How do you make the most of every day? You make every day count. The secret to doing that lies in paying attention to the small things you do. It’s very easy to fall into those patterns where your brain just kind of shuts off. That’s usually what happens when you crowd your time with things like mindlessly browsing the internet or sitting in front of the TV. Over the last two years or so I felt almost as if I was slowly falling out of the pattern of intentional living. I noticed that I spent less time doing things that used to bring me joy, things that helped me grow and kept me feeling excited for each day. Once I’ve fallen out of that habit of constant growth, it was so hard to get my routine back to where it was. That’s when I had to remind myself, once again, that the key to making a change is to focus on those small daily habits. It’s all about taking it one step at a time. Procrastination, poor time management, over-indulgence- these are things we’re all a little guilty of, right? None of it is a big deal until it […]

The post 7 Ways to Make The Most of Every Day appeared first on Lifestyle Gleam.

5 Things to focus on when you’ve lost your motivation Here’s the thing about motivation: the only person that can help you find it when you’ve lost it, is you. It’s nice if you can have someone give you a little pep talk, but it doesn’t always work. I’m actually known for giving pep talks and love pointing out all the amazing things the person I talk to have accomplished, to arouse their enthusiasm. I feed off that energy of rising enthusiasm and love spreading positivity. BUT they don’t really work on me, and I know that I’m not the only one. Finding motivation isn’t as easy as reading a powerful quote or watching an inspiring video. It’s not. Motivation is something that comes from within. You’re the one who has to change your thinking, you’re the one who has to kind of snap out of it and keep yourself going. Yes, it’s great to be surrounded with positive and inspiring people who help you maintain your focus. The thing is, you can’t get motivation from someone else. You have to find it within yourself. 5 THINGS TO FOCUS ON WHEN YOU’VE LOST YOUR MOTIVATION BE PREPARED TO DO THE WORK Oh wow. […]

The post 5 Things to focus on when you’ve lost your motivation appeared first on Lifestyle Gleam.

Digital technology is meant to make our lives easier, to make everything better. It’s supposed to save us time, yet we somehow waste more time than ever by getting lost in digital distractions and everything that technology has to offer. Right now, my phone is in Airplane mode, yet I find myself automatically reach for it every couple of minutes. I know that none of my notifications will pop up, but I can’t help it. I’m often not aware of just how easily I get distracted these days, until it’s time to sit down and work or write. A 30-minute task can easily turn into a 1-hour task when you allow those distractions to pull you away from your work or chores. DO NOT DISTURB This is an obvious solution to a problem: putting your phone in the *do not disturb* mode. Or, better yet, turning it off- which I have to do all the time. When you’re working on something important or very involved and you’re really “in the zone” do you allow things like an email notification distract you? It’s hard to snap back into that focus, once that initial distraction happens. It’s almost like taking yourself out of that moment, out […]

The post How to overcome digital distractions appeared first on Lifestyle Gleam.

Tomorrow- a mystical land where 99% of all human productivity, motivation, and achievement is stored. So, it goes something like this; you know you need to get something important done, but you don’t do it right away. You first check your email, then your Instagram feed, next thing you know it’s two hours later and you find yourself watching cat videos on YouTube.  Meh, I’ll just do it tomorrow. Happens to the best of us, doesn’t it? Procrastination is all about instant gratification- we’re putting off our less urgent tasks in favor of those that are not only less urgent, but also more pleasurable (if you are not yet familiar with instant gratification monkey, you NEED to check out this article on waitbutwhy.com). It’s all about feeling good right now. Truth is, most of us procrastinate; some to a greater degree than others. HOW TO STOP PROCRASTINATING, RIGHT NOW TACKLE YOUR MOST IMPORTANT TASKS, FIRST THING IN THE MORNING Or… as soon as your schedule permits. When you have a lot of work to do,  try to take care of most important tasks right away. The things that are on top of our to-do list are pretty much always most difficult and time-consuming ones and probably… […]

The post How to stop procrastinating, right now appeared first on Lifestyle Gleam.