Productivity

 Ever feel like you just can’t cross everything off your to do list? Or maybe you didn’t have time to go to the gym, read, or just do something for fun. Let’s face it- we’re busy. We often feel as though they’re just “aren’t enough hours in the day”.  The truth is, we may not be spending them in the most productive way. Now I don’t necessarily mean productive as in time for work, but productive in regards to getting the most out of each and every day. It’s about how we structure our time. This simple exercise, based off of Alice D. Domar, PhD’s work in positive psychology, is a mechanism to lay out exactly what you end up doing on a typical day. For all your visual learners out there, this is perfect. It may seem mechanical and at first unnatural to categorize your day in the following way, but if done correctly the results may just shock you.

First, try creating a simple pie chart. Divide half the circle for night and half for day, and separate slices based off how your time is spent (i.e. sleeping, cooking, errands, homework, socializing, etc). You can even do one pie chart for the weekday, and one for the weekend if you want the full picture.

Now try answering these questions…Yes they may seem awkward and invasive, but you don’t have to share the results with anyone. You’ll only be cheating yourself if you think too hard about the answers. Usually your initial reaction is the most truthful.

•         What makes you happy?
•      What activities make you sad? Stressed?
•          At what part of the day do you have the most energy?
•          Where could you cut back on the pie chart? Are you wasting away on things like Facebook, for example?
•     Which slices are you satisfied with the time spent? Dissatisfied? (Based off the pie chart) 

What do you think? Based off of your answers and pie charts, what would you like to change about your day (if anything)? We all really do have time to fit in most of what we’d like in if we practice time management. I can’t say that I’ve mastered it yet, but I found this exercise an enlightening way to highlight ways to have a happier day.  For those of you who tried it- I hope you were happy with the results J Have a beautiful day!

“The happiest people don’t have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything.” 

– unknown

The Dalai Lama...

when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered “Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”

The Dalai Lama was spot on, as expected. So how can we change our habits and break such patterns? I personally know that I often fall into these traps, much to my dismay. This way of life may be engrained in society, but we can change our thoughts and behaviors in order to try and be here now. 

Psychology is a science that allows us to challenge our current motives and actions, letting us stretch the power of imagination and the mind. It is empirically proven that through mechanisms such as cognitive behavioral therapy and being aware of our thoughts, we can look at ways to think positively and live in the moment. Yes, it’s hard, and all of humanity struggles with what the Dalai Lama outlined at one point or another. However the silver lining is the field of psychology— which is in essence, what makes it so attractive to me. Hopefully this blog will show you different facets of psychology and all of the beauty, quirkiness and potential in it.