Featured

Productivity 101: Effortless Tips For A More Productive Life.

In almost everything that we do, Mentality plays the biggest part. In productivity especially, it is essential that one has the right mentally.

Unfortunately, getting started is the hardest part of completing any task. In most cases, people have the right mindset but getting started with the task takes ages.

So How Do We Improve Productivity On A Day To Day Basis?

Let’s start by thinking of the one time that we had a task to complete and we did so on time. How did you do it?

It all starts with clarity. The art of knowing what to do, and exactly how to do it.

The difference between failure and success simply lies in this simple technique, does the person know what he/she is doing and does he/she know how to do it.

Like everything else we start by Planning…

Be intentional with everything that you decide to do. When you make plans to travel what do you do? The first this is obviously to decide your destination and the rest falls into place. Otherwise, you will only be walking around in circles and at the end of the day nothing will get done.

After realizing your destiny that’s when you set your goals and targets…

The same applies in productivity. You know what you need to do, be it finishing a job project, work on home work or even finally wash that laundry that has been piling up in your room. After knowing what needs to be done, now work on how to do it. Whatever it takes, research it and plan it carefully.

Planning can be made easier by setting aside 5 minutes every day before you start your day to write a to-do list. Try writing down all the things you need to do in a week on Sunday then subdivide the task to at least 3 every morning.

This way you will have a clear picture of things that need to be done in a day and you will have the pleasure of ticking off finished tasks at the end of the day. Trust me, nothing feels better than ticking it off and knowing that you got to do what you needed to do.

Have you ever heard on the Pamodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks.

Essentially what you need to do is set a timeline of 25 minutes whereby you tackle a specific task uninterrupted then you reward yourself with a 5 minute break immediately after. Why this technique works is because in most things be it work, chores, exercising, the hardest part is usually getting started. The only thing is to Just Do It for 25 minutes and have 5 minute breaks before getting back to it.

The next tip is to be Efficient..

This brings us to The Parkinson’s Law. This law state that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”

To understand it better, think about how on days when you have deadlines, you end up completing your task on time as expected. Normally when people have let’s say 2 weeks to work on a project, they wait until the last day to do it and funny enough they end up being 100% more productive on this last day than they were in the other days prior to the deadline.

Have priorities and assign time limits for different tasks, then work on them efficiently. Avoid perfectionism because all that does is expanding your work load and in most cases, you will still not be pleased by the end result.

You can also work on your productivity by Batching Tasks…

Think about how hard it would be if you decided to clean your laundry or dishes one at a time. Instead we just let them pile for maybe a day then we work on them in batches. Unfortunately, when it comes to work, most people don’t follow this strategy. We end up replying to messages and emails as soon as we receive them. Try setting aside a few minutes in your day where you answer the emails, texts. This way you get it out of the way and you can now work on the more important things.

Productivity is not something that will just happen overnight. Like most things it takes a lot of time and practice to lead a productive life.

Start today and ensure you do your best……

Featured

Her Wish Was To Be Seen

She grew up in a small village out in the country. At a young age, she knew that she was different from other people. What made her stand out from the rest of the world was her calm, collected and reserved aura. She definitely did everything she could to try and fit in, not even knowing it most of the time.

Everyone, parent especially love calm kids. She thrived in school, was disciplined, respectful and was never in trouble. This meant that she had a thriving relationship with her parents. Her dad especially was her number on cheerleader. She knew that she was a daddy’s girl and her family too understood that their bond was special.

Time passes really fast and in no time she was all grown up. You see, reserved people tend to have a disadvantage in the world. She was all grown up, had moved out from the small village and was now living in a big city all by herself.

People back home always assumed that she was doing okay. She occasionally visited her village and people always assumed that she had secured herself the life she had always wished for. At an earlier age, she would admire her older cousins who were in their 20s at the time. She always hoped that life would be good to her and that in her 20s she would be living her dream.

What she didn’t know was that those cousins she used to look up too must have been struggling pretty bad too. The thing is, 20s are not meant to easy, for most people at least. Of course some people get lucky and they have their lives figured out early but the larger percentage of people actually struggle in their 20s. It is the period that’s meant for experimenting life, making mistakes, learning from them and getting their lives together.

She was most definitely struggling in her 20s too. Life wasn’t very fair to her. At some point she was jobless, not knowing where her next meal would come from. She was lonely 90% of the time as the friends she had met over the years had turned out to be cunning and has betrayed her really bad. She had gone through a break up that was probably the worst heart break of her life. You see, being single, with zero to no friends in a big city, miles away from your family can be very lonely. Her personality didn’t help too, she didn’t like feeling like a bother to anyone so she preferred seeing the family she had close only a couple times a year. Yes she loved being alone, but it got lonely most time.

What she wished everyday was that someone would come around and really see her. She wished someone would ask her whether she was happy. She wished someone asked her whether she was content with where she was at and that they really understood her.

She wished that her parents asked her about her financial situation instead of assuming that their little girl was grown up and could take care of herself all the time. She wished that people back home could ask her whether her life in the city was as fulfilling as they painted it to be.

She wished that she could meet just one person who would be genuinely be interested in her well-being, a best friend. She wished that the best friend would call her late at night asking her whether her soul was at peace. Whether she was able to fight her demons that day. She wished the best friend would see that she was in the verge of getting depressed without having to say it out loud. She wished that she would have that one person she could call at any time and not feel like she was trying too hard.

She wished that she could finally find herself the man she knew she deserved. She had had her fair share of bad relationships and she wished that she could finally meet a man who saw her. The type of man who could look at her just once and he would know that she had a rough day at work. She wished that the boyfriend would check in on her out of the blue just to make sure that she was happy. She wished that the boyfriend would genuinely love her every day till forever without making her feel needy for wanting to be loved the right.

She wished someone would ask her,

“Are you happy now where you’re at ,girl?

“Do you still get drunk when you’re sad, girl?

“Did you finally find love in this mad world?

“Is it everything you hoped it would be?

She wished that everyone she met didn’t immediately assume that she was okay. That she was the strong woman she was always pretending to be.

She wanted to be seen.

Even if it was only by a single soul.

Featured

Master The Art Of Continuous Improvement

Let us start by defining continuous improvement. What is Continuous Improvement?

Continuous improvement is the art of making tiny changes and improvements every day with the expectation that those small improvements will add up to something bigger and significant in the long run.

For the most part, people always measure success by the big and noticeable changes that they make. However, what’s more, important is mastering the act of changing your everyday habits bit by bit and working towards something bigger. For this reason, it is important that we set a larger goal and make little leaps every day. Learn to slowly and slightly adjust your normal everyday habits rather than trying to accomplish one huge thing in a day or so.

Let’s have an example,

Maybe you are looking to lose some weight and start eating healthy. The most logical thing to do ( and this is what most people do) is to sign up for the gym and to clear out all the junk in your fridge hoping that after a month you will have attained all your health-related goals. However, 99% of the time, this strategy doesn’t last even a month.

Instead, try and start working out a few minutes a day and changing your eating habits little by little. For instance, look for a workout routine that works for you( you can only tell by experimenting then making a decision). Then, adjust your eating habits little by little. For instance, try Intermittent fasting( it does not work for everyone). This lifestyle will allow you to eat your food only thing you will have to do is have an eating window of about 8 hours. This way you will have created a lifestyle for yourself without totally putting yourself under pressure.

Another example could be working on your business. First of all, we should all agree that fast success is very overrated. In order to improve your business, make those 1% adjustments that no one notices at the moment then work towards your larger goal every day without fail.

So How Does Continous Improvement work?

As we have already discussed, continuous improvement works only if you make the stern decision to always work on your larger goal each and every day.

Do not link success to the large visible outcomes, instead work a tiny bit every day by doing what already works. Be it your business or your health, master what works for you as long as it is leading you a better place and show up for it every day.

To avoid feeling frustrated, measure your success backwards instead of forward. What does this mean? Always look at where you started and make a small improvement every day. Ensure that you get better as you move forward but always give yourself props for the small wins.

Avoid small losses. This means that you should always avoid unnecessary mistakes. For example, miss fewer workout sessions, avoid taking unnecessary risks, Avoid eating unhealthy food as much as you can. However, if you find yourself doing those things, acknowledge that you made a mistake and make sure that the mistake is followed by the right thing.

We can agree that improving ourselves should be the goal every day. So let us follow these tips and as time goes by, your continuous tiny improvements will add up to something significant.

Ask yourself today,  How can I improve by just a little bit this today?

Featured

Fun Things To Do Indoors On A Saturday Evening, (Census Weekend 2019)

This is the 21st century and everyone loves going out on a Saturday night, well, most people do!

With that said, it is clear that this weekend will be a very long one given that the government ordered all night clubs and bars to be closed. This is meant to ensure a smooth flow of events while Kenya holds its 2019 Census.

Kenyans have been asking the government to reverse these orders but in vain. So it comes down to us looking for alternative fun things to do on Saturday night indoors. I have a list of fun things that you can do this coming weekend.

  1. Family Time

Family time is the most important thing in the world. However, most are the days when we get caught up in the world’s madness and we forget creating time for our loved ones. If you are always going out on Saturday nights, make this specific one as special as possible. If married, spend quality time with your spouse and children catching up with their lives and what they have been up to. Sunday family outings are amazing, but having a fun day indoors is even more special and intimate.

2. Cook Your Favorite Meal.

Which ever gender you are, cooking becomes overwhelming sometimes. This is especially targeting the men. Married men (most of them) never cook. They believe that the wife should cook for the family. However, since this weekend you will not be going out with friends, why not surprise your wife and kids by cooking their favorite meal. If you are one of those people who can not cook to save their lives, just ask your spouse to guide you through it. The effort is all that matters.

3. Catch Up On Your Favorite Movie/ TV Show.

Movie lovers this is for you!

Be it a Netflix show you have been watching, a TV show of even the latest episode of East Africa’s Got Talent. Catch up on it! This might be the only Saturday that you actually have to be in the house.

4. Read A Book.

Self care means doing something that improves you and your well being. Reading a book is one of the bets thing you can ever do for yourself.

5. Clear out/ Re-organize Your Home

Whether we like it or not, we all have clutter that has build up in our homes. Especially if we are the working families who have to work Monday to Friday and only have a day to spare for ourselves. This is the perfect evening to De-clutter or even reorganize your entire home.

Remember: This is your opportunity to do the things you always wanted to do in your home but never had the time.

What will you be doing on Saturday Night?

How To Simply Simplify Your Life.

We need to take control of our lives before this year ends. The only way we can do that effectively is by simplifying our lives as much as we can.

That said, wouldn’t it be nice if you learned ways to simplify your life in 2021?

Here is a few ways that will help you simply your life and as a result make your life easier.

Declutter Your Space

The state of the space around you directly affects how you live and how productive you are. Starting at home, ensure that your home is decluttered of all the things that do not spark joy for you. After decluttering make sure that the space is clean and organized.

Try making your bed every morning then having a quick 20 minute house clean up every morning before starting your day.

This applies to any other space including your office desk. Clear space equals simple life.

Cut off Toxic People And Bad Habits

A big part of having a complicated life entails entertaining all the bad habits that you already know are bad for you as well as all the toxic people around you.

Start by replacing bad habits with better ones, slowly but surely.

Next, cut off people who do not genuinely care about you. Do this unapologetically to make your life better.

Take Control Over Your Finances

Whether you like or not, finances remain a huge part of your day to day life. Whether you take online courses or read self help financial books, ensure you are in control of your income and your expenses.

Also, whether you have student loan debt, credit card debt, car debt, or whatever else, paying it off will make managing your finances easier as you will have less debt to stress about.

Learn To Say NO More Often

Saying yes even when you do not want to becomes very easy as we go on through life. In order to live a simpler and easier life you need to start saying NO more often.

In your friendships, relationships, work place and all the other areas of your life, ensure that you only say YES when you want to. Don’t let people corner you into doing things you don’t want to do.

Spend Less Time On Social Media

Social media is great place to socialize, network and market businesses. However, it can get very toxic very easily. Make sure you limit your time on social media as much as you can.

Also, only follow people that make your life better and cut off the ones who bring out negativity.

Set Reminders On Your Phone’s Calendar

In order to manage your time better, set reminders on your phone’s calendar as well as any other calendar.

Having this reminders will simplify your life.

Slow Down

Consider slowing down. Sleep in, sit outside and enjoy your coffee, listen to the birds, take a nap when need be, catch up on that movie and so much more.

Productivity is good but in order to live a simpler life, you need to slow down a little.

By simplifying your life, you can learn how to be happier, be in more control of your life, waste less of your valuable time, and more. All of this will allow you to enjoy life even more!

Patience While Dealing With Adult Acne + Tips

A huge percentage of young adults, women especially, have at some point in their lives struggled with adult acne. Having acne is not easy. The acne-positivity community has done a lot to educate people on the issue but unfortunately, people still end up getting treated different just because of their acne.

First things first, acne is a completely natural and normal thing. Having acne does not define you. Being someone who is currently dealing with acne and discoloration, trust me I know how hard it gets at times. The face is the first thing most people notice about you and having zits all over it can really mess up with someones confidence and self esteem.

I’ve mastered a few tips in the few years that i have been dealing with acne and hopefully they will be helpful to you.

The first and most important step to take while dealing with acne is working on your self esteem and confidence. You need to realize that acne does not affect who you are as person in any way whatsoever. You are gorgeous and your personality should be your most important asset.

Acne requires a lot of patience with yourself. You need to accept that this is where you are at the moment and that it will not last forever. While you do your research and try taking care of your skin you need to be really patient with yourself. This is the moment to love yourself harder.

Even with patience, you need to create a routine for yourself that will begin the healing process for your skin. You’ve probably watched a million skin care routines on YouTube and there is a reason people are so hyped up about it. Creating a routine helps by giving your skin a sense of stability. What you need to do is find products that work well with your skin and then create a simple routine.

Here’s my simple skin care routine.

  • Cleanse: Cleaning your face and making sure you get rid of all the dirt and oils that are clogging up your pores is essential. Find a cleanser that works for you. I personally do not use make up so i rarely see the need to double cleanse, but for people who do, using an oil based cleanser works wonders.
  • Tone: My next step is toning. Toners are your last step of cleansing. They can work wonders to shrink pores, minimize acne, and balance your pH levels. Gently rub the toner of your choice on your face with outwards movements using a cotton pad. This should take place after cleansing your face.
  • Face Serum: Face serums are heaven sent. Face serums are lightweight moisturizers that penetrate deeper into your skin. I personally prefer vitamin C face serums as I am currently dealing with acne scars and hyper pigmentation.
  • Moisturize: My last step is usually moisturizing which is pretty self explanatory. Always, always moisturize your face.
  • Exfoliate and Use A Face Mask: Ones every week i exfoliate my face to remove all the dead cells. I also put on a face mask ones or twice a week.

People who deal with acne in most cases also have dark spots from the acne. Now this is another hard pill to swallow but patience really pays in this case. You just have to wait and see as you try your remedies for the discoloration.

This is not forever, acne is normal and it does not define you. Love yourself and continue being the amazing person you are. With patience, we are all going to get through this phase of our lives.

The 5 Stages Of Singlehood. Making The Most Out Of Your Single Phase!

The single phase is scary. It is a bumpy road and we rarely know what to expect next when we are in it.

Other that being very scary, it can also be a very important phase in a person’s love life since if used well, it can shape how a person’s next relationship is gonna turn out.

From personal experience as well as the experience of a few people close to me, I have broken down the single phase into 5 stages. These are not by any means facts but in the contrary a few things that I experienced during this period.

  1. The Hard Stage.

Breaking up with someone we truly loved and cared for is absolutely heart crushing. After the break up, the first months or two is the hardest and confusing stage in the single phase. A person experiencing this stage has at the beginning not come to terms with the fact that they are single. They are angry, sad, and at the same time very confused. After a few weeks, the break-up sinks in and the depressive state hits. This part is very hard and most people will spend their days either alone at home or buried in their work just trying to escape the pain they are experiencing. It is at this stage that most people will rush into rebound relationships but for those who decide to take their time, they eventually slide into the next stage.

2. It Starts Getting Easier

After this hard, depressive stage, things start falling in place. At this point, you have accepted the fact that you are single again and you might even be starting to have a good time by yourself again. This is the stage where people turn into party animals. They realize they have the freedom to do whatever they want and they start doing just that. They are still hurting though.

3. Then Comes The Comfortable Stage

At this point, the person does not care about anything or any prospect significant other. Instead they get so comfortable being single that it can at some point become dangerous. For most people, they will not take care of themselves physically even the little things like doing their nails or shaving their legs. What’s the point, right? However, this is also the state where they get lonely at times and they have this longing urge to connect with someone.

4. The I don’t Need Love Phase

At this point, the person has had it with love. They are in a state where they feel like they are so used to being alone that they don’t even want or need love in their life. At this point, they are not looking for love at all. They are content with their lives. This is where the person becomes heavy on self love and self development. They spend months focusing on themselves, bettering their lives as much as possible in all other aspects of their lives except their romantic relationships.

Fortunately or unfortunately, for most people, this is the stage where they end up meeting a fantastic person and the connection is magical. This happens because the person has worked on themselves and they are fully ready to commit to another relationship even though they don’t realize it then.

5. Let’s Fall In Love Again.

Finally, it’s time to love again. At this point, they are now talking to people and eventually they end up finding that special someone and butterflies start flying again.

Are you single at the moment?

If Yes, which phase are you in currently?

The Dos and Don’ts When Detangling Your Hair

Detangling your natural hair is hard work especially if you don’t know what to do.  IT can be a time consuming and arduous process to get through on wash days. Some of us dread detangling… The post The Dos and Don’ts When Detangling Your Hair appeared first on Look At Her Hair.

The Dos and Don’ts When Detangling Your Hair
Design a site like this with WordPress.com
Get started