Celebrate Reading.....
A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university professor.
Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.
Offering his guests coffee, the professor went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups porcelain, plastic, glass, crystal, some plain looking, some expensive, some exquisite – telling them to help themselves to hot coffee.
When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand, the professor said: 'If you noticed, all the nice looking expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones.. While it is but normal for you to
want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all of you really
wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the best cups and were eyeing each other's cups.
Now if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it. Don't let the cups drive you.. Enjoy the coffee instead!
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label lifestyle. Show all posts
Living Without Cash / Money: Interesting
Ref: http://www.guardian.co.uk/
He lives without cash – and I manage just fine
Armed with a caravan, solar laptop and toothpaste made from washed-up cuttlefish bones, Mark Boyle gave up using cash
Read his own story...
In six years of studying economics, not once did I hear the word "ecology". So if it hadn't have been for the chance purchase of a video called Gandhi in the final term of my degree, I'd probably have ended up earning a fine living in a very respectable job persuading Indian farmers to go GM, or something useful like that. The little chap in the loincloth taught me one huge lesson – to be the change I wanted to see in the world. Trouble was, I had no idea back then what that change was.
So to be the change I wanted to see in the world, it unfortunately meant I was going to have to give up cash, which I initially decided to do for a year. I got myself a caravan, parked it up on an organic farm where I was volunteering and kitted it out to be off-grid. Cooking would now be outside – rain or shine – on a rocket stove; mobile and laptop would be run off solar; I'd use wood I either coppiced or scavenged to heat my humble abode, and a compost loo for humanure.
To get around, I had a bike and trailer, and the 34-mile commute to the city doubled up as my gym subscription. For loo roll I'd relieve the local newsagents of its papers (I once wiped my arse with a story about myself); it's not double-quilted, but I quickly got used to it. For toothpaste I used washed-up cuttlefish bone with wild fennel seeds, an oddity for a vegan.
What have I learned? That friendship, not money, is real security. That most western poverty is of the spiritual kind. That independence is really interdependence. And that if you don't own a plasma screen TV, people think you're an extremist.
People often ask me what I miss about my old world of lucre and business. Stress. Traffic jams. Bank statements. Utility bills.
Well, there was the odd pint of organic ale with my mates down the local.
For more, please visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/oct/28/live-without-money
He lives without cash – and I manage just fine
Armed with a caravan, solar laptop and toothpaste made from washed-up cuttlefish bones, Mark Boyle gave up using cash
Read his own story...
In six years of studying economics, not once did I hear the word "ecology". So if it hadn't have been for the chance purchase of a video called Gandhi in the final term of my degree, I'd probably have ended up earning a fine living in a very respectable job persuading Indian farmers to go GM, or something useful like that. The little chap in the loincloth taught me one huge lesson – to be the change I wanted to see in the world. Trouble was, I had no idea back then what that change was.
So to be the change I wanted to see in the world, it unfortunately meant I was going to have to give up cash, which I initially decided to do for a year. I got myself a caravan, parked it up on an organic farm where I was volunteering and kitted it out to be off-grid. Cooking would now be outside – rain or shine – on a rocket stove; mobile and laptop would be run off solar; I'd use wood I either coppiced or scavenged to heat my humble abode, and a compost loo for humanure.
To get around, I had a bike and trailer, and the 34-mile commute to the city doubled up as my gym subscription. For loo roll I'd relieve the local newsagents of its papers (I once wiped my arse with a story about myself); it's not double-quilted, but I quickly got used to it. For toothpaste I used washed-up cuttlefish bone with wild fennel seeds, an oddity for a vegan.
What have I learned? That friendship, not money, is real security. That most western poverty is of the spiritual kind. That independence is really interdependence. And that if you don't own a plasma screen TV, people think you're an extremist.
People often ask me what I miss about my old world of lucre and business. Stress. Traffic jams. Bank statements. Utility bills.
Well, there was the odd pint of organic ale with my mates down the local.
For more, please visit: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/green-living-blog/2009/oct/28/live-without-money
11 Great Ways to Earn More Money
Ref: http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2008/01/11-great-ways-t.html
Read this excellent article here or visit: freemoneyfinance.com
If you'd like daily tips, thoughts, and suggestions on how to grow your net worth, subscribe to Free Money Finance for free by clicking this link.
I get bashed from time to time for talking about how important it is to spend less than you earn. I've defended my rationale on this issue, but detractors wonder why I don't spend more time talking about growing income rather than limiting spending. Well, if you're one of those people, this post is for you. Buckle up, because we're about to enter the world of earning more money!!!!
Many of you know that I spent last year trying to earn an extra $10,000 above my salary (FYI, I'm including anything I can get above the 3% cost-of-living adjustment most people get from their employers.) I'm doing the same this year, and I thought many of you would like to join me. As a starting place, I'm identifying all the major ways I've compiled on how to make more money. Here's my list:
1. Ask for a raise -- Your job is your most important financial asset and using it to make more money represents the low-lying fruit of all money making opportunities. Of course you simply can't demand a raise for showing up. You have to ask for a raise in a way that maximizes your likelihood of getting one. Fortunately it's rather simple: do a great job, make sure others know about your success (especially your boss), then pitch the proper person on why you deserve a raise. If you do these things better than most, you can secure a 5-7% raise while the others are stuck with a cost-of-living adjustment. Also note, it's just as important to NOT do certain things when asking for a raise. Otherwise, you might torpedo your chances for the extra loot.
2. Get a promotion -- Ok, let's say you're squeamish about asking for a raise -- how about earning a raise by getting a promotion? It's generallyaccepted that if you have more responsibility you get paid more. But how do you go about getting a promotion? Basically it's the same way you go about building your case to get a raise -- perform well and make sure everyone knows about it. (Plus you can go "above and beyond" most others by doing things like taking professional classes to enhance your marketability.) Since this tip is dependent on the fact that a position actually opens up in your company, it's not quite as good as asking for a raise in my opinion.
3. Change jobs -- Just like it's usually the case that you'll earn more when you get a promotion, most people earn more money when they change jobs (either a lateral change that earns you more or a promotion via job change.) The key here is to market yourself correctly in the job hunt process so you can actually land a job that pays significantly more than your current position. Some job-hunting success tips: make the most of your cover letters, stick with a classic resume that highlights significant job accomplishments, and make the most of your interviews (which includes not asking stupid questions). I've applied these principles several times and I've averaged roughly 13% increases when I've made a move.
A couple other tips that are important when it comes to changing jobs:
Don't quit your job before you get another one. Quitting without another job is not a good idea and by doing so you're risking your most important financial asset. Believe me, I've seen the disaster. If you're stuck in a job you hate, take specific steps to get out of it, but don't quit without another position lined up.
Once you do get a job offer, ask for more money before you accept the position. Doing so can pay off big, netting you $1,000 a minute. Not a bad return, huh?
4. Turn your hobby into an extra income -- How would you like to do something you love and make some extra money at the same time? Then consider turning your hobby into an extra income. This could be anything from starting your own website to monetizing your artistic penchant to launching your own blog (if interested in this, see How to Get Your Blog to 100,000 Visitors and Beyond) to creating crafts to whatever.
I've done this with my hobby of writing. I've sold somewhere around 160 financial and business/marketing articles in the past ten years, earning me around $60,000 total. In addition, I started this blog on the same topic and it now generates a substantial amount of money (though I give away all the proceeds to charity). I have friends who've done the following: turned their love of cycling into a part-time job of repairing and maintaining bikes, turned their love of hunting and art into making decorative hunting knives that sell nicely at flea markets, and turning their love of baking into a side business selling high-end cookware. Is there something you love doing that could earn you some extra money?
5. Start a side business -- Ok, let's say you have a hobby like growing roses or playing video games -- something that may not lend itself easily to making extra money. Instead, you could start a side business (here are some additional tips) of something totally different. Not something you love doing, but not something you hate either. A few examples of what you could do:
- Take a job no one else wants to do (can you say "pooper scooper?")
- Become a lifestyle manager
- Advise college-bound students
- Stage homes
- Start a sign-in-the-yard business
- Take pictures or play music
There are literally all sorts of things you could do (including selling your blood -- admittedly it's not a "business", but I just had to throw in this idea to show how some people are so creative when it comes to making money)
Or, if you don't feel like you're able to start your own business, maybe you could buy an existing business.
6. Maximize your investments -- At first blush, it may not seem like there's a lot of extra income potential in earning an additional percentage or two on your investments. Over the short-term, there isn't. However, when time and compounding are considered, eeking out even an extra 1% could mean thousands of extra dollars for you. Personally, I like index funds because they beat most investments in the long term and take a minimal amount of time to manage. Combine them with the proper asset allocation and regular rebalancing of your portfolio and you're on your way to earning a good bit more from your investments.
7. Trade/barter skills -- This is a new one for me, but one that I've had a bit of success with. For instance, I've exchanged marketing advice for some legal counsel. Maybe you're a carpenter who can build something for a plumber who can fix your clogged sink. Or maybe you're a dentist who can offer free cleanings to a veterinarian in exchange for free pet visits. Or perhaps you could design a website for a chiropractor who could give you free adjustments. Or maybe you can offer dance lessons in exchange for someone tutoring your child. The possibilities are almost endless.
Yeah, this option doesn't put cash into your pocket, but it does save you money on something you need to have done. And it could serve as a launching point for your own new business -- you get some experience providing services for others and maybe you'll be able to sell some of those services to people who can't trade but would be willing to buy what you have to offer.
8. Use your current job skills -- Take what you do in your current job and consider selling those skills to others at night. If you don't like this option, consider teaching what you know to others. Simply take what you do 40-plus hours a week and extend it into a new business/side income.
9. Sell stuff you own and don't need -- If you're like the rest of America, you've got a boatload of stuff in your home that you don't need/use. So why not sell it and create some extra cash for yourself? With the popularity of EBay, doing this is often a cinch. And let's say you're in the 1% of people who don't have anything useful to sell -- maybe you could find some items at auctions and then sell them for a profit.
10. Use credit cards strategically -- In 2006 I earned almost $500 simply by charging purchases on a cash back credit card. My 2007 results aren't in yet, but I'll be way over this amount. Why? Because I picked the right card for my spending habits (which is THE key to making the most with credit cards) and charged as much as I could on it (including creative ideas like buying gift cards strategically.) In 2008, I'm planning on earning even more by using a hybrid cash back credit card method to earn upwards of 2.6% on my charges by combining uses of the Blue Cash from American Express card and the Chase Freedom Cash Visa Card. Eventually I hope to earn in the high three figures simply for doing what I'd normally do -- buying what I'd normally buy. You can do the same.
11. Get money owed to you -- As I've noted before, there are billions of dollars in abandoned and lost checking accounts, pensions, and so forth collected by governments. You should see if any of it is yours I'm a pretty good money watcher, but when I went to Missing Money I found that I had a claim (for "under $100") from a past job. Sure, it's not a ton of money, but someone out there is likely due a significant sum. Since it takes about one minute to check and see if it's you, what's the harm?
That's my list for now. I have a lot more ideas that I couldn't include on this list. If you'd like to check them out you can visit my making money category. But for now, let me ask you: do you have any other money making ideas to add?
For more please visit: http://www.freemoneyfinance.com
Read this excellent article here or visit: freemoneyfinance.com
If you'd like daily tips, thoughts, and suggestions on how to grow your net worth, subscribe to Free Money Finance for free by clicking this link.
I get bashed from time to time for talking about how important it is to spend less than you earn. I've defended my rationale on this issue, but detractors wonder why I don't spend more time talking about growing income rather than limiting spending. Well, if you're one of those people, this post is for you. Buckle up, because we're about to enter the world of earning more money!!!!
Many of you know that I spent last year trying to earn an extra $10,000 above my salary (FYI, I'm including anything I can get above the 3% cost-of-living adjustment most people get from their employers.) I'm doing the same this year, and I thought many of you would like to join me. As a starting place, I'm identifying all the major ways I've compiled on how to make more money. Here's my list:
1. Ask for a raise -- Your job is your most important financial asset and using it to make more money represents the low-lying fruit of all money making opportunities. Of course you simply can't demand a raise for showing up. You have to ask for a raise in a way that maximizes your likelihood of getting one. Fortunately it's rather simple: do a great job, make sure others know about your success (especially your boss), then pitch the proper person on why you deserve a raise. If you do these things better than most, you can secure a 5-7% raise while the others are stuck with a cost-of-living adjustment. Also note, it's just as important to NOT do certain things when asking for a raise. Otherwise, you might torpedo your chances for the extra loot.
2. Get a promotion -- Ok, let's say you're squeamish about asking for a raise -- how about earning a raise by getting a promotion? It's generallyaccepted that if you have more responsibility you get paid more. But how do you go about getting a promotion? Basically it's the same way you go about building your case to get a raise -- perform well and make sure everyone knows about it. (Plus you can go "above and beyond" most others by doing things like taking professional classes to enhance your marketability.) Since this tip is dependent on the fact that a position actually opens up in your company, it's not quite as good as asking for a raise in my opinion.
3. Change jobs -- Just like it's usually the case that you'll earn more when you get a promotion, most people earn more money when they change jobs (either a lateral change that earns you more or a promotion via job change.) The key here is to market yourself correctly in the job hunt process so you can actually land a job that pays significantly more than your current position. Some job-hunting success tips: make the most of your cover letters, stick with a classic resume that highlights significant job accomplishments, and make the most of your interviews (which includes not asking stupid questions). I've applied these principles several times and I've averaged roughly 13% increases when I've made a move.
A couple other tips that are important when it comes to changing jobs:
Don't quit your job before you get another one. Quitting without another job is not a good idea and by doing so you're risking your most important financial asset. Believe me, I've seen the disaster. If you're stuck in a job you hate, take specific steps to get out of it, but don't quit without another position lined up.
Once you do get a job offer, ask for more money before you accept the position. Doing so can pay off big, netting you $1,000 a minute. Not a bad return, huh?
4. Turn your hobby into an extra income -- How would you like to do something you love and make some extra money at the same time? Then consider turning your hobby into an extra income. This could be anything from starting your own website to monetizing your artistic penchant to launching your own blog (if interested in this, see How to Get Your Blog to 100,000 Visitors and Beyond) to creating crafts to whatever.
I've done this with my hobby of writing. I've sold somewhere around 160 financial and business/marketing articles in the past ten years, earning me around $60,000 total. In addition, I started this blog on the same topic and it now generates a substantial amount of money (though I give away all the proceeds to charity). I have friends who've done the following: turned their love of cycling into a part-time job of repairing and maintaining bikes, turned their love of hunting and art into making decorative hunting knives that sell nicely at flea markets, and turning their love of baking into a side business selling high-end cookware. Is there something you love doing that could earn you some extra money?
5. Start a side business -- Ok, let's say you have a hobby like growing roses or playing video games -- something that may not lend itself easily to making extra money. Instead, you could start a side business (here are some additional tips) of something totally different. Not something you love doing, but not something you hate either. A few examples of what you could do:
- Take a job no one else wants to do (can you say "pooper scooper?")
- Become a lifestyle manager
- Advise college-bound students
- Stage homes
- Start a sign-in-the-yard business
- Take pictures or play music
There are literally all sorts of things you could do (including selling your blood -- admittedly it's not a "business", but I just had to throw in this idea to show how some people are so creative when it comes to making money)
Or, if you don't feel like you're able to start your own business, maybe you could buy an existing business.
6. Maximize your investments -- At first blush, it may not seem like there's a lot of extra income potential in earning an additional percentage or two on your investments. Over the short-term, there isn't. However, when time and compounding are considered, eeking out even an extra 1% could mean thousands of extra dollars for you. Personally, I like index funds because they beat most investments in the long term and take a minimal amount of time to manage. Combine them with the proper asset allocation and regular rebalancing of your portfolio and you're on your way to earning a good bit more from your investments.
7. Trade/barter skills -- This is a new one for me, but one that I've had a bit of success with. For instance, I've exchanged marketing advice for some legal counsel. Maybe you're a carpenter who can build something for a plumber who can fix your clogged sink. Or maybe you're a dentist who can offer free cleanings to a veterinarian in exchange for free pet visits. Or perhaps you could design a website for a chiropractor who could give you free adjustments. Or maybe you can offer dance lessons in exchange for someone tutoring your child. The possibilities are almost endless.
Yeah, this option doesn't put cash into your pocket, but it does save you money on something you need to have done. And it could serve as a launching point for your own new business -- you get some experience providing services for others and maybe you'll be able to sell some of those services to people who can't trade but would be willing to buy what you have to offer.
8. Use your current job skills -- Take what you do in your current job and consider selling those skills to others at night. If you don't like this option, consider teaching what you know to others. Simply take what you do 40-plus hours a week and extend it into a new business/side income.
9. Sell stuff you own and don't need -- If you're like the rest of America, you've got a boatload of stuff in your home that you don't need/use. So why not sell it and create some extra cash for yourself? With the popularity of EBay, doing this is often a cinch. And let's say you're in the 1% of people who don't have anything useful to sell -- maybe you could find some items at auctions and then sell them for a profit.
10. Use credit cards strategically -- In 2006 I earned almost $500 simply by charging purchases on a cash back credit card. My 2007 results aren't in yet, but I'll be way over this amount. Why? Because I picked the right card for my spending habits (which is THE key to making the most with credit cards) and charged as much as I could on it (including creative ideas like buying gift cards strategically.) In 2008, I'm planning on earning even more by using a hybrid cash back credit card method to earn upwards of 2.6% on my charges by combining uses of the Blue Cash from American Express card and the Chase Freedom Cash Visa Card. Eventually I hope to earn in the high three figures simply for doing what I'd normally do -- buying what I'd normally buy. You can do the same.
11. Get money owed to you -- As I've noted before, there are billions of dollars in abandoned and lost checking accounts, pensions, and so forth collected by governments. You should see if any of it is yours I'm a pretty good money watcher, but when I went to Missing Money I found that I had a claim (for "under $100") from a past job. Sure, it's not a ton of money, but someone out there is likely due a significant sum. Since it takes about one minute to check and see if it's you, what's the harm?
That's my list for now. I have a lot more ideas that I couldn't include on this list. If you'd like to check them out you can visit my making money category. But for now, let me ask you: do you have any other money making ideas to add?
For more please visit: http://www.freemoneyfinance.com
Facing Challenges of Life
By Deepak M.
Ref: ezinearticles.com
A lot of people all over are always cribbing about their present situation as to how their life is full of challenges and they would have been more happier if their life was full of roses. But life is always that way. Just try finding one person who had never any challenges in his/her life. You will never find one! If that were to be as everyone wanted, then their would not have been any interest in life as each day would have been monotonous leading to dull and drab life. Only by facing challenges and overcoming them, a person is really said to have lead a fulfilling life!
Life will always have challenges:
Just get used that mindset. Life will always be full of challenges for every person whatever section of society he belongs to. If a poor person wants to get out of his poverty to a comfortable living standard he has to struggle it out. Same goes for a middle class person if he wants to get a more comfortable life. . . he too has to struggle it out. So challenges will always exist.
More challenges you encounter more successful you become:
Life always has various levels of games for every individual. For a person overcoming one challenge, he become mentally ready for other one in course of which life gives him greater rewards for solving those challenges. You go to another level by stretching your comfort zone a little further.
Every challenge gets an opportunity:
Every challenge a person acquires in life presents him with two kinds of opportunities. . . one is personal growth and other one financial growth. So it's a real challenge to spot these opportunities and to cash on them thus leading to personal and material development of one self.
Recognizing opportunity:
The best way to recognize an opportunity in adversity is to get guidance and learn from the same people who have been through your path. They are your best teachers. Since every one cannot be accessible at a given time, reading books, listening to audio tapes from personal development experts can go a long way in helping you.
Putting your learnings into action:
The important part of learning in life is to put whatever one has learned into action. Without action all the strategies of life have no meaning. So if you want to profit in your life, mentally as well as financially start from today to put into action whatever good things learned from life before your time runs out!!
For more articles pl. visit http://ezinearticles.com
Ref: ezinearticles.com
A lot of people all over are always cribbing about their present situation as to how their life is full of challenges and they would have been more happier if their life was full of roses. But life is always that way. Just try finding one person who had never any challenges in his/her life. You will never find one! If that were to be as everyone wanted, then their would not have been any interest in life as each day would have been monotonous leading to dull and drab life. Only by facing challenges and overcoming them, a person is really said to have lead a fulfilling life!
Life will always have challenges:
Just get used that mindset. Life will always be full of challenges for every person whatever section of society he belongs to. If a poor person wants to get out of his poverty to a comfortable living standard he has to struggle it out. Same goes for a middle class person if he wants to get a more comfortable life. . . he too has to struggle it out. So challenges will always exist.
More challenges you encounter more successful you become:
Life always has various levels of games for every individual. For a person overcoming one challenge, he become mentally ready for other one in course of which life gives him greater rewards for solving those challenges. You go to another level by stretching your comfort zone a little further.
Every challenge gets an opportunity:
Every challenge a person acquires in life presents him with two kinds of opportunities. . . one is personal growth and other one financial growth. So it's a real challenge to spot these opportunities and to cash on them thus leading to personal and material development of one self.
Recognizing opportunity:
The best way to recognize an opportunity in adversity is to get guidance and learn from the same people who have been through your path. They are your best teachers. Since every one cannot be accessible at a given time, reading books, listening to audio tapes from personal development experts can go a long way in helping you.
Putting your learnings into action:
The important part of learning in life is to put whatever one has learned into action. Without action all the strategies of life have no meaning. So if you want to profit in your life, mentally as well as financially start from today to put into action whatever good things learned from life before your time runs out!!
For more articles pl. visit http://ezinearticles.com
How to Become an Early Riser
by Steve Pavlina
Ref: http://www.stevepavlina.com
It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.
- Aristotle
Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I’d almost always sleep in late. I usually didn’t start hitting my stride each day until late afternoon.
But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high correlation between success and rising early, even in my own life. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day. And I also noticed a significant feeling of well-being. So being the proactive goal-achiever I was, I set out to become a habitual early riser. I promptly set my alarm clock for 5AM…
… and the next morning, I got up just before noon.
Hmmm…
I tried again many more times, each time not getting very far with it. I figured I must have been born without the early riser gene. Whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that blasted noise and go back to sleep. I tabled this habit for a number of years, but eventually I came across some sleep research that showed me that I was going about this problem the wrong way. Once I applied those ideas, I was able to become an early riser consistently.
It’s hard to become an early riser using the wrong strategy. But with the right strategy, it’s relatively easy.
The most common wrong strategy is this: You assume that if you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier. So you figure out how much sleep you’re getting now, and then just shift everything back a few hours. If you now sleep from midnight to 8am, you figure you’ll go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6am instead. Sounds very reasonable, but it will usually fail.
It seems there are two main schools of thought about sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same times every day. It’s like having an alarm clock on both ends — you try to sleep the same hours each night. This seems practical for living in modern society. We need predictability in our schedules. And we need to ensure adequate rest.
The second school says you should listen to your body’s needs and go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up. This approach is rooted in biology. Our bodies should know how much rest we need, so we should listen to them.
Through trial and error, I found out for myself that both of these schools are suboptimal sleep patterns. Both of them are wrong if you care about productivity. Here’s why:
If you sleep set hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. If it’s taking you more than five minutes to fall asleep each night, you aren’t sleepy enough. You’re wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep. Another problem is that you’re assuming you need the same number of hours of sleep every night, which is a false assumption. Your sleep needs vary from day to day.
If you sleep based on what your body tells you, you’ll probably be sleeping more than you need — in many cases a lot more, like 10-15 hours more per week (the equivalent of a full waking day). A lot of people who sleep this way get 8+ hours of sleep per night, which is usually too much. Also, your mornings may be less predictable if you’re getting up at different times. And because our natural rhythms are sometimes out of tune with the 24-hour clock, you may find that your sleep times begin to drift.
The optimal solution for me has been to combine both approaches. It’s very simple, and many early risers do this without even thinking about it, but it was a mental breakthrough for me nonetheless. The solution was to go to bed when I’m sleepy (and only when I’m sleepy) and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time (7 days per week). So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5am), but I go to bed at different times every night.
I go to bed when I’m too sleepy to stay up. My sleepiness test is that if I couldn’t read a book for more than a page or two without drifting off, I’m ready for bed. Most of the time when I go to bed, I’m asleep within three minutes. I lie down, get comfortable, and immediately I’m drifting off. Sometimes I go to bed at 9:30pm; other times I stay up until midnight. Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11pm. If I’m not sleepy, I stay up until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. Reading is an excellent activity to do during this time, since it becomes obvious when I’m too sleepy to read.
When my alarm goes off every morning, I turn it off, stretch for a couple seconds, and sit up. I don’t think about it. I’ve learned that the longer it takes me to get up, the more likely I am to try to sleep in. So I don’t allow myself to have conversations in my head about the benefits of sleeping in once the alarm goes off. Even if I want to sleep in, I always get up right away.
After a few days of using this approach, I found that my sleep patterns settled into a natural rhythm. If I got too little sleep one night, I’d automatically be sleepier earlier and get more sleep the next night. And if I had lots of energy and wasn’t tired, I’d sleep less. My body learned when to knock me out because it knew I would always get up at the same time and that my wake-up time wasn’t negotiable.
A side effect was that on average, I slept about 90 minutes less per night, but I actually felt more well-rested. I was sleeping almost the entire time I was in bed.
I read that most insomniacs are people who go to bed when they aren’t sleepy. If you aren’t sleepy and find yourself unable to fall asleep quickly, get up and stay awake for a while. Resist sleep until your body begins to release the hormones that rob you of consciousness. If you simply go to bed when you’re sleepy and then get up at a fixed time, you’ll cure your insomnia. The first night you’ll stay up late, but you’ll fall asleep right away. You may be tired that first day from getting up too early and getting only a few hours of sleep the whole night, but you’ll slog through the day and will want to go to bed earlier that second night. After a few days, you’ll settle into a pattern of going to bed at roughly the same time and falling asleep right away.
So if you want to become an early riser (or just exert more control over your sleep patterns), then try this: Go to bed only when you’re too sleepy to stay up, and get up at a fixed time every morning.
Edit (5/31/05): Due to the (mysterious) popularity of this post, I’ve written a follow-up with some extra detail and clarifications: How to Become an Early Riser - Part II. And if you really want to take sleep to the next level, read about my experiences with Polyphasic Sleep, where you only sleep 2-3 hours a day by taking 20-minute naps every few hours, around the clock.
Please visit http://www.stevepavlina.com for more details and other useful information.
Ref: http://www.stevepavlina.com
It is well to be up before daybreak, for such habits contribute to health, wealth, and wisdom.
- Aristotle
Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I rarely went to bed before midnight, and I’d almost always sleep in late. I usually didn’t start hitting my stride each day until late afternoon.
But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high correlation between success and rising early, even in my own life. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity was almost always higher, not just in the morning but all throughout the day. And I also noticed a significant feeling of well-being. So being the proactive goal-achiever I was, I set out to become a habitual early riser. I promptly set my alarm clock for 5AM…
… and the next morning, I got up just before noon.
Hmmm…
I tried again many more times, each time not getting very far with it. I figured I must have been born without the early riser gene. Whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that blasted noise and go back to sleep. I tabled this habit for a number of years, but eventually I came across some sleep research that showed me that I was going about this problem the wrong way. Once I applied those ideas, I was able to become an early riser consistently.
It’s hard to become an early riser using the wrong strategy. But with the right strategy, it’s relatively easy.
The most common wrong strategy is this: You assume that if you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier. So you figure out how much sleep you’re getting now, and then just shift everything back a few hours. If you now sleep from midnight to 8am, you figure you’ll go to bed at 10pm and get up at 6am instead. Sounds very reasonable, but it will usually fail.
It seems there are two main schools of thought about sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same times every day. It’s like having an alarm clock on both ends — you try to sleep the same hours each night. This seems practical for living in modern society. We need predictability in our schedules. And we need to ensure adequate rest.
The second school says you should listen to your body’s needs and go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up. This approach is rooted in biology. Our bodies should know how much rest we need, so we should listen to them.
Through trial and error, I found out for myself that both of these schools are suboptimal sleep patterns. Both of them are wrong if you care about productivity. Here’s why:
If you sleep set hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. If it’s taking you more than five minutes to fall asleep each night, you aren’t sleepy enough. You’re wasting time lying in bed awake and not being asleep. Another problem is that you’re assuming you need the same number of hours of sleep every night, which is a false assumption. Your sleep needs vary from day to day.
If you sleep based on what your body tells you, you’ll probably be sleeping more than you need — in many cases a lot more, like 10-15 hours more per week (the equivalent of a full waking day). A lot of people who sleep this way get 8+ hours of sleep per night, which is usually too much. Also, your mornings may be less predictable if you’re getting up at different times. And because our natural rhythms are sometimes out of tune with the 24-hour clock, you may find that your sleep times begin to drift.
The optimal solution for me has been to combine both approaches. It’s very simple, and many early risers do this without even thinking about it, but it was a mental breakthrough for me nonetheless. The solution was to go to bed when I’m sleepy (and only when I’m sleepy) and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time (7 days per week). So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5am), but I go to bed at different times every night.
I go to bed when I’m too sleepy to stay up. My sleepiness test is that if I couldn’t read a book for more than a page or two without drifting off, I’m ready for bed. Most of the time when I go to bed, I’m asleep within three minutes. I lie down, get comfortable, and immediately I’m drifting off. Sometimes I go to bed at 9:30pm; other times I stay up until midnight. Most of the time I go to bed between 10-11pm. If I’m not sleepy, I stay up until I can’t keep my eyes open any longer. Reading is an excellent activity to do during this time, since it becomes obvious when I’m too sleepy to read.
When my alarm goes off every morning, I turn it off, stretch for a couple seconds, and sit up. I don’t think about it. I’ve learned that the longer it takes me to get up, the more likely I am to try to sleep in. So I don’t allow myself to have conversations in my head about the benefits of sleeping in once the alarm goes off. Even if I want to sleep in, I always get up right away.
After a few days of using this approach, I found that my sleep patterns settled into a natural rhythm. If I got too little sleep one night, I’d automatically be sleepier earlier and get more sleep the next night. And if I had lots of energy and wasn’t tired, I’d sleep less. My body learned when to knock me out because it knew I would always get up at the same time and that my wake-up time wasn’t negotiable.
A side effect was that on average, I slept about 90 minutes less per night, but I actually felt more well-rested. I was sleeping almost the entire time I was in bed.
I read that most insomniacs are people who go to bed when they aren’t sleepy. If you aren’t sleepy and find yourself unable to fall asleep quickly, get up and stay awake for a while. Resist sleep until your body begins to release the hormones that rob you of consciousness. If you simply go to bed when you’re sleepy and then get up at a fixed time, you’ll cure your insomnia. The first night you’ll stay up late, but you’ll fall asleep right away. You may be tired that first day from getting up too early and getting only a few hours of sleep the whole night, but you’ll slog through the day and will want to go to bed earlier that second night. After a few days, you’ll settle into a pattern of going to bed at roughly the same time and falling asleep right away.
So if you want to become an early riser (or just exert more control over your sleep patterns), then try this: Go to bed only when you’re too sleepy to stay up, and get up at a fixed time every morning.
Edit (5/31/05): Due to the (mysterious) popularity of this post, I’ve written a follow-up with some extra detail and clarifications: How to Become an Early Riser - Part II. And if you really want to take sleep to the next level, read about my experiences with Polyphasic Sleep, where you only sleep 2-3 hours a day by taking 20-minute naps every few hours, around the clock.
Please visit http://www.stevepavlina.com for more details and other useful information.
Fighting acidity
Fighting acidity
Kavita Devgan - Business Line Internet Edition
Eat all you want... and then suffer a bout of acidity? Not if you learn the art of balance, with work and rest, and with your diet too.
The elderly — people over 70, mostly — vouch for the taste and smell of the food of their times. And they say they didn't really hear of digestive problems related to acidity in their younger days.
This is understandable, because most of the food consumed then was simple, fresh and easily digestible. Besides, work and rest periods were balanced well, unlike the present, when in the pursuit of comforts, we wreck our health and take notice only when adverse symptoms start disturbing our lives. Acidity is one such symptom.
"After enjoying a massive meal and a big helping of sweets, it's only natural to feel uneasy. But if indigestion is a frequent problem and even eating regular meals brings a cycle of pain, it leads to loss of sleep, stress and serious discomfort," says Dr Ajay Bhalla, Gastro-entrologist at the Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.
Nupur Sharma, Radio DJ, has found an easy way out of constant heartburn (the main symptom of acidity): she takes an antacid every day. But what would she do when one antacid per day is not enough? Will she take one after every meal? Not if she mends her approach and works towards prevention rather than cure.
Acidity is quite a simple problem when it begins, but it can get out of hand easily. Doctors advise us not to take it lightly. Usually a result of physical, mental and spiritual imbalance, acidity can be brought under control if one works on achieving a balance, says Dr Adhikari, a noted naturopathy consultant. He provides a number of tips to keep the body acidity-free, the natural way.
Food watch
Try to maintain the acid and alkali balance of your food intake, the ideal ratio being 20:80. Avoid canned and junk food, artificially ripened fruits and vegetables or those kept in cold storage. For instance, cold storage potatoes get sweet and acidic. Stick to seasonal fruits and vegetables. Avoid a heavy intake of spices and aerated drinks that are highly acidic and strong enough to dissolve teeth and bones.
Cold beverages with or after meals should be particularly avoided. Our body needs a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius for optimum digestive enzyme functioning. Cold drinks dilute the enzymes and stress the digestive system; the food gets fermented and produces gas and acidity.
Too much tea and coffee is bad, of course; and if you're a smoker, quit. Nicotine and caffeine are directly related to problems of acidity. Start taking coconut water, cucumber juice and thin-skinned lemons because these are alkaline. Bitter gourd is an excellent vehicle to dispel acidity; a teaspoon of amla (Indian gooseberry) powder diluted in water is also effective. Besides, intestinal toxins can be counteracted with benign and protective lactic acid — present in buttermilk, yoghurt and sour milk.
Weight reduction is essential to combat this problem. Those who are overweight put too much pressure on the oesophageal sphincter. This leads to reflux of the contents of the stomach into the oesophagus, and heartburn follows.
Alcohol is not advisable for those who suffer from acidity because it tends to aggravate the problem. Lots of water, on the other hand, aids digestion and helps flush out toxins. Eat only when hungry because digestive juices are released in the stomach only when one is hungry. Otherwise, undigested food in the stomach leads to fermentation. Green leafy vegetables and sprouts contain vitamins B and E, which aid digestion generally and also facilitate the elimination of acids from the body. Refined foods, however, lack both vitamins and fibre.
A sure-shot digestive from the old world is raita prepared with curd, grated cucumber, fresh coriander, turmeric powder and a teaspoon of ground mustard. While this is tried, tested and trusted in aiding digestion, it also quenches thirst.
The balancing act
Make sure you have enough of both physical labour and rest. Not enough physical activity means not enough sweat, which in turn results in uric acid getting deposited in the body.
Avoid stress — a disturbed nervous system is bound to affect your digestion negatively. Insomnia, too, disturbs the digestive system.
A few Yoga asanas, like kunjal kriya (stomach wash) and pranayam (breathing exercises) have a positive impact on stomach problems. Naturopathy recommends an abdominal mudpack; hot footbaths or hipbaths are also beneficial. Besides, acupressure and acupuncture both provide relief from problems related to acidity.
In the final analysis, antacids only provide symptomatic relief. The ones with sodium bicarbonate salts carry a risk of causing alkalosis if readily absorbed by the body. And those with calcium, aluminium and magnesium salts can lead to constipation or diarrhoea. According to Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine (the bible for students of dietetics and medicine), excessive use of these should be discouraged.
Advises Dr Bhalla, "The ideal way to fight acidity is to work towards a long-term solution rather than short-term relief, and to bring about a lifestyle change in food and habits that is conducive to overall good health."
Kavita Devgan - Business Line Internet Edition
Eat all you want... and then suffer a bout of acidity? Not if you learn the art of balance, with work and rest, and with your diet too.
The elderly — people over 70, mostly — vouch for the taste and smell of the food of their times. And they say they didn't really hear of digestive problems related to acidity in their younger days.
This is understandable, because most of the food consumed then was simple, fresh and easily digestible. Besides, work and rest periods were balanced well, unlike the present, when in the pursuit of comforts, we wreck our health and take notice only when adverse symptoms start disturbing our lives. Acidity is one such symptom.
"After enjoying a massive meal and a big helping of sweets, it's only natural to feel uneasy. But if indigestion is a frequent problem and even eating regular meals brings a cycle of pain, it leads to loss of sleep, stress and serious discomfort," says Dr Ajay Bhalla, Gastro-entrologist at the Ganga Ram Hospital in Delhi.
Nupur Sharma, Radio DJ, has found an easy way out of constant heartburn (the main symptom of acidity): she takes an antacid every day. But what would she do when one antacid per day is not enough? Will she take one after every meal? Not if she mends her approach and works towards prevention rather than cure.
Acidity is quite a simple problem when it begins, but it can get out of hand easily. Doctors advise us not to take it lightly. Usually a result of physical, mental and spiritual imbalance, acidity can be brought under control if one works on achieving a balance, says Dr Adhikari, a noted naturopathy consultant. He provides a number of tips to keep the body acidity-free, the natural way.
Food watch
Try to maintain the acid and alkali balance of your food intake, the ideal ratio being 20:80. Avoid canned and junk food, artificially ripened fruits and vegetables or those kept in cold storage. For instance, cold storage potatoes get sweet and acidic. Stick to seasonal fruits and vegetables. Avoid a heavy intake of spices and aerated drinks that are highly acidic and strong enough to dissolve teeth and bones.
Cold beverages with or after meals should be particularly avoided. Our body needs a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius for optimum digestive enzyme functioning. Cold drinks dilute the enzymes and stress the digestive system; the food gets fermented and produces gas and acidity.
Too much tea and coffee is bad, of course; and if you're a smoker, quit. Nicotine and caffeine are directly related to problems of acidity. Start taking coconut water, cucumber juice and thin-skinned lemons because these are alkaline. Bitter gourd is an excellent vehicle to dispel acidity; a teaspoon of amla (Indian gooseberry) powder diluted in water is also effective. Besides, intestinal toxins can be counteracted with benign and protective lactic acid — present in buttermilk, yoghurt and sour milk.
Weight reduction is essential to combat this problem. Those who are overweight put too much pressure on the oesophageal sphincter. This leads to reflux of the contents of the stomach into the oesophagus, and heartburn follows.
Alcohol is not advisable for those who suffer from acidity because it tends to aggravate the problem. Lots of water, on the other hand, aids digestion and helps flush out toxins. Eat only when hungry because digestive juices are released in the stomach only when one is hungry. Otherwise, undigested food in the stomach leads to fermentation. Green leafy vegetables and sprouts contain vitamins B and E, which aid digestion generally and also facilitate the elimination of acids from the body. Refined foods, however, lack both vitamins and fibre.
A sure-shot digestive from the old world is raita prepared with curd, grated cucumber, fresh coriander, turmeric powder and a teaspoon of ground mustard. While this is tried, tested and trusted in aiding digestion, it also quenches thirst.
The balancing act
Make sure you have enough of both physical labour and rest. Not enough physical activity means not enough sweat, which in turn results in uric acid getting deposited in the body.
Avoid stress — a disturbed nervous system is bound to affect your digestion negatively. Insomnia, too, disturbs the digestive system.
A few Yoga asanas, like kunjal kriya (stomach wash) and pranayam (breathing exercises) have a positive impact on stomach problems. Naturopathy recommends an abdominal mudpack; hot footbaths or hipbaths are also beneficial. Besides, acupressure and acupuncture both provide relief from problems related to acidity.
In the final analysis, antacids only provide symptomatic relief. The ones with sodium bicarbonate salts carry a risk of causing alkalosis if readily absorbed by the body. And those with calcium, aluminium and magnesium salts can lead to constipation or diarrhoea. According to Davidson's Principles and Practice of Medicine (the bible for students of dietetics and medicine), excessive use of these should be discouraged.
Advises Dr Bhalla, "The ideal way to fight acidity is to work towards a long-term solution rather than short-term relief, and to bring about a lifestyle change in food and habits that is conducive to overall good health."
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)