Getting a good night’s sleep, making time for exercise, and (thankfully) having an active social life can all help you have more energy and be more productive. While many of us understand this in theory, we often fall into trouble when it comes to following through and actually incorporating such behavior into our daily routines. But there are three other even simpler practices that can easily be incorporated into your daily life. Adopt these healthy habits and over time you will notice your mood improve and your energy levels increase Amagoia Eizaguirre.
Set an alarm, not just when you wake up in the morning
Using a traditional alarm clock instead of the one on your phone is a simple secret to a better night’s sleep: you don’t pick up your phone and get distracted when all you wanted to do was check the time.
That said, the alarms on your mobile device can be useful in two situations, according to Eizaguirre. The first is if you use them to limit how often you use your phone. “On average, we spend four hours a day looking at our mobile phones, and then we find we don’t have enough time to see our friends, rest or go shopping. I set timetables for myself, with alarms that tell me when I’ve been looking at my phone for too long and it’s time to put it down,” she explains.
She sets up the scenario like this: instead of making strict schedules (because I know the stress I’d feel if I couldn’t look at my phone outside regular windows), I try not to scroll for more than 10 minutes at a time to pleasure. To meet that limit, I set a stopwatch whenever I go to look at a social platform (some apps, including Instagram, let you set limits on your usage: you’ll get an alert when the allotted time is almost up). This also helps me transition my involvement with these platforms from mindless scrolling to a conscious practice.
Eizaguirre also recommends using the alarm on your phone to remind yourself when it’s time to go to sleep. Going to bed and getting up at the same time every day contributes to better sleep, and an alarm clock helps you stick to a consistent schedule instead of getting distracted by other tasks – or deciding on just one more episode of your current Netflix show.
Prioritize seeing friends who enrich your life
We all know people who improve our mood, and people who seem to suck the energy out of us. It is important to be able to distinguish between the two. Do everything you can to find moments to spend with the positive people in your life, even if it’s just a quick cup of coffee, a short walk together, or a phone call. There is no need to reserve a whole afternoon, although that would be ideal and is great if time permits. Instead, find a way to connect daily and let their positive energy boost yours. We’re all busy, but we can still redirect some of the many hours we spend on our phones into connecting with the people we love.
