We live in a world of data overload. There is too much to do and so little time. Therefore, we have to be on top of our actions and blindly follow the trend. Be the engineer of your life by managing your time, habits, and goals.
Even though there are tools to organize our time, we still struggle to decide what we should do. One of the lessons that I learned is the key to productivity is not being busy. But consciously and purposefully devoting your time to things that truly matter. Time management is one of the most valuable assets for productivity and organization. Being organized with your time and knowing where you are devoting your time is crucial for your success. A conscious and purposeful distribution of your time can be a game-changer. Throughout the pandemic, I figured that we should be spending our time balanced in these three pillars:
- Consumption
Consumption is where we spend most of our time. It is when we input energy and information into our body and mind. Reading, dining, learning are all examples of consumption. It is the foundation for the rest two pillars. Be selective. You are what you consume. Whatever you put inside of you, your body will react respectively. There are two main types of consumption: Food and information.
In terms of nutrition, find the best quality food that you can find. Check the food label of packaged food and be aware of what you are eating. Learning how to see the nutrition label is crucial for improving your overall health.
For information, reliability is imperative. Knowing the source and who is sharing the information provide more support to your thesis statement. Questions like “who is the creator of this content?” and “what is the organization/ or platform the content from?” should be explicit. The more prestigious and renowned your answers are, the more reliable your information is.
- Creativity
In the realm of creativity, we merge our experiences with what we had consumed by digesting and reengineering them. The goal is to conjure up something new with our and others’ experiences. It is similar when you are brainstorming ideas mingling different perspectives. The end goal is to give it a brand-new perspective that leads us to creation.
A good time for creativity is under the shower, morning walks, before sleep, and so on. The cold showers have been approved to help tap into the Alpha frequency of mind, which is the brainwave in a relaxed mode.
“Boosting your alpha waves might also increase your creativity levels. In a 2015 study, researchers found evidence that they could trigger a surge in creativity if they specifically focused on enhancing alpha waves.” (Segment from Healthline)
- Creation
All creations are created twice. First in your mind, then in reality. That’s why creativity, which originated from consumption, is the building block for innovation. The third pillar is the hardest and the most time-consuming (at least it seems to be).
Since our inventions are all originated from the consumption of others’ creations, we used to say that nothing is original. In the book “Steal Like an Artist,” Austin Kleon shared the concept that nothing is original. Our creation is just a mixture of all that we consume.
Awareness is the first step to get to know which pillar you should improve. The “Atomic Habits” mentions the Habit Scoreboard Technique to discover generally good, neutral, and bad habits. Use this technique to acknowledge how much time you are spending on each of these three pillars. Write for information, reliability is imperative. Knowing the source and who is sharing the information provide more support to your thesis statement. Questions like “who is the creator of this content?” and “what is the organization/ or platform the content from?” should be explicit. The more prestigious and renowned your answers are, the more reliable your information is. z down your average daily routine from the moment you wake up to bedtime. Then, categorize the habits in consumption, creativity, and creation.
The key is to find the balance and not overdo any of the pillars. It is crucial to regularly assess your routine and check if they align with your ultimate goal and values.
