10 Slow Breaths

I would recommend some kind of meditation to anyone and everyone, but I myself, NEVER meditate. I'm not the kind of person who enjoys sitting still for a long time not thinking about anything. I can't even turn of my mind while I'm in the middle of cooking or cleaning. I keep on an audio-book at those times, and enjoy the activities that much more as a result.
I do, however, take time to breathe and count in my head when I feel things are getting too rushed for my taste.

acobox.com

No need to go anywhere quiet for this exercise, you can do it anywhere, anytime. (I do suggest that in case you're in a car and feel the need or desire to close your eyes, you pull over first!)
Inhale deeply. See how your shoulders moved up? Don't do that! With the next inhalation, send your breath to your stomach. This way the air gets to the bottom of your longs, opening the little air sacs that don't get reached often. It's a great way to increase your lung capacity, thus sending more oxygen (=energy) to your muscles and brain.
Breathe in and out ten times. S  L  O  W  L  Y  ! With every breath, let go of tension. Your body should become softer, more flexible. Feel how the air enters your body, and leaves again. This should relax you to some degree pretty much instantly. Focusing on something different will have that effect.
If it doesn't help at all ... consider adding regular cocktails to your schedule!

There's more on breathing in this legendary Zenhabits post.
I use this exercise to re-focus, something I will talk about in a later post!


Have you tried it? Did it work?

How to Watch a 'How-To'

I love to learn. I'm not really keen on spending hours behind a desk cramming, but I love to acquire new skills or get new ideas. I have plenty of different ways of learning in my life. My family and friends teach me stuff, I make mistakes and learn that way, and - and this is by far the best way, I think - I just look up how to do things.
My favorite places? Videojug and eHow.

Think about something you'd like to learn about, or browse the websites for interesting ideas. I will usually end up in the crafts or cooking section, but also watch a lot on personal finance, farming and writing.
Choose a video that seems interesting and just play it. You have either learned something new or remembered something you already knew. You can ignore the information, disagree or try the activity. It's up to you, but that still gives you a lot more options than not knowing about it at all.

A note of warning: How-to videos are addicting! Ideally do this when you really only have 5 minutes.

I recently stumbled across this tutorial on how to make cinnamon rolls, and ended up making them the next day since it was a Saturday (my weekly bread baking day).

Money is Time

Time is NOT money. It's so much more valuable than that. If you run out of money, there's no doubt you'll be able to find some more at some point in the future. If you run out of time, that's it. You're done. At the end of your life, you might have some money left, but you'll be all out of time.

Of course we have to take time to make money, but we all take the reversed path just as often. Didn't we invest in a washing machine to save time washing clothes? Don't we use micro-waves because they cook food faster? How about the car we take instead of the bus? We bought those things using money.
The clearest example of this is when people hire other people to do stuff for them. People hire maids to clean, gardeners for the back yard and pay a restaurant to deliver food to their house.
So the next time someone says 'time is money', consider which one matters more to you.

When you're working late or stressing over a project and it seems like you're running out of time, stop for a moment to consider your priorities. What's more important to you, finishing this task, or enjoying the time you have? 
If you're a workaholic, do you value your time more than your money? Most people say that if they won the lottery, they'd stop working. That means, the time they save clearly matters more than the extra money they could make.
Do you make money just for the sake of making money? Or to be able to stop working at some point? Maybe it's not such a crazy idea to stop for a moment now and enjoy the time you already have.

 When a school asks me to teach yet another class, I usually stop and ask myself if I'd prefer to have that particular time of the day to myself. I've kept my Saturday and Sundays free, even though the potential classes I could teach are abundant. But I value those moments to write, read, and most importantly: BLOG!

Do you think your time's worth more than your money? Where do you spend money to save time?

5 TaskTo-Do List

This is not the most surprising activity I have suggested, but it is one of the most essential ones. To-Do lists not only help you stay on top of what you have to do, but also relief stress. How? If there's something you need to do, your brain might remind you several times during a day so that you don't forget it. Every time this happens, you get distracted from whatever you were doing to focus on what you're forgetting. Now, that doesn't sound very efficient, does it?

Just think of five things you'd like to accomplish that day. Make them activities that you can do in less than an hour (if they're longer, split them up). They don't have to be the only things you do that day, but if they're the most important, than you can rest easy in the end.

I suggest throwing away your list at the end of the day, or transfering the left-over activities to tomorrow's list. 
Long lists make you feel less motivated, so they're pointless. They'll only have you procrastinate more.

To-do list: Finished for Today!!!

Prepare a Snack Pack - 3 Easy Options

Picture by Chris Chidsey

 Our genes have not evolved nearly as fast as our food industry has. So there are times when we crave a snack, and will find one no matter what. I usually grab whatever is easiest and ready to go. I often can't be bothered to even peel an apple and will just grab something that comes in a bag.

I've found that preparing some snacks before-hand only takes a couple of minutes, but leaves me with much healthier options that are just as easy. If you're worried about losing weight, then this is an easy first step!

1. Go Nuts!
Get a nut mix from the store, or buy your favorite nuts and mix them. You can also add some raisins for a sweet touch. Don't add too much dried fruit, since it mostly has carbs that you'll burn through quickly. Nuts are fat, but that means you'll feel full longer too. And they have lots of great vitamins and minerals.


2. Veggie-fries
Peel a carrot. Cut it in strips about the size of a French fry (do NOT think about French fries, or this might go horribly wrong!) Put them in a box in the fridge to snack on when you're craving something crunchy. Other vegetables that are great for this are bell pepper, cucumber and celery.

3. Boiled Eggs
Eggs are not the dangerous bombs of cholesterol they're made out to be. They're very nutritious, carry lots of vitamins (A, B (2, 4, 6, 12) D and E) and minerals (iron, zinc, calcium, iodine, selenium) and will provide you with a good filler. If you're worried about fat and cholesterol, don't eat the yolk. 
(I do advise that you read up on cholesterol first. This is a good place to start, when you have time)
I keep some hard boiled eggs in the fridge at all times!

Want to make sure you truly enjoy your healthy snack? Check out my previous post Relaxed Snacks.

Do you  have any other ideas for healthy snacks? Let me know below!