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Why Consistent Efforts Are More Important Than Intense Efforts

Why Consistent Efforts Are More Important Than Intense Efforts

May 15, 2022 | 0 comments

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Every once in a while, we all get the motivation to start working out, eating healthy or studying sincerely. We start strong and aim to work out 6 days a week, have salad and veggies for all our meals and study for 12 hours a day. All this, only for us to burn out in 3 days from all the sudden pressure we put on ourselves. Yes, your body and mind are capable of great things but it’s a gradual process to reach that destination.

So what do you do?

Simple – start small.

When you’re trying to develop a new habit, ask yourself “what can I stick to – even on my worst day?” and start there.

If you think studying for 3 hours is small as compared to the 12 hours, but you can’t stick to it on your low motivation days, it’s not small enough to start. If half an hour seems manageable, start there.

Do not do more today than you can completely recover from today. Do not do more this week than you can completely recover from this week.

When we overestimate ourselves and push ourselves to the max for 3 days and then bounce back to our old habits, it is actually harder to become productive again. If you eat really clean for a couple of days but crave junk food, you’ll end up undoing your progress and landing on square one once again.

However, if you put in consistent efforts, however small they may be, you’re going to get much more results in the long term.

After all, life is a marathon, not a sprint.

The Future Doesn’t Really Exist – So Don’t Worry About It

The Future Doesn’t Really Exist – So Don’t Worry About It

May 8, 2022 | 1 comment

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You might not know this, but in every household with a 12th grader, there is an atmosphere of uncertainty.

There are all kinds of doubts about the future – how will the 12th-grade percentage be calculated? Will it affect college admissions? Will I get into a good college or not?

And these worries are not restricted to just academics and our careers. They also our social life, mostly in reference to our friends and peers.

A few days back I was also upset over the same thing, mourning the friendships I have right now, but – realistically speaking – won’t have a few months in the future.

The next day, I was listening to a podcast and the host said, “The future doesn’t really exist.” Even though that’s all she said, those five words turned on a light bulb in my brain.

This also reminded me of a quote from Enola Holmes (absolutely recommend watching it) – Our future is up to us.

These two quotes combined give out a considerably comforting conclusion – The isn’t really there.  It’s up to us what we make of it. Hence, we don’t need to be anxious about what’s next, because you determine what’s next.

We don’t know what the future holds, but that doesn’t mean we should be anxious about it. We should remember that ultimately it will be our choices that lead us to the future we get.

So, next time you find yourself getting worked up over something in the future, remember that the future doesn’t exist. Instead, you have something to look forward to, something that happens because you caused it.

Why I Don’t Want To Live Alone

Why I Don’t Want To Live Alone

May 1, 2022 | 2 comments

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Hey guys, the posts till mid-June will be pretty short (like really short) considering it’s boards season. 

Watching everyone on YT move out of their homes and into their NYC apartments makes me wanna move out at 18 too.

But you and I both know this is India and yahan aisa kuch nahi hota (plus I’d fry my head off if I didn’t have someone to irritate).

It does seem pretty freeing to live alone, to be able to sleep whenever you want and to wake up when it suits you. No rules about no screens while having food or making your bed in the morning. You can have people over whenever you want. The list can go on…

But you know what’s keeping me from living alone (besides missing your family and home-cooked food)? The same as it’s pro – there are no rules.

Maybe it’s just a me thing, cause I haven’t seen anyone else face the same issue but I can’t seem to work if I don’t have an external deadline or someone to be accountable to. It seems like a problem that a kindergartener would have, kinda embarrassed about it :/

I don’t like to be told what to do aka being micromanaged either (like most people) yet I prefer to have to report to someone because otherwise, I tend to slack off.

But I need to find a solution for this because when I go to college (which would be sooner than I can comprehend), there’ll be no one behind my back, no one telling me to submit my assignments, most importantly, there will be no one telling me to do my work.

Living alone definitely has its pros and cons, but for people like me who need a bit of guidance and structure to work productively, the con of no rules can be a real challenge. However, if you’re like me setting some deadlines for yourself, getting someone to ask about your progress (aka being accountable) and creating a loose routine that works according to your energy levels throughout the day and channels it well could really help.

That’s all this time. I do realise it’s not a lot, or really informative but I believe it’s a nice reminder that everything has two sides to it and that the disadvantages can become the advantages (and vice versa).

Let me know if you’d like me to write on a specific topic 😀

Things That Make You Go Hell Yeah

Things That Make You Go Hell Yeah

Apr 24, 2022 | 2 comments

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Have you ever gone shoe shopping because your old ones are getting worn out and you need new ones asap?

You go to the store and the shopkeeper shows you pairs after pairs. They’re all okay but nothing too special. 

You decide to quit the hunt and almost go with the average shoes.

As you’re about to leave, something catches your eye. You walk back and it’s the most beautiful pair you’ve ever seen. It feels like they’re calling your name. They’re the shoes of your dreams. It’s love at first sight 😍😍

It’s a no-brainer they belong to you and you leave the store satisfied.

These shoes represent what we should be aiming for in life. We should go for the things that make our heart skip a beat. The things that make us say “hell yeah!”

When you’re trying to decide whether you should do something or not, just take a moment to determine if it’s a ‘Hell yeah’.

If it’s not a hell yeah, it’s a no.

This concept was given by Derek Sivers and explains the importance of saying no to the average and going for what excites you.

While we understand that sometimes we need to say no to opportunities, this helps us in determining which opportunities to go for and which ones don’t need our attention. 

There are too many things in today’s world that scream for our attention but that doesn’t mean every one of them deserves it.

This simple phrase can be your guide in making decisions is almost all aspects of life – things, people, opportunities, relationships.

Don’t get things that make you say hell yeah, that spark joy in you.

Don’t hangout with people that make you excited to be with them, that’ll only drain you.

Don’t do things that are just a ‘meh’, that don’t bring a smile on your face. (Not speaking for the things we have to do)

Life is too short to settle for the average and not go for the things you absolutely love.

What are the things in your life that make you say ‘Hell Yeah’?

P. S. This article by Mark Manson is another perspective on the Hell Yeah rule.

P. P. S. The shoe shopping example was inspired by my own experience with getting new shoes last week 😅

    Things That Make You Frustrated

    Things That Make You Frustrated

    Apr 17, 2022 | 0 comments

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    Here’s a fact no one asked for: I’m typing (or typed out because you’d be reading it later on) this blog post from a bluetooth keyboard connected to my laptop.

    How’d I ended up here? Unfortunately, some of the alphabet keys on my laptop keyboard won’t work. And it’s not even one or two keys, it’s SIX WHOLE KEYS.

    I tried working with the on-screen keyboard, but it sucked too much of my blood for me to concentrate on my tasks.

    What is even more fascinating (or frustrating, depending on how you look at it) is the fact that I thought I’d never have to face this problem again. Yeah, I’ve had this issue before (except with different and less keys) and I got it fixed. I thought this blog post would be in past form. But here we are again.

    I’ll now be moving to my point because I feel like I’m being a little too whiny right now, which ironically also proves what I’m gonna say.

    We might not realise it but little things like these affect our productivity in a big way. They take up more mental space than we expect them to, which in turn spills over to other tasks and causes us a lot of frustration.

    Until I had a working keyboard, I never realised how the keyboard not working could affect me. When it actually broke down, that’s when I realised how much it added to the list of things that were already on my mind. It’s one of those days where you’re already stressed, and tiny things like these become your tipping point.

    This is why it’s important to get these soul-sucking things fixed ASAP (working on getting mine fixed too). Be it your car AC, your messy room, leaky tap, or your creaky door, GET IT FIXED. Your future self will thank you for it. It’ll be off your mind and would help you focus more on what actually matters.

    That’s all from an exhausted high school senior (or a 12th grader for those who find the whole sophomore junior thing confusing) this week.

    Quality People, Quality Life

    Quality People, Quality Life

    Apr 10, 2022 | 2 comments

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    After not going to school for practically two years, the last month was filled with trips to school. And with offline, in-person school (so glad we’re not calling regular school that anymore) comes social interaction and mingling with others.

    I know for a fact that we students spent less time studying, and more time making up for the conversations that didn’t happen in the last two years. We were literally lurking after school for as much time as we actually spent in the school 😆 (I don’t know if that made sense but anyway)

    Upon retrospection – which is something I do quite a lot if you couldn’t make that out already by the fact that I write this blog – I realised something that had popped up in my mind earlier too.

    The more time I spent with my friends, the more I could see them in myself. It’s like I became their reflection. 

    I can feel myself talking like them, standing and behaving like them. If one of my friends is determined in what he believes and stands up for himself, and even if I’m not necessarily that strong-willed, I caught myself sticking up for myself and what I believe in.

    Just to confirm my hypothesis, I went to my trusty group chat with two of my best friends, and asked, “Do you ever see traces of someone else in me?”

    To no one’s surprise, the answer came back affirmative.

    They told me they could occasionally see each others’ traits in me here and there. After answering the question for me, they got curious and wanted to know if that was the case with them too. And well, turns out I’m not the only one who absorbs traits of people around them. (Funny realisation – I might as well have traits of my friends’ friends :D) 

    The conclusion here is that you become the people you spend time with. And it’s not only people who you are within real life, people who influence you online – on YouTube, on insta, on Pinterest – also count.

    One picks up habits, catchphrases, and ways to do certain things from those around him. 

    This is why it’s very important to be selective about who you surround yourself with – both physically and virtually. Their overall character will determine yours.

    And whenever you feel like you need to grow, all you need to do is expose yourself to new people. That will not only give you insights into how others handle things but also tell you what all kinds of people are there in this world, what all you have signed up for by agreeing to live on this planet.

     

    Recap for memory:

    1. The quality of the people around you determines your quality. 
    2. You have the ability to absorb people’s traits, habits, energies and approaches toward life.
    3. Whenever you’re looking for a change, meeting new people is an excellent idea.