As the owl walks in, the larks gather around, sneering,

“So where have you been, sleepyhead” they larks said

“Sleeping…” the owls replied

“You are always late, you lazy owl,” the larks said, “You are going to get fired”

No, this is not about animal abuse, it’s about sleeping. Did you know that there are two basic types of sleepers? (Yes that was a very cheesy story)

Larks – early bird gets the worm

Photo by Cyron from Flickr

Larks are sleepers who have the natural ability to go to sleep early and wake up early. Most kids (5 to 10ish) are larks. This is because their days are shorter then an average adults’. Larks are viewed in our society (at the moment that is) as busy, efficient workers.

Owls

Photo by Merec0 from Flickr

Owls are the exact opposite of larks; they wake up late and go to sleep late. Most teens are owls. This is because their days are lengthening. Being the opposite of larks, owls are often seen as lazy, inefficient workers.

Lark is better right?

No. Owls often sleep and work the same hours as larks do. Their schedule is just an hour or two (maybe more in extreme owls) later then a larks. However because the society schedule demands early waking hours, we only see owls getting to work late. We don’t see owls staying up and working all the way into the night. We automatically assume owls go to sleep the same time as larks but they still wake up later.

Larks also have a larger amount of stress hormone in their saliva then owls. Although this is not proven, many owls are much more creative then larks - possible side effect of having less stress

So should I be an owl then?

Well, you should be whatever comes natural for you. You should already know what kind of sleeper you are so just stick with it. If you are a lark, stick with being a lark, if you are an owl, stick with being an owl.

Ending

Larks, please don’t criticize the owls. Modern day society’s obsession with waking up early is hard enough on them already – by ruining their natural sleeping schedule. Just because they wake up late it doesn’t mean they are lazy, they work and sleep the same hours as larks.

1. Did you know that pillows are very important? I didn’t. Dr. Micheal J Breus over at sleepbetter.org wrote a enlightening post on pillows.

2. Tim Ferris at fourhourworkweek has 5 very unusual tips on relaxing. It does seem to work well though.

3. C. Simmons from healthassist.net offers some classic tips on getting a better night’s sleep. The article is on dumblittleman.com

4. The very popular “how to become an early riser” written by Steve Pavlina is a must read.

5. Another article written by Steve Pavlina called “how to get up right away when your alarm goes off“. I am using this tip daily.

6. Finally, wired takes a different approach to sleeping: quality not quantity.

Photo by 13bobby from Flickr

Talking to yourself is the first sign of madness…apparently. Don’t really know where people get that from but talking to yourself can help you…

…think clearer

Have you ever thought so fast that you become confused yourself? I have. I believe that this is because you can’t keep up with your problem-solving mind. However by talking to yourself about the problem, you can slow that part of your brain and therefore you can think clearer

…Remember things better

The more senses you involve when you memorize things, the better you will be able to memorize it. Normally when we memorize something, we use one sense, sight. By saying out loud what you are trying to memorize, you involve one more sense, taste.

…Start a conversation

I am normally too shy to start a random conversation with a stranger on the road. If you are like me and you want to be able to talk with strangers, this tip can serve as a starting point. You can start a conversation by talking to yourself, or rather, making comments to yourself. Make a comment, and the other person should respond, and you will start a conversation.

Photo by Urban_data from Flickr

So you have a goal in mind. You are excited. You are ready to go. You can feel the energy surging out of you. You can’t wait to get off this page to start your goal…but wait! If you go now that powerful energy will be short-lived, it will dissipate and your goals will collapse upon you.

To maximize the effect of that energy and to prolong it, I found these three tips very effective.

Tip #1: Be positive

To begin setting good goals, we must convert any negative or bad energy goals into positive goals. The number one reason is that positive goals radiate good energy. Good energy is something you want to be with. If somebody is radiating positive energy, you automatically want to befriend him or her. Same with goals, when you have positive goals you will want to complete the goal more.

To begin, you must sort out the positive goals from the negative ones. Negative goals are any goals with negative words in them.

Negative words are any words that are describing boundaries, or the half empty part of the cup. We do this more often then we think. To children we go: don’t go onto the road. That is negative because it is describing the boundaries, or where you shouldn’t go. More examples would be: don’t eat the candy, don’t climb on the sofa, don’t watch TV, etc. As you read through the examples, I am sure you can see a pattern emerging and get a good idea of what a negative goal is.

Now that you sort out the negative goals, put everything else into the positive section and ignore them for now. We are going to start to turn those negative goals into positive goals. To do this, we must identify what you can do instead of what you can’t do. If your goals are: “don’t eat candy”. What you can do might be to drink water or eat fruits. So instead of the goal “don’t eat candy”, your goal should be “Eat 2 pieces of fruit for every candy”, or “eat a fruit instead of candy”. Turn “don’t smoke” into “buying chewing gum instead of cigarettes”. Turn “don’t watch TV” into “read a book during TV time.” Turn “don’t go on the road” to “stay on the grass” (ok, that’s not really a goal, but it’s just there to illustrate my point). As you can see I am replacing a bad thing with a good thing. It’s that simple.

Tip #2: Be colorful

Did you write you goal down (if you haven’t, you should). Does it look colorful? Does the image sink into your brain? It probably doesn’t. Don’t worry about it though, because we are going to change all that.

We will need to make your goal look colorful. The point of having a colorful goal is so it’s memorable. It also makes your goal radiate more positive energy. When you look over your goal everyday, I bet your mind glaze over, I bet you don’t even fully read your goal. Well if that happens, the goal doesn’t reinforce itself into your brain and you won’t be motivated enough to complete it. Make the goal look colorful, and you will enjoy looking at the goal everyday.

To make a goal colorful is simple, get some pencils, get some gel pen, highlighter, and coloring pencil, whatever you got and start drawing out your goal. Make the goal 3-D. Draw funny pictures around it (as long as the pictures have something to do with the goals). Underline it and draw boxes around it. Basically make a fun poster for you goal.

If you are good with graphic design, make a good-looking goal for your desktop. However, do not skip drawing out your goal. The physical act of drawing out your goal involves both your brain and the goal shall sink into your brain.

Tip #3: Reduce and remove

Do you have more then one goal going on at once? If so read on, If not ignore this.

I feel that to fully achieve a goal, you must devote you body and soul to it (unless it’s a really easy goal, in which it should be on your to-do list instead). Now if you have two goals, your body and soul resources are split in half (or some other percentage depending on how keen you are on your goals). If you have 4 goals, your resources are split into four. It will keep on going and going. By having more then one goal going at once, you are reducing your chances to complete each goal.

Take a good look at your list o’ goals, pick the one that is the most important. Stick it everywhere and occupy all you attention on it. Shove the rest of the goals in the bottom of your most bottom drawers and ignore them. Only take them out again after you have completed your current goal. If you are someone who is time-conscious (aren’t we all), then you are more motivated to complete the goal in less time to finish all the other goals you have. It’s win-win situation.

Get ready…

…Because this post ends right here. Go and set awesome goals and enjoy the feeling of completing them.

Photo by Tom@hk at Flickr

When you decided to take a break, another question arises, what should you do during your break?

You don’t want to return from your break so tired that you will need another break to relax from your previous break. You also don’t want to be so relaxed that you fall asleep as soon as you return to your desk. Or even worse, you get so caught up in your break that you will forget what you were doing before the break entirely.

To prevent those who takes breaks, I have decided to make this list.

1. Journal. Writing is a great way to relax. Obviously, you might not want to do this if your work consists writing anyway (although it feels different to write without boundaries in a journal). It really doesn’t matter what you write, just do it.

2. Daydream. What can be more relaxing then letting your imagination run wild. This is great to replenish you creativity.

3. Short shower. One word: refreshing.

4. Nap. See above.

5. Meditate. Much like napping. They actually found that while you meditate, your brain wave is the same as when you just fell asleep. So basically, you are napping without the worry of oversleeping.

6. Throw a ball. Throw it as hard as you can – preferably not towards a living thing. Get rid of all the stress that builds up as you work. Plus it’s a fun and unless you jump around catching the ball, you probably won’t be very tired.

7. Walk. Take a slow relaxing walk. It will relax those stiff muscles and that tired mind.

8. Eye exercises. Soothes the eye. Like doing any other exercises or massages, you will feel great after this.

9. Open your mp3. Get some music that calms you, relaxes you. It doesn’t matter if it’s Jazz, Classic or even rock, just get music that will make you fell all fuzzy inside.

10. Eat some fruit. This is a no-brainer. Fruits contain natural sugar, a great way to boost you energy level.

11. Drink water. No, not coffee, water. Water is a must. It refreshes you, it allows your body to function better, water is great.

Photo by Pvera of Flickr

So you are working normally, another day at the office. Then your mind goes all fuzzy, you concentration suddenly slipped. You feel like your brain is engulfed in a massive blanket of fog. You can’t think straight and you just realized that you have been staring blandly at the screen for 10 minutes.

Everybody have these moments, and there are some ways to get rid of the headache at home.

1. Don’t take that painkiller. Just read this.

2. Keep your teeth slightly apart from each other. By having teeth clenched together, your facial muscle will tightened and after a while it will be sore. This soreness could be the reason for your headache

3. Massage your face. Massage anywhere you can reach above the shoulder, even the neck. It will release any tension from tightening of the facial muscle.

4. Drop your jaws and rotate. This is a good way to release tension in your jaw muscles. You might hear cracks and pops as you rotate, don’t worry about them

5. Rotate your shoulders forward and backward.

6. Rotate your neck. Neck tension equals headaches

7. Drink water. When your body is in pain, it’s trying to tell you something. That something might be the lack of water.

8. Take a nap. The easiest method. Just sleep and hope it goes away. What have you got to lose, you can’t really do any work with that headache anyway

9. Take a hot shower. Soothes and calm the body.

10. Put an icepack on your face. It might be facial muscle soreness that’s causing the pain

11. Exercise. Go run about; when you get back, your headache probably disappeared.

12. Eat fruits. I really shouldn’t have to tell you this but eat fruits.

How long should your break be? Guess what, it depends =).

Photo by Laffy4k from flickr

2-minute breaks

Super short break, just enough time to sit, close your eyes and relax. Here are some examples of when you should take a 2-minute break.

Doing boring repetitive tasks – these tasks doesn’t require a lot of effort but they are really frustrating. Take a short 2-minute break should sort it.

Working against a deadline – You are panicking, you mind is going haywire, all because you only have 3 hours until your deadline, what do you do? Take a 2-minute break. Having a 2-minute break will clear your mind (providing you don’t worry about your deadline during the break) and it is only 2-minutes. Plus by having a clear mind, you will increase your productivity.

Someone who gets distracted a lot – I used to get distracted when I took breaks. During breaks I will probably read a book or go outside. However I found that instead of taking a short break, I end up taking a 30-minute break, so I end up being counter-productive which isn’t the point of having a break. I then found if I limit myself to only 2-minutes of break, I won’t bother to read a book or go outside and I will be right at my desk after the break.

5-minute

I use this type of break the most. I like to see it as the most productivity gained with the least amount of time. Here is some example of when to take a 5-minute break.

Almost Everything – I feel that anything that fit in the other categories can fit in here. Anything that doesn’t fit in other categories can also fit in here. Of course it will be more productive to take the right break during the right time. However, if you’re in doubt, just throw it into the 5-minute break category.

10-minute

Ten minutes is enough for you to take a short nap. Maybe go for a walk. Here are some examples of when you should take a 10-minute break.

Tasks that challenge your brain to the maximum – your head physically hurts. You try to think straight but are fighting a losing battle. Guess what, your brain is telling you to take a break. So step away and rest for ten minutes.

Dangerous tasks – one where failure is not an option. You might not think that you have a lot of dangerous tasks in you day but there are. Like driving the car for a long period of time, or bringing the furniture down the stairs, etc. Take a ten-minute break to lessen the chance for errors.

Someone who is sleep-deprived – so maybe you haven’t slept well last night and you got to do this massive project. You stare at a blank sheet of paper wondering what to do but nothing comes, actually you probably can’t even concentrate on the project, your brain is wondering all over the place. What you need is a break. Take a short ten-minute break, or more specifically take a short ten-minute nap.

Exceptions

This is a general guide. If you feel you work better with a 15-minute break, that’s fine. If you feel you work better with no breaks at all, that’s fine too. Remember this is a general guide. I didn’t even go above 10 minutes because it would complicate things.

Please note, the length of your break is very dependent on the task you are doing. When I am writing, I hardly take any breaks for fear of disturbing the “flow”. When I am studying however, I take frequent breaks.

Photo By Orange_Beard From Flickr

There are tons of people who want to increase their listening skill. I feel to be a good listener, you need to know how not to tune out while listening.

If you don’t tune out while someone is talking, you are sure to know what the speaker is talking about. This means you will remember what the speaker said, this improves your ability to respond to the speaker which automatically increases your listening skill

So here are some ways not to tune out while listening

1. Boy, this guy is dull!

As soon as you say this, you mind will switch off. As soon as you say the word dull, you mind will start to wonder and you will never know what the speaker is talking about.

2. Criticize is good, isn’t it?

Leave your criticism until the end. Don’t start criticizing when the speaker is still speaking. Firstly, you will come across as rude. Secondly, you will lose focus of the speech because you are focused on your criticism.

3. Provoked by the speech

Again, save this until the end. If you get provoked by the speaker, then your mind will be filled with whatever emotion associated with the provoking. The result is that you will completely ignore what the speaker is saying.

4. Fake attention

This is a never-ending circle. You fake attention, you focus on faking attention, you lose focus of the speech, and therefore you have to fake attention not to appear rude.

5. Distraction toleration

Two words: ignore it.

Photo By Dammit_jack From flickr

This was an experiment I tried once.

The experiment was just to stay silent for a whole day. Of course, I can’t really stay silent for a whole day since if a teacher asked me a question I have to respond. So the goal was to keep the speaking to the minimum.

I did this experiment because many people said that talking is only a small part of communication. As I did the experiment I realized several benefits of not talking apart from better communication.

Peace: As I did the experiment, I found peace within myself. I can’t really describe it, it’s like an overwhelming energy, but it isn’t a throbbing energy like anger that threatens to engulf you. The energy is calm and soothing, it felt like a warm blanket. The energy I felt also reduced and in some cases eliminated social pressure.

Awareness: I never realized how much I actually talked. I always thought that I am a quiet guy but I think I underestimated myself (or overestimated depending on how you look at it).

Opposite attraction: When I was doing the experiment, I found that people who talked a lot seem to want to talk to me.

Inner wisdom: That was how I felt at the time. When I didn’t speak, I noticed different angles to opinions. When my friends argued, I could see from the other point of view as well as my friends’.

Creativity: I got more ideas on that day then most others. I think those ideas have always been there but because I was silent, I noticed them more.

Motivation: Don’t know why but I felt I done more work that day then others. I just had the drive to do work.

Me time: You know how people always go you need to have some time all to yourself? Well that day, I had all 24 hours to myself. Since I didn’t talk, the time others talked I had me time. I delved into my mind and stayed there for a whole day, it was very nice.

Be nice: This could be the side effect of having peace within myself (see first point). During the day, I had an urge to be nicer to people then I normally am.

I felt that this experiment is great; too bad it’s just too unconventional. There is also the problem of whether writing, texting, etc count as talking. However, it is a great experiment to try for only a day or two.