The need for a good work schedule should be a priority for anyone that manages their own time, regardless of the business. A common misconception is that only “really busy” executives need a schedule, but this is untrue, almost anyone can benefit from a well laid out work plan.

One of the most important things you can do to keep your workload organized and your productivity high – whether you work by yourself or with others, at home, or for a large company – is to set a working schedule. You need to allot yourself amounts of time to focus on various specific tasks and aspects of your work, from the small and seemingly trivial items, to the larger stages of projects within your day to day routine.

A smooth schedule that gives you enough time to address the various parts of your workday will help the time flow smoothly, and keep you motivated and on track. It will also help prevent you from spending too much time on less important tasks, or not giving enough time to larger or more important ones, and feeling stressed at the end of the day that you didn’t get the work you needed to finish done.

When working on a schedule you set yourself, it becomes very easy to become disorganized, or not use your own time wisely. All too often one can fall into the pitfall of feeling a schedule isn’t necessary, thinking you’ll just get it done as it comes along. However, without giving yourself the courtesy of setting aside a schedule you may find yourself overwhelmed when projects come to a head, or spending too much time on earlier stages and then falling behind on your work.

The process of setting a schedule for your self is relatively simple though, and can be broken down into a few basic steps:

List your daily tasks, as well as your non-daily tasks

Go over all the things you do in a typical day and break them up into categories of like actions, such as checking with vendors, printing reports, compiling data, making calls, etc. Try not to be too specific here there. For example, instead of writing down, “Call to check on the Johnson account,” you might simply write, “Make follow-up phone calls.”

Make sure to take into account ongoing projects or assignments that you are working on, where certain parts of the work should be done each day, even if the task itself may be different on a day to day basis (i.e. work on September marketing initiative).

Also make sure not to forget those items that aren’t done every day. If you only do certain things one day of a week, like checking figures every Monday, make sure you include it on the list.

Prioritize your tasks by importance and urgency

Obviously certain parts of our work are intrinsically more important than others, but you still have to do both.

If you are dealing with clients, or working on an assignment with an upcoming deadline, that is probably more important than returning phone calls or checking your email. However, if your job is focused on answering calls or correspondence in a timely matter, that may take priority over writing a report.

The key is determining which tasks are more important for you, and ranking them accordingly. This will help you establish how much time to dedicate to each instead of picking an arbitrary time limit out of the sky.

Determine what pre-requisites (if any) exist in determining the order in which activities must be completed and arrange them into the order to be completed accordingly

If you need to research facts and figures or collect data before you can create a quote, obviously the one must occur before the other and the schedule should reflect that.

If you need to send items off to someone else before speaking to them, make sure you schedule your time to make phone calls after that task.

This may seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised how many people allot time for phone calls and emails first thing in the morning, wasting a large chunk of time when there’s nothing to be done there yet – only to have to end up making more calls and writing more mails later throughout the day because most of the items they need to correspond about require completing other tasks first.

Divide the amount or working hours you have available into smaller sections – or work blocks, and determine how many of these blocks you need to realistically complete each task

Based on the information you determined above, lay out your daily tasks in a schedule, giving appropriate time to each based on priority and time realistically needed to complete the task.

When possible, try to group all of one type of activity together (such as phone calls, emailing etc.) to a few set times a day instead of throughout. When you have one type of task constantly interrupting the main work at hand, you’re not making effective use of your time, nor are you devoting the attention to the main priorities.

If you find that a certain area or your work keeps interrupting the others, assign more time to it to properly finish it if possible so you don’t have to keep coming back to it when working on other areas.

Print out your schedule, or if you prefer to use an application on your computer or another device, input it there, and stick to it!

In the end, a schedule serves no purpose if you don’t adhere to it. Try to stick to your schedule as much as possible, and adjust it as necessary until you work out the kinks.

When you reach the end of a work block and are supposed to start a new task, make sure you do so. Even if you’re not entirely done with the first item, this will help you get into the mindset of following your schedule, and prevent you from getting further behind. If you go over the time given on one item it will push the rest of your work back for the rest of the day. If you finish something else early, you can go back and finish it, and now you’ll know where to cut and add the time when you make your revisions.

Once you get used to working within the confines of your schedule, you’ll have less worries along the lines of, “I still need to finish this…” or “I haven’t even started that part yet…” because you know you have the time for it blocked out already, and you know the other tasks won’t get in the way, because they end at a certain set time.

**

Remember, not everything needs to be completed in one day, but certain things do need to be completed daily. By prioritizing and breaking up larger assignments and ongoing work so you don’t get caught up in one big project, causing all your daily tasks to get lost in the shuffle, you’re doing yourself a bigger service in the long-run in managing your work.

It seems like the more people I talk to nowadays, both online and off, I find more and more are struggling with the notion that they don’t like what they do for a living, or the direction their life has taken. They never imagined that this is what they would be doing with their life. They’re resentful, or tired, or bored that day-after-day they have nothing to look forward to. They’re sick of their routines, and are just going through the motions.

Many have jobs of necessities to pay the bills, or they’re unsure about staying in the field they are in. Some are homemakers. Some wish they could stay at home. Even the ones who may like their professions are often worrying about the opportunities for growth and advancement, don’t like the company they are working for, or are worried about the possibility of finding another position elsewhere if they leave. Others still don’t like working for someone else, and wish they could be their own boss.

All of them have one thing in common though: they aren’t actively doing anything to change their situation. They’re resigned to the fact that this is “just the way it is” and “there’s nothing they can do about it right now.” Some may hold out hope that “someday” things will get better, or maybe “later down the line” they’ll be able to try what they really want, but most seem to have just given up completely, at least for “right now.”

They’re in a slump.

But what do you do? How do you get out of it?

The first question you need to ask yourself is: “Is this what I want to do for the rest of my life?”

If the answer is “No” then it’s time for a change.

I know that’s perhaps one of the scariest thoughts to entertain, but if you truly want to be happy, then you need to put the excuses aside. If you let the fears control your action than you will always convince yourself that now is not a good time. If you try to wait until you have enough extra money first, you’ll find you  never have enough money, and therefore you’ll keep telling yourself to wait, when the only person you’re putting off is yourself.

We spend more time out of the day working than we do at just about any other activity, so if all that time is being spent simply to manage and get by, you’re never going to feel happy and fulfilled. Doing something you love and enjoy for a living, on the other hand, is more rewarding then the monetary compensation it provides.

Yes, you need the money, and giving up the job you have and need is a scary proposition. We’re not suggesting to leap before you look, but at some point you have to make a conscious decision to do something else.

The ideas of starting over from scratch, transitioning from one type of position to another, or changing to a new field entirely, are daunting – but you can do it. You have to believe in yourself. If you’re not on your own team, who else will be?

First, sit down and have a real heart to heart with yourself. Don’t just ask yourself what you’d rather be doing, or what you really think you want to do, ask yourself what you love. Don’t even think about job opportunities right now, this is about self discovery. What are your passions? What are your interests and hobbies? What gives you joy?

Now really think about these things.

Now think about possible jobs that incorporate those things you’re most passionate about.

Don’t worry about how difficult it may seem, or how far-fetched you think it might be; really think about what your ideal job or career would be within the areas that bring you joy. What would you love doing, simply because you love it?

Next: research, research, research! No matter what your dream, there is information to be had and opportunities to be found that you may not have even known existed.

Perhaps you need to go back to school or take a training course for the field you’ve chosen; look up vocational courses or college classes nearby. You may be able to attend school at night or on the weekends, or even online. There might be financial aid and grants to help you out, and depending on your situation, travel opportunities and internships as well.

Perhaps you love food, but don’t want to work in a restaurant, or you’re not interesting in going to culinary school. Can you bake? Cook? Maybe you can start your own catering service or sell home-made baked goods to local businesses.

Have you always wanted to work with animals, but don’t know where to start? If you’re not interested in veterinary medicine or zoology, but still want to work with critters, look up rescue organizations and animal sanctuaries. They always need volunteers and more helping hands. If you call and express your willingness and desire to be involved you might be surprised to find many have internship opportunities where you can learn the skills and gather the experience to land a paid position later, it just takes a little time and commitment.

Love music? You may not be able to form that famous rock band you once dreamt about, but there’s no reason why you can’t learn how to become a music instructor.

Passionate about art but can’t paint a wink? Consider becoming an art history teacher, or working in a museum or art gallery.

There are solutions to every problem. Some may be more difficult than others, but until you get over the apathy and decide to be an active participant in planning your own future, you can’t expect anything to change.

Your dream job very rarely just falls in your lap by doing nothing.

Whatever your passion, there are opportunities, but it’s up to you to look for them and seize them.

Sometimes there are simple solutions, and sometimes they take a bit more effort, but anything worth having is worth working towards. This is your life, and if you want to make the most of it, you need to follow your dreams. Even if it means struggling for a while in the pursuit of your own happiness, it’s worth it.

Ask yourself this: What are you waiting for? If not now, then when?

In the end, wouldn’t you rather be doing something you enjoy every day than continuing in the same old slump wondering when things will get better?

I know what kind of person you are. You’re a true “do-it-yourselfer,” aren’t you? You like to be in control, and the way you see it — the best way to get anything done is to just do it yourself.

Why spend time bouncing your ideas off of others when you know your idea is perfect to begin with? It’s not like they have the same vision as you, so why bother throwing it around to people who have no clue what they’re talking about?

Believe me, I once thought like this too. I like to be in control of things, and do everything myself. It’s something that comes from being a web designer, and has carried through into other aspects of my life.

Photo by Mish Sukharev

The truth is, you can’t do everything yourself. Breaking this mindset is not always easy, but it’s something you’ll need to learn.

…and fast.

Now, there’s a big difference between “anti-social” people and “do-it-yourself” kind of people. Just because you like doing things on your own does not make you anti-social. Rather, can lead to a little stubbornness.

There’s nothing wrong with doing things for yourself and taking control of situations in your life. Hell, I’d say it’s one of the best characteristics of any successful person.

However, there’s got to be a line somewhere. When crossed, I don’t think you’ll like where you end up. It can all be avoided simply through the help of others.

Life is About the Connections You Make

Family, friends, coworkers, baristas — whoever it is are all there for you (the barista at my local Starbucks sneaks me some extras occasionally. Don’t know where I’d be without her ;-)). Don’t be afraid to go for them for something. That’s generally why they’re in your life to begin with.

So when you do come up with a great idea, or need help at work, or ever feel overwhelemed — ask for some help. Don’t be shy or nervous to do so either. There’s nothing wrong with asking for help, and you don’t look weak for needing to do so.

I think the biggest reason I never wanted the help from others is because I was a little afraid to. I didn’t know what to expect, or if anyone would want to help me.

It’s not that I didn’t have any friends. Or that I was a total “do-it-yourselfer.” It was because I didn’t know how to ask.

These are the things I wish I knew before, on how to ask people for help:

1. Ask the right people: Simply put, if you need help with an Advanced Calculus assigment — don’t ask a gym teacher (unless they were once a rocket scientist or something).
2. Don’t be afraid of rejection: No one likes getting shot down. But think about it, what’s the worst thing that can happen when you ask someone for help? They say “no?” Big deal.
3. Know what you want: Unless you’re brainstorming, don’t talk to people about something unless you know exactly what you’re talking about. This goes back to “owning the situation,” and people will be more inclined to help a confident, knowledgable person.
4. Help others: Like you, others want help too! By helping other people, you are building reputation and trust, so when the time comes for when you need something — people will be more inclined to help.

But listen: it’s not that you should go to people only when you need something. That’s selfish.

You should go to people because you want to. You want to talk to them, and you just want to stimulate a great conversation and be around people you like.

Once you understand that life isn’t one giant “work-a-thon,” you’ll understand what life is really about. Maybe you’ll make a few friends along the way, too.

The Utter Importance of Masterminding

There is synergy of energy, commitment, and excitement that participants bring to a Mastermind Group. The beauty of Mastermind Groups is that participants raise the bar by challenging each other to create and implement goals, brainstorm ideas, and support each other with total honesty, respect and compassion. Mastermind participants act as catalysts for growth, devil’s advocates and supportive colleagues. — Karyn Greenstreet

Ever hear of one of these?

Masterminding is a great way to collaborate with others and get feedback on whatever is on your mind. It can really put some of your thoughts into perspective, and see what others think. It’s also a great way to break that “I need to do everything” mindset.

I’m in a Mastermind group myself, and have gotten a ton of value out of it. I’ve only been in two sessions (our group is new), but have really learned a lot and am always excited to go to the next session.

That, and my Masterminding homies, Dan Gheesling, Ruth Zive and Adrienne Smith are fun and smart people to talk to.

I encourage you to go out and talk to a few people who are into similar things (but not exact) and ask them about starting a Mastermind group.

Explain the benefits, such as always having people to bounce ideas off of, people who will support you, and to really just have a good time with a bunch of great people.

If you want to start your own Mastermind group, check out some of the links below for some great tips:

• How to Create and Run a Mastermind Group
• How to Find a Mastermind Group
• Why You Need A Mastermind Group
• 7 Real-Life Tips for Creating a Successful Mastermind Group

I was talking to one of the trainers at my gym the other day, and he was telling me about something in fitness called a “cheat day.”

A cheat day is basically for people who are on some kind of diet, and the idea is that they can pick one day out of the week to ‘cheat’ and eat pretty much anything they want.

He told me that doing something like this has a lot of benefits not only psychologically but can be great for staying healthy.

It got me thinking. Could having something like a ‘cheat day’ be healthy for our own lives, and somehow improve them?

Applying Cheat Days Into Your Own Life

Image by Tonya Staab

But we can be better at it.

Take me for example, I like to be a little lazy on Sundays. I wake up a little later than normal, skip the gym, go out all day and try to catch some football with a big plate of hot wings later. Oh, and I generally do not work at all on Sundays.

Basically, I break all of my habits and routines I set for myself through the other 6 days of the week. Just for this one day.

And yes, something this crazy — something every “self-development guru” will swear against, helps me in a few different ways:

• I get a break and switch things up on this day
• I get to rest my mind and body more than I do on other days of the week
• Gives me time to look back on what I accomplished over the past week
• Helps me get mentally prepared for the start of the new week
• It really does help me achieve my goals

It’s not that we create cheat days because we’re lazy, or so we can find excuses to not do what we’re supposed to. It’s to give us some time off from the regular routine and allow ourselves to break it, without feeling bad about it.

Kind of like a reward, to keep us sane. And just for one day.

You may think it’s crazy to want to break off from your regular habits. I couldn’t blame you for thinking that having a cheat day would help you develop bad habits more than good ones.

As long as you can discipline yourself and remain consistent throughout the week, you can easily learn how to apply a non-destructive cheat day into your week.

Here are some tips for doing just that:

1. The Day You Pick Is Important

You can’t have a cheat day without picking the right day. Try to pick a day where you don’t usually have too much going on. You’re off from work, you don’t have many comittments, and can easily have a more flexible schedule.

Sunday is pretty much dubbed as a “lazy day” (at least around here it is), but maybe that’s not for you. The only thing that matters about the day you pick is what works best for you. Whether it’s right in the middle of the week, or at the end.

2. Plan Some, Forget Some

On some cheat days, maybe you want to plan a party with some friends or plan a day trip somewhere. Then there are others, where you don’t necessarily have to make plans, but just “go with it.”

Sometimes, the only thing I end up planning is the cheat day itself, not what I’ll actually be doing on the cheat day. And that’s fine. Everyone loves a little advanture right?

3. Don’t Let it Dictate Your Whole Week

Having a cheat day is great, but it’s not something that you should ever live by.

If you find that you’re getting more excited by your cheat day than you are the other days of the week, then it may start interfering with those days. That’s when you know your cheat day is becoming destructive, and you need to consider limiting it or removing it for a while.

That, and you may need to reconsider what you’re doing on your non-cheat days because they should generally be more exciting and fulfilling.

4. Let it Set the Tone for Your Week

A successful cheat day, I feel, is one that will get you ready to take on the rest of the week. You’ll not only be more well-rested, but will have had time to enjoy life and all things you have in it.

That’s really the biggest thing I gain from these days: is that I can really look back and see all that I’ve accomplished and get a sense of pride. Naturally, it will just get you pumped up for the rest of your week.

5. Maybe, A Cheat Day Isn’t For You

We’re all different. Maybe you already have implemented a schedule into your life that you’re happy with. And that’s totally fine. I didn’t write this post to force you to change your routines, just to give you a perspective on something a little different.

If you’re anything like me, you have a hard time telling people “no” when they ask you for something. You just want to try and help everyone and do everything for yourself.

The problem is, you can’t do everything. Yes, you heard it here first and from someone who has come to that realization the hard way.

Learning how to say “no” is one of the most important lessons in life you can ever learn (I’d even say it’s up there with getting potty-trained). You shouldn’t say “no” just for the sense of self-pride either, but for a lot deeper reasons.

And in the next few minutes, I want to share those reasons with you.

Image by Kevin Trotman

Why You’re Hurting Yourself

First off, you should know how removing “no” from your vocabulary can hurt you.

When you start promising things to people and saying you’re going to do something for them, it puts pressure on you. Maybe at first, it’s manageable. But over time, the less and less you tell people “no,” the more pressure you are building onto yourself.

Now that you have all of these things you need to do for others, you are short on time and high on stress. You’ll quickly find out that you can’t manage all of these things for others and still do all the things you want to.

And I think that’s the most hurtful thing — you’re creating less time for you. You’re more important than anybody else, and when you can’t even find time for yourself: that’s when you know you need to make some changes.

Why We Have a Hard Time Saying “No”

There are plenty of reasons why many of us can say it, and why so many of us can’t. Some of us feel too pressured, and don’t want to let others down. Some of us even like to help people! Why does it have to be so hard?

But the main reason, I believe, that we have a hard time saying “no” — is because of psychology.

An article on Psychology Today says:

According to North Carolina researchers, you over commit because you expect to have more time in the future than you do in the present. But then tomorrow becomes today and… yesterday’s “yes” becomes today’s “damn!” And you find yourself making excuses.

The research shows that we think we have more time than we really do, and that’s why it’s so easy for us to feel like we can do more. It’s just one of time’s many effects on the brain, and it can be difficult to train yourself to think otherwise.

But not impossible.

How to Start Saying “No” Today

Now that you know how you’re hurting yourself and why you weren’t saying this word before, it’s time to figure out how to say “no.”

And trust me, there’s more to it than just telling someone “no” every time they ask you for something.

1. Know What You Have To Do

When I write posts about staying as focused as possible, I really mean: stay as focused as possible!

Keeping to-do lists and daily planners aren’t just for keeping your organized. It’s to give you some perspective on how your time is going to be spent for the day.

If you always have an idea (even a broad one) of what you’re going to do for the day, then you will start to understand that there’s just no way you can commit to anything else.

From the same article on Psychology Today:

“People often make commitments long in advance that they would never make if the same commitments required immediate action,” say the researchers. “That is, they discount future time investments relatively steeply.”

The better you can evaluate your time and watch your thoughts, the better you can plan ahead and never make a commitment you can’t keep with ever again.

2. Don’t Get Pressured

Some people are more persuasive than others, and you have to make it clear that if you don’t believe you can handle something, that you can’t do it. There’s nothing wrong with not being able to do something, you’re not some kind of superhuman (at least not that I know of).

And you have to realize that saying “no” to people does not give off the vibe that you’re a selfish person. Being able to say “no” to something tells me:

1. You have self-respect for yourself
2. Your priorities are straight
3. You have other things to do, and that’s fine

People will not hate you for telling them “no.” They won’t be mad at you (and if they are, I’d stop talking to that person for a while). So don’t ever get pressured into someone else’s business they can’t handle.

3. Always Be Confident And In Control

The less confident you are in a situation, the easier it is to get pressured (see: point #2) and basically let everyone walk all over you. The more confidence you can gain in yourself, the better handle you’ll have in any situation.

PS: You should check out that article I mentioned from Psychology Today. It’s really a fascinating read.

Hey guys, I just wanted to write quick post talking about some of the changes I’ve made around Life Notion recently. I also want to discuss some of the things I want to do with this blog, and of course get your opinion on the blog itself.

Wasting no time, let’s talk business ;-):

1. You Deserve A Reward

I’ve decide that I want to start rewarding the people who take the time to leave a comment on Life Notion a little better. I will almost always visit your website if you leave a link to it in the comments, but I felt like I could start doing more.

I really feel like you guys do a great job writing high quality comments and sparking great conversations. It means a lot that you read my posts in the first place — but commenting on them means even more.

So, I’ve done 2 cool things for you:

1. Comment Leaderboard

The comment leaderboard is simple: The more comments you write onto Life Notion, the higher the rank you will be in this beautiful widget.

The leaderboard is located in the sidebar, in a fairly noticeable place on the site. It will display your name and your website — so long as you fill in the URL field when you go to leave a comment.

This will appear on nearly every page of Life Notion and will be sure to get you some great link juice for your blog as they are all DoFollow links!

As you can see, the higher you rank — the more noticeable your link becomes. Best start ranking! The leaderboard resets at the end of every month!

2. CommentLuv

I’m sure you are aware of what CommentLuv does. After your comment, it will automatically grab your latest blog post and link to it at the end of your comment here. It’s awesome, and allows you to share your great writing with the rest of the community here.

2. The Votes Are In: And You Like Life Notion!

Each month, I am going to ask you a new question in the poll. All you have to do to answer, is click the answer you support the most and press “Vote!” You can see what other people chose (anonymously) after you vote.

Since Life Notion is new, I decided to ask you guys what you thought of this site. I feel like it got a great response, and it turns out that you guys love Life Notion!

A big thanks to everyone who voted in that poll, and be sure to vote in the new poll in the sidebar now!

3. Plans for the Future

The community here is really shaping up, and I’m doing my best to get new faces around here to take part in the comments and other things.

Now that we have a little something going, I want to start putting into some action some new ideas I have that I think will add even more value to Life Notion.

I won’t say much now…but I can tell you that if you decided to signup to the newsletter, you’ll start to see some of the things I’m talking about sitting comfily in your inbox shortly.

4. Have You Seen These Things?

Real quick, I just want to share a few links with some cool stuff I think you should check out. They are valuable articles, and a pretty cool feature from Life Notion you may not have seen.

• The Life Notion Bookshelf
  I want to make reading a big theme around here, since I love to read and personally believe that reading is an important part of becoming a smarter and more developed person. So, I compiled a list of some of the books I’ve been reading lately, and challenge you to find something you like from my bookshelf and consider reading it for yourself.
• Writing Daily for a Better Your
  I wrote a guest post on Justin Mazza’s blog, Mazzastick about the value of writing everyday. It’s a pretty interesting read, and one that I think will open your eyes to trying something new.
• The #1 Easily Fixed Flaw in Your Workflow That is Holding You Back
  Another guest post on Life Optimizer, I write about the one thing that holds you back from getting even more work done, and how to combat it.
• Look at This When You Need Help Solving a Problem
  This is a post on Life Notion I wrote a while back, and wanted to make sure you saw. I feel like it is one of the most important posts I’ve published here, and I’d like you to take a quick glance at it right now.

In psychology, “flow” is simply:

The mental state of operation in which a person in an activity is fully immersed in a feeling of energized focus, full involvement, and success in the process of the activity. — From Wikipedia

We experience flow as a result from concentration. Once your mind zones in on one specific thing (because remember: your mind cannot multitask), you enter a trance where you do not think before you do something, you just do.

And that’s what flow is – doing without thinking.

Generally, whenever you do something you truly love and are passionate about, it’s easier to achieve a sense of flow. You aren’t fighting with mind to “get into it,” you just are, naturally.

Photo by Leo Chimaera

Even when your mind is in a state of flow, it’s fairly easy to snap out of it and lose productivity. The tiniest distraction can set you off course and cost you precious time.

In the next 5 minutes, I want to share with you 5 tricks that will help you achieve flow, and stay in it. I use each of these myself, so I will show you how I’ve incorporated them with my own pictures.

1. Wake Up Early

Being able to wake up early and love doing it is a rarity in today’s society. I feel that if you don’t wake up excited to start your day, then you might as well just go back to sleep.

The only problem, is that I can’t figure out what my favorite thing about waking up at 6:20am everyday is:

• I have all day to do anything I want
• I’m extra productive in the morning hours
• The sunrise is just…beautiful
• Gives me a good time to reflect on yesterday/plan for today

The way you decide to start your day is an important foundation for how the rest of your day will play out. Wake up early, eat a great breakfast, read a book or work out. It’s the little things that will make a huge difference in your mind.

I sent a tweet out last week about how great I felt waking up early and got a response from my friend Sean Davis. It about sums things up:

2. Create A Great Environment For Yourself

If you spend multiple hours a day in a single room, what’s worse than spending all that time in a room you hate?

The least you can do to make your time more enjoyable is to cater your environment to your own needs and likings.

I work from home, and spend many hours a day in my room (which is basically an office with a bed), so I am constantly changing things around to ensure I love where I work.

Buy a plant and set it on your desk. Hang a painting on your wall, or decorate for the holidays. These all can go a long way to helping you stay relaxed and in that sense of flow.

3. Whiteboards

I own 5 whiteboards. 2 large ones on my wall, 1 by my desk and 2 above my bed. Whiteboards are great for conveying ideas and organizing your thoughts.

I use my own whiteboards to:

• Mind map articles/ideas
• Write down any quick thoughts
• Keep track of my todo list

I placed them in areas of my office where they are easy to get to, and where I’ll always be looking. If you ever have to clear your mind quickly, whiteboards are the easiest way to get it all out.

4. Notebooks

Think of a notebook as a portable whiteboard. You can bring it everywhere. Write ideas down, mind map, all the same stuff.

Why not just use the Notes app on your iPhone? I’ll tell you why.

Dr. Virginia Berninger, who studies writing development and disabilities, conducted a study that measured children’s abilities to write the alphabet, sentences and essays using a pen and keyboard.

She found that:

“Children consistently did better writing with a pen when they wrote essays. They wrote more and they wrote faster.”

The reason for this? A quote from Lifehacker sums it up:

The difference, Berniger notes, may lie in the fact that with writing, you use your hand to form the letters (and connect them), thereby more actively engaging the brain in the process. Typing, on the other hand, involves just selecting letters by pressing identical-looking keys.

You’ll be doing yourself a favor by writing your thoughts with a pen and paper. It’s a way to exercise your brain and become more engaged to what you write (and that’s what flow is all about).

5. Handicap Your Phone

We are engulfed by information. People are using phones more than ever to constantly consume content and effectively get less work done.

Ever been in the middle of something important, only for your phone to rudely interrupt you with a notification?

Your phone is the biggest distraction in your work space, and you’ve got to learn how to control it. Especially if you have a smart phone.

Here’s what I did to remove my phone as a distraction from my life:

• Turn off all sounds, so when I get an alert – I won’t hear it (unless it’s a call, but who uses phones to call nowadays!?)
• Turn off all popup notifications. I have an iPhone, so all my notifications are stored on one screen I can check back on later.
• Only download apps you NEED. I never keep more than one page full of apps. I keep apps that are important and can positively impact my life.
• Don’t check it all the time. This can be tough, but know this: your phone will still be available to you after you’re done completing an important task.

Everybody
is a genius.
But if you judge
a fish by its ability
to climb a tree…
It will live its whole life
believing it is stupid.
— Albert Einstein

Is there something that you are really good at? Something you can’t get off your mind, and can’t go a day without thinking about?

Everyone has that one thing, including you!

So what is it? Are you really good at sports? Like cooking? Painting? Are you a computer geek?

The truth is, your talents and the things you’re passionate about are what define you as a person. It’s your job to embrace these things and become the real you.

Now, let me tell you a story.

My Story of Lies, Secrets & A False Identity

…okay, maybe that sounds a little dramatic. But I will admit to you that I have not always embraced the things I’m good at. In all honesty, I was afraid to. And it’s easily one of the biggest mistakes I’ve ever made in my life, and I know I’m not the only one.

My story starts like this:

During my freshman year of High School, I started my first business online. I’m a self-taught web designer, and I decided that this is what I wanted to do with my life at the age of 14.

I liked to think I was great at what I did, and thought that the earlier I started, the better I’d get as I got older. I remember sitting in front of the computer for hours learning as much as I could and then spend even more time applying what I learned.

You know you’re passionate about something when you pull all-nighters and lose track of time while doing it. That, and your siblings fight with you so they can get a turn on the computer…

After only a few months, I dove in and started my business as a blogger. I loved it. But, I never told anyone I knew about it.

My parents, brothers, sisters, teachers, friends, nobody knew but me, and anyone who found my blog online.

I was afraid to tell anyone. I was afraid people would think I’m a computer geek, or a loser.

I remember even ditching my friends a few times and coming up with excuses and lies as to why I couldn’t hang out with them. I wanted to work on my business, and learn more about the things I was passionate about rather than going out to party or smoke weed.

I even went as far as using a fake name on my blog to ensure that no one I knew could look me up on Google and find my blog.

Call it obsession, call it being anti-social — I call it passion and doing what made me happy at the time. Unfortunately, I just could not be honest with people about what it is I actually did.

3 Years Later…

My senior year of High School is when I started becoming open with people about my business. Yes, it took me 3 freakin’ years to tell my friends and teachers about what it was I did online.

Of course, my parents and family knew by then. And they couldn’t have been more proud of me. But what surprised me the most was that even my friends were impressed. Hell, some were even jealous.

…not the reaction I would have expected. At all.

As a matter of fact, I was never once called a “nerd” or “loser” (I have actually come to terms with the fact that I am a computer nerd, and I love it) when I told somebody about my business.

Of course, I wasn’t doing any of this to get approval from others, or to get my ego stroked. But to finally be able to come clean and stop living in a lie.

Now, Back to You

My story is not unique, and I’d bet that you’ve made the same mistake in your life as well by hiding things from others.

Even if it’s something as big as a hobby, or something small like a favorite song (it’s okay to admit that “YMCA” is a catchy song, everyone else secretly thinks so too).

The longer you keep your talents and passion bottled up, the less time you’ll have to hone in on them and actually make something of them.

Ever since I started telling people what I did, I’ve flourished. I started my second business online, don’t worry about money, I now travel to network with others who do what I do, and am preparing for my first newspaper interview in a few weeks.

But the best thing of all, is I do something that I love and I do it with no shame. I wish I had told people sooner, because maybe I’d be even better at what I do today. But I’m too happy with what I have now to let all that get to me today.

Some people are stuck living a life controlled by others. Some people just don’t live in a way that makes them happy. Then, there are the few mavericks who take full control and live the life of their dreams.

That’s why I wanted to talk to Jonathan Mead so badly, because he falls under the third category and has (in his own words) opted out of the typical life-template.

He writes about living and working on your own terms at his blog, Illuminated Mind. I wanted to bring some of that wisdom over here to share on Life Notion, so I asked him the following 7 questions on what it takes to live the life of your dreams.

Thanks Jon!

A big thanks to Jonathan for taking the time to answer these questions for us! Don’t forget to leave a comment below to share your thoughts on the interview!

And of course — be sure to check out some more of his awesome work over at Illuminated Mind →