The Secret of getting ahead is getting started.

Mark Twain

What is Productivity?

Productivity is the rate at which work is done or the quantity of work being done at a particular time. For a company, being highly productive is closely linked to the ability to make more products. For a school, higher productivity may be to train more students. Productivity revolves around getting an increase in the output. The more the actual work being done in a particular amount of time, the more productive it is.

At a workplace, if an employee A completes 15 projects and employee B completes 12 projects in a month, then employee A is more productive than B. Even if employee B handles bigger projects, the quantity takes the priority here.

What is Efficiency?

Efficiency is the comparison between the time required to accomplish a task and a particular standard in an industry or business. Simply put, it means to compare the actual hours required, to the hours it usually takes to complete it.

Efficiency is more about getting an increase in the output while expending a lesser amount of resources. The quality of work that you do takes more priority than the other resources such as number of people etc.

At a company, if 5 employees finish a certain work in 2 days and 3 employees finish that work in 1 day, then the 3 employees are more efficient than the former.

Efficiency may sometimes be more desirable than productivity depending on the circumstances. As it stands, both productivity and efficiency are an important part of any business.

Why do Productivity and Efficiency compete with each other?

Many people find it hard to distinguish Productivity and Efficiency. In fact, they are confusing at first glance. People want to be as productive as possible but they lose out on being efficient at the same time.

At most times, productivity can come at the expense of efficiency. And Efficiency can come at the expense of productivity. But this doesn’t imply that you have to give up on one thing to achieve the other.

Efficiency tasks, require more diligent work and sometimes take more time than anticipated. Hence, the quality of work produced is high. Since it takes more time, it can sometimes be counterproductive as you lose the extra time you could spend on something more productive.

Productive tasks, on the other hand, require you to complete as many tasks as possible without focusing too much on the quality. Since you focus on the quantity more, the result can sometimes have quality issues.

The Right Balance between being Productivity and Efficiency

If one element opposes the other, how is it possible to achieve the right balance between the two?

While not everyone can master this, the balance between productivity and efficiency can be achieved if you follow these steps diligently:

• Analyze the time needed: Analyze the work to be done and evaluate the amount of effort needed to be put in. This is a crucial part as it can eliminate any unexpected outcomes such as spending too much time on a specific task etc.
• Organize the things to be done: This step can be overlooked most of the time. Every work requires proper planning and organizing to get things in order, to make it streamlined.
• Give your full potential: Always give your full potential no matter what the task is at hand. If you put your full effort into doing something, that leaves it less space for you to commit any errors and lose out on quality.
• Don’t spend too much time overdoing: While you have to give your maximum effort, it is really easy to get carried away and spend up too much time doing unwanted corrections to make it better.
• Find the Flow state: If you love what you are doing, it sets you up for something great and ultimately lets you reach the flow state.

Getting a balance between Productivity and Efficiency isn’t hard if you have a clear vision and know the amount of effort required to get there.

Misconceptions about being productive:

There are some common misconceptions about being productive. Some people think that having a lot of work to do makes them productive. Being productive means to work towards a goal that you have. It means to live up to your expectations and do the work you are supposed to do to get you closer to your dreams.

Things that you do otherwise are only there to keep you “busy”. Productive people have only a small amount of things on their To-Do lists. The other activities such as daily chores are only meant to fuel you to do productive tasks.

Setting realistic goals and deadlines for them will help you be more productive. This will ultimately lead you to freedom and success.

Questions to find out the difference

If you are struggling to find the difference between being productive and efficient, then ask yourself these questions. This may help you rule out and identify what you need to work on.

• Do you set priorities for the tasks?
• Are you limiting your effectiveness?
• Does the work that I do bring me closer to my goals?
• Are you just busy or being truly productive?
• Are you satisfied with the work that you do?

If you can find the answers to these questions, then it will simplify the process to a great extent. You can identify whether you need to focus more or just excel at what you are doing.

The Productivity project is a great book to get started if you need to manage time better and get more useful things done.

Bottomline

Finding the perfect sweet spot between Productivity and Efficiency is vital to anyone. It helps you master the art of giving your full effort with a clear focus on what needs to be done. It’s a perfect combination that most people overlook sometimes. I hope this helps you become a better person at managing your goals and work towards it.

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What is the Pomodoro Technique?

The Pomodoro technique is a time management technique, developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. Pomodoro is an Italian word for Tomato. He came up with the name since he utilized a tomato-shaped timer when managing his time.

The Pomodoro technique uses a timer to break down a specific work into a set of intervals separated by breaks. This method suggests breaking all the tasks in a day to 25-minute blocks. After each block, there is a break of 5-minute. These breaks are referred to as Pomodoro. After completing four Pomodoro, a longer break lasting between 15-20 minutes should be taken.

The timer instills a sense of urgency to keep you focused on the work. While engaging in the work at hand, you rule out all the distractions and focus on the task completely. After a 25-minute block, a mandatory break needs to be taken as it helps you relax and also acts as a bridge to plan out the next block.

The technique can be employed for any task and make them more streamlined. The tasks can be tracked better and you can avoid spending more time on tasks that aren’t productive.

The six steps of the Pomodoro Technique:

• Decide the task and find out how much effort it requires.
• Set a timer to 25 minutes (either with an egg timer or with an app).
• Work on the task for 25 minutes straight. Remove unwanted distractions and focus only on the task at hand.
• Put a checkmark on the To-do list once you finish.
• Take a 5-minute break to rejuvenate yourself, then start another Pomodoro.
• Take a 15-20 minute break after completing four Pomodoros.

When you look at it for the first time, it looks simple and not so convincing maybe. But when you try it, you’ll get to know that it is very effective. This method helps you rule out unwanted distractions such as going through your phone repeatedly, checking emails, etc.

Stages of the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique involves these 5 important stages explained below. The workflow of the Technique looks something like this:

Planning -> Tracking -> Recording -> Processing -> Visualizing.

• Evaluate the effort required: You start by planning the effort required for a task and evaluating how long it takes for getting the desired result. Normally, this is only a prediction and you can estimate it better once you do it multiple times.
• Tracking the work you do: The timer that you set regulates the work you do and you have to keep away all distractions during this 25-minute block. A strong focus on the task is required to maintain a productive state.
• Recording the efforts: The efforts are then recorded on a To-Do list which lets you know of the results after each Pomodoro. This list provides a sense of accomplishment and gives you room for growth as you can tweak them on the subsequent Pomodoros.
• Processing the information: Any time left after that completion of a work is devoted to overleaning. This helps to improve the skill over time if you find yourself finishing the task well before the end of the 25-minute block.
• Visualizing the information: After the completion of the task, the information has to be visualized and seen as a chance to streamline the workflow further. You can visualize the results in the form of a graph or chart to track the overall result for a longer span of time.

Advantages of the Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique comes with a lot of advantages that help you manage time better such as:

• Focus on one task at a time and eliminate multi-tasking.
• It creates a sense of urgency to finish the task no matter what.
• Take necessary breaks in between for assimilation and to avoid experiencing burnout.
• Manage time better and increase productivity.
• Spend only the right amount of time and not spend anything more or less.
• Get into the Flow or zone state.

Disadvantages of this Technique:

There are a few disadvantages to this, as it requires all the task to fall into the 25-minute block. Some tasks may require a longer span or some may need only several minutes. The Technique also has a caveat that if you don’t spend the complete 25-minute block on doing a task, then it isn’t counted as a Pomodoro. So you consider each Pomodoro as a sign of progress and usually find yourself not involved in tasks if you know that another task or distraction might get in the way. For example, if you start a Pomodoro at 5 PM but have a meeting at 5:20, then you might hesitate to start the Pomodoro. In such instances, you lose out on a few productive minutes.

Can you tailor the technique for yourself?

Absolutely. The Pomodoro technique is a strategy that you can tailor according to your needs. Some of the common modifications that I’ve seen people do are:

Combine two or more Pomodoros

While this isn’t part of the original technique, it should work for a few people who can stay focused for a longer span of time. It usually means spending about 50-minutes (2 Pomodoro) or more on the same task without an interval in between. This can help to be more focused on the task but comes with the cost of missing out on the break to assimilate the facts. For example, doing project work or writing an assignment may not require a break in between all the time. So 2 Pomodoros can be combined here.

Combining more than 2 or more is not optimal for most people since you can find it hard to stay concentrated. But if you are someone who has continuously practiced this technique, it shouldn’t be that hard.

Count Partial Pomodoros

On occasions where an unavoidable situation comes, you would have to give up on that Pomodoro to get that done. While this doesn’t count as a Pomodoro on the standard version, you would have to give credit for the work you do. So it’s worthwhile to write down the particular amount of time on the list for it to count towards the total productivity.

This isn’t always advisable as you might start taking distractions too less seriously. But it can be done on a few instances to give yourself a morale boost to make use of even smaller time blocks effectively.

This book is highly recommended if you are procrastinating way too much and need a way out: How To Stop Procrastinating.

Conclusion

The Pomodoro Technique teaches you to value time more and avoid multi-tasking. The time is ticking away even as you read this. It’s important to utilize most of the time on what really matters to you. So make it a habit to spend more time productively and be the person you want to be.

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The Eisenhower Matrix, which is also referred to as Urgent-Important Matrix, helps you prioritize tasks by urgency & importance. It can be used to find and rule out the tasks that are not productive or delegate them. This is a great solution for many people who can’t identify how they spend their time.

What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important.

Dwight Eisenhower

Who is Eisenhower?

Dwight D. Eisenhower was born in Texas and raised in Kansas. He was one of America’s greatest military commanders and the 34th President of the United States serving two terms from 1953 until 1961. Being the Allied Forces Supreme Commander during World War II and NATO’s first supreme commander, he had to make critical decisions every single day. It was important to make near perfect decisions as it affects a lot of people.

He followed a principle that allowed prioritizing the tasks at hand based on their urgency and importance. The reason that his principle was so popular is that he could sustain his productivity for not just weeks or months, but years together. Many people around the world still follow his principle to make their time productive. And it is a proven strategy to make you more productive and utilize the time for the best.

How to use the Eisenhower Matrix?

The Eisenhower matrix has four quadrants split based on urgency and importance. The matrix can be modified according to one’s needs such as a short-term goal or a long-term business plan. And it will still provide the desired results.

Eisenhower’s matrix consists of four quadrants indicating the possibilities of urgency and importance.

• Urgent and Important: You need to do these tasks immediately.
• Important and Not Urgent: You can schedule these tasks to do later.
• Urgent and Not Important: You can delegate these tasks to someone else.
• Not Important and Not Urgent: You have to get rid of this task.

An example of how my Eisenhower matrix looks like:

If you like this template, you can download it at no cost for your personal use. (Link at the bottom)

The four possibilities of the Eisenhower matrix explained:

Urgent and Important

These are the tasks that you feel the urge to do immediately. They may be anything from answering a call to going to work. These are the work that you have to do right away and are really important as it requires immediate attention. These tasks are given the highest priority and it is recommended to do them as soon as you can.

For me, writing an article falls in this category so I prefer doing it first thing in the morning. This sets the stage for the rest of the day to be productive.

Important and Not Urgent

This category consists of the tasks that are important in the long term but don’t require action right away. In other words, these can be scheduled to be done at another time.

A task that is important doesn’t always mean it’s urgent and requires immediate attention. Putting this aside, for the time being, gives you more time that you can focus on tasks that belong to the first possibility.

Going to the gym, finding out business strategies are important to me, but not urgent. So I don’t spend too much time on them right now. Note that this doesn’t apply to you and this is the possibility where everyone has different opinions. So it’s essential to classify the tasks at hand accordingly.

Urgent and Not Important

The tasks that you feel the urge to do immediately but they are not really required, fall under this category. This type of task can be delegated to someone else, especially if you are in the middle of doing tasks that fall in category 1.

For example, if you are preparing for a presentation and you find yourself checking social media constantly in between or doing other unproductive work. Preparing for a presentation takes priority over other tasks, ideally, you need to put your phone away to remove distractions. These distractions such as phone ringing can get in the way of your presentation and hinder the work that you do.

So it’s better to do delegate these tasks to someone else if you can’t focus on them currently. When someone asks you to do their work, make sure you finish your important task first then consider that request.

It makes a big difference if you could identify that what’s important for them may not be important to you.

Not Important and Not Urgent

When a task that takes up your time is neither important nor urgent, it is time to reconsider doing that. Such tasks are the ones that hold you back from doing the things you like and harm your productivity.

Common examples of this category are binge-watching a whole season, scrolling on social media endlessly for the whole day.

While they don’t have to be eliminated altogether, you have to find a balance between the things you do in your free time and the things you do apart from them.

It is optimal to spend most of your time on categories 1 and 2 and give the least possible amount to category 4 so that you have the energy to keep going without getting drained.

How to categorize the tasks?

It can be really easy to mistake the priorities and classify the tasks. So the next time you do something, ask yourself, “Will this take me to my goal?”. If your answer is Yes, then the task belongs in quadrant 1 or 2. If the task can be done by someone else then it belongs to quadrant 3. An answer No can only mean one thing, that you have to minimize it or eliminate it.

A process of elimination also comes in handy if you can’t seem to differentiate the tasks. The best use of time involves telling yourself “just put a little more effort” and work on the things that matter the most.

And when you find yourself engaged in a task that is unproductive, tell yourself “Imagine the work that I could’ve done when I was doing this”. Do this consistently till you no longer feel the urge to do something of no importance.

Have I tried this method and does it work?

This method requires that you identify your goals and know what you are working for. Once you realize that, this method will be a major factor in increasing productivity. This method has helped me in eliminating countless hours on unimportant things that I would rather spend productively.

The book 7 habits of highly effective people mentions this method. Read it if you have not already.

The prerequisite for this method goes without saying: Find your goal and what drives you to your goal. Identifying this will help you classify the tasks much easier.

I recommend you to try this method to increase your productivity. It can be used for even the smallest of tasks, as long as you are willing to become a better person and stop procrastinating.

Follow this link to download the Template: Download Eisenhower Matrix Template

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About 23% percent of the population identifies themselves as chronic procrastinators and this number is on the rise. Simply put, Procrastination is lying to yourself that you will complete work later and constantly putting off what you need to do. It’s like when you have all the opportunities within your reach but still can’t get them. The time that you spend procrastinating could be spent on much more meaningful and productive things.

Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.

Stephen King

Why do we Procrastinate?

People think that reading a lot of books, gathering more information such as hacks about how to overcome procrastination can help them overcome it.

The reason why we procrastinate and not be as productive as we intend to be is not that we lack information. We have all the information we need right on our fingertips. Rather, its because we fail to prioritize what we have to do and act.

One who is complacent in the current moment will fail to do anything that he has to. If you stay perpetually complacent, the consequence of that will be that you might end up stealing a lot from your future self. If you steal too much, the actions are sometimes irreversible.

Not prioritizing what matters the most

We are made to believe that the freer the people, the happier they will be. Now that we have a lot of freedom to choose what we like, it must mean we are happier now right?

In reality, that’s not the case. As we have a lot of choices, we tend to forget the priorities in life and perform actions according to our own free will. In the end, as a result of not putting in enough effort, if we don’t get the desired results, we feel demotivated and stop doing anything at all.

Having self-doubt

Sometimes it is hard to keep going when the odds are against you. At such times, you have to believe in yourself and overcome self-doubts. Every time you waste doubting yourself is not coming back and it doesn’t make you feel any better as well. So it’s better to get over the limitation that you set for yourself and start acting on things that matter.

Thinking that it’s not worth it

Sometimes you imagine a scenario of you not being able to achieve something that you’ve dreamt of. When you think of taking the necessary steps to get you closer to that dream, that negative feeling just holds you back. And you begin to think if it’s all worth doing it? Unless you act upon something, you will never know what lies ahead for you on the other side.

How to stop procrastinating?

I’ve gone through a lot of tips to stop procrastinating and only a handful gave actual results. One of the best tips that helped me overcome procrastinating is to leverage fear by ensuring that the stakes are too high for you to stay perpetually complacent.

Fear of something always pushes one to do something and be more responsible. Doing something out of fear can help you pay more attention to the consequences that will come to be. Fear of losing a job, a career that you dreamed of, losing someone you love (thanatophobia). All these will give you a reminder of why you should be doing it instead of procrastinating.

Why does it work?

The fear of having something taken away puts your mind into a mode where it constantly searches for a way to fix that outcome. People go after instant gratification but that is only temporary and after it fades away, you will still feel the need to procrastinate.

This is the opposite of the reward system, where you reward yourself for your achievement. In this system, you motivate yourself to achieve it or face the consequence that you have set up. Either way, it motivates you to do better.

Instead, have someone/ yourself periodically remind you of the situation you will be in if you don’t perform. The fear of consequence drives you and helps you do it without procrastinating further.

Why doesn’t it work?

Having fear constantly driving you is impossible. Sometimes you feel the urge to do it because of fear, but it may not be applicable to every action that you have to perform. We are told that it’s fine to put off things for later as long as it brings you happiness at the moment. The happiness being referred to is only temporary happiness. While you focus on instant gratification, the long term goals are getting distant and may not be reachable after a certain point.

Some people may feel that fear of consequence couldn’t be a driving factor for success. But, on the contrary, overcoming fear with even bigger fear is likely to work.

So if fear of consequence doesn’t help you get started, then find out other possible factors to influence you. You can learn all you want about motivation, productivity, and various factors. But in the end, if you don’t put all those learning into practice it won’t be beneficial.

Misconceptions about Procrastination

Procrastination isn’t a form of laziness or relaxation. A person who is lazy will not be willing to do anything in the first place, whereas a procrastinator will be willing and possess all the information but just isn’t compelled to do it.

Most of the chronic procrastinators think that they perform better at the last minute. So they waste all the time that they have until the end and complete their work ineffectively. This is a common misconception and scientifically proven to not work as they think it does.

Bottomline

Even when we’re procrastinating and hesitating, our life goes on. So it’s worthwhile to get started and do what you’re meant to, rather than wait around and waste time doing nothing that brings value. Constant improvement and deliberate practice go hand in hand with daily habits. It’s our responsibility to go out there and be who we dream of being. So start taking action without further ado and stop procrastinating!

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I’m not lazy, I’m just highly motivated to do nothing.

If you’re habitually lazy, then you will start missing out on a lot of valuable time. Eventually, this may lead to failure in life. Being lazy can be quite draining and unpleasant. You will find even the easiest things to be very challenging, at times. So if you’re planning to move on to the productive track, then make sure to implement these strategies to stop being lazy.

Find out the reason for the laziness

Covering up the lack of motivation, self-discipline and the willingness to get things done, with the term ‘laziness’ will make it harder to identify the underlying problem. Battling laziness can be a hard first step but with consistency, it’s not that much of a threat. If you are able to find out the reason for your laziness, then it should be fairly easy to move on to the next step to overcome that. Most people spend most of their time on social media. There are apps that you can use to track the usage and reduce them in time. Self-discipline is also essential to be consistently productive. I’ve read somewhere that houses have their couch facing towards the television, which makes us watch it even more.

Remove distractions, find the motivation that you’re looking for and start making To-Do lists to increase productivity. This may vary for each and every person, so tailor it according to your needs and write a plan of action. This is the most crucial step to stop being lazy as it helps you track the result periodically.

Exercise regularly

Often you may feel that a task is overwhelming, that even the thought of it will make you lazy. That’s where exercising helps you. Overcoming physical laziness increases your mental strength as well. When you exercise, your body will start cooperating with you to achieve more complicated tasks. And you will no longer feel lazy for smaller things.

If you don’t know what to do to break out of a tough spot, remember to exercise and your mind will open doors for you. The strength that you were looking for on the outside has always been inside you. You only need to put some effort to bring it out. Naturally, your productivity increases and you will begin to put more effort into doing things you appreciate.

Disrupt your habits to overcome laziness

If you go through social media as soon as you wake up, then you set yourself up for a bad start for the day. First, you have to analyze what is taking away most of your time. If it’s social media, then uninstalling or limiting their usage to certain hours will be useful. Watching a whole season of a series a day can kill off all the time you have for yourself. Otherwise, if you are looking to create a new habit, then writing down the course of action is recommended.

When you do something for 21 days straight, it becomes a habit. Consistency is the key to get work done. Make your daily routine harder, if you’re looking for motivation to do them. Even making small changes will result in good improvement over time.

Positive self-talk

Do you know that positive self-talk increases your chances manifold to get a job done? The next time you think of something like, ‘I’m are not capable enough to do that’ or ‘that I’m just too lazy to do something’, tune your thoughts into something like ‘I’ll get this done no matter what’. You are who you think you are. Feed your brain positive thoughts and it will even make you do things or pick up tougher tasks that you would’ve never dreamed of doing.

The fool didn’t know it was impossible, so he did it.

Make sure to give this book a read as it gives you insights into the superpowers you can develop using your sub-conscience mind: The Power of your sub-conscience mind.

Enjoy the things you do and Relax

Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.

If you enjoy what you do, you will naturally get the flow to do it. Your mind will no longer feel overwhelmed by all the input you feed to it. In fact, you can find inspiration within yourself as your mind cooperates with you, this time. You no longer have to push your mind to do something productive.

Sometimes, even if you’re doing things that you like, you might be worn out. This calls for relaxation. Take a leap back and think about the purpose of doing what you do. And often, thinking about your happy memories can give you the strength to keep going.

Be organized and monitor the progress

If you maintain a To-do list, pat your back because that’s the best way to be more productive and stop being lazy. Writing down what you want, generally makes you realize that it’s something important and should be done at all costs. Laziness is what we term as a state when we are faced with unpleasant tasks. If we start tackling them, it’ll bring a sense that things are under control.

There are apps to track habits continuously which can help you monitor how well you are doing. It is normal to miss out once in a while, but that shouldn’t stop you and you should always remember to get back on the horse. Habits are nurtured by daily practice and you should be committed to doing that every single day.

Reward yourself for every good work

Rewarding yourself for good work you’ve done will remind you to keep going and not give up. While getting the work done is itself a reward, think about the positive results that will come once you’ve finished your work. After putting in all the work, the fruits of labor show why it was worth doing that. Use fitness trackers while doing daily chores and see how many calories you burn. All the effort you put in has a new meaning now that you are analyzing it.

Even though extrinsic rewards are mostly fancied by everyone, it is important to understand that intrinsic rewards are long term. Think of external rewards as stepping stones and find the intrinsic rewards that you were meant to achieve. They are even more satisfying and give you a sense of purpose of doing something for the better good.

Prepare yourself mentally

As I mentioned earlier, exercising can help you become mentally strong. Sometimes that may not be sufficient in getting the required motivation. At times like these, you can implement this strategy which was suggested by Neil Pasricha – the author of best-selling books such as The Happiness Equation, The Book of Awesome:

Every day, write down these 3 prompts:

I am:

• Letting go of : _________________
• Grateful for : __________________
• Focusing on :__________________

It can be even the smallest of things such as being grateful for watching a beautiful on the way to work to the biggest of things. The first point clears the regret that you hold on to so that you can move on and live in the present. The second point teaches you to appreciate what you have got but not realize. The third one lets you focus on things are more important and need priority.

Once you start following this as a routine, you will understand that you have overlooked a lot of good things in life and start to appreciate them more. And this will enable you to step out of your lazy zone.

Final thoughts to stop being Lazy

Just because you’re lazy now doesn’t mean you can’t overcome it. With the right practice, you can be more productive. Try to implement these strategies in your daily routine and I can assure you that you will change for the better. One small change can result in a big difference in your life.

If you still need help with overcoming laziness, you may consult a doctor to determine if there’s a medical condition.

How did you stop being lazy? Let me know if you employed any different method to overcome it!

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What is Internal Motivation?

Internal motivation is what drives you to go that extra mile. It refers to the characteristic that is driven by internal rewards. Internal or Intrinsic motivation doesn’t concern itself with external factors and is focused only on you alone. Internal motivation is long-lasting as the effect comes from within. External motivations are temporary as external factors are involved.

Internal motivation occurs when you act without any external factors. In other words, it happens when you do something that you like, a hobby or a career that you had a passion for. It should be internally rewarding not for other external reasons such as money, fame, etc. Internally motivated behaviors offer other rewards that offer much higher value such as a sense of feeling that you’re destined for much greater. And a positive feeling that you are doing something for the right reason. When you begin to see results, the sense of achievement is far more wonderful.

Make your life a masterpiece; Imagine no limitations on what you can be, have or do.

Brian Tracy

These are some of the factors to increase intrinsic motivation:

Curiosity:

When people are curious about something, they will want to get to know more about it. This will increase the intrinsic motivation to venture into different unexplored parts and get something done.

The tendency to help others:

People get satisfaction from doing the right things to help out people. Be it helping them mentally, or from a dangerous situation. This increases intrinsic motivation and pushes them to do some more which in turn spreads positivity to others.

Challenge:

When faced with a challenge, people break barriers and overcome them. Setting goals and achieving them for the personal growth boosts self-esteem and their overall value.

Greater purpose:

When you feel that your actions have a greater purpose, then you would be inclined to do that no matter what. Psychologists call this “re-framing your narrative.” Even a small task can increase your intrinsic motivation if you understand that there’s greater good waiting on the other side.

The Power of Internal motivation:

No matter how hard or impossible it is, never lose sight of your goal. Internal motivation drives you to achieve heights that no others can. And the most important factor is that it keeps you going for so long where most others may end up giving up halfway.

If you find yourselves doing something that you don’t like to, for any extrinsic motivation such as money, there might an end to it. Rather find something more rewarding, interesting and something you wouldn’t do without. This will help you come up with awesome ideas and be someone who you always wanted to be. A feeling which would’ve never come if you were focused on extrinsic motivations.

Final words:

Are you looking for long term happiness and serious motivation to pursue things that you like? Find the intrinsic motivation within you. It can be so easy to get caught up in other things that offer lesser value. Don’t let it cloud your purpose and judgment. Realize your potential, gather all the courage you need and start today on your path towards a well-balanced life.

If you’re looking for intrinsic motivation or any help with balancing out the priorities, think about all the things you’ve endured and how much you’ve grown. Isn’t it reason enough to do more out of your life?

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As someone in their 20’s, you will be given a lot of huge responsibilities on your shoulders. Well, it is the time to explore and get to know about the world and find your purpose right? That’s undeniable. But don’t you think such acts should also go without regrets for your future self? I asked people who are in their late 30’s and 40’s about their regrets and made a list of important things that should be done right to put you into godspeed for the years to come. Have you ever thought of what should one do in 20’s to avoid regrets later? If only people knew these steps earlier they could live a regret-free life.

The key is in not spending time, but in investing it.

 Stephen R. Covey.

What should one do in 20’s to avoid regrets later?

So what should one do in 20’s to avoid regrets later and live a fulfilling life?

While this list can get you started, there are a lot more things that can be added according to your needs.

• Learn finance and how to manage money efficiently.
• Talk to a lot of girls/boys but marry only for love.
• Chase dreams and Ambitions
• Travel every 3 months to a new place.
• Reciprocate the care & love people give you.
• The first wealth is health.
• Stop wasting time, you’re not getting it back.
• Be ready to face a lot of failures and embarrassments, it’ll only build you up.
• The art of saying ‘No’.
• Learn how the world operates around you.
• Aspire to become better than you were yesterday.

Financial Literacy :

There are people who have no clue what they spend their money on, or just not that good with money management. With the internet almost reaching out to everyone, there are a lot of finance-related courses, blogs and tips available that one can make use of. You can save tax, cut down unnecessary expenses, get better investments made.

Relationships are overrated:

Literally, it is. You shouldn’t force a relationship to last. And if you have to, then it is not meant for you and should be let go. Someday you will happen to cross path with someone who loves you and will break you out of the walls you put around your heart. Trust me, that’s when you know its the right person. You deserve a life with no regrets!

Go after your passion:

You should’ve at least known a hundred people stating this to you. But they are not wrong. By following your passion, you don’t have to tie yourself down to do something you don’t like every day. If doing something feels like you were born for this, then you should spend some time on it to identify if that’s your purpose in life.

Go travel to re-discover yourself:

When you lose sight of your path, listen for the destination in your heart. Traveling helps you find what you really want. The solace, experience, the journey and the people you travel with, makes it all the more worthwhile to go on one every three months. Sometimes, going away for a bit is all the remedy you need to relieve stress.

Love the people who love you:

In this never-ending pursuit of finding people to love, it’s easy for someone to forget the ones who really love you. Your family, friends, and love of your life need your attention and time. Remember all those good times you had with them? It’s time to cherish it and make some more beautiful memories.

Take care of your health:

No one knows the reason why they’re here. You just have to go find it out as you go along. For the path to be a bit easier, health is really essential and one has to give it the care it deserves. People usually miss this one out and regret it at some point later.

The Relentless Time:

Time isn’t a cruel or a relentless force. But, Procrastination is. The time you lose in your 20’s can’t be made up by the time in the 30’s or 40’s. You just have to find things worth doing and invest time in a better way, that makes you grow or get some skills that will benefit you later. According to me, the only bad skill is the one you didn’t bother developing.

Failures are good:

What if I told you that we’ve all been taught wrong that success is all that matters, but nobody taught us that there are a lot of hardships, pain, hard work, perseverance behind the scenes that helped us get to this point.

The Art of Saying ‘No’:

If you don’t like something, just say no to it. It’ll help you avoid a lot of unpleasant scenarios and you’re much better off with standing up for something you want to do. Saying yes for the sake of it won’t get you far if at all brings you only unexpected problems later.

Learn what’s going on around you:

People generally don’t jump into the picture, unless it has something to do with them directly. But there are thousands of things that affect their daily life. For example, politics, finances, environment, climate, technology and so much more. Learn how these work and what could be done to improve them. It’s so much better than just being a keyboard warrior.

Become a better version of you:

You don’t have to be better than someone else. Not everyone started at the same starting line. Just strive to become a better person than who you were yesterday. It gives you happiness and you will learn to enjoy life even more. Your time will come.

Conclusion:

You will gain life-changing experiences and a lot of moments to cherish in your 20’s. All that matters is for you to make the most of it and live it as if it’s your last day. Do what scares you, but make sure that’s something you would be proud of, in the years to come.

Let me know in the comments what you think of this post and I’ll give it a thought for the next ones! Until then, Hang on to Life!

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