Hi folks, Shubham here.
In today’s newsletter, I am starting a new series named Life Hacks 🛠 In these editions I will share three hacks that have helped me better my life, and might benefit you too.
These tricks have been concocted from the countless self-help content I have read over the years.
Hack #1: Keep your phone 📱 in another room before going to sleep
This is one of the simplest hacks that can garner amazing results.
Ideally, our biological clock is smart enough to tell us when to sleep. However, the blue light emitted from screens messes up our brain.
It restrains the production of melatonin which is the hormone that controls your sleep-wake cycle. This makes it even more difficult to fall asleep and wake up the next day.
So one should refrain from the use of electronic gadgets 30 minutes before bed.
For the last few weeks, I have been keeping my phone on a table across my bed instead of putting it in another room. I assumed the effect would be the same, but it hasn’t been.
The problem is whenever you have difficulty sleeping or wake up in the middle of the night your hand automatically goes to your phone. And once you get the elusive dopamine hit it’s even harder to fall asleep.
On the other hand, you can completely eliminate the temptation by keeping your phone outside the room. Going out of the room to check your phone is kind of lame (If you do so then you are an addict and may need proper treatment).
Another reason I avoid phones at night is to avoid their enslavement. At night whenever I allow myself to listen to few songs or watch Youtube videos for 20-30 minutes, I end up wasting 2-3 hours in the process. (Every time ☹)
A common argument people make is they need to use their phone as an alarm clock. Well, I do the same and in my case when my mobile alarm rings in the morning either my dad or my mom wakes me up. Maybe something similar might happen for you too.
You could also buy a normal alarm clock in case it is an issue.
Hack #2: 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚 𝐋𝐢𝐟𝐞-𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐬𝐭 📃
At times do you feel overwhelmed?
You plan stuff well in advance, but things rarely go the way you imagined.
Well, life is unpredictable.
To simplify life, create a Life-Priority List.
I am not kidding. Take out a pen and paper or use the notes app on your phone.
It is as the name suggests. Give priority rating to your daily activities based on their significance or ROI.
Here is mine.
Sleep
Exercise
Office
Family
Writing
Friends
Meditation
Miscellaneous
Now whenever something unexpected shows up which requires considerable time, I know what to sacrifice.
For example, due to some reason, if I sleep late, then I will skip my workout the next day without compromising on my sleep.
Moreover, the list keeps varying. I keep altering my priorities from time to time.
If I haven't written an article in a week, I might push writing to the top.
Experiment with it. Find the things that you value and assign priority accordingly.
So often, we encounter time constraints, and prioritizing things can help.
Do you have a life priority list?
In case you make one do mail me. I won’t share it with anyone 😉
Hack #3: Advise yourself like you are advising a friend
Have you ever noticed how we advise a friend when they screw up versus how we reprimand ourselves for even a trivial mistake?
The contrast is enormous.
When comforting a friend we are compassionate and pragmatic. We evaluate the situation in a mature way due to which our suggestions are befitting.
While dealing with our own shortcomings we go nuts 🥜
We handle the situation irrationally blaming ourselves for the blunders.
We start doubting privately, feign we aren’t good enough and are doomed to fail. To atone for our sins we set more laborious goals and end up disappointed.
All of us measure ourselves to sky-high standards which are almost impossible to live by.
Next time when you screw up talk to yourself as a friend or talk it out with a friend. Don’t try to go overboard time and again. It’s absolutely normal to fail.
Final Words
I hope you enjoyed today’s newsletter. Let me know your reviews.
My mini Delhi vacation was fine. More on it in Saturday’s newsletter.
In case you missed last week’s conversation thread, click the below link.
In case you missed the previous newsletters, we have got you covered.
Soul Letter #16 - Random Musings 😏, Part-3
Soul Letter #15 - Let's Rethink Technology 📱, A coin has two sides.
Soul Letter #14 - Random Musings 😏, Part-2
PS: If you would like to share anything, mail us at lettercallsoul@gmail.com.