Today you can get inspiring photos from Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Tumblr and a bunch of other sites. The problem is that every minute you spend looking for inspiring photos is a minute you could’ve spent working towards your goal.

The solution? Well, think quality before quantity. Get a handful of photos instead of looking for hundreds of them. Have a collection of 5-10 photos and whenever you stumble upon a new one, add it to your mix while removing another one. Don’t spend your time looking for photos. If you’re interested in fitness I’m sure you’ll stumble upon them anyway while doing other things.

When was the last time you planned your morning routine? We go through the same thing every morning, day after day, year after year. It’s a big part of our life and sets the standard for the rest of the day. Everyone knows this but few people seem to sit down and write a detailed step by step plan for their morning routine. One might argue that they don’t have the time or energy to do anything productive before work but isn’t that even more reason to do so?

I didn’t nail it the first time. It took a few changes before I found my morning routine. A lot of people recommend exercise in the morning and I gave it a try but it didn’t fit me. I’m not a morning person and can’t motivate myself to do one hour of exercise right after I wake up. Even if I could, I’d have to get up really early just to have this extra hour . Not worth it.

Now I do my exercise right after I get back from work. Before I settle down for the day.

My process was full of changes before I finally got the current routine. It will change. Several times, I’m sure. However, it fits me at the moment and it’s a great way to start the day.

• Wake up using alarm on my iPhone
• Turn on the light in the ceiling (wakes me up)
• Splash my face with cold water
• Weight myself using Withings WiFi scale
• 10 minutes of Sun Salutation Yoga
• Shower and think about the most important tasks of the day
• Shave myself
• Face cream
• Deo
• Floss
• Brush my teeth while revising my ToDo-list
• Get dressed
• Fix my hair
• Go out and meet the day

It’s the small things that really takes your morning routine to the next level. Turning on the light seems like such a small thing to do but it’s night and day. As soon as I hit the button, a switch turns on in my head; saying – it’s morning, time to get up. Another thing is yoga which reminds me of an animal waking up and stretching every inch of its body. You’ll feel great afterwards.

Now it’s your turn. What does your morning routine look like?

Sometimes it’s just meant to be. Call it destiny. I and my neighbors had a corridor party in the beginning of this year and, much to my joy, we started to discuss running. My sister is arranging a 5 km race this spring and naturally the conversation headed in that direction.

- So.. I promised my sister I’ll be participating but I need to find a 5 km circuit to practice.
- Oh, I’ve got one I run now and then. You just go over there, followed by right, right and left…
- Huh..?
- Yeah. Just follow this path and then go right, right, left and then right again.
- I’ve no idea where that is. You’ll have to show me.
- Sure, we can go on monday.
- Wait! Maybe that’s not such a…
- You can’t back out now.
- Alright, it’s a deal. We’ll go for a 5 km on monday.

I admit, she caught me in a weak moment and I broke one of my rules – never make promises when you’re intoxicated. However, I’m a man of my word and always follow through.

Two additional neighbors joined and it was great. Exercise is much like a comic with the devil and angel on your shoulders. As soon as you get a bit tired; the devil starts to whisper – come on, take a break, you’re tired. You deserve it. The advantage of the right workout partner is that you’ll inspire and encourage each other. Together your angels will win over the devil.

Be careful though. If your chemistry is a bit wrong; you might end up encouraging each other to skip exercise instead. It becomes a good excuse to eat unhealthy. “But he’s doing it!”

Find a workout partner and take your exercise to the next level.

Every action you make has a consequence. If you’re bored and watch TV when trying to sleep you wont get a good night of sleep. If you’re tired and take a warm shower you’ll become doughy and not as energetic as when you take a cold shower. If you fall for your cravings and eat some candy you’ll get a candy coma and don’t have any energy to be productive.

It’s a vicious circle. One bad decision leads to another due to the consequences.

The good thing is that you can snap out of it by thinking two steps ahead. Think about the consequences and not the instant gratification. By turning off all electronics one hour before going to bed you might get a bit bored but you’ll fall asleep faster and sleep better – giving you more energy the next morning. Thanks to the better sleep you won’t be as cold in the morning and you’ll be happy with a colder shower – making sure you don’t get doughy.

Think about it next time you make a decision. TV and a bad night of sleep Vs a little bored. A warm and cozy shower that makes you doughy Vs a cold shower that makes you energetic. A quick pizza that put you in food coma Vs taking the time to cook a great tasting chicken.

Every action has a consequence – don’t fall for the quick temptation.

I’m not a heavy drinker. I do enjoy a beer or a glass of whiskey now and then but I don’t like the idea of being intoxicated. You can have just as fun being sober – probably more so since you don’t get any regrets the next day or spend half a day in your bed due to a hangover.

However, I did have my fair share of alcoholic adventures during my teenage years and I had a tendency to make big promises. You can conquer the world when you’re drunk. Then I came upon a quote by Ernest Hemingway (1899 − 1961) which I took to my heart.

Always do sober what you said you’d do drunk.
That will teach you to keep your mouth shut.

It’s not easy but see it as a work in progress. Force yourself to always follow through and you’ll become careful with what you promise. It’s better than letting people down over and over again. On a related note – never promise to do something on a day you’ll have a hangover!

I’ve previously written and mentioned the advantages of Concentrate to block time stealing websites. Today I noticed that they’ve made it available for free so head over and get it as soon as you can. It’s without doubt the most productive software you can get for Mac.

I also found Bartender which is a software for Mac you can use to remove distractions from the menu bar. In the image above you can see what a major difference it did for me. However, the main advantage came when I combined it with Concentrate and simply removed the possibility to right click on Concentrate to pause and visit blocked sites. By using Bartender I’ve removed Concentrate from the menu bar and now have to open it the old fashioned way.

Sure, it only takes a few seconds to navigate with Finder and open Concentrate but for every second and every obstacle you increase your chances to remain productive.

Speaking of software – don’t forget RescueTime to find out where you waste your time.

Yoga is associated with a bunch of health benefits so I decided to give it a go and turn 2013 into my yoga year by ordering a yoga mat on christmas day. Unfortunately, due to several red letter days, it took 9 days instead of 2 but I’m glad I’ve finally received it.

I’m not really sure what to expect but I’ll begin with two 70 minutes sessions a week from P90X2 and then do a short Surya Namaskara (Sun Salution) the other five days.

The first day of the new year is coming to an end and the question you should ask yourself is:

Am I closer to my goal now than I was yesterday?

We love setting goals but then we get in a rut and tend to forget about them until it’s a new week, month or a new year. You need to remind yourself and take a step closer each and every day. Whenever you find that you’re not closing in, you need to sit down and make a plan.

Why didn’t  I come closer to my goal? What should I do tomorrow to change it?

Get your new habits going and make 2013 your best year so far!

I’m a big fan of optimizing our lives to become more productive and you can come a long way by implementing the ideas from my previous posts. However, eventually you’ll have to make a difficult choice.

All of have to sleep, shower, eat, do the dishes, exercise, work, etc. Then we’ve got our favorite hobbies. Personally, I love photography, football, writing and learning how to play guitar. Combine it with the time you spend with your friends or family and you’ll quickly realize that it’s impossible to cram everything into your daily life. Eventually something’s gotta give.

Make use of the weekdays

It’s often wiser to do something small each and every day instead of cramming it all into a single day. E.g. you’ll learn to play guitar or a language faster and better by studying 15 minutes a day than studying 3 hours in a sitting, once a week.

However, sometimes it takes more than 15 minutes and then it’s a good idea to make use of the weekdays. In my case, I write every day to keep it a habit – it’s the best way to stay productive – but I make the most of the weekdays by writing my long posts on mondays. On tuesdays it’s often Champions League which means football. On wednesdays I spend my extra time experimenting with my camera.

Basically, I’m trying to something little each and every day but also dedicate one weekday for every interest of mine. Sure, it’s not written in stone and sometimes you’ll have to make changes but overall it’s a great method to advance in all your hobbies instead of dedicating 3 weeks into a new activity and then give up because you don’t have time for your other hobbies.

Putting it all together

We often overestimate how much time we’ve got and underestimate how long it takes to complete it. 15 minutes here and 20 minutes there quickly add up and suddenly we’ve planned for more hours then day has. Therefore it’s a good idea to try and write down your ideal day. It’s not a schedule you’ll have to follow but it gives you and idea if it’s possible to accomplish all of your goals.

• 06 − Wake up
• 06:00 − 07:00 Exercise
• 07:00 − 07:30 Get ready
• 07:30 − 08:00 Get to work
• 08:00 − 12:00 Work
• 12:00 − 12:30 Lunch

You get the idea. Basically try and see if you can fit everything into you daily schedule. If not – you’ll have to make priorities and figure out what you need to change in your life to be able to accomplish all the things you want.

My favorite is to reduce screen time simply because the average person waste a lot of time on this. Block unproductive websites and limit the time your spend on your computer. Unplug your TV. Almost every couple spend their evenings in front of their TV complaining about how there’s nothing good to watch. Turn it off and find a hobby you both enjoy! By doing so you’ll not only be able to do what you love but you’ll also connect with your partner one a new lever since you’re doing things together.

My sister recently told me that she’ll be arranging a 5 km race this spring and apparently I’m registered. I haven’t done much running lately but thought this would be a great reason to get back in the game. So I invested in a new running outfit and also my first tights, which I was skeptical to at first but they feel great and keeps me warm.

• Craft Pr Jacket
• Nike Element Shield Tights
• Nike Miler UV SS Tee
• Nike Mens Core Training Gloves

Total cost: $160

I might need to add a scarf and beanie later on to endure the winter but, all in all, I must say I’m satisfied with the purchase. So far it seems to be high quality.

What’s my purpose? What should I do with my life? These are difficult questions to answer but regret before death might give you some insight. Bronnie Ware worked in palliative care for many years – taking care of people during the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. During this period she asked about peoples biggest regrets in life and these are the most common five:

1. I wish I’d had the courage to fulfill my dreams.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.

It’s no surprise that we regret things we didn’t do. Probably because most mistakes are small and don’t affect us in the long run. But, what if.. That’s a question  that will follow you forever. What if you kissed the love of your life when you had the chance? What if you had followed your dream?

What if.. That’s the question you’ll never find an answer for. – Tweetable

Fortunately, we can learn from others regrets and compile a checklist:

1. Follow your dreams, not what people expect from you.
2. Spend as much time as possible with your family.
3. Be honest and say what you really think.
4. Stay in touch with your friends.

Learn to say yes, do what you love and don’t have regrets.

”The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers.” – Thomas Jefferson

Early in 2012 I made the decision to stop consuming news. It’s without doubt one of the better decisions for my productivity and hopefully you’ll be inspired to accept the challenge and do something similar. Avoid news for a week or a month and see what kind of result you’re getting.

I promise you – the world will continue without us.

News is trivial

”Trivial things become big distractions. Serious issues become sound bites.” – Barack Obama

In Sweden, media has spent countless of days discussing if it’s a good idea to use hen instead of he or she when we don’t know the gender.

Combine it with news about a car accident on the other side of the world or a ordinary theft from someone 1 572 km from you.

Will this knowledge make your life better?

News is wrong

”I need to be very careful about going on certain networks that seem to have a bias.” – Ron Paul

There are three major concerns here.

First and foremost we have people who draw the wrong conclusions. It might be that their source isn’t good enough or that they just don’t know much about the subject. This is often common in industry news.

The other concern is yellow journalism. You can twist and turn everything into a desired outcome if you only share some of the information. In a lot of news stories you have two sides. By taking side and turning one person into a victim to make better headlines you’re no longer objective.

Then there’s the problem with being biased due to political beliefs.

News is negative

“The news media are, for the most part, the bringers of bad news… and it’s not entirely the media’s fault, bad news gets higher ratings and sells more papers than good news.” – Peter McWilliams

This is probably the main reason to why I decided to stop consuming news. Whenever I read about how the government waste their citizens money I get upset. The same goes for biased political comments which I know are false.

News like this made me negative. I can’t influence government spending so to dwell on it makes no sense. The only solution was to distance myself from the news and spend my time doing something productive.

News is a waste of time

”If you love life, don’t waste time, for time is what life is made up of.” – Bruce Lee

Every minute you spend reading trivial news and dwelling on things you can’t change you’re wasting time. You could go to the gym, start a business, find healthy recipes, write a book, meet new people, and so on.

My main point

To sum it up. We waste time listening to biased news on events we can’t do anything about while becoming negative and unproductive. – Tweetable.

Sure, it’s a good idea to be somewhat up to date when the world goes under but don’t you think you’ll hear something about it? Maybe from a taxi driver, coworker, favorite blogger or the front page from every newspaper at checkouts in your local supermarket. If the event is big enough, it will reach you.

Accept the challenge – go a month without news and see the transformation.

Each and every day you have to make a ton of decision. When to wake up, what to wear, what to have for breakfast, what to have for lunch, etc. These decisions often becomes habits. You have the same breakfast as you’ve had the last few months or even years, you have a few favorite meals to choose from, and so on.

The thing is that every time you consider an unhealthy alternative, you lose some willpower. If you face several tempting decisions every day, you’ll run out of willpower at the end of the day and probably make a bad decision.

The simple solution is to remove bad alternatives. Instead of considering five different sodas and water at every meal, you make the decision to only drink healthy water. By doing so, you’ll never lose willpower. You’ll never start to think “just today”. You always drink water – end of story.

In the end, it all comes down to what kind of person you want to be. Do you want to live healthy and turn good food into a habit or do you want to make every day a struggle with a ton of decisions where you may end up with the wrong one.

This is a classic favorite for almost every athlete and there are infinite versions of it. Personally I prefer the simple version with ground meat, garlic, onions and strained tomatoes. Other versions include corn, broth, mushrooms, grated carrots, crème fraîche and a bunch of different tomatoes such as purée.

Play around with it and find your own favorite. So far I’ve never come across a bad version – so just go crazy and don’t forget to spice it up.

We often see exercise as something boring. Something we have to do if we want to lose weight or get fit. I don’t believe this. When choosing a career, everyone tells you to do what you love and you’ll never have to work another day in your life. The same goes for life and having an active lifestyle.

Find something you’re really passionate about. I love playing table tennis with friends, football, swimming and golf. Yeah, basketball also seems like a lot of fun but not so when you’re 176 cm and way shorter than everyone else.

My point is that you need to find something you’re passionate about. If you love the nature, consider taking long walks or run with a friend. You shouldn’t choose an activity based on the calories it burns – it should be based on passion.

Enjoy the small things in life, don’t make every activity into a task.

Remember that an active lifestyle will never replace lifting weights. If you’re looking to become healthier and get fit – you need to pick up the weights!

The average UK viewer spends 4 hours a day watching TV (source)! Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy watching Premier League during the weekends and I won’t try to persuade you to throw away your television but it’s obvious that most people spend way to much time watching TV. This also includes computer time which seems to steal some of the TV time for younger people. The major difference is that you can actually track your computer time and block time stealing sites.

The rule I’d recommend you to follow (it’s a tweetable):

If you change channel during commercial – turn it off!

It reminds me of how a lot of people act in the kitchen. They go through all cabinets, check if there’s anything good and then eat the least worst alternative.

When you watch TV, you go through all the channels and pick the least worst TV show. It doesn’t have to be good, just better than the other alternatives. When commercial comes on, you change channel and forget all about the previous show. You couldn’t care less about the show but it keeps you occupied.

The simple solution is to pull the plug! We often watch TV because of our habits. You come home, turn on the TV and sit down in the sofa a few minutes to relax. By pulling the plug you’ll have to make an active decision every time you turn it on. Which show will I be watching? Will I enjoy it? Is it worth the time?

I love football and used to watch it as often as I could. Then I pulled the plug and started to question my decision every time I wanted to watch a game. Will it be a great game? No, probably not. Do I care about the teams? No, I don’t. Do I even care about the league or know anything about teams? No, I don’t.

Well, then I shouldn’t be watching it!

Pull the plugg and make it an active decision when you watch a show.

The next step is to avoid late nights and get better sleep by turning off your computer at least one hour before bedtime. Unfortunately it’s easy to lose track of time when talking with a friend, studying or reading this blog. Therefore I’m using Apples built in application to force the computer to turn off at a specific time – and thereby making sure I keep my good habits by giving me a full night of sleep. You can’t maintain good habits if you lack the energy needed.

How it works

When the clock turns 23:00 I get a popup window saying that the computer will turn off and I’ve got 10 minutes to finish and save whatever I’m doing. Obviously there’ll be occasions when I need to use the computer and therefore it’s possible to click Cancel. But what’s great with the popup is that you start to think – is this really productive? Do I need to do this or am I done for today?

9 out of 10 times it probably isn’t and you’ll hit the Shut Down button.

How to implement it

What’s best is that it only takes a few seconds to implement it. Open System Preferences -> Energy Saver -> Schedule and you’ll find the following:

You can choose a time and which days you want to implement it on. Personally I prefer to have the same routines and recommend that you do so as well. It makes it easier to continue your good routines if you don’t break them regularly.

Got your own productivity tips for Mac? Please – share it and I’ll link to you.

Have you ever found yourself unconsciously checking your mail, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, forums or other meaningless information while trying to be productive in front of your computer? You decide to write a blog post and open your writing software just to find yourself checking your mail for the fifth time in less than ten minutes.

I had the same problem but do not despair, there is a solution!

I’ve previously written a post on how you can use RescueTime to figure out exactly where you waste your time and that’s the first step. To become aware. The next step is to block all of these sites and softwares using an awesome tool named Concentrate.

The idea is really simple and you’re up and running within seconds. You begin by naming a new activity and then you drag and drop whatever you want to block. It can be distracting apps such as Reeder, Mail or Skype and it can be distracting sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. When you’re done, you just click start activity and you won’t be able to open any of them until you decide to end the activity.

Sure, it’s simple to just quit the software and go around it but I’ve found that the short popup message saying ”Concentrate blocked Reeder” is enough to stay away from it. Often you’re not even thinking about it, you’re just opening it by old habit.

How to you stay productive in front of your computer?

Just came home from a great 60 minute walk in beautiful, warm, summer weather. Don’t think of walking as dull exercise – enjoy the surroundings.

I visited the cemetery which is a beautiful place during the summer and I stopped by the local windmill which recently got its wings removed due to their bad conditions. None of it burned a lot of calories but it felt great and it’s much better than spending the evening home in front of my TV.

Make the most of the beautiful summer weather by taking walks.

From birth, we are conditioned into rewarding ourselves with food. As a kid, you’re often given a dessert or something tasty whenever you finish your vegetables and as you grow older and get involved with sports, you’re often given soda after every game.

Back in the old days, when I was competing in swimming, we had a kiosk right outside the dressing room and, naturally, I begged my mother to buy some candy after every contest. While growing older, I substituted swimming for football, but the routines were the same and we were given soda by the home team after every game.

Once I began studying, I treated myself several times a week due to awful excuses. E.g. whenever I had an exam coming up I told myself that I had to have some candy to manage the studying and as soon as the exam was over I rewarded myself with some goods. Sure, everyone does it but that’s not a reason to why you should do it.

I’ve previously written a post on why we should eat to live and not live to eat and the most important part in changing this is to stop rewarding yourself with food. We need to stop emotional eating!

Studies has shown that multiple small rewards can push your success but it shouldn’t be food. Try to find small inexpensive things like a new book, shirt, exercise equipment, movie ticket or something for your hobby.

Do you reward yourself? If so, with what?