Whether you’re an established freelancer (used to work anytime and everywhere) or you were forced to change your habits because of the pandemic’s multiple lockdowns (hey, here we are!), you may have noticed there has been a big change in the work industry lately.
It seems like we joined a new era, where people finally reached more independence in several areas of its life.
We found out that smart-working could have a lot of positive benefits. It gives you the opportunity to manage your time properly and keeps your mind flexible to adapt your schedule and face contingencies in an easier way. Especially if you have a family to take care of, it could be the best solution for who don’t want to miss the small joys of being a parent and gave to your toddler the constant attentions he deserves. On the other side, you may have noticed a serious difficulty to switch from working-time to relax-time.
It happens because the human mind tends to associate actions to places. It means that if we mix work and private life in one only place, we are led to confuse actions and we find difficult being 100% focused on the single ones. There is evidence that this process may hurt our mental health on the long run. That’s why finding the right way to manage our time became fundamental.
So, behave like our own boss and follow these few simple tips that will help you find the perfect balance between productivity and leisure:
We know… you probably HATE this word as much as we do but we promise you’ll find it very useful. In fact, setting your own routine and follow it on weekdays will help you distinguish them from the weekends, usually devoted to relax.
Start with waking up at the same time every day and, consistently with the amount of work you have to do, set a fair number of working hours. Chose a compatible time for meals and breaks and be thorough to set an ending time to not cross. Try to respect it for at least 3 weeks.
Planning, planning, planning. Every evening, take the last 10 minutes to write down accurately the tasks for the day after. Doing this, you will start your day with less stress and you won’t lose precious time try remembering where you left off.
This is usually the hardest thing, especially for people who are living in a small apartment or with other people. Having your own studio would be amazing but isn’t mandatory, a room corner with a small dedicated desk could be enough. The environment is no less important: sunlight, a good room temperature and silence (or your favorite music) should never be missed for a perfect concentration.
We want you to connect mentally that space with “productivity”, in order to leave the rest of the house as a stress-free place to enjoy your private life.
We never get tired to say that a healthy mind is always related with a healthy body.
Start the day with a nutritive breakfast full of Vitamins and Proteins and try to fill your lunch with Whole Carbohydrates, Vegetables and Omega 3, to keep your mind focused and avoid hunger pangs during the day. Use your favorite supplements for meals and snacks to spice them up and get a boost of nutrients whenever you need most.
EVAH’S TIP: If you feel you have no enough time to cook every day, you can spend a couple of hours of your weekend to prepare your meals in advance and save them in the refrigerator.
It’s not important what you do… just do it! Yoga, crossfit, pilates, boxe, paint a fence, walk your dog, go up and down stairs, whatever. The body needs to move constantly for (at least) 30 minutes every day to permit muscles and joints being healthy and young over time. Doing this in the fresh air will just double the benefits.
Impose yourself to look at the phone only during breaks (unless you need it for work, of course). Social media, messaging apps can be very distracting and makes you lose hours without notice it.
The same method has to be used for people who are living with you. It’s not easy to set boundaries with our loved ones but this will help you to be productive
Kindly advise them that you need to be focused on your work because, the result of it, will bring benefits to all of the family and promise you will be totally present once finished (and respect it). They will understand more than you can imagine.
When working alone, especially in the creative sector, it is not uncommon that we spend hours on hours without talking with anyone. Is this happen to you, too?
That’s why is very important to set aside time for relaxing and enjoy the company or other human beings. Evenings and weekends should be spent in reconnecting with people we love, doing things we like. This will help you reduce stress and makes you look at your little issues with a detached vision. On Monday you will start your week as a new you, we promise it.
So, book a table in that fancy restaurant you were craving to bring your best friends and enjoy a night out. You deserved it!
If you’ve found this article useful we would be more than happy to receive your opinion. And don’t forget to share it with the tag #evahisme !
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I know, it's a little controversial but be honest, how many articles have you read about toxic relationships?
Maybe you were just curious to understand more about the signals to beware, before running into people that can hurt you or maybe you were actually conscious of living one.
Nowadays, it’s kind of a popular topic simply because we have realized that almost everyone has experienced bad feelings when DEALING WITH PEOPLE, at least once in a lifetime. In fact, “relationship” literally means “the way in which two or more people or things are connected”.
A connection doesn’t start always naturally and have to be built with a constant work by BOTH PARTS. Just think about your colleagues, your relatives. You haven’t chosen them to be part of your life so you can’t deal with them without considering a little effort for being polite, empathetic and caring.
When you feel you’re EQUALLY CORRESPONDED, maintaining a positive behavior become easier and easier and have a beneficial effect in strengthening the relationship. You feel happy, understood, free to show your real strengths and weaknesses.
But…when is not?
You find yourself experiencing a deep SENSE OF DISCOMFORT. It could happen you don’t feel free to express your opinion in fear of disappointing them or you feel guilty for not being capable of understand their hidden feelings.
You strive to be listened or, if they do, it seems everything you say is badly interpreted or misunderstood.
Often, you could even feel MANIPULATED. This happen because you are facing someone that is unable to handle a fight, so they get defensive and use your same words to attack you.
One only hour in the company of that particular person, even virtually, consume all of your MENTAL ENERGIES and makes you feel like you’re trapped in your own life.
This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re dealing with bad people. Sometimes it means that you both simply don’t share the same vision or lifestyle.
In the context of love relationship is even more complicated because (let’s say it) no one wants to be wrong! Admitting ourselves to have made the wrong choice is one of the most difficult things ever. So, we struggle for months, years, hoping that our efforts will worth and people will change thanks to us but I tell you a secret…it won’t happen.
But hey, good news.
It’s not so hard to take control of the situation, even when you feel disarmed and overwhelmed. Try to follow these 3 fundamental steps:
Stop questioning yourself and accept that people are different and have different needs. Including you.
Don’t blame yourself if their values don’t correspond to yours, there’s nothing you can do about it. Don’t be afraid to talk with them and share your vision.
If you don’t get the result you want, starting to be conscious of the power of self and set boundaries when needed, can help you take distances from people who wants to shape you and your world in their image.
You are not asked to take decisions immediately. Breath. Be firm and communicate them you need some time alone, with no contacts. Normally, most of the closest relationships just need to be re-balanced.
Once your brain is focused and clear, the solution will come to mind very easily.
You need to remind yourself what it “feeling well”. So, DO THINGS!
Book a dinner out in that new Thai restaurant, sign up for that aerial yoga course, re-watch for the 20th time your favorite movie, call that friend who lives in Marbella and plan a weekend together. In short, make sure you remember what “happiness” really means. Insecurity, routine and boredom makes you involve with people with an offset perception.
Contrary to what some people have been saying we believe that toxic relationships are fundamental in order to understand what you DON’T WANT in your life, in a deeper level. This will help you choose wisely who you want sharing your days with.
In fact, after getting out from one of it, you find yourself completely changed, energized and ready for the next step. And this is the most powerful push for you to start living your best life.
If you’ve found this article useful and you (or a friend) have lived the same experience we would be more than happy to receive your opinion. And don’t forget to share it with the tag #evahisme !
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