7 Life Tips Guaranteed To Boost Happiness and Productivity
Ever wake up in the morning to an obnoxious alarm and hit snooze, only to hear said obnoxious alarm ring every nine minutes until you finally get out of bed with just enough time to grab your stuff, rush out the door, and feel unorganized the rest of the day?
Or take days to make a decision on something, only to realize it won’t matter in a few months and you could have put that energy toward something more productive instead?
If you’re feeling unmotivated, unorganized, or simply need a mood boost, try one (or all!) of these seven life tips to help increase your happiness and productivity.
7 Life Tips Guaranteed To Boost Happiness and Productivity
1. Use the “555 Rule” to make faster decisions or ease anxiety.
When faced with a tough decision or other tense emotion, think about the “555 Rule” - ask yourself these questions: Will this matter to me in five minutes? In five weeks? In five years?
Stretching out your timeline can help you determine how important the issue or decision is to you.
I’m not sure where this originated (I either read it somewhere or heard it on a podcast) so if you know who made this up please let me know!
2. Want to achieve your goals faster? Clarity is key.
My old math teacher used to say that tutors learn the most because they must know how to explain something.
They learn something so well because they have to help, guide, and teach others. They have full clarity on a subject.
Get specific. Get clear.
Write out your goal as if someone asked you to explain what it is you want, and why you want to do it.
A goal that you can back up with specifics, purpose, and even confidence will be a much stronger goal - which means you’re more likely to achieve it.
Get free goal planner sheets here >>>
3. Work WITH your body, not against it
Listen to your body! If you’re tired, sleep. If you’re hungry, eat. Try to structure your days based on how you notice your body works.
My location-independent work + travel lifestyle allows me to set my own hours and be flexible, as long as I complete my work.
So if I’m tired on a Tuesday at 2:00 pm? I can take a short nap if I need to! I really try to work with my body instead of against it.
However, I know many people don’t have a similar flexible schedule.
If you work in an office or other role where you can’t take a break to sleep/take care of yourself, try some of these natural ways to boost your energy:
getting outside - let the sun and vitamin D boost your energy!
go for a walk to get your blood pumping, which can help wake you up
sit by a window with natural light
turn all the lights on in your office (my old office didn’t have windows…yeah, I know…!)
consider what you eat for lunch - if it is heavy in refined sugars (included starchy carbs like bread which have sneaky sugar in it), that can give you a sugar crash. For me, sticking to a mostly paleo lifestyle usually helps me avoid the “afternoon crash”
4. Two easy steps you can take to be happier, faster
Practice gratitude daily
Research shows that practicing gratitude can help people “experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems” (Happify).
I do my Five Minute Journal every morning and evening where I write out 3 things I’m grateful for, which is an easy way to keep track of your life and also make sure you get your gratitude in!
External “wishes”
Okay, I didn’t know what to call this one. I read somewhere in a Tim Ferriss book about how he did something along the lines of (silently, in his head) wishing other people he didn’t know happiness.
The positive energy never hurts, but it can also give you a similar feeling to volunteering or donating to charity, where you feel good for helping others/wishing them well without expecting anything in return.
5. Watch the sunset (or sunrise)
It’s worth it.
6. Get rid of what holds you back to create space
It’s time to do the whole “out with the old, in with the new.” And yes, if you are watching Marie Kondo’s new Netflix show, you’ll love this tip!
Creating space in your life is important if you’re seeking growth, a new beginning, or new opportunities - whether it is physical (cleaning out your house/room), mental, emotional, or however you see it:
Maybe you are hanging onto clothes or an old item that no longer serves who you are now or who you want to be.
Maybe you’re staying in a toxic relationship or friendship because it’s hard to let go.
Maybe you’re doing so many projects at once that it is stretching your bandwidth too far instead of focusing on one or two core things.
Maybe it’s a negative thought pattern that is holding you back.
Are you willing to give up what’s weighing you down, in order to create space for new, light, good things to come in?
7. This One Planning Trick is Guaranteed To Make Your Day Easier
Ever wake up in the morning to an obnoxious alarm and hit snooze, only to hear said obnoxious alarm ring every nine minutes until you finally get out of bed with just enough time to grab your stuff, rush out the door, and feel unorganized the rest of the day?
Plan your day the night before!
Why would you plan the following day when it hasn’t even started yet?
Well, for one, it allows you to be proactive instead of reactive. When you plan ahead, you can take control of your day. You know
Second, it leaves your brain with far less decisions to make in the mornings. Seemingly simple decisions, like what outfit to wear, what to prepare for lunch, or how long you can hit the snooze button and still leave on time take up your brain power that can be used for more creative, forward-moving tasks at work.
If you aren’t a morning person, I suggest laying out your outfit the night before, meal prepping your breakfast and lunch, and committing to a certain wake-up time that doesn’t leave you feeling rushed or stressed.
I also recommend getting a planner (this one is my favorite) where you can write out your meetings, appointments, fitness classes/gym time, and other priorities. Then literally schedule in time for the other things you want to complete that aren’t appointment-focused, such as time batching client work or going to the grocery store.
Trust me - this helps!
These seven little tricks can make a big impact over time.
Start with one or two, and see which ones you would like to incorporate into your life to feel more in flow.
Note: I did this series on my Instagram Stories and recapped the first five tips on this post!
I post similar content like this often on Instagram, so if you like it, make sure to follow to get notified. :)
