Note: This article is based on a blog post by Mark Shead, in which he tells us about the benefits of saving time through 10 easy habits.
That's why it's worth thinking about the “small” things from time to time and whether your individual habits are leading you toward success or failure in life. Here are 10 easy habits you can do that will make a big difference in your life:
1. Use of stairs
Obviously, this won't work if your office is on the 100th floor of a tower building, but if you work on the third or fourth floor, climbing stairs often saves you time and helps energize you during a long working day sitting in your office chair.
And it's not just about climbing the stairs; it's about easy things like taking the first parking spot you find and walking 40 feet. That is, an extra 12 meters to the store that can save time and help you stay healthy.
2. Exercise while watching TV
We don't have a couch in front of our TV. Instead, we have two treadmills and some other exercise equipment. Our general rule of thumb is: if you're going to watch TV, you should be exercising. Pairing a leisure activity with something that gives you a powerful benefit like exercise is an easy way to help push yourself toward a healthy lifestyle.
3. Clean your email
If something is useless, you want to deal with it only once and never see it again. What you don't want to do is search your mail and sort it into messages you want to keep, others you want to delete, recount, etc. It may not seem like much time, but any time wasted during your week will accumulate over the years.
4. Get rid of uninteresting emails
It's great to deal with messages you only need to throw away once, but it's even better not to receive them at all, which is especially true of email. It's very easy to get used to deleting specific emails every day rather than stopping them from reaching you in the first place.
5. Put your keys in the same place
If you spend minutes several times a week searching for your keys, you spend too much time on something easily preventable. The small amount of time invested in putting them in the right place will give you great benefits while saving time. In my personal experience, I can tell you that keeping your keys somewhere your 2-year-old can access them is not advisable.
6. Keep a backup of your computer
Everyone knows that backing up their computers is a good idea, but it's incredible how many people don't, even after they've lost so much data. An easy backup strategy takes a very short time to prevent wasting too much time retrieving lost data.
7. Postpone unnecessary purchases
The easy habit of thinking before making a purchase can save more than money. Everything we do in our lives has a cost in time and attention, and the more we get, the more time and resources we devote to taking care of material things. The easy habits that help us be more careful about what we buy are worth the effort they require.
8. Talk to people
Most opportunities in your life will come from people you know. It's worth spending enough time getting to know people, and that's not entirely selfish. Their opportunities mainly came from people they knew, too. By taking the time to meet and talk to people, you are helping yourself and them. I highly recommend reading Never Eat Alone to get ideas on developing and maintaining relationships with the people you meet.
9. Drink more water
Most people can drink a few extra glasses of water daily to maintain health recommendations, and it's easy to overlook the importance of water in the way our bodies work. As with most things, moderation is essential. Drinking too much water can also lead to negative results.
A radio station in California discovered this when a contestant died in a water-drinking contest. Drinking eight glasses of water a day is recommended, and most people can add a few glasses a day to their diet, but they do not consume this amount.
10. Food sharing
When I talk to people from other countries about what they found different in America, they only say the amount of portion size. In the United States, restaurants tend to give people huge portions of food. My wife and I have found that we can often share a meal and feel completely satisfied, but if we get separate meals, we'll eat more than we need.
This isn't a strict rule for us, but when it's on our list of habits as a potential choice when we go out to eat, it helps prevent us from overeating.
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