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How To Stop Wasting Time And Become Productive
Time waits for nobody. It literally flies and never stops flying. The best we can do is maximize the usage of time because whatever we do with our time is strictly up to us. Today I want to share some tips on how to stop wasting time and become more productive.

One dangerous fact about time is that wasted time is like a deficit to your destiny. Because that time you wasted is gone and can NEVER be replaced. That amount of time you squandered procrastinating and being unproductive is like a void that must be filled.

All those undone tasks, uninitiated projects, unfinished businesses, and unachieved goals are still there waiting for you to take responsibility and get them done — but time will never wait for you, it keeps ticking. And before you know it, you will run out of time to make things happen.

The importance of time management and productivity cannot be overemphasized. But unfortunately, many of us suck at it. That’s why we always struggle to maintain a high level of productivity.

It’s pretty normal for the average person to get a bit sluggish at times, after all, we can’t possibly be at our best every day. But then making it a habit to stay unproductive is just unreasonable.

When you procrastinate and spend unproductive time watching Netflix all day, scrolling through your social media, and failing to adopt practical steps towards achieving your goals, you are only limiting yourself from being productive and reaching your full potential.

How to stop wasting time and be productive

Being productive simply means making the most of your time! It doesn’t necessarily mean “doing a lot of things”. You can actually be all over the place, carrying out lots of tasks, but in the end, you’re still not productive.

You simply don’t have to do so much in order to consider yourself efficient, you just have to do what matters.

Funny enough, when you always do a lot, chances are you are mostly doing stuff that doesn’t matter. After all, there are actually very few things that matter in life. And without focusing on those few things, you won’t be productive.

But…all hope is not lost because in this article, I will be focusing on how to stop wasting time and become productive. If you actually apply these tips I’m sure you will see a positive change in your life.

1. Develop A Productive Mindset

The mind is a very powerful tool that can be used to foster transformation. Every movement towards change starts from the mind.

Depending on your mindset, you’re either heading towards success or failure. So, if you are going to be productive, your mindset must be improved to the point where it operates optimally. There is no way you’ll procrastinate or spend your precious time on frivolities if you are positive as a person. Instead, making the most of your time will be your priority.

When you have the right mentality, there won’t be anything like a difficult task, rather, there can only be important tasks. As a result, you won’t hesitate to get things done, because it’s “important” to do so.

Moreover, there are certain ingredients you really need to fix into your thought process if you are really going to learn how to stop wasting time and become productive as an individual. Examples are:
- Vision: You need to have a dream before you even get started with setting those goals.
- Motivation: This element is quite important to maintain your pace towards achieving your goals.
- Persistence: You need to have a strong will to overcome any difficulty you might face.
- Positive Attitude: Finally, your attitude is who you are. It can make or mar the whole procedure in life. You need to embrace a positive attitude in order to be productive.
2. Set Goals

To be efficient in whatever you do, you have to get clear on what you want to achieve, and the best way to create such clarity is by setting goals.

Without a goal, you are more like a traveler who is eager to embark on a journey but then has no destination, no compass, and no map! Trust me, going on such a journey is the easiest way to get lost!

The same thing is applicable to you if you don’t have any goal — you will never be productive and will never arrive at your desired destination (success).

With goals, you have a sense of purpose and direction!

However, when setting those goals, also give yourself a deadline to achieve them because deadlines give you a sense of urgency to get things done as fast as possible. Consequently, there won’t be unnecessary time wastage.

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3. Take It One Step At A Time — Stop Multitasking

As I mentioned earlier, productivity is not about doing lots of things, but about making the most of your time by doing what matters.

Seriously, you don’t have to multitask in order to be productive. You just have to take things little by little. Any little step you take towards achieving your goals is actually an act of productivity. You don’t necessarily have to beat yourself up in order to feel useful.

Most of us have this belief that multitasking helps us to save time and stay productive, but that’s really a misconception.

According to a study, the average human brain cannot fully focus when multitasking. And as a result, it takes much more time to complete your tasks. Besides, when you multitask, you are likely to make a lot of mistakes. This is the opposite of being productive don’t you think?

4. Apply The Pareto Principle

The “Pareto principle”, also known as the “80-20 rule” states that 80% of outcomes come from 20% of efforts. This principle simply recommends that you focus on the efforts that bring greater outcomes!

In other words, if you want to be productive with the limited time at your disposal, you have to figure out and concentrate on that special task which, when completed, will go a long way to bring you closer to achieving your ultimate goals.

5. Start With The Most Difficult And Important Tasks

According to Brian Tracy, if you must eat two frogs, start with the ugliest!

It’s pretty common to fall for the temptation of starting with easier chores — well, Brian Tracy suggests that you should totally avoid this temptation if you want to achieve your end goals. Start by outlining those difficult tasks. If possible, write them down in their order of importance.

Here is a representation:
- Important and urgent (1st)
- Important but not urgent (2nd)
- Urgent but not important (3rd)
- Not urgent and not important (Last)
Ranking your tasks in this manner is very important as it will give you a clue on which one to tackle first. But then, you must discipline yourself to stick to this order and avoid the temptation of starting with simple chores.

Plus, once you determine the most difficult tasks, you have to get started immediately. Because the more you sit and stare at those “dirty jobs”, the more they scare the hell out of you. Consequently, you might even end up procrastinating (as usual).

If you start off with those rigorous tasks, your confidence will be boosted by the time you are faced with easier tasks. In fact, you will be motivated to get more things done — and pretty fast.

6. Be Conscious Of Time

No matter how good you think you are when it comes to time management, once you start keeping track of how you spend every minute, you’ll be amazed by the amount of time you waste doing absolutely nothing!

In order to learn how to stop wasting time, you have to be time-conscious. It’s as simple as that. There is no way you can tell if you’re consuming too much time when you don’t make a deliberate effort to take note of what you do with time and what you don’t.

Now, to be more time-conscious, and to make the most of your time, ask yourself these questions:
- What would I do if I had more time today?
- What are the obstacles I face that prevent me from making the most of my time?
- In what ways can I overcome these obstacles?
- What steps should I take to be in perfect control of my schedule?
- What are the tasks I seem to carry out effectively in the morning?
- Which chores do I do better in the afternoon and at night?
- What are the tasks that are too time-consuming?
- What tasks should I delegate to other people?
7. Make Your Chores Part of a Routine

How do you feel when your duties are more like everyday routines? Pretty normal right? Well, another way to simplify things and manage your time effectively is by routinizing your daily tasks. Having a routine not only makes things feel a lot easier but also makes your decisions come much faster.

To create the best possible routine, you have to establish a schedule starting from your top priorities to the very least. Carefully plan your day in such a way that it will be possible to keep track of all the events you have for each day.

As part of your routine, constantly revisit your to-do list to see how far you’ve progressed. The joy you derive when your progress is massive will motivate you to do more!

One good thing about routinizing your tasks is that it makes you more organized and calculated. Moreover, you will be one step ahead of time because you’re already aware of what to expect each day — even the day before.

8. Learn To Say No To What Doesn’t Matter

One common weakness most of us have is the ability to say NO when we should. Knowing how to stop wasting time is, in fact, knowing how to start saying NO to things that don’t matter.

And just so you know, anything that doesn’t add up to achieving your end-goal shouldn’t matter to you.

When you fail to pinpoint and ignore the things that really don’t matter, you will continue to patronize those things that are not in line with your goals… Then, you keep wasting your time and in the end, you will struggle to achieve your end goals.

9. Delegate Your Tasks

Hi there, human. It is high time you realized that you can’t do it all alone. At times, you might actually need help!

When you feel like your responsibilities are becoming overwhelming, you have to delegate some of them to your trusted friends, family, or any other person around you.

If you want to make the most of your time, there is no need to struggle so much with one task until you’re stuck — seek help from someone who knows better than you in that field. It does not make you weak or dull… in fact, it makes you super smart because it implies you know how to manage your time!

It’s normal to feel stuck at times. And it’s okay to get confused and not know the way forward. It simply means you are human and you need help. And trust me, we all need help at some point in life.

Therefore, don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if you really want to become more efficient.

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Final thoughts

Sure, it takes a whole lot of determination and discipline to maintain a high level of productivity. However, if you really want to be more efficient in carrying out your tasks, you have to start by managing your time effectively.

You’re off to a great start by reading this and learning how to stop wasting your time!

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October 25, 2020
12 Powerful Keys To Success In Life Only Smart People Know
Navigating through life can be like a rollercoaster ride. Most successful people passed through a lot before they got to that peak you see today. Really, nothing good comes easily. But there are some tips and keys to success in life which I believe will help you go further, and I want to share them with you today.

I’m sure you’ve come across so many articles and books on “how to be successful”. Perhaps you haven’t been able to find the answer to your big question, which is what brings you here.

What is “success”?

Everyone has their own perception of what success looks like, but to be successful, you must ensure you are tilting towards the right ideology. For most economists, success is basically measured by your ability to satisfy your unlimited wants (to a large extent) using the available scarce resources. This, in other words, equates success to financial freedom.

But then philosophically speaking, “success” is a broader concept and shouldn’t be narrowed down to only “financial freedom”. To a philosopher, success is the ability to obtain whatever gives you ultimate happiness. Of course, it could be money, love, or simply a peaceful home.

However, from all indications, and from every definition provided by several experts, one can say that success is simply the ability to find a purpose in life. And honestly, when you find your purpose in life, you will be happy. That explains why people who are truly successful are often happier in life.

Success is not all about how much you’ve got in your bank account (although we really wouldn’t mind having a lot in there). It’s not all about those sleek cars, or the expensive jewelry, shoes, and clothes. It’s actually about finding your purpose – which is your source of happiness.

See, there are people who have all the money and luxury that life can possibly offer, yet, they are not happy. It’s simply because they’ve not found their true purpose.

The reason you are super happy when you pass a final exam is because at that point in time, you literally achieved your purpose. So, passing an ordinary exam makes you more successful than a wealthy man who is unhappy.

Related reads:
Success and happiness

Life is meaningless without happiness. Everything you do, you do it to be happy.

No wonder Tony Robbins asserted that; “success is to live your life in a way that causes you to feel a ton of pleasure and very little pain — and because of your lifestyle, have the people around you feel a lot more pleasure than they do pain”.

Just so you know, you cannot talk about success without purpose, and you can’t talk about purpose without happiness. So, in order to find your purpose and happiness, you must first understand what exactly success means to you.

Understanding what success means to you will make you appreciate this article more!

Now, pay attention, this particular piece is going to be a realistic one… As realistic as possible. Right here, I will take you through a practical guide towards success, because success is not all about what you know, but mainly about what you can do.

Alright, let’s get to it. Here are 12 real keys to success in life:

1. Envision Your Success

Every success story starts with a dream. Truly successful people have visions and it is that vision that propelled them to what they are today.

So, the first key to success in life is to envision your success. Dream about it. Imagine yourself being somewhere great in the near future.

The best way to do this is to find a quiet moment and ask yourself; where do you want to be in the next five or ten years?

Meditate on it.

The moment you ask yourself this question and reflect on it deeply, that’s when your big dreams start. The power of dreams cannot be overemphasized.

Accordingly, Benjamin Mays insinuated; the tragedy of life is not about failing to achieve your dreams but is mainly about not having any dream to achieve in life.

2. Plan For Success

After you have envisioned where you want to be, the next thing is to plan towards that dream. You are fully responsible for your success. And part of how to take responsibility for your success is by planning towards it.

Failing to make plans towards your success is like planning for your failure! The significance of effective planning can never be overstated as far as success is concerned. The moment you start planning towards success, you are already living successfully, because planning is like culture to successful people.

To plan effectively, here are some great ways to start:
- Set some realistic goals to have clarity and direction towards anything you want to achieve.
- Give yourself a deadline – this will motivate you to pursue your goals earnestly.
- Outline some strategies on how to achieve those goals.
- Be practical; take it gradually – every little step matters.
- Finally, ensure you follow up.
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3. Sleep And Wake Up Early

Success can easily be measured by your level of productivity. And there is no way you can be productive when you have sleeping problems. Sleeping adequately can go a long way to stabilize your life. It relaxes your body and mind – and improves your general wellbeing. Consequently, productivity will not be so difficult to achieve.

Remember, Benjamin Franklin once said; early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise. We all agree that Benjamin knows his stuff, so sleeping and waking up early has always been one of the keys to success in life.

4. Be Decisive, Disciplined, And Determined

I call these three words “The 3-Ds”… Because they strictly go hand in hand, in hand.

When it comes to living a successful life, you have to be decisive, disciplined, and determined. First, you have to decide to be successful. This decision comes with your willingness and zeal to start off the journey towards success.

After you have decided (to succeed), the next in line is the determination to succeed. You need to be strong-willed in order to emerge a winner. Remember, nothing good comes to you easily. There will be lots of tumbling blocks. But your ability to remain tenacious is what truly matters.

The next is discipline. Aside from determination, you need to be disciplined enough to stick to your decision until you achieve your desired result. Discipline is the ability to remain steadfast in your mission without deviating or behaving in a way that undermines your entire effort.

Being disciplined makes you control and adjust your behavior to fall in line with your decision (goals).

In a nutshell, when you combine these three and make them your guiding principles, you will simply be invincible!

5. Say No To Procrastination

Say this with me, “Not today, procrastination, not today.” Then repeat this sentence everyday – life hack!

Okay in reality, one of the greatest enemies of prosperity is procrastination. It is like a cage that entraps any potential progress you make. In order to succeed, you must take action! Once you fail to make a move, there is no way you can get any result.

But then, procrastination ensures you never make any move or take any action. Unfortunately, most of us are not free from this cage. We always find ourselves postponing our tasks from time to time.

However, in case you missed it, there is only a little distinction between procrastination and failure. That’s why saying no to procrastination is one of the keys to success in life.

For instance, you might often be distracted by your mobile device, Netflix, social media, etc. These distractions are partly the reason you keep putting off important tasks.

The best way to deal with this bad habit is by disciplining yourself. The moment you embrace self-discipline, you’ll learn to shun all the stuff that distracts you during work hours. Before you know it, your level of productivity will increase.

6. Improve Your Skills

In order for you to emerge one of the very best, you must be willing to put in your best. If you are good at something, you have to work even harder to improve – that is; if you really want to be successful.

The keys to success in life are not far from your ability to stand out in whatever you do. Whether you’re a writer, artist, doctor, lawyer, or pharmacist. You can only be successful in your profession if you improve your mastery and aptitude.

Here are some ideas on how to boost your skills:
- Buy and read relevant books.
- Enroll in relevant professional courses.
- Further your education.
- Improve your credentials.
- Get a job that is in line with your skill(s).
7. Be Passionate

Here is one statement of fact; the more passionate you are about success, the more possible it is for you to attain it. Having a passion for what you do will go a long way to propel you to the next level.

For instance, when you are enthusiastic about your job, it will feel more like a hobby than a job. After all, you love the job, and hence, you will hardly get overworked.

In a nutshell, the end-product of passion is efficiency. Therefore, you have to embrace what you love with passion in order to succeed in it.

8. Mingle With The Right Set Of People

A wise person once said, “Show me your friends and I will tell you who you are.” What this implies is that your friends have a far-reaching effect on who you are. If you associate with negative people who are pessimistic about their future, there is no way you’ll be positive and optimistic!

Remember, the wrong company corrupts good character. Cliché, perhaps, but true, definitely. Always ensure you surround yourself with positive people who will drag you closer to prosperity.

9. Stay Committed And Work Hard

Commitment, that’s what it is. One can easily argue that hard work and commitment can take you to places where talent and skills can’t.

If you plan to be successful, you’re determined to be disciplined till the end, and you’re passionate about your success, but you lack commitment – spoiler alert, you won’t make much headway. Your hard work matters a lot.

Breaking a piece of rock with a hammer can take 999 blows without showing a single crack, but just one final blow (the 1000th) ends up shattering the rock. That doesn’t mean the 999 hits were useless. In fact, they were the most important hits because with “999 pieces of hard work”, it only takes just one more hit to shatter the rock.

10. Embrace Your Downfalls

There is a popular saying which insinuates that the failure of a man is not the end of his existence. One of the best definitions of success is that success is the final result of so many failures. It’s normal to embark on a path and experience lots of stumbling blocks.

Life is not only about getting knocked down, but about rising again to your feet. You have to embrace your downfalls, learn from them, and improve for the better. And that, people, is how you actually achieve success.

11. Practice Self-Investment

Another major key to success in life is to invest in yourself as much as you can. In fact, self-investment is the best form of investment anyone can make. Because, hello, you benefit from it directly.

And truly, most successful people you see today invested a whole lot in themselves.

Some realistic ways to invest in yourself are:
- Read and expand your mental horizon.
- Do and learn something new every day.
- Improve your skills and career growth.
- Spend time and money on what you really need to live a good life.
12. Believe In Yourself

You can’t get very far if you don’t believe in yourself. When you are engulfed in the shadow of self-doubt, you will be pessimistic and mostly doubt your abilities.

However, believing in yourself generates certain positive energy that can take you to places you never imagined. In essence, you’ll be practically unstoppable.

Final Thoughts

On a final note, these 12 keys to success in life will be useless without your intentional effort towards putting them to practice. You simply have to decide, be determined, be passionate, and above all, embrace self-discipline in order to achieve success.

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October 18, 2020
9 Powerful Ways To Stop Thinking Negative Thoughts
Negative thoughts are simply negative – doesn’t get much deeper than that. But unfortunately, most of us don’t even know when we do it! Today I want to share some ideas on how you can catch yourself if you’re putting yourself down and some tips on how to stop thinking negative thoughts.

Negative thoughts sometimes start when someone criticizes you or says something about you that you really don’t like. Other times we are our own worst critics.

These thoughts might start as random thoughts or ideas which just flash across your mind…And then, they demoralize you, and start to pull you down. You become so sober and start feeling like you’re one of the worst. And for no good reason, you blame yourself for being you!

Before you know it, you are so dispirited to the point that you no longer believe in yourself, your abilities, or capabilities. You doubt virtually all your potential moves – and seemingly have lots of good reasons as to why you shouldn’t take any action.

Signs Of Negative Thoughts

Just like a virus enters your body, multiplies, and eventually becomes harmful to your general wellbeing, that’s how negative thoughts get into your head, corrupt your mindset and attitude, and eventually generate lots of toxicity in your entire life.

That’s why you must be conscious of your thoughts and how they affect your decisions and actions. Because once your actions are driven by those ill-fated, negative thoughts, there is no way you will live that fulfilled life you’ve always craved.

A major sign that you are inclined to negativity is when you start asking yourself questions like:
- Why am I not good enough?
- Why does it feel like my world is the worst?
- Why does it always happen to me?
- Why does everyone hate me?
- Why do I feel overwhelmed?
Once these thoughts keep occupying your mental space, it’s best you deal with them as soon as possible so they don’t culminate into something devastating!

Not to exaggerate – but harboring negative thoughts will definitely have negative impacts on your mental, physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. In other words, your entire life will be negatively affected.

Do you want to deal with those sad emotional twists? Perhaps you desire to be on top of your game, and in perfect control of your feelings? Do you absolutely wish to stop thinking negative thoughts? Well then, you’re right on track.

Here are 9 tips that will help you tackle negative thinking.

1. Be Aware Of Yourself!

If you want to stop thinking negative thoughts, you have to start practicing self-awareness… you have to be mindful and cautious of those ill thoughts.

So, how do you go about it?

Get a pen and a paper and find a cool spot where you can reflect without distractions. Ask yourself:
- What exactly am I thinking?
- What do I believe about myself? (Positive or negative beliefs?)
- Are my thoughts in line with the beliefs I have about myself?
These questions will help you realize your thoughts which are often embedded in what you believe about yourself. If you believe (positively) in yourself and have an optimistic mindset, it will surely reflect in your thoughts and feelings. The same thing is applicable to when you doubt yourself or when you are pessimistic – your thoughts and emotions will be as negative as hell!

And once you allow those cynical thoughts to permeate into your mindset and attitude, that’s when you start feeling like you are trapped in a cage. If you really want to start recuperating from the damages that might have been done already, then start writing down the negative thoughts that often cross your mind.

Do you always feel that you’re far from good enough? Or that your difficulties will not get better any time soon? Do you always assume the entire world is up against you?

Just write down those feelings!

You can only be aware of yourself and your level of negativity if you put them down on paper. This way, you can start taking further steps to deal with the unwanted situation.

Related: 20 Deep Self-Reflection Questions To Ask Yourself

2. Discover The Sources Of Your Negative Thinking

Another step in the right direction to stop thinking negative thoughts is to find out the sources of those gloomy thoughts. Now is the right time to ask; why am I feeling this way?

Often, the negative feelings people experience are as a result of the fact that they are not comfortable with the way their life is going, yet, they are too pessimistic to work on themselves.

For instance, when you are dissatisfied with your financial status and you feel like you are too broke to make any difference, chances are you will not work hard and will continue being broke. At some point, you will stop believing in yourself and in your future… And thus, your negative thinking will always continue.

Another possible source of negative thoughts is your upbringing. The way you were raised can have a lasting effect on your mentality and mindset.

If you were raised in an environment where you were constantly compared to other people, there is every tendency you’ll end up feeling “not good enough”.

Now, for instance, if you grew up in a big family where your siblings all performed better than you in class – and they received accolades for that (while all you received was criticism), chances are, you will grow into an adult who feels like one of the dullest In the world.

Also, if you were raised by parents who always blamed other people for their poverty, such a mentality can be transferred to you. Hence, you may grow into an adult who does not take responsibility for their actions – consequently, the poverty lineage just continues.

That being said, it is high time you discovered the sources of your pessimistic thoughts. Because it’s only when you know their sources that you can start taking the necessary preventive measures.

3. Start Letting Go Of Those Negative Thoughts

Once you’ve acknowledged your negative thoughts and their sources, the next thing is to start letting go of them.

How do you do this?

The truth is; it would have been far more complicated if you were still unclear about your negative thoughts and their sources. But now that you’re aware, stopping them is as simple as making certain assertions like;
- I know this idea is negative and I won’t give it the chance to build up in me!
- I am familiar with this belief that limits my progress, but this time around, I’m not giving in to it!
- Oh! here is a negative emotion again… see, you have no power over me this time.
By telling yourself stuff like this, you let go of those adverse feelings and regain total control of your mind. This way, it becomes easy for you to stop thinking negative thoughts.

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4. Out Of Every Seemingly Negative Situation, Discover Something Good

Most times, we are so submerged in negativities that we hardly look up to see the brighter side of any given situation. But the fact remains that if you must stop thinking negative thoughts, then you have to seek to discover something good out of any seemingly bad situation.

Remember, there is always going to be a light at the end of that tunnel. Because no incident is entirely bad.

Say, for instance, you had a bad day, or your plans didn’t work out, or maybe you made a crucial attempt and failed – you will easily feel downcast. However, the ideal way to realize the good side of such negative situations is by asking yourself discerning questions:
- Does this outcome profit me in any way I never imagined?
- What lessons have I learned from this incident?
- What can I do differently when next I’m presented with a similar opportunity to ensure a better outcome?
Trust me, these questions will not only help you to discover the bright side of that painful situation, but they will also encourage you to grow from it!

Related: Positive Thinking Tips: 15 Ways To Boost Positive Thinking

5. Understand That People Don’t Really Care

One reason you’re stuck in those negative thoughts is because you worry too much about what people will say about you

But here is a quick-relief; people don’t really care (about you, what you say, or what you do) because they have lots of other things to pay attention to! They don’t have so much energy to mind both their businesses and yours, believe it or not.

I mean, how can a human being with a job, family, kids, and perhaps other responsibilities have the time to dissect your every move? Nope, they’re hardly always paying attention.

Sure, there might be a few people like that, but firstly, they need to get a life. And secondly, they should be considered irrelevant – because most people are busier than that!

So before you let yourself sink in negative thoughts, remind yourself that people are too busy to be focusing on your every move.

With this reminder, you shouldn’t be restrained by those pessimistic feelings (about what people will think about you), rather, you should be more willing to take bigger steps towards the things that really matter to you.

Related: How To Stop Worrying What Others Think And Live Your Own Life

6. Learn To Question Those Negative Thoughts

If you really want to stop thinking negative thoughts, here’s a trick; start questioning those pessimistic ideas.

For instance, after a terrible day at work and on arriving home, you feel so weary and saddened, there is a higher tendency that certain negative thoughts will start creeping into your mind. Consequently, you might forget all your previous wins and start focusing more on the little mistake you made JUST that day…

At this point, you have to be bold enough to question those negative thoughts. Ask yourself; should I allow this thought to dwell inside my head? Should I really take this idea seriously? Guess what? Your answer will almost always be No. Nope. Nah.

These sorts of questions will enable you to realize that your life is not defined by one single mistake, rather, it is defined by all other things you’ve always done right!

Related: How To Remove Negativity From Your Life And Be Happier

7. Let It Out

By bottling up those negative thoughts, you’re not helping yourself. They will continue to weigh you down until everything about you becomes toxic.

You have to let it out. Discuss it with someone close to you. You will feel so relieved afterwards. I always agree with that popular slogan that says; a problem shared is a problem half-solved. However, you have to be mindful of who you share your thoughts with so they don’t use it against you in the future.

If you don’t have anyone you can trust with your little, dirty secrets, then seek professional counselling. Letting out those negative thoughts will enable you to communicate with someone else who might be highly instrumental in helping you find a realistic solution.

Remember, two heads are better than one. Well, not two heads on the same body…but, you get it.

8. Live In The Moment

Whenever you are having negative thoughts, two things are certainly involved;

It’s either you are worried about what is yet to happen…

Or you are still worried about what has happened already!

However, here is a mind-blowing fact: you have little or no direct influence over the future or the past. What you can control is what happens now. In other words, what matters most in your life is what you do today.

When you do the right thing today, you will not repeat your past mistakes, and at the same time, you are building a brighter future. The reality is; you will basically stop thinking negative thoughts if you start focusing on the present – not the future, nor the past.

9. Practice Gratitude

You have to show gratitude for the little things you have. Appreciate your little successes and achievements!

Whenever negativity creeps in and is increasingly gaining ground in your mind, always remember the things you are grateful to have in your life. Think about the square meals you can easily afford, the clean water you have access to, your good friends and family, the roof over your head, and many other simple (but important) things you easily ignore.

Related: 50 Gratitude Journal Prompts To Help You Live Your Dream Life

Final Thoughts

Finally, it’s not enough to just learn how to stop thinking negative thoughts. The most important thing is to practice what you’ve learned! At times, it might get quite difficult to observe these stringent measures, but with intentional efforts, they’re doable.

And yes, the end result is absolutely worth the stress.

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October 11, 2020
How To Focus Your Mind When Life Becomes Chaotic

Life is often filled with ups and downs and ups and more downs. Not always an easy ride. Sometimes we have a handful of things going on. And as such, it becomes so difficult to handle it all. That’s why today I’d like to share some tips on how to focus your mind and energy on the important things that really matter in life.

You may be swamped with a job or business that barely gives you time. Perhaps you have a partner who depends on you for most things. Your kids are your responsibility too. What about your old parents – plus your siblings? Then there’s house chores and home management. Besides, you have friends who count on you. And to crown it all, life has not really been smooth because the economy is not always encouraging.

Considering how chaotic life can be at times, you might end up acting irrationally, and at the end of the day, you’ll make no headway.

When your life is full of confusion, it becomes practically impossible to get things done. The only way to salvage this unwanted situation is to focus your mind. If you really want to get things done, then the most important resource you must command is attention.

The ability to remain focused on your tasks without quavering – even amidst difficulties – is very important if your aim is to be productive. Our brains are basically wired to function through complicated mechanisms – which subconsciously work for us or against us.

Our mental strength mainly consists of our memories, feelings, emotions, temperaments, and subconscious mind. These qualities can either help us to focus our minds or to lose concentration. This is why we need to discipline our minds in order to be more productive – even in this chaotic world!

Rest assured, in this post, you will learn how to remain focused on any given task while navigating through obstacles and distractions.

How To Focus Your Mind

1. Eliminate Distractions

It’s actually very difficult to stay focused and remain on a task for an extended period. But it is even more complicated when we have lots of distractions to contend with. In today’s world, we are highly interconnected. And for that, a diversion is barely one click away. The distractions are always there. It’s almost like an inescapable phenomenon.

Even in your quietest moments, you still have distractions sitting next to you – thanks to your mobile phone. Before you know it, you’re already scrolling through your social media, attending to your latest notifications.

Now, if you must learn how to focus your mind, then you must start eliminating some of these numerous distractions around you.

Eliminating certain sources of distractions is not always as easy as it seems. Because while it is quite effortless to turn off your television or radio set, it might prove very difficult for you to deal with a co-worker, a partner, a roommate, or a sibling that distracts you.

One way to deal with this sort of distraction is to seek out a calm place where you can have alone time. There you’ll be able to work without any interruption. This special location could be your room, office, library, or even a serene relaxation park.

Another way to avoid certain distractions is by setting out a particular time of the day when you’ll request to be left alone. Sure, it might not seem nice to ask your loved ones or co-workers to leave you alone. But it is what it is, you need to avoid certain distractions by being alone.

However, not all distractions come from external sources. For instance; Worry, fear, discouragement, anxiety, and other internal distractions are quite difficult to bypass. Nonetheless, you can actually avoid some of these internal distractions by having adequate rest before you begin any task.

Also, ensure to drive your mind towards harboring only positive thoughts. If you can avoid all sorts of negative ideas, your mind will be way more focused.

2. Plan A Few Critical Tasks For The Day And Visualize Your End Results

Our realities are molded by our thoughts. This is simply because our thoughts determine how we feel, and our feelings result in our actions and behaviors. And finally, our actions bring about results.

If all your thoughts are centered on the results you’ll achieve if you finish your tasks at the end of the day, then you’ll do anything possible to accomplish those tasks!

Therefore, while planning your day (probably in the morning), specify two or three critical tasks that will take you almost the whole day to complete. Don’t meditate on those tasks shallowly, rather, visualize them and imagine the feeling you’ll have when you accomplish these tasks.

If your thoughts are always about those end results, you will be subconsciously focused on how to turn those thoughts into reality. Hence, you will be motivated to work hard and complete the tasks.

Related: How To Visualize Success In Order To Achieve The Results You Want

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3. Take Advantage Of Your Peak Hours

If you really want to focus your mind better, then you have to take advantage of your peak hours – those hours of the day when you are most efficient!

Some people perform better during the day, while others are simply exceptional at night. Some work harder in the morning, others in the afternoon.

To determine your peak hours, you have to measure your productivity level throughout the day. Pay attention to your energy levels, motivation, thought patterns, moods, and distractions while experimenting on different work hours. Repeating such experiments day after day and week after week will help you draw a credible conclusion.

For instance, if you want to experiment on “the morning hours”, you can attempt to do the most difficult chores from 8 AM to 10 AM – repeat the process every day for one week. Then the next week, concentrate on doing those tough tasks from 10 AM to 12 PM.

As for the “the afternoon hours”, start executing those difficult tasks from 12 PM to 2 PM, or 2 PM to 4 PM, repeat every day for one week… And so on.

The sum of results you are able to achieve within those time ranges will help you ascertain your peak hours. By doing this, you’ll be able to make the most of your peak hours and become more productive.

4. Avoid Handling Multiple Tasks At The Same Time

If your aim is to get through a chaotic life, then you have to focus on a single task at a time. Avoid multitasking!

According to research, multitasking reduces cognitive abilities because our brains are typically designed to fully focus on one task at a time.

Sure, there are people who manage to handle a couple of chores at the same time. And it is quite an advantage to them. But if you are handling a critical task, you have to fully focus on that single task to avoid costly mistakes.

In a nutshell, to improve the quality of work and the speed of delivery, you need to avoid multitasking.

Related: 10 Effective Time Management Tips That Really Work

5. Exercise Your Mind

The best way to build your muscles is by exercising regularly, right? Now, that is the same way you should build your mind. You have to exercise your mind (on a regular basis) in order to build your mental strength.

Learning how to focus your mind is all about constant practice. Whenever you encounter thoughts or things that distract you, you must perceive them as what they are – time and attention killers!

Whenever you feel weary and feel like giving up on a particular assignment, you must try harder by pushing it a little further. That’s how to exercise your mind, and a good way to build your mental capacity.

Sure, you might not get to your full mental capacity at the first attempt. But you can build it gradually.

For instance, you shouldn’t start by forcing yourself to work for 6hrs straight. You can start with just 30 minutes. Then after a week or two, you can progress to an hour or two… from there you can keep building on it – from strength to strength till you are able to work for 6hrs straight.

Remember, mental focus is all about constant training (of the mind).

6. Build Your Willpower – Be More Disciplined

Another important way to focus your mind is to be disciplined. One reason people easily get distracted is that they lack the required discipline to build their willpower. They hardly make a decision and stick to it!

The only way you can make a realistic decision is when you resolve that no matter what happens, your decision stands.

Say, for instance, you want to start exercising daily…

You shouldn’t decide by saying; “I will exercise today” or “I shall exercise today” (for those who still talk like Shakespeare).

Rather, your decision should be; “I must exercise today”. Make it compulsory.

When you sound very certain, that’s when your brain will take your intent seriously – and you will be inclined to perform. Willpower and self-discipline are two important traits that must be developed simultaneously.

Your willpower is the source of your intent to work – it empowers your actions. On the other hand, your discipline ensures you deal with any distraction or obstacle that undermines your focus. Self-discipline ensures you get past your comfort zone, laziness, or any other intrusive ideas.

Related: How To Take Responsibility For Your Life And Stop Making Excuses

7. Deal With Your Fears

For any given activity, you either feel pleasure or pain (sometimes indifference). And often, we tend to quickly attend to those pleasurable activities while shying away from those that are seemingly painful.

The reason most people procrastinate is because of the fear of pain. And that is the same reason they hardly focus.

Well, it is normal to encounter fears. Because that’s how we are all wired. Nobody wants to be hurt!

However, if you must maintain your focus at all times – then you must start dealing with your fears. That’s when you will stop procrastinating those difficult tasks and start getting your desired results.

Related: 9 Tips To Stop Sabotaging Yourself And Your Success

8. Live In The Moment

When you allow yourself to be constantly drawn to past memories, there is no way you can stay focused on the present tasks at hand. And when you are deeply worried about the future, there is every tendency for you to ignore your present needs – which are of course, very important.

The importance of being present-minded cannot be overemphasized. Living in the moment is all about dealing with your distractions, whether they are physical (your phone) or psychological (your worries), and staying mentally committed to the present situation.

Now, the fact is that you cannot change the past and the future is not certain for anyone. So, why bother so much?

The most important thing is what you are doing at this very moment. Your dealings today can help you avoid repeating your past errors and even drive you towards a more flourishing future.

So, why not stop worrying about things that are far-off. And start living in the moment?

Related: How To Stop Worrying What Others Think And Live Your Own Life

9. Always Practice Mindfulness

The most direct way of learning how to focus your mind is by practicing mindfulness. However, it’s not easy to build your mental capacity up to the level where you are fully mindful. That’s why you have to practice it all the time.

When you are mindful of your physical and mental space, you can easily deal with any form of distraction or chaos that life throws at you. You will effortlessly stay connected to any task you’re working on.

A mindful person is an intentional person. And such an individual is fully aware and in charge of any given situation.

Want to be a little more focused? It’s simple; be mindful.

Final Thoughts

Finally, the whole idea is to remain focused despite the turmoil that comes with life… Despite those worries, fears, and anxieties, and amidst those distractions posed by immediate pleasures. Because it’s only when you are focused that you’ll become more productive.

It will not be easy to make a sudden U-turn (from being distracted to being focused). But if you can gradually put the tips discussed above into constant practice, rest assured, your progress will be simply remarkable.

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October 4, 2020
How To Declutter Your Home Fast: 9 Brilliant Tips And Tricks
Everyone wants to live happily and freely. But that cannot be possible in a cluttered and messy environment. A cluttered home can take up a lot of mental energy, whether you realize it or not! That’s why I want to share some ideas on how to declutter your home fast so you can create more space in your life.

One of the reasons your life may have seemed so uneasy is because you’ve got a lot of things to pay attention to. A lot of items to manage, a lot of files to arrange, a lot of books to contain and lot of appliances to maintain!

Once you’ve got lots of things cluttering in or around your home, your life is always going to be a mess. Simply because you’ll be choked up.

The truth is, most of those items in your home are not as useful as they seem. You will only understand how frivolous they are once you start getting rid of them. No matter how old your belongings are, getting rid of them will definitely be a tough decision. After all, you acquired them with your hard-earned money, and frankly, they hold some ”sentimental” value, right?

But you shouldn’t consider the money you spent on purchasing them, rather, you should be more concerned about how useful they are to you.

For instance, ask yourself questions like;
- When last did I wear these clothes/shoes?
- Do they fit me?
- Are they torn, damaged, or worn-out?
- Have I gotten their replacements?
After asking these questions about your clothes and shoes, you will ascertain how useful (or not) they are to you. And hence, it will be easy for you to dispose of them in order to create some space in your life.

Declutter Your Home Fast

You’ll agree with me that any needless item in your home is no longer your property but a source of discomfort. You need to discard them quickly.

But then, it’s often complicated to get started with this whole decluttering process. Especially if you have a lot of clutter to deal with. You’ll likely be overwhelmed – but don’t panic. Breathe in…hold… keep holding… still holding?…breathe out. It is normal to feel that way at first.

You just have to start anyways. And from there, you can take it gradually – one thing after another. You definitely didn’t accumulate all the stuff in your home in just one day… It took many years or even decades!

Now, this article will make things easier for you because I will be emphasizing on how to declutter your home fast! If you need some help on where to get started, I have an extensive list of things to declutter right here.

It will definitely take some time to clear the clutter and create some space in your life. You just have to acknowledge that reality. But in order to get your desired results as quickly as possible, here are some tips on how to declutter your home like, today.

Related reads:
1. Be Consistent And Intense

When it comes to creating space, more attention should be given to consistency, because just 15-20 minutes of decluttering is enough to make a huge difference over time – as long as you are consistent.

However, when you want to declutter really fast, then just your consistency is not enough… You have to be intense as well! So, to obtain a rapid result, you have to combine both consistency and intensity.

Consistency:

In order to be more consistent, you have to schedule your decluttering sessions as often as possible – probably 3 sessions every week.

Ensure you stick to your schedule. And treat it as important as any other official engagement.

When you are consistent, you will be able to create some time (and energy) to handle other tasks because you won’t have to spend extended time and energy on each session. After all, it won’t be long before you have another (decluttering) session.

Intensity:

Once your aim is to obtain a maximum result within a short time, then you should be more intense each time you want to declutter your home.

Sure, in a bid to add more intensity to the decluttering process, extra energy must go in. However, the relief you’ll have (after seeing the massive results you’ve attained in a short while) will be a good consolation!

When you are intense, you’ll definitely be fast. And when you are fast, you will achieve a whole lot. Now, if you add consistency to your intensity, it can take you just days (instead of months) to declutter your entire household.

Isn’t that a perfect way to declutter your home fast?

2. Set Some Decluttering Goals

Another way to declutter your home fast is by setting certain goals regarding the decluttering exercise. Setting a specific goal will give you a point of focus which will motivate you to reach your desired target.

You will definitely need a sense of purpose in order to be serious about clearing your trash. That’s why you need a goal. And if you fail to set certain decluttering goals, you will end up procrastinating till you are totally engulfed in clutter.

With that said, some of the goals you should set for yourself are:
- Property Goals: How many items you want to get rid of and how many you want to keep.
- Time Goals: A certain time frame in which you intend to finish decluttering a specific room.
- Frequency/Consistency Goals: How frequently or consistently you want to declutter.
- Space Goals: The amount of space you intend to create in your home within a given period. Or the final result you are looking to obtain at the end of the entire process.
In order to achieve your decluttering goals, you have to be specific about them. Know exactly what you want to achieve at the end of the day and create a benchmark to achieve it.

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3. Work On Those Goals – Take Action!

Trust me, it is not enough to set goals. You have to act on them. Setting a goal is cool. Planning on how to achieve those goals is even better. But then, the most important thing – if you want to get quick results – is to take action!

There is no way a goal or a plan will automatically executive itself. You must do it yourself. And the sooner you start taking the necessary action, the faster the whole process becomes. Now, irrespective of how difficult it might seem to start off, rest assured, it will be easier once you commence.

Where you start from (or how you start) doesn’t matter… just start!

4. Concentrate On High Impact Spaces

If you have limited time and you want to declutter your home fast, then focus on decluttering those spaces that will have a massive impact on your home once they are free of clutter.

What this simply entails is that you must start by tackling the most-used, high-traffic spaces like the kitchen, toilet, wardrobe, living room, lobby, etc.

In a nutshell, pay attention to decluttering those spaces that will considerably make life more convenient for you once you’re done decluttering. Don’t spend much time on spaces that make little or no impact on your life.

5. Declutter As You Go About Your Normal Day

One of the easiest ways to quickly declutter your home is by making “decluttering” an involuntary activity. Making it something you do automatically and simultaneously as you go about your daily activities.

Just ensure you always keep an eye out for anything that is not necessarily useful and is occupying space in your home.

When you get into the habit of decluttering as you go about your day, the general workload will be reduced drastically when you eventually decide to go into a full-on decluttering session.

For instance, when preparing to go out in the morning – and you are just choosing a suitable outfit for the outing – also pick out those clothes you no longer need from your wardrobe and discard them!

You can do exactly the same when you’re doing your laundry. Get rid of those clothes that are worn-out or unfashionable.

Similarly, when preparing your meals (in the kitchen), discard all the needless utensils, condiments, empty cans, spoiled food, etc.

To be more efficient about this, get yourself a decluttering box and keep it in a strategic position around your home. There, you can easily dispose of anything you no longer deem useful. When the box is full, you can either discard it or donate the contents.

6. Be A little Ruthless

You have to be a little vicious (yeah yeah in a positive way) if you must discard that clutter without having a double mind. You need to have the right mentality before you can part ways with your belongings. This is because you can easily come up with reasons why you have to keep them – no matter how needless they are.

Hence, you have to keep your primary decluttering goal in mind which is – getting rid of all that clutter as quickly as possible. Focus more on why you don’t need those items. And think less about why you need them… That’s what it means to be ruthless.

The more ruthless you get with your decluttering decisions, the quicker you discard the mess. And hence, you will create the much-needed space in your life once and for all.

7. Avoid Distractions

If your main aim is to declutter your home fast, then you have to avoid unnecessary distractions. Always stay on task during each decluttering session – and remain focused.

Don’t use the time you scheduled for cleaning your home for something else. If it is about cleaning, then let it be all about cleaning! Don’t allow a Facebook or WhatsApp message to redirect your focus. Moreover, those Netflix movies can wait till you’re done with the task at hand.

That way, you will be more productive and pretty fast with your decluttering. Just so you know, the highest obstacle that slows down the whole process of decluttering is when you allow yourself to be carried away along the line.

8. Get A Helping Hand

If you are consistent and intense, set goals, and focus on the task, you will certainly declutter your home fast enough to surprise even yourself. But in all, nothing can be faster than when you declutter as a team.

Getting a helping hand is an ultimate solution to decluttering – if you want to get it over and done with as quickly as possible. A task that could have taken you one full day to accomplish could be completed in a couple of hours if you get yourself a teammate(s).

You can recruit your close friends, family members, or other relatives. While you tackle the rooms, another person can handle the kitchen, then someone else the bathroom… And so on.

Trust me, it’s going to be absolutely easier.

9. Know When To Walk Away

You need no soothsayer to tell you when it becomes a “mission impossible”. When you notice that you’re not making any headway in a particular task, you have to readjust or better still walk away.

Look for something relatively easier and get busy with it for the time being. Walking away in this manner will help you conserve time, because instead of wasting time on something you cannot deal with, it’s better to spend it on something you can easily accomplish.

For instance, if you’re decluttering your kid’s room (in their absence of course) and you find it difficult to ascertain which clothes are suitable or oversized. Or you find it tricky to decide which toy is useful or needless, then you have to step out and move to a less complicated task – instead of wasting the whole time in your kid’s room!

Sure, you can come back and tackle it at a more convenient time. This way, you’ll make the most of your time.

Final Thoughts

And there you have it folks! It is one thing to declutter your home, but a whole different ball game to declutter your home fast! Moreover, creating some space in your life can be a little bit problematic, especially if you’re new to this whole “decluttering” stuff.

So, try to follow all the tips discussed above to get the best possible result in a (relatively) short period of time.

Please pin these tips to declutter your home fast!

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September 27, 2020
Things To Declutter Right Now To Create More Space In Your Life
Today I want to give you some tips and ideas on things to declutter from your home. If you have a lot of “stuff” that you’re not really using, chances are it’s also taking up some of your mental energy, whether you realize it or not.

Having a clean and minimalist home, filled only with the things you love – and actually USE – is truly mentally freeing. That’s why I truly believe in a monthly or quarterly decluttering process, where you get rid of things that are no longer serving you. But if you have a lot of things, starting this process can be difficult.

One fact of life is that change is constant, it happens anyway – whether we care or not. However, one of the hardest steps one can take in life is making a conscious effort to bring about change.

That’s exactly how difficult it is to change things in your home – it’s often a hard nut to crack open. The average person would feel very overwhelmed when about to start the whole process of decluttering. Starting up is usually the most difficult part.

The job to be done seems bulky at first. And hence, a common question people ask at that point is; where do I even start from? Well, despite all odds, the good news is; it gets easier once you get started!

Related reads:
Why Is It Important To Declutter?

When you have lots of clutter in or around your home, you will feel like you’re in a mess. You’ll feel unsettled and in fact, choked up.

Clutter is not just the dirt in your home, it also includes those many unimportant items you keep stocking up on. So yep, that’s partly why you feel very uncomfortable. If you really want to live conveniently, then you need to create more space in your life.

Things To Declutter

Yeah! Let’s get down to business. I’ll be outlining things to declutter right now in order to create the much-needed space in your life. Most of the stuff I will mention (which you have to do away with) are quite negligible. So, it won’t be too difficult to dispose of them.

A good way to start is by getting rid of the things you can easily forget. But then, this whole process might get tricky at times – because some of the items you MUST discard might seem important to you, even when they really aren’t!

So, look at the bigger picture and decide if you REALLY need all those things: Aren’t those books damaged? Can you really repair them? Aren’t those clothes worn out? Is there any need to keep them? And have you actually USED those items in the last 6 months?

As a matter of fact, once you don’t see yourself using any of those items in the next 6-12 months, then you should dump them – they’re no longer serving you.

Also, be sure to read my post on how to declutter your home fast if you want to get it over and done with quickly.

With that said, here are some things to declutter right now:

1. THE BATHROOM

One of the easiest places to start eliminating clutter is the bathroom. It is apparently one of the smallest rooms in your home, so it is easier to start from there. And you will see the result of your decluttering endeavor almost immediately.

Another reason it is preferable to start from the bathroom is that you can easily find certain sentimental items there – which of course are not actually useful to you.

Some of the things to declutter from your bathroom are:
- Old nail polish that are either dried up or that you haven’t used in a year
- Personal care items (like; lotion, face wash, mascara tubes, eye shadow, etc.) that are empty or almost empty
- Makeup items you no longer use. Or those makeup kits that are too old to be kept
- Old perfumes you no longer use. Or their empty containers/bottles
- All duplicate gadgets including; toothbrushes, hairbrushes, tweezers, makeup brushes, nail clippers, etc.
- Expired drugs (dispose of them properly, or better still, take them to your local pharmaceutical shop for proper disposal)
- Bath toys that are old and look faded
- Old, ripped, stained, or worn-out towels
And so many other unnecessary items!

2. THE KITCHEN

Another good place you’ve got to declutter in your home is the kitchen. As you already know, lots of vital activities take place in the kitchen. You cook in the kitchen and sometimes, you even prefer to eat there. You also do the dishes in the kitchen and store lots of items right there.

As a matter of fact, there is hardly a day that passes without you visiting the kitchen for one reason or the other.

Hence, it is very important to declutter your kitchen if you really want to enjoy any time you spend there.

Some things to declutter from your kitchen include:
- Expired food or spoiled food that is occupying your pantry, refrigerator, or freezer
- Any food you do not like (and won’t probably eat any time soon) that is occupying your pantry or refrigerator). Dispose of them appropriately to create more space for something useful.
- Expired spices
- Burnt food
- Sauces and old condiments
- Cooking equipment or gadgets you haven’t used in the past 12 months!
- Any gadget that requires much more work to clean and maintain than the relief it offers you in doing a particular work
- Cracked plates, bottles, and bowels
- Dusty plates that you’ve kept for so long without using
- Chipped glasses and mugs
- Mugs you have not used in the past year
- Plastic lids without containers and/or plastic containers without lids
- Any duplicate bake-ware or cookware
- Containers that are damaged, stained, or warped
- Duplicate cooking/baking utensils
- Water bottles you’ve not used once
- Pots and pans that are worn-out or totally damaged
- Bake-ware or cookware that is cracked or broken
- Special dishes that you’ve stocked in the freezer for so long
- Special dishes you no longer like that are occupying your freezer
- Dishcloths or tea towels that are stained, torn, worn-out, damaged, or that you no longer use
- Rusty can openers or other cooking utensils that are rusty
And in fact, any other thing you no longer need in or around the kitchen.

3. THE WARDROBE

Clothing is one of the basic necessities of human existence. Your clothes affect you directly – especially when it comes to your social life. So, it’s important to pay close attention to your wardrobe and jettison all the clothes that might be taking up space.

Sure, it’s not easy to declutter your wardrobe. This is because you can easily attach sentiments to the clothes you wear. You will most likely feel like you need every single outfit in your wardrobe (no matter how bad they look)… Probably because you spent your hard-earned money to acquire them.

But that shouldn’t deter you from doing the needful. You will definitely feel good after creating the needed space.

Here are a number of things to declutter from your wardrobe:
- Old undies that are either worn out or torn
- Uncomfortable underwear
- Old or damaged bras
- Torn or worn-out socks or socks with multiple holes
- Worn-out bathing suits
- Clothes with holes or so many tears that cannot be amended
- Deeply stained clothes
- Outfits that no longer match your body size (let’s face it, you don’t need those!)
- Clothes that make you feel very uncomfortable
- Clothes that make you feel or look bad
- Outfits that have lost their stretch and/or shape over time
- Clothes you keep trying on but never end up wearing
- Clothes that are not special, yet you haven’t worn them in the past 12 months
- Shoes that hurt your feet too much
- Shoes that are undersized and too tight
- Old shoes with holes
- Shoes that you’ve not worn in the past year
- Any single-legged shoe (like, come on now)
- Medicated eyeglasses that are not in line with your current prescription
- Pieces of jewelry that are either broken or totally damaged – and are irreparable or you don’t feel like repairing them.
- Single earrings
- Old earrings you no longer wear
- Any other clothes, jewelry, or shoes you no longer use or you simply don’t like that are occupying your wardrobe.
4. LINEN CLOSET

A linen closet is obviously small. So, once you get that space decluttered, you will be able to see the result immediately. And of course, you’ll love every bit of extra space you create in there.

Just so you know, you can choose not to waste those old, worn-out linen (even after removing them from your home). They can be used to provide shelter for animals!

These are some of the things you should consider discarding from your linen closet:
- Any worn-out linen
- Sets of sheets you don’t like and will never use
- Extra linen you’ve not used for a very long time
- Those pillows you’ve not used in over a year
- Blankets you don’t like: either because of their awkward colors or because you’ve gotten a better one
- Deeply stained blankets and pillows that can’t be washed clean
And so on.

5. ELECTRONICS AND RELATED APPLIANCES

In the world today, there is hardly a home without an electronic gadget. In fact, they’re arguably the commonest items you’d find in most houses and apartments: televisions, computers, DVD Players… name them!

For that reason, it’s quite easy to clutter your home with some of these appliances that are seemingly useful but are actually needless.

Therefore, you have to pay attention to all that electronic clutter around your home.
- Get rid of any old computers (after you’ve copied all important data from them and after removing the hard drive). You can either give them away to those who might need them or better still sell them (if possible).
- Do away with all old HDMI and USB cables you’ve upgraded or replaced. There is really no need to keep them around.
- Scrap your damaged televisions (or the old ones that are no longer in use).
- Discard all other electronic devices that you’ve upgraded (that still consume important space in your home).
6. THE LIBRARY

Another place that can easily get cluttered is your home library. If you’re an eclectic reader, there’s every tendency that your library will get too stuffed up at some point.

That’s why it is very vital to assess your library from time to time. Examine your bookshelf and find out if there are books that are no longer needed.

You can donate some of the books (that are still in good condition) to your community library. This will ensure the books are easily accessible if there is any need for you to read them again.

So, here are some things to declutter from your library:
- Books you’ve stocked up in your bookshelf for more than 2 years without any desire to read them
- Books you’ve read but won’t likely read again
- Old, torn, worn-out textbooks
- Books you started reading but along the line, you found them very boring – and you don’t intend to continue
- Old books that no longer match your age
- Books that contain outdated information or knowledge
7. OTHER MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS

Everything cannot fit into a particular category – there are so many other items to declutter!
- Old receipts that are no longer useful
- Expired cards like; credit cards, store reward cards, membership cards, identity cards, etc.
- Keys you no longer use
- Old magazines
- Take out menus or other manuals that can easily be found online
- Junk mails
- Old coupons
- Spoiled pens
- Damaged toys
- Ugly decorations
- Throw pillows that are too old or worn-out… or maybe you no longer like them
- Board games with some missing pieces
- Unimportant photos
- Worn-out or broken furniture
- Old DVDs you’ve never watched or don’t plan to watch soon
- Old VHS tapes you no longer have the device to play them on
And basically, all things you really don’t need!

Things To Declutter – Final Tips:

Decluttering your home might be a bit tasking, but then it is necessary if you really want to live an organized life.

Fortunately, there are certain ways to make the process a lot easier.
1. First, ensure you take it one step at a time. Don’t try to declutter every room in just one day.
2. Put on your favourite music to make the process quite enjoyable.
3. Finally, declutter your kids’ rooms when they’re out. Because it becomes more difficult to discard any needless toy when they are around – it suddenly becomes their favourite.
Please pin & share these things to declutter right now!
September 19, 2020
15 Powerful Traits Of Confident Women To Adopt Today
You’ve probably seen those women who seem unfazed, no matter the situation they face; smiling and standing strong! Have you ever tried to guess why they are the way they are? What comes to your mind whenever you think of the word “confident woman”? Today I’d like to share some of these traits of confident women that you can also make part of your life and daily habits.

Do you imagine a superwoman with a flowing cape or just an elegant lady in a suit exuding a powerful aura? Whichever it is, you would agree with me that surely, they do have something in common. Curious? Then, read on.

In this article, I will reveal to you what has been cultured in the minds of these audacious women…their traits!

Traits Of Confident Women

As with most habits, you can adopt these traits of confident women to give you that boost needed to push you to the top. Nevertheless, you should take note that you do not necessarily need to have all of them to be confident. So, do not see yourself as ‘incomplete’ because of this. Just do well to adopt a number of them, and you are good to go.

Ready to dive into the deep?

If so, here are 15 traits – that if adopted today – would bring out the confident self within you:

1. She understands that she is not perfect

All humans have a tendency to make mistakes, and a confident woman knows and acknowledges this fact. This provides a platform for bold steps such as taking on new risks, a new job or facing any situation without having to worry about whether the turnout would be perfect or not.

You should mainly focus on giving your best shot to whatever you do and if you need help, do not feel belittled or threatened; ask for help. What possible damage would it cost to ask for help?

2. She admits her flaws

This tails onto number one. Owing to the fact that she acknowledges she is not perfect, a confident woman is able to own her actions/ choices and admit that she made a mistake whenever the need arises.

As a confident woman, you should be able to apologize for your mistakes without trying to shift the blame or give excuses for it. More importantly, you must always be ready to take corrective action. Put aside that ego of yours so that you can learn from your mistakes.

3. A confident woman does not hold on to past mistakes

Having apologized for her mistakes, she releases every guilt she might have had with that situation. She understands that mistakes are meant to make her grow and are not something to hold on to.

Guilt is a temporary emotion that is supposed to pave the way for breakthroughs; through corrections from past failures. Guilt from your past mistakes shouldn’t hinder you from taking a step into the next opportunity that might come your way. Learn to move on. A confident woman sees every failure as an opportunity to grow, to expand her horizon.

Also, you should know that life is not a bed of roses, and you might hurt or be hurt by others in the future. This should not stop you from moving forward. In the wake of adversity, persevere. If possible, try to make enough provisions for those kinds of situations. Learn to let go and do not make it too personal by taking it to heart. Be ready to forgive yourself and let go of the past.

4. She is a good listener

Another important trait of confident women is that they take time to listen to people. It might seem like talking more or being a good orator is the ideal trait of a confident woman. Yes, it is part of it but do well not to underestimate the power of confidence in silence.

A confident woman knows better than to ignore the constructive criticism of others. She might choose to apply what she has heard or decline it, but she makes sure she listens first.

5. She does not conform

In the previous trait listed, a confident woman listens to others but doesn’t allow it to define who she is. She knows what she wants, listens to people’s criticisms and then decides whether it is useful to her or not.

It will help if you do not rely on the praises of people to feel good. Have a mind of your own and do not conform to the sheer desires of others just because you want to be liked. Be aware of the fact that you cannot please everyone.

Whether or not you do what is right or wrong, some people would still complain. Why then stress yourself trying to please everyone? Doing this is definitely a sure way to failure. Instead, acknowledge the fact that you are a unique personality and you shouldn’t compare yourself with other women.

6. A confident woman knows when to say NO

A confident woman does not make promises beyond her capabilities nor does she over commit. You should know your boundaries and be able to say NO when the situation is not according to what you can make provision for. It’s pretty simple – just say no.

Do not over-commit and end up under-delivering. It would be a stain on your white clothing because you would become a person no one can rely on. Too many commitments are not favorable for your all-round health. Learn to say no.

7. She practices self-love

If you do not take care of yourself, you would get exhausted and ultimately, frustrated. Every confident woman knows better than to stress herself trying to please others or overwork herself at her detriment.

Take a break, make out time for yourself, take a trip alone, eat well, exercise well. For maximum productivity, you need to be in the perfect state of health. Health is wealth, and it should never be underestimated.

8. She chooses her friends wisely

There is a saying that goes thus “show me your friend and I will tell you who you are”. Most people say it but hardly apply it to their lives. A confident woman understands that her circle of friends plays a huge role in shaping her mindset and personality as a whole, so she is cautious when choosing her friends and not the other way around. Choose positive, like-minded friends who share similar goals with you and are always ready to hold and pull you up whenever it feels like you are drowning.

9. She is not complacent

One of the most essential traits of confident women is that they are never satisfied with being stagnant. A confident woman outdoes herself in everything and everywhere she finds herself. She goes out of her comfort zone to gain more knowledge.

Be more industrious, read wide and deep; discover yourself. What is that talent you have? What field of study do you have interest in? Love dancing, why not go professional? Playing the instruments? Go for it. Who knows? You might just be the next big thing. Even the little things you count insignificant, they all matter. You would be amazed at what you can actually do. Success is intentional; see it and be it.

10. She doesn’t try to be everything

In as much as she is not complacent, a confident woman doesn’t try to be everything. You might want to be industrious, move out from your comfort zone and all, but you should also know when to stop.

Do not try to take on a lot of things at once. It is better to be a master of one than to be a jack of all trades. It would also give you time to perfect the skills you have already acquired and even break new grounds in your current field.

11. She uses positive words

Positive words have a very massive impact on your day and you as a person. Using positive words would shape your mindset towards having a better day in the end, even though there might be ups and downs. Speak positive affirmations to yourself. It could be a prayer or a motivational quote, or probably, just a soothing word – say it regularly!

A confident woman uses her words to build up not only herself but also other people.

12. Confident women set clear goals and take actions on them

Setting goals is one of the must-have traits of confident women. This acts as a guide for her and helps to cut down unnecessary activities that can deviate her from her goals. It is one thing to set goals and another to take action on them.

Unless you take action on your goals, they will remain a mere dream. So, while setting your goals, do well to put the necessary measures in place. Ask yourself what you want to achieve in the next two months and the steps you would take to attain your goal. Now, could you write it down? Put it where you can access it daily, maybe close to your bedside and read it out clearly and loudly every day. Yes, it’s this easy, you are becoming confident already!

13. She understands her strengths and weaknesses

Understanding your personality and what works best for you is a plus. It helps you plan your day, guide you on how to take actions on your goals, keeps you healthy and most importantly, helps you perform to the best of your abilities.

For instance, if you tend to assimilate better at night, then you should read more at night, rather than wasting your whole day with a book and getting nothing while you could have used it for a more productive activity.

14. A confident woman can take care of herself financially

Being financially savvy is a fundamental trait of confident women. To be a confident woman, you should be able to stand on your own even if there is no financial support from others. Your partner might prefer to take care of most financial expenditures, but at least, you should be able to take care of the main payments. You do not have to be totally financially dependent on anyone.

However, it isn’t just about making money, as most people are already thinking. The main issue here is managing the money…Financial intelligence. Acquire it.

15. She is not desperate for attention

This is often one of the overlooked traits of confident women.

You do not always have to be the center of attraction. This does not mean you are introverted or running away from the public. It just shows that you are mature enough to let others have that spotlight, and you are also confident because you know that people’s attention doesn’t determine your worth/ value.

Related reads:
Final Thoughts

You too can adopt these traits of a confident woman!

To crown it all, you should have it in mind that the confident women are not necessarily the prettiest, the slimmest, or the most influential/ successful. They are considered as confident women because they disciplined themselves, had a goal in mind and worked towards it while using the constructive criticism of others to build themselves in ways that made them outstanding.

Confident women never use people’s opinions as a yardstick to measure their self-worth. They understand what it means to be financially savvy, and to be surrounded by positively, like-minded friends, as well as knowing the right situations to say no. And they see the value of self-love, positive words.

They do not try to be everything at once. They have clear goals and follow-up actions they are ready to take to attain their goal. Learning is a constant trait, and they understand that they are not perfect; hence they admit their flaws and make appropriate corrections when necessary.

Also, as I said earlier, you shouldn’t beat yourself up if you feel you do not have all of these traits of a confident woman. In fact, if you could read this to the end, you are already on the right track!

The next step is to take action on these outlined traits, adopt them, and you sure are good to go.

Go and become a confident woman!

Please pin & share these traits of confident women 🙂
September 9, 2020
9 Tips To Stop Sabotaging Yourself And Your Success
Self-sabotage. That’s a major evil for many of us. It keeps us from living the life we truly want and stops us from reaching our goals. That’s why is really important to identify self sabotaging behaviors and nip it in the bud. I’ll be sharing some of my top tips on how to stop sabotaging yourself so you can really chase after the life and goals you want.

You must have heard that voice inside of you that keeps questioning your ability, your achievements, your wins, your accomplishments, and even your success. Listening to that voice keeps you away from what you’ve always wanted in life. It keeps you under the shadow of doubts.

Self-sabotage manifests in different ways. At times, it comes in the form of low self-esteem. These esteem issues are often as a result of the fear that is generated by our own inner voice – it is often a negative voice!

For instance, you have a new opportunity – a wonderful opportunity indeed. And you feel like taking it… But then a voice inside you will say;
- It’s very risky.
- You can’t do it.
- Remember, you have no experience doing this.
- You might fail.
- It is difficult.
- Others failed here.
- What will others think?
- Just try something else…
That voice is simply limiting you. Listening to it will make you miss out on many opportunities. You will fail to set and achieve many goals. That’s the negative effect of self-sabotage.

It is self-sabotage when, instead of preparing for your interview tomorrow, you are stuck on social media. Of course, you’re limiting your success. You chose the pleasurable activity (social media) apparently because that negative voice made you feel like it’s too difficult to prepare for the interview.

It’s also self-sabotage if, after your dietitian told you to avoid junk food so as to lose some pounds, you still can’t stop eating chocolates, pizza, and burgers! (Raise your hand if you’re on this table.)

Now, how do you deal with this? In this article, I’ll show you just how to stop sabotaging yourself.

But before we get to the how, it’s important to know why you need to stop self-sabotage.

Why You Should Stop Sabotaging Yourself

One of the greatest negativities you can ever embrace is self-sabotage.

Yes, it’s understandable that many times people can do a whole lot to frustrate you, your plans, your goals, and your mission.

But then, why should You be the one to frustrate yourself and your entire success? That is unimaginable. But it happens. In fact, that’s what self-sabotage is all about. It’s like engineering your own failure.

Sure, we all crave success. But it all starts with our ability to stop undermining ourselves, to stop questioning our abilities, and to stop limiting our achievements.

If you can deal with that part of you that sabotages your efforts, then you will be more positive and optimistic in life. You will start doing what you used to be afraid of and you will start embracing your greatest fears. You will begin to take bold steps!

By so doing, you will most likely achieve your goals and success won’t be far-fetched.

Now, to the main reason you’re here: How To Stop Sabotaging Yourself

Due to sad past experiences, you might become familiar with failure. This might result in chronic fear. This phobia can also be as a result of how you were brought up. You probably developed low self-esteem in the long run.

In this kind of situation, you will be scared to try out new things – scared to embrace a new challenge. Scared to make a big move!

But that’s self-sabotage.

So, how do you overcome this fear? How do you stop sabotaging yourself? Here are 9 tips to help you!

1. Understand What Self-Sabotage Is

The fact is, you are more likely to find a solution to a problem if you understand exactly what that problem is.

In other words, if you want to stop sabotaging yourself, then first, you must understand what “self-sabotage” means.

Many of us have these self-limiting habits that we misconstrue as “precaution” or “carefulness”. But in reality, it’s self-sabotage.

The reason your self-sabotaging behaviors keep lingering is because you often don’t understand that those attitudes are actually limiting you. You only see it like you’re playing safe… At the end of the day, you hurt yourself without even realizing it.

To avoid this kind of ignorance, the first step to take towards solving this problem is to understand what self-sabotage entails.

Now, to be clear with this, self-sabotage is simply that habit or mindset that stops you from being you. It is basically anything that comes from “within” you that prevents you from achieving your ultimate goal(s) in life.

Based on this definition, it is left for you to ask yourself; how am I sabotaging myself?

2. Realizing Your Self-Sabotaging Habits

Having understood what self-sabotage means, the next thing is to recognize those self-sabotaging habits you exhibit. Find out the self-limiting and self-destructive stuff that tend to undermine your progress.

Some common self-limiting habits or mindsets are:
- Procrastinating unnecessarily: This is one behavior that holds many people back. Hence, a popular slogan holds that; delay is dangerous!
- Negative Self-talk: If all you do is talk negatively about yourself, nothing can make you believe in yourself… Consequently, you will become pessimistic. And as a result, you will never succeed because you will never try.
- Perfectionism: The truth remains that nobody is perfect, and nobody will ever be. So, if you’re waiting till you’re perfect before doing what needs to be done, then you’ll never really do anything.
If you are doing any of the aforementioned, then please stop! That’s self-sabotage. And it won’t allow you to make any progress.

3. Understand Why You Are Sabotaging Yourself

If you must stop sabotaging yourself, then you have to first understand why you are self-sabotaging. What are the deep-rooted causes of your self-sabotage? The truth is that there are different reasons you subconsciously undermine yourself. Find out why!

Is it because of your deep-seated fears? Anxiety? Or because over time, your self-esteem got lower? Is it because you are hypersensitive? Or are you depressed?

Are you sabotaging yourself because you lack self-confidence? Or is it because you’re overly assertive? Are you undermining yourself because you work too hard and get too little to show for it? Are you the workaholic type with no results?

Or is it that you’ve achieved so much and now, you no longer feel like trying out stuff?

Are you impairing yourself because you are an introvert and you lack the basic social interactive skills? Do you simply suck at communication?

If you can ask yourself these questions, you’re likely to find out the cause(s) of your self-limiting attitude (or thoughts).

That being said, what is the cause of your self-sabotage? Jot them down.

4. Address Your Fears

What are your fears? If you want to stop sabotaging yourself, then you have to stand and face those things you dread the most. Be ready to embrace them. You don’t have to shy away.

As a matter of fact, you only feel like it’s impossible because you are scared. If you can remove that fear, you will begin to see the possibilities.

Instead of backing off because of panic, rewrite your fears from a different viewpoint. For instance, if your fear is because of previous failures, you can simply choose to focus on the present.

What are the facts about the task at hand? If you can deal with those facts, then you have nothing to worry about.

Just so you know, you can actually reverse your fear into inspiration. It’s just a matter of perspective. You have to decide to attack that fear by facing it anyway. Deal with it!

It mustn’t be about solving the whole problem at once… You can take it one step at a time. Every little step forward actually matters. It’s always going to be a gradual process.

5. Surround Yourself With Positive People

The people you keep close to yourself says a lot about the kind of mindset you have. Mediocrity begets mediocrity. Positivity begets positivity.

Most people who sabotage themselves only do so because the people they communicate with (or are connected to) are mostly self saboteurs too.

You have to watch the set of people you mingle with… Are they the type who are immersed in self-doubt? Do they always have a reason to say no? Are they pessimists?

As a matter of fact, when you only associate with people who would always dissuade you from taking up new challenges, you will definitely start buying their suggestions at some point.

It might even get to the point where you will start doubting yourself subconsciously. So, try as much as possible to avoid such negative-minded people.

6. Be Realistic

It’s vital that you understand your reality. It will help you to be you, and as such, you will always go for what you want without having a double mind about it. Being realistic is mainly about understanding that nobody is perfect. And that you (particularly) can’t be correct at all times.

Perfectionism makes you set impossible standards. As a perfectionist, you’ll most likely be physically and mentally stressed trying to make everything perfect. And at the end of the day, you won’t meet that “perfect” standard you aspire to.

That’s why you have to be realistic with your expectations. It will help you to be yourself. And hence, your goals will be obtainable without much stress.

Besides, perfectionism will deter you from a whole lot. Because you will tend to wait until a perfect time before you can execute your goals. Of course, that’s not what you want to do if you wish to stop sabotaging yourself.

7. Set Goals And Make Plans To Achieve Them

It’s almost impossible to stop sabotaging yourself if you don’t know what you want (or what you expect) in life.

When you are uncertain about what to expect, your self-esteem will be low. You will find it difficult to take those bold steps. You will feel incompetent, and as a result, you will see yourself withdrawing from any challenge you encounter.

How do you counteract this?

You simply have to be clear about your goals. And of course, you must make plans to achieve them. Setting a goal will give you a clear pathway towards achieving your aspirations for the future.

While we live in an uncertain world, when you have a goal and a solid plan to achieve the goal, you will be a little more certain about what to expect.

8. Get Out Of Your Comfort Zone

Hey, this is the real deal.

After setting your goals, you have to get out of your comfort zone to achieve them! Often, the reason you undermine your success is because you prefer staying where you are comfortable. You only do things you feel comfortable doing.

Well, it’s natural. We’re all wired to seek convenience. However, if you must stop sabotaging your success, you have to be willing and able to do things a bit differently – even if it makes you very uncomfortable.

Nothing extraordinary actually comes to you in your comfort zone… Be mindful of that.

9. Change Your Behavioral Pattern

Changing your pattern of behavior is probably one of the most difficult tasks of all. But then it goes a long way to determine if you’ll stop the attitude of self-sabotage or not.

You simply have to deal with those behavioral tendencies that limit you from being what you want to be – or getting the results you’ve always wanted.

How do you change your behavioral pattern?

First, you have to understand that any behavior you exhibit begins from your mindset! After all, every action takes place in the mind – first – before we even reveal them. That’s why you must change your mindset if you want to change your behavior.

Remember, it’s always one particular voice in your head that will dissuade you from making those big moves. Now, ask yourself; is that a negative or a positive voice?

To change your negative behaviors, you have to stop listening to those negative voices. You should start listening more to that voice that propels you to take a step!

Related reads:
Final thoughts

It’s not always easy to adopt all these measures to stop sabotaging yourself. It takes lots of time, dedication, and conscious effort!

However, the end result is quite extraordinary.

You will be amazed at how much you can achieve if you stop undermining yourself and your success.

Please PIN and SHARE these tips to stop sabotaging yourself!
August 31, 2020
How To Take Responsibility For Your Life And Stop Making Excuses
Living an intentional life is not always easy. Nowadays, it’s pretty uncommon to come across people who take responsibility for their lives.

The average human will always come up with excuses as to why something happened or why it didn’t. Well, that is a bad sign.

You shouldn’t resort to blame when you fail in a particular endeavour… if you do, it simply indicates that you’re not owning up to your life. You are giving away your power to bring about change.

Yes, you might have failed once, but the fact remains that you are responsible. So you don’t blame others. Rather, change!

Blames and excuses make you powerless. Just like a toothless dog that only barks but cannot bite. When you blame your downfall on somebody or something, you will stay down. But when you take responsibility for your downfall, you will be motivated to stand up and do it right!

Taking responsibility for your life basically means you are fully in charge of what happens in your life.

When you are responsible for your life, you won’t be the lucky man who attained success by chance. Or the unlucky woman who failed in life because of ill fate.

A responsible life is an intentional life. It’s not a life of excuses. To take responsibility for your life means that no one has the right to define how or what your life will turn out to be. Not even your family, friends, or partner – only you can.

If success is what you really crave for, then taking responsibility for your destiny is what you should do. And on the other hand, you should be allergic to excuses and blames.

But the main point now is; how? How do you take this responsibility? How do you start owning your life? How do you stop living a life of excuses and blames?

Well, you’ll find out soon enough!

But before then, let’s get clear on the difference between self-blame and taking responsibility.

Taking Responsibility for Your Life VS Blaming Yourself; Any Difference?

Okay, let me make this clear; to take responsibility for your life doesn’t mean to blame yourself. It simply means being on top of any situation. It means being in charge of whatever happens in your life.

The whole essence of “responsibility” is that it gives you the power to determine outcomes.

For instance, when you are performing poorly at work, and you decide to take responsibility for that, then you have the power to control the situation. You have the capacity to initiate change. You will be motivated to work better. And consequently, you’ll start having better results.

But if you blame yourself in a similar situation, you will be dispirited, demoralized, and utterly disappointed. At the end of the day, you’ll resort to self-resentment. Low self-esteem will be next in line… And before you realise it, you’re depressed!

Just so you know, “blame” is simply negative. Whether you’re blaming others or yourself. Self-blame is destructive. It will never make you… it will only mar you.

So, stop blaming yourself and start taking responsibility!

Here’s how to take responsibility for your life:

1. Stop Blaming Others

Like I said earlier, once it comes to “blame”, it’s a no-no. It’s understandable, life can be unfair at times. Sometimes, it might SEEM like you’re helpless… But, are you really helpless? Even if you are, will blaming other people solve the problem? I think not.

The best result that “blaming others” will yield you is the liberty to play the victim card. Your only bragging right will be to preach victimhood. Or maybe you’d also be able to justify failure…

But then, does that really help? Sadly, no, it doesn’t. Moreover, just like you will hate yourself when you blame yourself, you will also feel bitterness towards others when you blame them for your misfortunes.

Of course, with such resentment and bitterness, you will never feel happy as a person. Plus, that person you despise so much might be happy wherever he is.

A wise man once told a short story. According to him, a Saint was asked; what’s the meaning of hatred? The Saint replied; hatred is the act of intentionally suffering for another person’s sins.

This implies that blaming and hating others will only really hurt you. Even when those you are hating on are doing just fine.

Remember, blaming simply incapacitates you. You are just a powerless person if you keep blaming without taking responsibility for any given situation in your life.

2. Stop The Flimsy Excuses

If you want to take responsibility for your life, then you also need to stop making flimsy excuses. You’ll agree with me that making excuses is like a culture for many people. It’s pretty common.

At some point in life, most of us had excuses.

Some of these common excuses are:
- I couldn’t start the business because I had little money.
- I didn’t get the job because the hiring team was corrupt.
- I failed the examination because the teacher was just evil.
- I was never destined to succeed.
- I always have bad luck…
I can continue to list the excuses… they’re just too numerous. However, those excuses are all flimsy. They hold no water.

Take for instance, that examination you failed, you would have passed it if you took responsibility and prepared better.

And yes, successful people DON’T easily give up on their business ideas just because they lack the start-up funds. They find ways to generate the money they need… They don’t give excuses!

Moreover, successful people don’t believe strictly in destiny, they believe in smart and hard work. They also believe in possibilities. So, they won’t give excuses like; I am not destined to… whatever.

If you are still living in excuses, just know that you cannot take a decisive step forward. You will remain where you are because you always have an excuse to belong there.

Excuses mainly give you reasons why you shouldn’t take responsibility for your life. You feel justified to be a failure when you have excuses for failing!

And with that kind of attitude, you won’t learn from your mistakes. It’s simply a negative way of life. Having excuses. Nothing is positive about it.

Once you are able to eliminate excuses, you will find it easier to take responsibility.

3. Live In The Moment

In order to be in total control of what happens in your life, you must start living in this very moment – not in the past or in the future – but NOW.

When you live in the moment, you will have the awareness and empowerment that will help you engender the change you need.

A popular quote has it that; Yesterday is gone, tomorrow is yet to come, but today is a GIFT, that’s why it’s called PRESENT.

One of the greatest gifts you have is now. And what you do “now” is entirely up to you. So, what are you doing now? Are you taking the necessary actions to bring about change? Or are you blaming others? Or making excuses? Or dwelling in the past? Or just hoping in the future?

It’s simple, if you want to be successful, live in the moment, and take responsibility NOW.

4. Love Yourself

One reason you’re not taking full responsibility for your life may be the lack of self-love. When you don’t love yourself you won’t trust your abilities and it will bring about low self-esteem.

In order to feel better, you will resort to blaming others for your failures. You will always give excuses for your actions and inactions. It’s because you don’t trust yourself enough.

If you love yourself, you will trust yourself enough to take up new challenges. You will believe that you can handle any given situation you find yourself in.

You won’t wait for people’s validation or praises in order to feel good about yourself or your achievements. Your self-esteem will be built within you, not outside you (by others).

In a nutshell, you’ll be more fulfilled and happier if you love yourself. And as a result, taking responsibility for your life won’t be a problem.

5. Take Care Of Yourself

Start by checking your daily habits. What are your activities like? Do you work so hard without having a little rest?

How much exercise do you give your body? How do you feed? Do you depend on junk? Do you drink alcohol in excess?

If your daily activities don’t help your entire wellbeing, then your life will be a mess. And it’s more difficult to take responsibility for your life if you’re already messed up.

Taking responsibility for your life simply starts with taking care of your body, your mind, and your needs.

6. Take Charge Of Your Emotions

If you really want to master your life then you have to master your emotions.

Remember, your attitude is often a product of how you feel. And your emotions determine your feelings. Therefore, your emotions determine your attitude.

Sometimes, you are happy. And it reflects in your attitude towards life. That’s as a result of positive emotions. However, the truth is that we’re all bound to experience negative emotions as well. Not only the positive ones.

At some point in life, you will generally feel bad. It’s normal. And as an individual who takes responsibility, you should be able to understand that negative emotions are only a part of your life you can control.

If you are able to fully take responsibility for your emotions – whether positive or negative – then you will live a balanced life.

Just so you know, an individual who can’t control his emotions can never take charge of his life. He will only act based on his emotions. And as a result, he will always regret his actions.

Imagine if someone hurts you real bad and you can’t control your emotions… You might even end up hurting the person really bad!

Or imagine if someone makes you happy, and you can’t control your emotions, you might just as well sell your entire property just to express your happiness (allow me to exaggerate a bit).

In both cases, you will end up regretting your actions… Because you allowed your emotions to get the better of you.

7. Only Say What You Can Do

Yes! You have to ONLY say what you can do.

Being a responsible person also entails being an individual with integrity. You can’t claim you are responsible for your life when we can’t even trust your words. You are simply not responsible if you can’t fulfil your promises.

I mean, have you ever done business with someone who agrees on an appointment and never shows up?

Someone who takes a loan and fails to meet the deadline?

Someone who will agree to certain terms and conditions and later breach the contract?

Well, if you’ve ever met such a person, then you will agree with me that they are simply not credible. They are obviously not responsible enough.

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Final Thoughts

Finally, it is always vital for every individual to be responsible. As a matter of fact, the world will be a better place if it harbours only people who take responsibility for their lives. Okay so this is a bit of wishful thinking, but it would be pretty great right.

In such a world, things will simply be a lot easier because most people will be easy-going.

This is because people who take responsibility for their lives don’t complain much, they only focus on taking positive actions. Think about how much value you can add to your life and the people around you simply by being intentional about everything you do, without making any excuses whatsoever!

Please PIN and SHARE these tips on how to take responsibility for your life!
August 26, 2020
10 Powerful Girl Boss Habits To Copy That Will Change Your Life
Being a girl boss simply entails being a go-getter, taking responsibility for your words and actions, and living a purposeful life. Phew! That’s pretty much yeah? Not even considering the benefits that come with it. Today I’ll be sharing some powerful girl boss habits you can adopt to up-level your life.

It’s quite easy to sit on the couch and read through this but having to make these habits a daily ritual takes more than just getting excited. Consistency and 0% laziness should be the watchwords for every aspiring boss lady.

Copying girl boss habits that will bring you significant change is not going to be a piece of cake. There will be different forces and scenarios that might leave you hanging in the garden of “I’m so exhausted, I barely have time to breathe, how do I go about this?”

But trust me, it’s worth the effort. Nobody’s life is all perfect and fancy like the pictures in our daydreams so don’t expect to suddenly take up and master these habits overnight.

Take your time, understand why you’re doing this, let it sink in and of course, it’s all about baby steps. So, let’s take an in-depth look at 10 of the girl boss habits that will change your life and help you be a better person.

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1. Make Purposeful Living Your Niche

Knowing your life purpose is the first step toward living a truly conscious life. A life of purpose provides us with a clear goal, a set finish line that you truly want to reach. ~Simon Foster

The foremost habit to emulate as a girl boss is living purposefully everyday. Like I said, it’s easy for you to just run through all the 10 habits listed out here and try to live up to them, but guess what? Without a driving force, it won’t last.

Your thoughts, actions and every day decision making should be tied to your purpose. It should be your driving force in life. Being a girl boss means living with intentions. Now the question is, do you have a purpose? Don’t just pass time or live everyday as it comes – live intentionally. Be purposeful, be a girl boss!

2. Have A Plan And Stick To It

I’m sure you aspire to make one, two or all of your dreams come true. Either long term or short term, achieving a goal requires that you have a plan on how to go about it.

For instance, if your goal is to improve your grades from third class to 1st class by the end of the academic year, ensuring you go for classes and studying more extensively is great then to achieve such goals.

However, don’t just create plans, stick to them. It might be hard but it’s not impossible. No matter what the outcome is, at the end you will be fulfilled and super proud you made an effort. Always remember, you can do whatever you put your mind to.

If you plan to make it happen and stick to that plan, come what may, it will happen. Sticking to a goal plan is one of the best girl boss habits that will change your life for good.

3. Be An Early Bird

Being an early bird is not just about waking up early in the morning, it’s also about completing tasks within the stipulated time frame, being on time for scheduled meetings and events and also meeting up with work deadlines.

However, all these will be seldom possible if you start off your day wishing you can use the time machine, put the alarm clock on snooze or even speed off to another adventure in Dreamland. That’s certainly a grumpy kick-start for a girl boss.

Now is definitely not the time to dread the early morning blues. Waking up as early as possible in the morning has got loads of benefits that come with it. It helps you to be mentally alert, have a productive day and reduces your stress levels.

To make this bag of goodies hers, a girl boss ensures she sleeps early enough to wake up early and hearty. You don’t expect to be booed up with Netflix until 3am and then wake up at 5am rejuvenated. That’s mission impossible, unless you plan to have an unproductive day with a banging hangover to go with it.

Related: 15 Tips On How To Wake Up Earlier And Not Feel Tired

4. Get Adequate Rest And Sleep

Speaking of hangovers, I hope you’re aware that excessive alcohol intake is not the only causal factor for hangovers?

Having a busy day working your butt off with little or no breaks, and pulling all-nighters working on the computer is enough to start your day on an exhausting note (and that is definitely not a girl boss routine).

Since being a boss lady sums up into taking charge and being in control of your life, make sure that influences your physical health and wellbeing too. Know when to rest and when to work.

It’s understandable that being a purpose-driven girl boss can have you bagging the world’s most busy woman award. However, your daily activities if not put in check will have you overworking your body system. It is therefore your responsibility to make a habit of giving your body the proper rest and sleep it needs.

5. Try To Do Away With Procrastination

Another of these premium girl boss habits that will change your life for good is ensuring you give no room for procrastination. Knowing what to do and when to do it should always be a top priority. You’re a top gunner and being a top gunner means you can’t afford a slack in your schedule and plans.

I know it can be pretty hard to stick to schedules at times especially when others are involved (no one is an island and most times, you can’t control other people’s decisions). However, the effects of procrastination are costlier than those of avoiding it.

Procrastination will make you blow opportunities, waste your time, lower your self esteem, make rushed and poor decisions, ruin your reputation and may even cost you your career.

Therefore, ensure you give “doing the right thing at the right time” your best shot. It’s a wonderful girl boss habit to emulate and it will definitely give your life the change you need.

6. Eat Well

Another girl boss habit you need to be familiar with and emulate is having a healthy diet. A busy schedule is a perfect excuse to ditch good foods for junk. It’s okay to want to eat burgers and cookies and hotdogs and down it all with a bottle of soda because you’re yet to collate the PowerPoints for the next presentation and lunchtime is too expensive to spare.

However, junk food will get you a feel good vibe this minute and you’ll be feeling bananas the next. Moral of the story; they are only responsible for some minutes of sugar rush.

Eating healthy meals on the other hand, will not only give your body the adequate supply of nutrients it needs to be able to function well, it will also enhance your immune system, improve your well-being, reduce high blood pressure, lower high cholesterol and improve your ability to recover from illness or injury.

Don’t forget, you are what you eat. A healthy diet equals a healthy body. So make healthy eating a habit today!

7. Cut Down On Frivolity

So far, we have talked about accountability with our time, wellbeing and decisions. Now it’s time we face our personal economies. Before reading further, kindly take some minutes to reflect on how you have managed your finances in the past few months.

I hope you are proud of your findings. One of the girl boss habits you have got to adopt is being responsible with every penny that you get to have. Learn to track your expenses, query your need to buy or spend no matter how much or little money is involved.

The truth is, you can’t outgrow the basics. If you can’t be accountable with your personal finances, how then will you be able to manage that of your organisation? Therefore, try to make sure your expenses are well tracked and your finances are perfectly managed. It’s a great habit to cultivate. That’s what girl bosses do!

8. Have A Defined Use Of Media

Except you are a journalist, PR, blogger or any other media personnel, there is no reason why you should be on the internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Even if your work is related to any of the above mentioned, ensure you take time off and have some quiet time to yourself.

TV, the internet and other media platforms are full of noise. There are more negatives than positives on them. Loss of quality of life, lack of privacy, decreased safety and security, and harm to social relations are a few of the negative effects of excessive online presence.

Nevertheless, the internet has made access to information easy. It provides effective communication using emailing and instant messaging services to any part of the world and improves business interactions and transactions, saving on vital time.

Therefore, since they are necessary evils in our daily lives, ensure you strike a balance when it comes to their usage. Know when to withdraw their use and have some quiet to yourself every day.

Don’t be carried away by everything you see online, be mindful of what you watch and subscribe to. For instance, seeing tweets on failed marriages, cheating partners and serial breakups more often will have you subscribe to the “men/women are scum/true love does not exist” kind of banter. A girl boss does not do that.

9. Be Organised

From having a well mapped out schedule and creating a clean workspace in your bedroom/study, to making sure no dirty dishes linger in the sink and tidying up the rest of the house, a girl boss sure knows her way around leading a well organised lifestyle.

No matter how busy and rough your day or week might get, make sure you make time out to draw out schedules for the next day, clean up the house, do the dishes and your laundry and clear out items that are seldom useful to you.

If you’ve got an early morning, ensure your outfit of choice is readily available. It is also noteworthy that our environment has a way of influencing our mental and of course physical health. You can’t expect much productivity in a disorganised environment.

A clumsy place equals a clumsy mind. To have a healthy girl boss lifestyle, ensure there’s no exemption of any of the above mentioned activities. It’s not always so effortless especially when exhaustion and fatigue from previous work and activities sets in.

However, try to make a habit of it. You can even do it alongside something fun like listening to music. That way, it will be less of a chore for you. Nevertheless, if you’re extremely tired or busy, there are a couple of cleaning services that the lady in distress can call to her rescue (only the bills might feel the strain though).

10. Create Time For Reflection

The final girl boss habit to attain a better change in life is reflecting. At the end of each day and every passing week, ensure you do a reflective check on yourself.

It will help you identify how far you’ve come with achieving your purpose, which goals you’re yet to attain, what habit you need to change or emulate and ultimately how to be a better person. Reflection is a great way to help every girl boss strengthen their emotional intelligence, improve their self esteem and confidence.

It will also help you to make better decisions in the future. Surprised at how much having some quiet time alone to think about past actions and events can benefit you? Don’t be! Have a self reflection check today!

Related: 20 Deep Self-Reflection Questions To Ask Yourself

And there you have it, girls. Now it’s time to get your action pants on and be the girl boss you truly are.

Don’t forget to pin & share these awesome girl boss habits!
August 19, 2020