in relationships may seem shallow at the beginning but you will slowly realize how effective and problem solving this habit can be.
Also Read : How to Set Boundaries in Romantic Relationships
Go, Seize your life with the only measure you need to be worried about; TIME!
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