January is over. That’s one out of twelve months being done and over with. Some of us may have taken extended vacations, and some (actually, most) of us have probably gone right back to work after the holidays. January is like one giant Monday when we dread coming back from the holiday break. Hopefully, by now, we’ve all eased into our regular schedules.

We may have slid back into some unproductive habits while we were looking for our rhythm at the start of the year. Not to worry, here are some tips to get your productivity going again and get your groove back.

Body
● Get enough sleep – being sleep deprived can lead to a host of problems like bad food choices, lack of focus, and low motivation. All of which you will need in order to be productive. How you start your day will set the mood for the rest of it. So, if you start off sleep deprived you won’t have the energy to accomplish tasks.
● Exercise to energize – I know it sounds counterintuitive to exercise when you’re feeling sluggish, but that’s the best time to do some kind of exercise activity. When you feel your energy dipping, try a brisk walk around the office. Or better yet, start your day with a quick run around the block.
● Take breaks – There are a lot of benefits to taking work breaks, but the best one is that taking breaks actually increases productivity and creativity.

Mind
● Steamline decisions – eliminate decision fatigue by addressing trivial decisions. For example, have a work uniform (meaning, you wear one similar style to work – not the same clothes) to eliminate the time wasted agonizing over what to wear to work. You can also meal prep and take lunch to work on certain days so that you don’t have to think about where to eat.
● Start with the end in sight – have a clear picture of what you think the outcome will be before starting a task or project. This makes it easier to stick to the plan and not get easily derailed by unnecessary tasks.
● Use technology to your advantage – learn keyboard shortcuts, create templates, utilize web apps like pomodoro or kanban boards to maximize your productivity. Tune out social media and distracting (or scary) news. Keep communication lines open but put them on mute so that you don’t jump up everytime a message comes in on your slack or skype group.

Soul
● Set priorities – there will be days when you won’t be able to do it all. Know which tasks are important and which ones can be put off for another day.
● Imagine your ideal day – it’s one where all your plans work out well, right? Keep that in mind, down the to small details and work on that accordingly.
● Celebrate your wins – very few of us have type A personalities where we get all of the things done, 100% of the time. Whenever you accomplish a task, celebrate your small victories. That sets you up for more motivation to complete the others.

What are your favorite productivity techniques? Share your hacks with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard!

Written by Jaie O. The Help

The holiday season is over and we’re all guilty of eating too much during the half month long festivities. There’s the mandatory Christmas Dinner with friends and family, there are the New Year cocktails, and then lots of pocket celebrations in between. Now that eating season is finally over, it’s a bit hard to go back to regular programming especially since there are probably still food left over from the new year feasts.

Going on a strict diet after all that fanfare could be a tall order for some. It might be more prudent to gradually ease into a healthy eating plan. Depriving yourself of food could lead to a relapse and binge eating. You can learn to break the binge eating cycle though. Start a healthy diet and don’t cut out particular food groups right away. Build a healthier relationship with food by asking yourself these questions before noshing on food.

Hungry?
Ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if you’re just thirsty. Dehydration could sometime feel like you need something to eat. When your stomach is empty, your body signals your brain to chow down of some grub. When your cells are dehydrated, it does the same. Make sure to eat regular meals though. When your blood sugar is low, the same signals are sent to your brain. This time, you really need food.

So be sure to eat regular meals. Don’t let yourself go hungry for long periods of time. And chew slowly! The body needs at least 20 minutes to signal to your brain that it is full.

Angry?
Intense feeling like anger, frustration, and (the most common cause for overeating) stress can cause your adrenalin to spike and your body to seek food. Manage your emotions and try to calm down first. Go for a run. Do a quick workout. Dance. Take a quick shower. Distract yourself first and then check your emotions after. See if you’re still hungry after doing these.

Lonely?
There is a reason why it’s called comfort food. When we seek solace, we run to familiar things. Things that make us feel better. Maybe we associate certain foods with certain feelings of home, or belonging, or getting well. And we regularly turn to food as a way of feeling not so alone. I know my mom’s menudo makes me feel better when I miss home. So make a batch but be careful about eating the whole thing. Eat a small portion and call a friend to share it with. Alternatively, call your mom instead. She’ll appreciate it.

Tired?
If you’re sleep deprived and lacking rest, the chemicals in your body go overdrive and turn whack. It signals the brain that you need sugar (aka fuel). A very dangerous time indeed as this scenario coupled with stress (as is always the case) leads (all of the time) to overeating. The most obvious solution is of course to get some sleep. Rest! If your body needs to rest, no time is too early for bedtime.

Did I miss anything? What are your healthy eating tips? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

 

Written by Jaie O. The Help