I Have 8 Ideas to Spot Your Ideal Career Path. Do You Have 5 Minutes?

I Have 8 Ideas to Spot Your Ideal Career Path. Do You Have 5 Minutes?

About LifehackContact Us Psychology Productivity Health More Work I Have 8 Ideas to Spot Your Ideal Career Path. Do You Have 5 Minutes? Erica Wagner Erica is a writer, passionista,

and Great Dane enthusiast. Full Bio Some grow up knowing exactly which career path they want to take while others just can’t seem to figure it out. Maybe you’ve been in the same profession for years and you’re looking to get into something else, but you’re just not sure

what. We’d all love to find our calling early on in life and live happily ever after. Unfortunately, that is rarely what happens. If you’re struggling to decide which career path is right for you, here are some ideas to help ease the stress. Take the Tests to Find Out What Excites You Whatever you decide to do, make sure it’s something that you’re going to enjoy.

 Make sure you won’t dread getting out of bed every day. It’s not as difficult as it seems. Sit down, think about the things that you genuinely enjoy doing and write them down. Having a passion for something isn’t the only thing required when discovering a career path, but it’s certainly an essential part. When you thoroughly enjoy something, it’ll definitely help you power through the bad days. If you need some help, try taking the free personality test below. It requires you to really think about what you enjoy and to evaluate yourself. When

completed, you’ll be given a list of different professions based on your answers: Big Five Personality Test The next test asks a series of 60 questions about different things you could see yourself doing. Such as working with people or working with spreadsheets on a computer. At the end of the test you’ll be given a list of professions that you may enjoy just like the test above: My Next Move Career Test Use the G+P+V Formula for Perfect Match

G-Gifts P-Passions V-Values “Gifts” means to consider your strengths. Start by thinking about what you’re good at and writing it down. “Passions” means to think about what excites you. Do you enjoy helping other people, working alone, solving problems? Lastly, “values” is really all about your personality and lifestyle. What about the way you work is nonnegotiable? When you use your strengths towards what you’re invested in, a path that

supports your values will lead you to a career that you genuinely enjoy. Find a Mentor to Clear All Your Confusion Having a mentor is extremely beneficial when figuring out which career path is best for you. They could really help you take your career to new heights. It’s like having an insider to talk with about the career and make sure you’re on the right path. If you’re unsure how to ask someone to be your mentor, try this: when you find a career that

you’re interested in, explore different companies and people to see if you’re able to shadow for a few days. This will give you a better idea of what you’ll be doing in that line of work. Take a Look at the Options You Have Never Considered There are popular careers that we all know about such as being a teacher, doctor, lawyer, etc. For some, those typical choices may not peak your interest in the slightest. There are thousands upon thousands of jobs out there. Many you probably have not heard about. Take a look at these unusual jobs from Business Insider. You Don’t Have to Hop Between Full-Time Jobs, Internships Can Be Your

Choice If you have some flexibility, an internship is an awesome way to get first-hand experience in the field of work you’re looking to get into. As the internship comes to a close, you may be able to score a full-time job. It may help you discover that you’re on the wrong career path which is okay. Something positive comes from both outcomes. Either way, it’ll

help build your network and introduce you to people who you can get career and job advice from. Prepare a Clear Career Plan to Stop Yourself from Distracted As with a lot of things in life, it will be more beneficial if you have some plans made and goals set for yourself. Maybe you’ve thought about becoming a writer, but after writing comes editing and you’re not sure that’s what you want to do. Maybe you’ve been a nurse for years, and you’d like to become a florist. It’s important to think about how you’re going to get there. Make a map planning out where you want to go with steps, possible obstacles, and goals. Take Aptitude Tests to Understand Your Interest and Strengths You may be sitting there thinking that you don’t

know what interests you or what your strong suits are. Personality and career assessment tests help narrow down careers that you may enjoy, and are at least worth looking into. You may have taken them in high school so you could start thinking about what you’d like to do. Maybe you took one in college when you started to rethink whether or not the major you chose was a good fit. This one from Oprah’s website includes 5 aptitude tests on the first

page. You can download and complete each one. When finished, head over to page two to see your results and what they mean. Make Use of the Resources You Have There’s no harm in reaching out to people. One of the best ways to find a career path is to talk with and ask people questions about their field of work. It will give you a little insight when you’re unsure what the job entails. Another great outlet to look into and take advantage of is LinkedIn. It has tons of information about a laundry list of professions, and you have the option to

message people when you have some questions. Take a look at this site which lists many different careers and what they entail. It’s a great resource to use when researching. Look at You career As a Stepping Stone A career isn’t about racing to the top. Look at your career as if it were a marathon. Instead of a sprint, learn to enjoy all the twists and turns, all the ups and the downs that you encounter along the way. When you put all of your experiences together, you will find a career worth having. Figuring out and deciding what career path

you want to take may be long, frustrating, and difficult. It’s impossible to know if you’re going to enjoy what you choose to do twenty years down the line, but it’s important to think about the here and now. What do YOU enjoy? Choosing a particular career does not mean you have to spend the rest of your life in that profession. Explore all of your options and have fun doing your research. Knowledge is power! About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content

catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Recommended for you Revealed: Body Language That Makes You Attractive at Work and in Dating The Best Questions to Ask in an Interview to Leave a Remarkable Impression The Secret to Living a Happier Life? Follow the Rule of Less Is More What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep

This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! Recommended for You 100 Business Ideas for You to Become Your Own Boss Don't Focus on Happiness. Focus on Self Actualization 10 Personality Disorders Many of Us Aren't Aware Of 30 Morning Routines That Can Make You Motivated and Productive for a Whole Day Learn More About Career Advice Seven Simple Yet Effective Ways to Make Money Online Why Too Much Positive

Thinking Can Get In The Way of Success Why Big Dreams Can Be Big Problems 10 Reasons Why (Almost) Everyone You Know Hates Their Job Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Scroll down for the next article Pick

Your Job Based On What You Love To Do, Not How Much You Have Invested In. Work Pick Your Job Based On What You Love To Do, Not How Much You Have Invested In. Angelina Phebus Angelina Phebus is a writer, registered yoga teacher (RYT 200), and voracious reader. Full Bio Have you ever continued to pursue something even though it no longer served you?

Maybe it’s a degree program or the dead-end job that you refuse to give up. Perhaps you’ve stayed in a relationship for no other reason than the fact that you’ve been committed to it for so long. From time to time, we all justify staying the course by considering the effort we’ve put into our current situation. Many of us decide to take a job just because it’s a good use of our training. When we invest time and money in getting a degree, we expect that we should use it. Maybe you hate your job, but you can only envision yourself taking similar

positions with equal or greater pay and responsibility. You may feel trapped by the decisions you made before, but you don’t have to be. Whatever you do, do it because you love it. When you are trying to figure out how to decide on a career, it is easy to be influenced by the types of work and training you’ve already undertaken. In general, you get a degree or training in a field that interests you, and this leads you to a job in that field. If you should

ever decide to leave your job, there’s a high probability that you will look for work in the same field with similar pay and responsibilities. You are less likely to consider whether you still like the work that you do — you feel obligated to continue your career trajectory regardless of how you feel. This is how people get stuck doing jobs that they don’t like. Instead of thinking about what would make you the best and happiest version of yourself,

you may face temptation to maintain the status quo. Many of us do this because we fear wasting our efforts.1 Others feel that their persistence will eventually be valued, and changing course doesn’t fit well within the story they are creating about themselves or their business.2 They may willingly take on sunk costs with the belief that their situation will improve. Don’t get sucked in by sunk costs. The sunk cost fallacy is the assumption that you

must continue follow a trajectory because you have already put lots of resources into that particular career path or personal endeavor. We can be so loss-averse that we avoid the possibility of greater gains through changing our approach.3 If you are wondering how to decide on a career, and you take a job solely because it makes use of your years of training, then you might be worrying more about sunk costs than your future happiness and success. Refusing to leave a career that is unfulfilling could be a sign that you are caught in the job

investment trap, which is a variation of the sunk cost fallacy.4 Businesses also fall into this pattern of continuing down a failing path just because they already put time and money into initiatives. For example, an entrepreneur might take out a loan to open a second business location. They reason that since business is booming at Location #1, success in Location #2 should be a cinch. After about a year, the owner realizes that Location #2 is hemorrhaging money, and the only way to stop the bleeding is to scale back to one store. The numbers

don’t lie, but despite the irrefutable evidence, the owner may still have trouble cutting his or her losses. The business owner thinks about the effort, time, and emotion that went into Location #2. From an outsider’s perspective, it is easy to see that the business owner in the example or the person stuck in an uninspiring career should try something new. It is harder to let go of sunk costs when we are faced with them ourselves. You aren’t a one-trick pony.

 Just because you took a particular course of study in school doesn’t mean that you are bound to that discipline for the rest of your life. When you are figuring out how to decide on a career, ask yourself the following questions: What are you interested in doing? If you are passionate about your work, then it won’t feel like a burden. What skills do you need to do this job? We often think of our degree or primary training as our default career option, but the default may not be the best choice. If you need to change focus, what transferable skills

do you have, and what additional training will you need to be successful?5 Is there room for growth in this job? Today, the average employee stays with a company for 4.2 years before moving on.6 What types of skills can you build in your current work? How can you leverage your growth to position you for a fulfilling career? Do you have opportunities to work with different people? Forming meaningful connections with people is one of the best things you can do for yourself professionally. You’ll not only be happier at work, but if you decide to

change careers, you will already have a solid professional network. 7 What can this job offer you in 3 years? Consider your expectations for income and authority-level in the next three years. Is this job going to give you what you want? If not, how will taking this position help you work toward your end goal? Can this job help you to become the kind of person you want to be? Being inspired by the work that you do can brighten even the toughest days. Do you feel that your work is meaningful?8 Does it bring you closer to being the optimal of

yourself? Know when to hold and when to fold. You can’t recover sunk costs, but you don’t have to perpetuate a cycle of loss. “I’ve already put so much time into this,” isn’t a good enough justification to continue down a particular path. Deciding to change directions doesn’t meant that you have failed. It makes zero sense to continue to put resources into something that isn’t working for you. Although you may feel like you have wasted an experience or lost time, remember that you have probably learned some valuable

information as you undertook the process. Just because it didn’t go the way you expected doesn’t mean that it’s a total loss. Being successful and following your dreams are not mutually exclusive. Use what you know to keep growing, and don’t be discouraged if you have to change course along the way. References [1] Psychology Today: Letting Go of Sunk Costs: How to Escape the Past [2] Ryan Doody: The Sunk Cost Fallacy is Not a Fallacy [3] Learning Loft: Why Perseverance Might Actually Be Hurting Your Career [4] Lifehacker: Don’t

Let the Job Investment Trap Keep you from Switching Careers [5] The Muse: 8 Steps to an Utterly Successful Career Change [6] Bureau of Labor Statistics: Employee Tenure Summary [7] CareerShifters: How to Change Career When You Have No Idea What You are Doing [8] Forbes: Five Ways to Tell if You Need a Career Change About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of

content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Recommended for you 30 Morning Routines That Can Make You Motivated and Productive for a Whole Day 23 Body Language Tricks That Make You Instantly Likeable People Judge Your Intelligence Based on the Tone of Your Voice and How Fast You Speak What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because

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for Lifelong Happiness and Success Learn More About Work The First Thing All Amazing Startups Work on for a Refreshing Beginning How To Find That Key Person That Can Help You Progress in Your Career? If You Don't Know What To Do With Your Life, Read This. The First Thing All Amazing Startups Work on for a Refreshing Beginning Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Feedback

What to Do When You Hate Your Job (for Both Who Choose to Stay and Quit)

What to Do When You Hate Your Job (for Both Who Choose to Stay and Quit)

ProductivityWhat to Do When You Hate Your Job (for Both Who Choose to Stay and Quit) Share: Productivity What to Do When You Hate Your Job (for Both Who Choose to Stay and

Quit) Craig J Todd I'm a UK-based professional writer with a burning desire for helping others. Full Bio If you hate your job, you’re not alone. A recent U.K. study found that 60 percent of employees were unhappy in their current positions.1 Whether you have a boss who always reprimands you or a job so dull that you’d rather watch paint dry, being miserable at work is an incredibly frustrating situation. Is there any way to escape this daily

torment? If you’ve already reached the stage of saying “I hate my job!” then you’ve taken an important first step towards freedom. Admitting that your work is a nightmare means that you’re ready (and hopefully willing) to take action to change your circumstances. As you’ll see shortly, there are several solutions that can help bring your work life into a happier realm. Before we get started let me suggest that you put aside any preconceived notions of what you might do. Instead, keep your options open and wait until you are drawn to a solution that offers the best results for you. I hate my job! Give me some solutions to fix this. Fortunately there are a number of solutions to help you escape from your joyless work

situation. We’ll divide these solutions into two categories. The first one will cover solutions that help you stay in your current job but improve your circumstances. The second category will offer you solutions for quitting your job and moving to new pastures. You hate your job but due to financial burdens or lack of other job offers you’re forced to stay where you are.

Try these five solutions: 1. Be grateful for having a job. However much you hate your job, just think of the millions of unemployed people who are desperate to find work. While your job may be far from perfect, it’s still a job. It pays you a wage and offers you a chance to

contribute to society. 2. Be honest with your boss. It may be hard to discuss with your boss the reasons why you hate your job, but it can be worth it. When confronted with facts such as: “My duties lack variety” or “I never get sent on training courses,” many bosses will take note of these remarks. If they want to keep you then there is a good chance they will take

action to make your working life more acceptable to you. If your problem is with your boss, still find a way to talk to him or her about the issues. Open, non-hostile dialogue can resolve most problems. 3. Inject fun into your work. You may work on a factory line or as a data entry clerk in an office. On the surface these jobs might appear as dull as dishwater. However, if you go to work with an expectation of having fun, you’ll be amazed by the results. Ways of adding fun to your work day include spending breaks with upbeat colleagues, singing at work, exchanging jokes with co-workers, and understanding that

being professional does not mean you always need to be serious. 4. Customize your work space. If your company is dragging you down and slowly drowning your hopes and dreams, you need to take immediate action. One of the best things to do is to take control of your personal working environment. For example, if you work in an office make sure your desk and drawers are clean and tidy. Then introduce some character and inspiration to your desk space by adding an ornate plant and/or adding a picture of a loved one. Small changes like these can make a big difference. 5. Take control through goal setting. Goal setting is a

organizational goals, but there is nothing to stop you from creating your own goals as well. If you’re on good terms with your boss, explain to him or her that you’re planning on setting goals to help you develop your job and to benefit the organization. If you’ve stopped speaking to your boss (it happens!), then you can still set goals that are within your control.

For instance, you can decide to arrive early to work each morning to tackle the daily backlog of emails. You hate your job, and you need to quit now! Try these five solutions: 1. Take a vacation. A vacation does not need to be an expensive trip to the Caribbean. Use any vacation time you may have saved up to give you breathing space to take stock of your life, and time and energy to focus on your future. It can be time off of work to spend

job-hunting and going to interviews, or with friends and family who can give valuable advice. With time to think, you can decide if you really want to quit your job and if so, what your next steps will be. 2. Be prepared. If you’ve decided to definitely quit your job, it’s best to be adequately prepared. This will mean either having sufficient savings to live on for a period of time or having another job to go to. Update your resume, give your present

employer a decent notice period, and leave on the best terms possible. 3. Move sideways. If your work problem is related to your manager or team members, you may not need to leave your current employer. Instead, you could choose to apply for other positions within your organization. A new manager and a new team could be just what you need to break free from the “I hate my job!” trap. 4. Turn your skills into a freelance career. Do you love your

work but hate your work environment? If so, you could be a good candidate for freelancing. Let’s say that you work as a personal assistant. It’s the role in which you’ve always excelled, but right now you have an obnoxious boss. Why not take your skills to the marketplace and see if you can secure well-paid contract work? You could also consider offering your services as a “virtual assistant.” 5. Don’t look back. If you’ve chosen to quit your job then go for it! Once you’ve informed your employer, and agreed on an exit date, put the rest of your

energy and focus on what you want to do next. Sometimes people decide to leave a job, but get emotionally caught up with worrying about things such as missing their colleagues and stressing over the future. Don’t let this happen to you. Keep your eyes firmly on a brighter working future. A job that you dislike can make your life a living hell. The secret to freedom is to act. You must decide whether to quit your job or stay where you are. Whatever your decision, improve your situation. Any of the recommendations above is far better than doing nothing and wallowing in misery year after year. Hating your job can be just what you need to motivate you to a new and more successful life. Act now! References [1] Investors in

People: 60 per cent of UK workers not happy in their jobs About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Recommended for you How to Find Your Ideal Career

Path Without Wasting Time on Jobs Not Suitable for You 6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else I Have 8 Ideas to Spot Your Ideal Career Path. Do You Have 5 Minutes? Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty!

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Questions Can Make Decluttering Easier How to Be Your Own Boss with Little (or No) Money Successful People Seldom Worry Too Much Because They Master This Thinking Skill Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Scroll down for the next article Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Productivity Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Jenny Marchal Jenny Marchal is a freelance

writer. Full Bio Sitting down and setting your life goals can be exciting and motivating. It gives us purpose, sets clear intention, makes us feel productive and creates the feeling of moving forward. But have you ever started out making a mental or physical list of your goals only to end up with quite a few? Then when you start acting on them, they either end up cast aside or only half achieved? Having goals has been drummed into us from an early age but are having all these goals actually hindering us? Warren Buffett, one of the most successful businessmen in the world today, questions the need for having so many goals. Instead he puts his success down to eliminating, sometimes important goals, in order to

focus on the few that will bring the success we desire. Warren Buffett asked his pilot to list 25 priorities in his life To illustrate Buffett’s idea, there’s a great story involving his personal airplane pilot of 10 years, Mike Flint, and how Buffett helped him to focus and prioritize his goals using a 2-list strategy. Buffett asked Flint to carefully think about, and write down his 25 top career goals. Once Flint spent time doing this he came back and presented them to Buffett. He then asked Flint to pick out the top 5 most important goals. So at this point Flint

now had two separate lists – the list of 5 goals and the list of 20 remaining goals. Like many of us, Flint concluded that he would focus primarily on his top 5 and work towards the other 20 as and when he could find the time. However, Buffett stopped him and said that this is actually the path of becoming unsuccessful because really he should now throw away his list of 20 altogether – no matter how important many of them may be – and focus solely on the top 5. Why? Because that list of 20 is essentially a distraction. Average people don’t know

they should AVOID seemingly important things in their lives The reason we often never succeed with our goals is because we don’t prioritize, focus and therefore, complete, the important few. It’s human to get demotivated and distracted – two feelings that can be the death of our goals. The bigger the list of goals we have, the more chance there is to give up and move on to the next one in the hope that this one will succeed. If what Malcolm

Gladwell claims is true, to become an expert in any field we must spend 10,000 hours of deliberate practice towards gaining knowledge in that area. That equates to 20 hours each week for almost a year, for a total of 10 years. So imagine Flints original list of 25 goals – that would mean it would take him 250 years to fully master his complete list. You can see how having too many goals can lead you down the path to a less successful and fulfilling

life. Make sure you keep the “Avoid-at-all-cost list” Minimizing has become a hot topic when it comes to living the best life we can and this also applies to our life goals. Like our physical stuff, it can be hard to make a decision to throw certain goals out of the window when they feel important to us. But the process itself allows us to work out our priorities and what’s truly important. Try writing out 25 goals – whether it’s long term goals or even short term weekly or monthly goals – and start the process of prioritising in order to discover your top

5. Now, instead of literally throwing the list of 20 away completely, label this your avoid-at-all-costs list to serve as a reminder of what not to focus on. This is the list that will decrease your time and focus and ultimately your success. In other words, if you start working on this list you are in danger of having 20 half-finished goals instead of 5 completed ones. Whatever your top 5 goals are, whether you want to learn a new language or skill, or work towards a particular career goal, make a conscious effort to stick to these. Keep motivated to achieve these goals and don’t wander onto your second list. Remember,

your time investment is key to success and this time will be compromised the more goals you take on. Get the success you want: prioritize efficiently, focus intently and stick to it. References Featured photo credit: Fortune Live Media via flickr.com About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality

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Get Rich Even If You Don't Have Much Now 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success Learn More About Productivity 6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else Will You Be Highly Successful in the Future? These 8 Signs Can Foretell the Answer What to Keep and What to Toss? Asking These 15 Questions Can Make Decluttering Easier The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender) Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Feedback

Apps Aren't Always Distracting. These 10 Apps Actually Help You Focus!

Apps Aren't Always Distracting. These 10 Apps Actually Help You Focus!

About LifehackContact Us Psychology Productivity Health More Productivity Apps Aren't Always Distracting. These 10 Apps Actually Help You Focus! Arthur Peirce Arthur is never

happier when writing. Full Bio Our computers and smartphones are often considered the ultimate machines of distraction. They can be so full of entertainment possibilities that many of us can’t go a single hour without looking at our phones many many times. When some apps seem built to test our self control, placing themselves in our minds, almost like

addictions. These 10 apps don’t demand our attention, but instead aim to improve it. With them improving your productivity and reducing stress 1 in your day-to-day life will be easier. Headspace 2.0 Headspace is a very popular meditation app. Don’t worry though, the meditation here is stripped of any religious and spiritual stuff and instead aims to help you receive the many benefits meditation can give you. Aside from improving your focus and concentration, meditation has been shown to make you less prone to anger, improve memory, make you more empathetic, and improve your ability to make good decisions. It’s little wonder then that Headspace advertises itself as a kind of “gym” for the mind.

Headspace aims to bring you in easy ten minute chunks. Noizio Noizio, and Noisli are not only pretty similar in name, but also function. Noizio is an ambient sound generator, one exclusive to Apple devices such as your Mac or iPhone. I have written about how ambient sound helps boost your focus, so if you loved Noisli or other ambient sound apps, then you’ll love this one, too. Panda Focus Mode While online, with the sum of all human knowledge and cat videos at your finger tips, it can be easy to get distracted and forget why you went on the internet in the first place. Panda Focus Mode counters this by showing you a to-do list you entered every time you open a new tab. By being reminded of everything you need to do, the items on your list will take center stage in your mind. Focus Booster

Focus Booster is built around the Pomodoro technique 2 , a time management system, where the time spent on work is broken down into manageable chunks. The app is extremely versatile, it allows you to set the time spent on work or rest, as well as generate graphs showing you how your time was spent throughout the day. With this info, you’ll be able to plan your day and time, exactly according to how you use your time. Currently it’s only a desktop app, but mobile versions are coming soon. Noisli Noisli aims to boost your

 focus and productivity through ambient sounds and music. What’s more it helps you create a playlist of your favorite sounds, making sure you are as happy and comfortable as possible while you listen. But how can simple ambient sounds actually improve your productivity? Surely, the only way ambient music can improve your focus and productivity is by boring you so much you want to work instead of listening. Actually, there are many ways ambient sound can improve your self control and focus. For example, normally when we listen to sound, it is coming from many different directions and different distances. Ambient sound presents a persistent sound that doesn’t change. Enabling you to listen without your mind

jumping to the causes of each noise. It helps you focus on the present 3. In a way, ambient sounds creates a new mental environment. This is what Nosili can bring you. Forest Forest is a pretty ingenious app. The previous two sought to improve your focus and concentration aimed to hack your brain and subconscious through meditation and ambient sounds. Forest functions more like a game. Some of you more seasoned readers may remember the Tamigotchi, that annoying little virtual pet that had the habit of dying on you when left

alone. Forest functions remarkably similarly. Once you activate the app a virtual tree begins to grow, and grow. Soon a virtual forest powered, by your productivity can grow and flourish. While its growing you are encouraged to work, or at the very least, leave your smartphone or computer alone. If you pick up your phone and turn off the app, your virtual tree dies. Its a unique concept, an app that doesn’t want you to use your phone. But its popularity suggests it works. Brain.FM Like Noisli, Brain FM uses music to help your

concentration. However the music here is artificially generated and designed for you to improve your focus. There are different channels on the app to aid you through a number of tasks, working, for example, but also a channels for meditation, and sleep. Though the

pieces of music are computer generated, they, none the less are generated with relaxing and improving focus and concentration in mind. As such, the app is extremely effective at boosting your focus while in use. Freedom Freedom is an app that is growing in popularity. The way it works is quite simple, it blocks access to chosen apps, programs, and even your

 browsers cutting away all distractions. We all have that app we check or use more than we should. I was a fiend for Angry Birds a couple years ago. This is fine, but it becomes a problem if they are distracting you from work or creative projects. Freedom (the app not the concept) eliminates the issue by making it impossible to access these distracting apps. Unlike some other, similar apps, freedom can be used across many devices, making both it

and you more efficient in the process. Hocus Focus Hocus Focus is pretty similar to Freedom, in the way it helps boost your focus by cutting out distracting apps and programs. However, what makes it different is that it hides applications which are not in use, making you less tempted to move away from whatever you’re doing and go back to it. There are

different ways it works. You can have it hide applications as soon as you move away from them, or instead, hide them after a few minutes have passed. It works according to your preferences. Self Control Where the other apps in this list are like friends or parents, lovingly guiding your hand to productivity, Self Control is like an angry drill sergeant who plans to

break you into working. There are many productivity apps which try to block distractions for a predetermined time limit. Some of them are on this list. However what makes Self Control different, is that it cannot be turned off. That’s right, even if you choose to delete the application or turn off your computer, it keeps working. The only way to get it to stop is by

waiting and working until the timer runs out. By doing this it enforces rigid discipline and focus. References [1] Huffingtonpost: 4 Unexpected Benefits of Increasing Focus [2] Lifehack: The Pomdoro Technique: Is It Right For You? [3] Noisey: Ambient Music Isn’t Boring, It Changed My Life About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual

growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Recommended for you What to Do When You Hate Your Job (for Both Who Choose to Stay and Quit) People Judge Your Intelligence Based on the Tone of Your Voice and How Fast You Speak How to Be Assertive Without Being Too Aggressive Advertising Advertising

Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You

 Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! Recommended for You A Powerful Learning Approach That Smart Students Use to Learn Fast and Get Great Results 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success 100 Practical Tips to Help You Save Money Effectively One Item That Is Often Absent in Resumes but Extremely Important: Soft Skills Learn More About Productivity Will You Be Highly Successful in the Future? These 8 Signs

Can Foretell the Answer What to Keep and What to Toss? Asking These 15 Questions Can Make Decluttering Easier The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender) How to Be Your Own Boss with Little (or No) Money Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Scroll down for the next article

Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Productivity Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Jenny Marchal Jenny Marchal is a freelance writer. Full Bio Sitting down and

setting your life goals can be exciting and motivating. It gives us purpose, sets clear intention, makes us feel productive and creates the feeling of moving forward. But have you ever started out making a mental or physical list of your goals only to end up with quite a few? Then when you start acting on them, they either end up cast aside or only half achieved? Having goals has been drummed into us from an early age but are having all

these goals actually hindering us? Warren Buffett, one of the most successful businessmen in the world today, questions the need for having so many goals. Instead he puts his success down to eliminating, sometimes important goals, in order to focus on the few that will bring the success we desire. Warren Buffett asked his pilot to list 25 priorities in his life To illustrate Buffett’s idea, there’s a great story involving his personal airplane pilot of 10 years, Mike Flint, and how Buffett helped him to focus and prioritize his goals using a 2-list strategy. Buffett asked Flint to carefully think about, and write down his 25 top career goals. Once Flint spent time doing this he came back and presented them to Buffett. He then asked Flint to pick out the top 5 most important goals. So at this point Flint now had two

separate lists – the list of 5 goals and the list of 20 remaining goals. Like many of us, Flint concluded that he would focus primarily on his top 5 and work towards the other 20 as and when he could find the time. However, Buffett stopped him and said that this is actually the path of becoming unsuccessful because really he should now throw away his list of 20 altogether – no matter how important many of them may be – and focus solely on the top 5. Why? Because that list of 20 is essentially a distraction. Average people don’t know they should AVOID seemingly important things in their lives The reason we often never succeed with our goals is because we don’t prioritize, focus and therefore, complete, the important

few. It’s human to get demotivated and distracted – two feelings that can be the death of our goals. The bigger the list of goals we have, the more chance there is to give up and move on to the next one in the hope that this one will succeed. If what Malcolm Gladwell claims is true, to become an expert in any field we must spend 10,000 hours of deliberate practice towards gaining knowledge in that area. That equates to 20 hours each week for

almost a year, for a total of 10 years. So imagine Flints original list of 25 goals – that would mean it would take him 250 years to fully master his complete list. You can see how having too many goals can lead you down the path to a less successful and fulfilling life. Make sure you keep the “Avoid-at-all-cost list” Minimizing has become a hot topic when it comes to living the best life we can and this also applies to our life goals. Like our physical stuff, it can be hard to make a decision to throw certain goals out of the window when they feel important to us. But the process itself allows us to work out our priorities and what’s truly

important. Try writing out 25 goals – whether it’s long term goals or even short term weekly or monthly goals – and start the process of prioritising in order to discover your top 5. Now, instead of literally throwing the list of 20 away completely, label this your avoid-at-all-costs list to serve as a reminder of what not to focus on. This is the list that will decrease your time and focus and ultimately your success. In other words, if you start working on this list you are in danger of having 20 half-finished goals instead of 5 completed ones. Whatever your top 5 goals are, whether you want to learn a new language or skill, or work towards a

particular career goal, make a conscious effort to stick to these. Keep motivated to achieve these goals and don’t wander onto your second list. Remember, your time investment is key to success and this time will be compromised the more goals you take on. Get the success you want: prioritize efficiently, focus intently and stick to it. References Featured photo credit: Fortune Live Media via flickr.com About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content

catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain

Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! Recommended for You 100 Life Hacks That Make Life Easier If You Understand These 5 Rules In Psychology, You Can Live A Much Easier Life Think Like a Billionaire: How to Get Rich Even If You Don't Have Much Now 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success Learn More About Productivity 6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else Will You Be Highly Successful in the Future? These 8 Signs Can Foretell the Answer What to Keep and What to Toss? Asking These 15 Questions Can Make Decluttering Easier The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender) Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Feedback

The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender)

The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender)

Feedback About LifehackContact Us Psychology Productivity Health More Productivity The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender) Nemanja Manojlovic Nemanja is an enthusiastic researcher and avid writer with interests ranging from martial arts, weight loss, fitness and cooking, to interpersonal communication, motivation, technology and productivity. Full Bio Are you under the constant impression that you are barely making ends meet? It is almost impossible to treat yourself with something

expensive, as you seem to have just enough money to get by through the month.1 Also, you have no major expenses on a daily basis, you pay the bills, you eat out maybe once or twice, and then you get your monthly subscriptions and maybe one or two new items. Yet, you still end up wondering where all your money went. Furthermore, it has definitely occurred to you

that you might need to get credit at some point, either for a new car or for an apartment, and that requires a positive credit history. All of these are valid and troublesome concerns, especially if you don’t have at least $1000 in your savings account. So, here, we will go over how to increase your savings and become more prudent, as well as why saving money is

tricky but necessary. I got it, we save money today to prepare for a better future. We are all fully aware of the reasons why it is important to save money. For starters, it is the first and most important step towards financial independence. The second reason is that we need savings in the event things go south for some reason, or if we need money to buy or repair

a piece of equipment that is necessary for our work or of us to earn money. Lastly, you need to know how to properly manage your finances in order to have a positive credit score, which will make it easier for you to get a loan if you ever need one, and you will also have lower interest rates when returning that money. But saving money always seems to be so difficult… One of the main reasons why saving has become more difficult is due to micro

transactions and monthly subscriptions. If you want to save money, you need to give up a magnitude of smaller things rather than one or two of them. In other words, any attempt to save money by cancelling one subscription for example seems meaningless, since you aren’t saving a lot to begin with. Another reason why we struggle with saving cash is because of our daily habits. We have developed certain tastes, and certain rituals that we tend to indulge on a daily basis, so very often, saving money warrants a fundamental change and

people are not really fond of them in general. Moreover, if you have a lot of bills that require immediate attention, it is difficult to think about saving money, when there are clearly more pressing matters. So, spending money provides us with short-term positive feelings that we have kind of grown addicted to, whereas saving money does not. So, we are in a way stuck in this hedonistic treadmill,2 and we just continue to live on paycheck to paycheck. What can

I do to start saving money? Now let us go over some of the techniques, habits, and tricks on how to start saving money on a monthly basis. If you somehow manage to adhere to all of these tips, you can look forward to a significant amount of cash. However, we are all aware just how difficult it can be to drastically change your life, so you can also introduce these new methods one at a time. 1. Say no to extended warranties. Whenever we buy something we want to make sure that the item is high quality and that it will serve us for months or

years to come. As a result, we are very often tempted to buy extended warranty, which is, in a way, a waste of cash. First of all, if you are not particularly clumsy and if you do not cash in on your extended warranty, then there is no need to get one in the first place. Second, we hate using the same thing for more than a year, so it is very likely that you will buy a new item or gadget even if the old one is still working. 2. Buy refurbished gadgets. Here is a

really good way to save a significant amount of money and get good products at the same time. We usually pay more for something just because it has a strong and well-known brand name behind it. There is no reason to think of that as a bad choice; after all, a renowned brand means greater security, but it also means that it has good products in general. In other words, buying branded refurbished gadgets can help you get amazing and useful tech without spending a fortune on it. The downside of it is that you will not be up to date with

the latest product, but eventually, they will be available as a refurbished phone or tablet, or any other gadget. It is a good way to test yourself if you are buying out of peer pressure and to stay relevant, or if you are buying because you are acting on impulse. 3. Make it a weekly challenge. A very useful trick for saving extra cash on a monthly basis is the so called weekly challenge. Much like with any game there are the easy, normal and hard mode, and this is

how it is done. Basically, you set a weekly sum for yourself that you need to put aside at the end of the week. You can go with $1, $5, or $10. The key is to double the amount at the end of the next week and so on until the end of the month. So with $5, you have $5 at the end of first week, $10 at the end of second one, $20 at the end of third and $40 at the end of the month. This is why it is way more difficult to pull it off with $10 as your starting sum. It is a

really good way of saving money, and you need to invest it with the rest of your savings into your savings account, in order to accumulate a more significant savings stash. 4. Train yourself to be more patient. Patience is a virtue and for a good reason.3 When it comes to saving money, you can save a lot if you are patient. First of all, it gives you more time to

research and discover better items at a more available price. Second, you can wait until there is a sales incentive or discount at the store before you buy something expensive. Third, many stores offer discounts if you purchase multiple products, so it is better to save money and then purchase in bulk because you are going to save more this way. 5. Save your spendings on transport. We tend to spend a lot of cash on transport, whether we’re buying

 gas, or even worse, if we use a cab to get by. If you make a deal with friends from work to car pool, you can reduce the carbon footprint by relying on one vehicle, and you can save money on gas. If you spend too much money on taxis, then you should immediately switch to public transport. This is far more convenient and cheaper, plus when the traffic is busy, you will actually get to where you need to be more quickly. Simply get a monthly pass, or store value on your metrocard to save more money and start walking a bit; it will do you

good. Alternatively, you can buy a bicycle and use it to commute; it is also convenient, cheaper, and great for your health. 6. Cancel unnecessary subscription. As mentioned, a great portion of our funds is funnelled away due to our monthly subscriptions that we do

not even fully use. So, limit yourself to a single subscription that you are going to like the most during one particular month. Private networks like hulu or Netflix usually announce what their users can expect in the upcoming month, so you can check that content in advance and decide which network you are going to use for that month. 7. Don’t pay for brand names. We tend to pay a lot for big names and influential brands, and these products

 are usually overpriced for no reason. Sure, you might want a particular phone or PC to have strong components and, since it is a long term investment, you do not mind spending a bit

extra. However, when it comes to chargers, HDMI cables, headphones, or adapters, you can find decent products at a lower price that are going to get the job done. So, when you are buying something, it does not need to be from an expensive producer at all costs, and you can save a lot if you opt for less known, yet still competent providers. 8. Avoid eating out. One way of committing financial suicide is by eating out frequently. Sure, we love the service, and that food is instantly prepared, but as mentioned, it is important that we

practice patience in order for this to succeed. It is far cheaper and healthier to prepare your own meals, plus you get to learn how to cook.4Today, we have pages and video clips that help us prepare meals, so there is really a small chance that you can mess it up, considering the amount of instructions you can get. 9. Consider energy saving appliances. Finally, the money you save can be invested into energy conserving appliances and this helps you

reduce the amount of money you pay for the bills. You can get energy saving light bulbs, as well as other appliances that spend less electricity, and you can even buy solar panels at one point. Moreover, you can check your electricity provider to see how much they charge and

switch to another one in your area that charges less. Well these were the tips that can help you save money; you should also make sure to look up how to earn extra money online, just so that you create an even bigger savings account. Some of these don’t require too much effort, others may include learning new skills, but mostly, it’s about practicing patience and

restraint. Hopefully, you will find this article insightful and inspiring, and it will help you save some money. References [1] Buzzfeed: 17 Confessions From People Who Struggle To Save Money [2] TheSimpleDollar: Running on the Hedonistic Treadmill [3] Lifehack: How to Practice Patience and Why Impatience Is Ruining Your Life [4] Buzzfeed: 26 Foods You Should Learn To Cook In Your Twenties About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you

improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Recommended for you How to Be Assertive Without Being Too Aggressive Apps Aren't Always Distracting. These 10 Apps Actually Help You Focus!

Revealed: Body Language That Makes You Attractive at Work and in Dating Advertising Advertising Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! Recommended

 for You 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success Revealed: Successful Young Entrepreneurs' Secrets to Making Their Dreams Come True Don't Focus on Happiness. Focus on Self Actualization 10 Personality Disorders Many of Us Aren't Aware Of Learn More About Productivity How to Be Your Own Boss with Little (or No) Money Successful People Seldom Worry Too Much Because They Master This Thinking Skill How to Save Money Effectively By Having a Minimalist Lifestyle You're Burning Your Hard Earned Money If You Do These 8

Things Often Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Scroll down for the next article Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Productivity Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Jenny Marchal Jenny Marchal is a freelance writer. Full Bio Sitting down and setting your life goals can be exciting and

motivating. It gives us purpose, sets clear intention, makes us feel productive and creates the feeling of moving forward. But have you ever started out making a mental or physical list of your goals only to end up with quite a few? Then when you start acting on them, they either end up cast aside or only half achieved? Having goals has been drummed into us from an early age but are having all these goals actually hindering us? Warren Buffett, one of the

most successful businessmen in the world today, questions the need for having so many goals. Instead he puts his success down to eliminating, sometimes important goals, in order to focus on the few that will bring the success we desire. Warren Buffett asked his pilot to list 25 priorities in his life To illustrate Buffett’s idea, there’s a great story involving his personal airplane pilot of 10 years, Mike Flint, and how Buffett helped him to focus and prioritize his goals using a 2-list strategy. Buffett asked Flint to carefully think about, and

write down his 25 top career goals. Once Flint spent time doing this he came back and presented them to Buffett. He then asked Flint to pick out the top 5 most important goals. So at this point Flint now had two separate lists – the list of 5 goals and the list of 20 remaining goals. Like many of us, Flint concluded that he would focus primarily on his top 5 and work towards the other 20 as and when he could find the time. However, Buffett

stopped him and said that this is actually the path of becoming unsuccessful because really he should now throw away his list of 20 altogether – no matter how important many of them may be – and focus solely on the top 5. Why? Because that list of 20 is essentially a distraction. Average people don’t know they should AVOID seemingly important things in

their lives The reason we often never succeed with our goals is because we don’t prioritize, focus and therefore, complete, the important few. It’s human to get demotivated and distracted – two feelings that can be the death of our goals. The bigger the list of goals we have, the more chance there is to give up and move on to the next one in the hope that this one will succeed. If what Malcolm Gladwell claims is true, to become an expert in any field

we must spend 10,000 hours of deliberate practice towards gaining knowledge in that area. That equates to 20 hours each week for almost a year, for a total of 10 years. So imagine Flints original list of 25 goals – that would mean it would take him 250 years to fully master his complete list. You can see how having too many goals can lead you down the path to a less successful and fulfilling life. Make sure you keep the “Avoid-at-all-cost list” Minimizing

has become a hot topic when it comes to living the best life we can and this also applies to our life goals. Like our physical stuff, it can be hard to make a decision to throw certain goals out of the window when they feel important to us. But the process itself allows us to work out our priorities and what’s truly important. Try writing out 25 goals – whether it’s long term goals or even short term weekly or monthly goals – and start the process of prioritising in order to discover your top 5. Now, instead of literally throwing the list of 20 away

completely, label this your avoid-at-all-costs list to serve as a reminder of what not to focus on. This is the list that will decrease your time and focus and ultimately your success. In other words, if you start working on this list you are in danger of having 20 half-finished goals instead of 5 completed ones. Whatever your top 5 goals are, whether you want to

learn a new language or skill, or work towards a particular career goal, make a conscious effort to stick to these. Keep motivated to achieve these goals and don’t wander onto your second list. Remember, your time investment is key to success and this time will be compromised the more goals you take on. Get the success you want: prioritize efficiently,

focus intently and stick to it. References Featured photo credit: Fortune Live Media via flickr.com About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us,

we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by

Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! Recommended for You 100 Life Hacks That Make Life Easier If You Understand These 5 Rules In Psychology, You Can Live A Much Easier Life Think Like a Billionaire: How to Get Rich Even If You Don't Have Much Now 50 Soft Skills for

Lifelong Happiness and Success Learn More About Productivity 6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else Will You Be Highly Successful in the Future? These 8 Signs Can Foretell the Answer What to Keep and What to Toss? Asking

These 15 Questions Can Make Decluttering Easier The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender) Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast.

6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else

6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else

Productivity6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else Share: Productivity 6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else Amber McNaught Love to write on a wide range of topics. Full Bio While we were all born with a desire to learn, somewhere along the line, many of us lose our passion for learning. The pressure to excel in life with emphasis on exam scores takes away the joy that comes from learning. Whatever the reasons, once the basics are covered, many people

tend to stick with what they know.1 They also avoid the difficulty in learning something new. Successful people are so because they learn in a systematic and result-oriented way. Thus, they learn faster and better than everyone else. Many people wonder how they can be successful. They do not know they hold within themselves everything they need to succeed.2 Successful people set rules and standards in their habits. Habits determine 95% of one’s

behavior; as a result, a unique learning style. These rules incorporated into the behavior of successful people make them do things differently. They lead to a remarkable learning style that in turn makes them learn faster and better. Thus, we have compiled six rules successful people live by to learn faster and better than everyone else. They don’t memorize information but connect things together Human beings are capable of forming patterns and connections. Computers can perform calculations at rates of millions per seconds. We can form connections, patterns than we can memorize information. Successful people don’t

memorize! Learning via connections makes learning any subject easier. It is important to make connections between ideas. Learning faster isn’t magic. It is a process of figuring out what you do when you learn well and trying to repeat that more often. It’s about avoiding the trap of memorization. Thus, successful people learn faster and better by connecting patterns in a task. They don’t multitask when they learn Multitasking is an unfortunate pleasure we’ve developed in this era.3 This era of constant notifications and mo bile

applications. Text messages and emails might seem harmless, but they can divert one’s attention from the task at hand. John D. Rockefeller wrote, “Do not many of us who fail to achieve big things fail because we lack concentration — the art of concentrating the mind on the thing to be done at the proper time and to the exclusion of everything else?”. From checking emails to scrolling through twitter, this prevents one from learning faster. Think about your own computer. When you have 15 different tabs open on your browser, your

computer begins to slow down. This takes longer to process every action. Successful people learn faster and better by setting their devices on airplane mode. So, no distractions. They learn difficult concepts by repetitive practice Mastering anything faster requires practice.4 Learning requires persistence in performing the same skill over and over again. This is until one can do it without thinking about it, that is to say it becomes automatic. Successful people understand this “secret” to learning faster and becoming the best. Remarkable-level

performance is the result of repetitive practice, not due to innate talent. Successful people know that repetition of concept improves assimilation and speeds up learning. They consult experts to save time and effort Another learning style of successful people is not to master it alone. They save time and effort by getting help from someone who’s already learned it. To achieve mastery faster, it is important to consult the top players in the field. As Robbins puts it: “Many great leaders have proven that the fastest way to master any skill, strategy or goal in life is to model those who have already forged the path ahead”. Successful people find

someone who is already getting the results that they want. This is to take the same actions they are taking, to get the same results. There is a saying that experience is the best teacher. Some people interpret it as learning from their own successes and failures. Successful people focus on learning from others to learn better. They make use of the 80/20 rule Successful people reconstruct the task they see. They see it at its basic, fundamental components. They break the task down into parts and find the most important things to

practice first. This is a remarkable learning style. They use the Pareto principle. This describes getting 80 percent of result by putting in 20 percent effort. The goal is to separate the 20 percent of our learning materials that will give one 80 percent of the result. As it turns out, fast-learning experts have already embraced this ideology. Learn the most important subset skills within that time frame to get the greatest of impact. They always keep a student mind They don’t refer to themselves as “experts” in any field. The expert status assumes the

position that one has reached the fullest potential. It implies one has attained a thrilling pinnacle in one’s career. Also, that your thirst for knowledge in a particular area has reduced. Successful people learn faster and better by their continuous willingness to learn and inquisitiveness.5 Having the mind of a student! That’s what sets successful people apart: They never stop learning. References [1] The Positivity Blog: 6 Reasons Why People Don’t

Change, and What to Do About That [2] Lifehack: 7 Key Differences Between Successful People And Unsuccessful People [3] Lifehack: Why You Should Quit Multi-Tasking Now [4] Lifehack: 5 Techniques To Help You Master Any Skill [5] Lifehack: 7 Reasons Why People Who Love Asking Questions Are Great Leaders About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast

amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The

Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! Recommended for You A Powerful Learning Approach That Smart Students Use to Learn Fast and Get Great Results 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success Devoting to a Narcissistic Lover Is Like Playing With Fire. It Is Risky. Don't Focus on Happiness. Focus on Self Actualization Learn More About Productivity Will You Be Highly Successful in the

Future? These 8 Signs Can Foretell the Answer What to Keep and What to Toss? Asking These 15 Questions Can Make Decluttering Easier The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender) Successful People Seldom Worry Too Much Because They Master This Thinking Skill Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Scroll down for the next article Warren Buffett Says Most People End up

Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Productivity Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Jenny Marchal Jenny Marchal is a freelance writer. Full Bio Sitting down and setting your life goals can be exciting and motivating. It gives us purpose, sets clear intention, makes us feel productive and

creates the feeling of moving forward. But have you ever started out making a mental or physical list of your goals only to end up with quite a few? Then when you start acting on them, they either end up cast aside or only half achieved? Having goals has been drummed into us from an early age but are having all these goals actually hindering us? Warren Buffett, one of the most successful businessmen in the world today, questions the need for having so many goals. Instead he puts his success down to eliminating, sometimes

important goals, in order to focus on the few that will bring the success we desire. Warren Buffett asked his pilot to list 25 priorities in his life To illustrate Buffett’s idea, there’s a great story involving his personal airplane pilot of 10 years, Mike Flint, and how Buffett helped him to focus and prioritize his goals using a 2-list strategy. Buffett asked Flint to carefully think about, and write down his 25 top career goals. Once Flint spent time doing this he came

back and presented them to Buffett. He then asked Flint to pick out the top 5 most important goals. So at this point Flint now had two separate lists – the list of 5 goals and the list of 20 remaining goals. Like many of us, Flint concluded that he would focus primarily o

n his top 5 and work towards the other 20 as and when he could find the time. However, Buffett stopped him and said that this is actually the path of becoming unsuccessful because really he should now throw away his list of 20 altogether – no matter how important many of them may be – and focus solely on the top 5. Why? Because that list of 20 is essentially a distraction. Average people don’t know they should AVOID seemingly important things in their lives The reason we often never succeed with our goals is because we don’t prioritize, focus and therefore, complete, the important few. It’s human to get demotivated and

distracted – two feelings that can be the death of our goals. The bigger the list of goals we have, the more chance there is to give up and move on to the next one in the hope that this one will succeed. If what Malcolm Gladwell claims is true, to become an expert in any field we must spend 10,000 hours of deliberate practice towards gaining knowledge in that area. That equates to 20 hours each week for almost a year, for a total of 10 years. So imagine Flints original list of 25 goals – that would mean it would take him 250 years to fully master his complete list. You can see how having too many goals can lead you down the path to a

less successful and fulfilling life. Make sure you keep the “Avoid-at-all-cost list” Minimizing has become a hot topic when it comes to living the best life we can and this also applies to our life goals. Like our physical stuff, it can be hard to make a decision to throw certain goals out of the window when they feel important to us. But the process itself allows us to work out our priorities and what’s truly important. Try writing out 25 goals – whether it’s long term goals or even short term weekly or monthly goals – and start the process of prioritising in order to discover your top 5. Now, instead of literally throwing the list of 20 away completely, label this your avoid-at-all-costs list to serve as a reminder of what not to focus on. This is the list that will decrease your time and focus and ultimately your success. In

other words, if you start working on this list you are in danger of having 20 half-finished goals instead of 5 completed ones. Whatever your top 5 goals are, whether you want to learn a new language or skill, or work towards a particular career goal, make a conscious effort to stick to these. Keep motivated to achieve these goals and don’t wander onto your second list. Remember, your time investment is key to success and this time will be compromised the more goals you take on. Get the success you want: prioritize efficiently, focus intently and stick to it. References Featured photo credit: Fortune Live Media via

flickr.com About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend

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Lifelong Happiness and Success Learn More About Productivity 6 Rules Successful People Live By to Learn Faster and Better Than Everyone Else Will You Be Highly Successful in the Future? These 8 Signs Can Foretell the Answer What to Keep and What to Toss? Asking These 15 Questions Can Make Decluttering Easier The Smart Ways to Save Money Fast (Even If You're a Big Spender) Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Feedback

Yes Life Can Be Boring Sometimes. But There're Some Tricks to Make It More Interesting

Yes Life Can Be Boring Sometimes. But There're Some Tricks to Make It More Interesting

About LifehackContact Us Psychology Productivity Health More Psychology Yes Life Can Be Boring Sometimes. But There're Some Tricks to Make It More Interesting Heather Poole Heather studied creative writing and proceeded to work in a software environment as a

Technical Writer. Full Bio Boredom. We have all felt it, and there’s a good chance at one point or another, we have all caused it. We feel bored when we are slowly making our way through a project at work. We feel bored trying to listen to our professors teach a lecture. We feel bored doing…well, most things. I mean, I’ve even been bored having a conversation with my best friend. Even scrolling through Facebook can result in a moaned “I’m so

booooored.” So let’s fix that. The following tips and tricks will help you get through every day with a little less boredom. Boredom creeps in easily when life becomes routine… When life becomes routine, it can be hard to feel like there is any excitement in our lives. In fact, one of the most exciting things I’ve started doing is walking two miles on my lunch break. Yes, that is something I classify as exciting. Maybe that’s what being an adult is, but if you’re anything like me, you crave a little action! Boredom is such a common issue for the human race that scientists have actually started studying it. They’ve defined it as “an aversive state

of wanting, but being unable to, engage in satisfying activity.” 1” And when I say we’ve all experienced it, I mean it; a 2003 survey found that over 90% of young Americans have experienced boredom. Sure, at it’s root it just sounds like we have a really petty issue. But it turns out boredom can lead to some serious problems. If boredom becomes a chronic condition, we can work so hard at filling that span of nothingness that we actually develop drug problems, gambling addictions and even binge eating. The key seems to be attention and awareness. Studies suggest we get bored when we have difficulty paying attention. Often times we then blame external forces and reason that the task we’ve been assigned seems dull or that there is actually nothing to do at all. Boredom can lead to earlier death

Not only can boredom feel miserable, but experts say bored people may be at risk for an earlier death 2. If that’s not scary enough, chronic boredom can also lead to the following: Anxiety Depression Anger and Aggression Lack of interpersonal skills Weight Gain Though it may seem shocking that simply being bored can lead to such serious consequences, it makes sense. After all, if you find yourself with nothing to do, you may be more likely to reach for a candy bar or a bag of chips. Doing this often enough could result in weight gain. If you’re bored to the point of frustration, of course you’re going to be moody. And feeling like you have nothing to do can be a trigger (and symptom) of depression, as you can

ultimately feel that there is nothing to do. 10 tricks to combat boredom: Now that you know boredom shouldn’t be taken lightly, here are ten steps you can take to fight off that feeling of nothingness and improve your mood and health. Think 3: It might sound simple, but our brains need to be challenged in order to fight off the feeling of boredom. Our brains need to be stimulated and active in order to stay agile and healthy. So put together a puzzle, read a book or watch an intriguing documentary. And if you’re bored at work, try shifting your

focus to something like your calendar and tasks you want to accomplish in a short term. Challenge yourself: If a friend invites you to an event, go. This doesn’t mean you have to say yes to everything, but say yes to attending things you might normally say no to. Stepping outside your comfort zone may help you fight off boredom; not only are you actively doing something, but you will be hyper-aware of the new experiences. Avoid boring people: Sorry, but it had to be said. If you’re surrounded by people who make you yawn and lead your

mind to wander, it may be time to switch up your surroundings. This is not advice to drop your friends for newer, exciting versions, but it is a push to expand your focus. Talk to strangers more frequently, too. You never know when it could lead to a new adventure. Bored at work? Study your surroundings: Take the perspective of a scientist and study what’s around you. Gretchen Rubin, author of ‘Better than Before’ recommends looking at what

people are wearing and what sounds you notice. If you’re feeling really inspired, write a quick story about your observations. Try something new, like a unique recipe: If you’re sitting around at home, binge-watching TV shows, you’re probably feeling bored, even though you’re technically doing something. In this instance, try finding a new recipe and cooking a meal you’ve never made before. It’s mildly time consuming, and you get the experience of eating something you made. Paint a room: I don’t know about you, but when I sit around in one room too long, I realize how much I want to change it. If you’re trying to overcome boredom and you have some time on your hands, go for it! Just don’t paint it a

boring color. Make some money: Try cleaning out your closet and finding nice pieces that you just don’t wear anymore. There are plenty of companies (both online and in person) who will pay you for the items sitting in your closet collecting dust. Color: Look, I know coloring may have been intended for kids, but there is no denying that those Adult Coloring Books are super intricate and time-consuming. If you’re desperate for a way to kill time, pick up a coloring book and some crayons or colored pencils. Workout/Meditate: Use the time you’re trying to kill by doing something good for your physical and mental health. This can be anything from taking a walk to sweating it out at the gym. Either way, your body will thank you. Take a brain break: If you’re at work and realizing your mind is wandering and

you can’t focus, take a brain break to prevent boredom. Pull up a silly YouTube video or two and allow yourself to laugh. So the next time you find yourself spacing out or feeling miserable because you have nothing to do, try some of these tricks and notice the difference it can make in terms of your overall well-being. Boredom is a fact of life, but it doesn’t have to be a constant. References Featured photo credit: Maxime Le Conte des Floris via stocksnap.io [1] Live Science: Why We Get Bored [2] Mercola: Being Bored is Bad for Your

Health [3] Health Guidance: The Psychology of Boredom – Why Your Brain Punishes You for Being Comfortable and Safe About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising

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Become Creative by Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! Recommended for You 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success Devoting to a Narcissistic Lover Is Like Playing With Fire. It Is Risky. 100 Practical Tips to Help You Save Money Effectively Don't Focus on Happiness. Focus on Self Actualization Learn More About Psychology The Scientific Explanation on Why We Attract What We Are Most People Have Great Potential. But Very Few of Them Unleash It 11 Apps to Kill Boredom While Upgrading Yourself at the Same Time We Are Living in a Generation Where Everyone Defines Cheating Differently Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Scroll down for the next article Why Pursuing Happiness Will Make You End up Being Unhappy Psychology Why Pursuing

Happiness Will Make You End up Being Unhappy Leon Ho Leon Ho is the Founder and CEO of Lifehack, which he started in 2005 as a way to share his personal productivity hacks to make life easier. Full Bio When we talk about happiness, we think about staying happy all the time – every single day, every single minute with zero negativity. We try to pursue this constant state of “happiness” as our goal, and avoid anything that may take it away from us. But what is the meaning of this type of “happiness”? It’s like your favorite food. The more you have of it doesn’t always mean the better. On the contrary, when you only have a

chance to eat it sparingly, that’s when you really savor every bite of it. So is it the food itself that makes you happy, or is it how valuable it is to you when you are eating it? We should always remember that only by experiencing sadness do we understand what it is to be happy. Assuming others are always happy is the biggest misunderstanding of happiness. Most people see those who have seemingly perfect lives and assume they are happy all the time. Since childhood, we are conditioned to chase the idea of “happily-ever-after” that we see in fairytales. On social media, everyone tends to share only the best looking aspects of their lives (including ourselves). So it’s very easy to have a distorted view of what

“happiness” is around us. In reality, there is always something missing, something lacking, or something unpleasant. No one has a perfect life. Even the most glamorous celebrities or the richest billionaires, everyone has their own set of challenges and problems. When we feel negative, we’re only focusing on a small fluctuating curve. As CEO of Lifehack, I’ve had to deal with countless problems, and some of them felt like real setbacks at the time. During those moments, it really seemed like these problems would be the life or death of my company and my life goals. But I got through them, and weeks, months and eventually years passed with many more ups and downs. You need to keep your sights on the extended curve. Looking back now, a lot of those “really big” problems at the time seem like only small blips in a long line of experiences. Recalling them in my mind now makes me smile! Stop trying to be happy. Just be. It’s natural to want to be happy as often as possible. So

what can we do? First, throw away the belief that a perfect life means happiness. Personally, I would be miserable if everything was perfect. It’s from experiencing the pains of lifelong challenges that drives us to care for others when they are experiencing the same trials. If life was perfect, you wouldn’t be able to empathize. If life was perfect, you wouldn’t grow. To be truly happy, stop chasing permanent happiness. It sounds like a paradox. What I mean is, accept that there will be ups and downs throughout life. Gracefully understand that

happiness is a fluctuation of positive and negative events. Understand the importance of gratitude. Instead of focusing on the unpleasant moment right now, flash back your memory to when you had or didn’t have something. I like to think about my career, for example. When I didn’t have a career I was passionate about, I felt lost and demotivated. I felt like everyone was figuring out their lives but me. But when I found my purpose and started Lifehack, I was deeply happy, even before I realized I would be successful! This memory

keeps me going when there are tough spots. It takes the darkness to make us grateful for the light. Happiness and sadness exist together What it all comes down to is this: your life will be filled with beautiful, happy and incredible moments. Happy tears and joyous shouts and funny stories. But your life will also be filled with rain and storms that don’t ever seem to pass when you’re going through them. But whether your face is warmed by the sunshine, or your heart is dampened by the rain, know that it’s all part of the ebb and flow of life. Treasure the happy moments and power through the sad ones. Don’t try to avoid “sad” or “negative” experiences, and blindly chase being “happy”. In the end you will achieve a true

level of contentment in your life, based on meaningful experiences and achievements. Being able to create growth and meaning out of both positive and negative events — that is the true meaning of “happiness”. References Featured photo credit: InsideOut via facebook.com About Lifehack Lifehack is about helping you improve your life through efficient and comprehensive learning. By leveraging the vast amount of knowledge available to us, we explore and present a wide variety of content catered to encouraging individual growth and solving problems. Learn more about our mission Advertising Advertising What’s Popular now? Poor Sleep Quality Comes from All the Things You Do Since Morning Warren Buffett Says Most People End up Being Average Because They Don't Keep This List Keep A "Friend Bank" So You Can Maintain The Right Kind Of Friendship! How I Become Creative by

Spending 10 Minutes a Day to Exercise My Brain Muscle See How You Don't Have To Start Your Weight Loss Journey Sweaty! Recommended for You 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success 100 Inspirational Quotes That Will Make You Love Life Again Shortcut to Happiness Happiness: The Thing We All Look For But Never Really Understand Learn More About Psychology 50 Soft Skills for Lifelong Happiness and Success What Is Love and What Is Not How to Stay Motivated Even Though You Can't See Yourself Moving Forward How to Make Someone Who's Angry at You Suddenly Become Nice (Even If He's a Stranger!) Love what you're reading? You're now one click away from getting all the best ideas on Lifehack for free! Subscribe to Lifehack Newsletter to end negativity and get things done fast. Feedback