Do you feel like there’s something you’ve been doing all wrong and don’t know what to change or do about it? Sometimes, we’re under the impression that we’re doing things right even though we aren’t. Do you think you need an alert to know what you’re doing wrong? Here are the warning signs you’ve been waiting for, the wake-up call you need.
The first step is detecting and identifying the problem. Using this list, sit down and think of what you’ve been doing wrong and what you can do to improve the issue. Be aware that resolving these points requires determination and focus.
Next, go ahead and lay out a plan to solve the issue so that the problem doesn’t occur again. If you think about it, knowing that you’ve been doing something wrong can be a blessing sometimes.
Below are some of the things you’ve been doing wrong all the time:
1. Communication
Communication, as you know, is really essential and valuable in our communities. Without communication, life would not be as you know it today: the technology, civilization, and advancement.
Communication has a lot of rules that we should abide by. On one side of a conversation, we should have a clear speaker that expresses his ideas and thoughts effectively. On the other hand, we need a great listener that doesn’t interrupt a lot and listens closely and carefully.
Unfortunately, we don’t obey these rules closely a lot of the times, creating arguments and fights that could be avoided. It is as simple as having each party do his part and we will have better communications and less of the arguing and disagreement.
2. Scheduling
Let’s ask ourselves a question and answer honestly: Do we have our daily tasks and activities scheduled, or do we just go with the flow and do as much as we can each day? Maybe on some days we have a good schedule, and some other days we just let time pass by. Scheduling is very important, as it allows us to be more organized and accomplish things in a faster, more effective manner to bring about pleasing outcomes.
Start taking control of your life and prioritize the various activities you have going in your life. Believe it or not, this could be a struggle for some people. But be determined to get things done.
Some people are able to schedule their days, but do it incorrectly, maybe not putting the most important things first or misjudging what the most important things are.
3. Waking Up
Have you ever hit the snooze button on an alarm clock before you wake up completely and get out of bed? I am pretty sure all of us have tried it at least once recently. We are usually under the impression that if we hit the snooze button, we can sleep for an extra 10 or 15 minutes before going to work or school. However, sleep experts have said that snoozing provides low quality, broken sleep and causes your body to start a new sleeping cycle that you cannot complete.
So, if you thought that you would be getting some more sleep and more energy to power through your day, you could be wrong. In fact, this could actually cause you to feel even more lazy and sleepier later on. Try to be smart and have the will to cut the habit. Do your best to get up as soon as your first alarm goes off. This might help you feel more awake throughout the morning.
4. Breakfast
Are you a person that wakes up extra early in the morning to make sure you get your breakfast? You might have heard this a thousand times or not heard it at all, but breakfast is the most important meal of your day. We commonly skip breakfast without realizing it or fill ourselves up with a bad breakfast. Doing this could lead you to have low energy, headaches, or hunger later in the day because you did not fuel your body with correct nutrition early in the morning. Choose your breakfast wisely and fill up with good nutrition that will boost your energy and mood throughout the day.
5. Morning Rush
Are you the type of individual that always finds yourself rushing out the door every morning because you have a lot to do and don’t have time? Are your mornings hectic and busy even before the day starts? One solution to reducing morning stress is to take extra time every night to prepare your lunch, clothing, or other items that you know you’ll need. Or, wake up earlier every morning to make sure you don’t have to rush.
6. Not Making Use Of Essential Time
What is one of the first things we do when we wake up or arrive at work? Instead of making good use of the morning, when we are sharpest and alert and where our concentration tends to be at its peak, we often spend this precious time doing the least important tasks of the day. We might even get distracted with work chats, responding to unimportant emails, and checking our social media outlets. Why don’t we save these activities for when we need a break or when our energy is on the low side of the day? Start taking advantage of the morning to finish some of the more important, alert-requiring, and energy-demanding tasks.
7. Rewarding Yourself
Doing the wrong things in life can result in unpleasant outcomes that tend to serve as a lesson or a wake-up call. Similarly, we should reward ourselves when it comes to doing the right things to motivate ourselves and prepare for success each day.
It can be tough to get out of bed in the mornings, and this is lack of motivation. Therefore, it is vital that we start off the day with something we love to do in order to improve and boost our mood. Starting your day on a good note can happen as a result of a 20 minute stretching period, watching a few minutes of your favorite morning show, enjoying a delicious coffee, or listening to your favorite music.
8. Not Stretching
Oh, stretching! Stretching does not have to be something that you do just before exercising and training. It is vital to do on a regular basis every morning. No matter how many times we bring it up, we cannot emphasize enough how important this is.
There are many reasons why morning stretching is praised, including improving posture, reducing pain, helping to increase blood circulation and energy, and (most importantly) to prevent injury. As we know, prevention is better than curing, so stretching should be on the top of our to-do list every day. It doesn’t take that much time at all!
9. Procrastination
Ever tried this act known as “procrastination”? That means leaving an assignment, task, or activity until the last moment. It could also be postponing or delaying something. In this busy world, we’ve all done it: we agree that we will execute a certain task today, but end up completing it just before the deadline.
To prevent procrastinating, perform a task as soon as you are able to, and as far ahead as possible. For example, let’s say you’re given a math assignment due next week, and you’re free today in the evening. Knowing that you already learned the concept and understand it, go ahead and start it (or even finish it) that evening. It will reduce worry.
10. Not Hydrating
This is something we do not really take care of or think about, but is surely something important and vital to our health and wellbeing. We have all heard about the fact that drinking a lot of water is part of feeling and looking well and healthy. Critical times to hydrate include mornings, since your body is fasting during the night and requires water as well as other nutrients to start its metabolism. Drinking water after waking up also boosts digestion and that is why you might feel like water clears your system.
11. Planning
Planning is related to scheduling and organizing your day, yet is different than scheduling. Scheduling is done for tasks that have already been planned. So planning precedes scheduling.
Planning is important, because without a plan everything could easily fall apart. Similarly, a good plan of attack in the mornings could help you gain control of your day and thus contribute to getting more tasks done. All you need is a few minutes the night before, or early in the morning, to organize your day and have goals set clearly.
12. Delaying Exercise
Exercise is such an important part of our lives that we should always incorporate it, whether we are home, outside, or even on a vacation trip. One common misconception people have is that to exercise, you need to go to a gym. No you don’t, you can just run a few laps around the house or do push-ups and sit-ups inside the house.
If you find yourself delaying or postponing exercise because you feel exhausted at the end of the day, shift your exercise period to the morning and start off your mornings fresh. Exercising as long as 20 minutes is enough every morning, and doing it every morning guarantees that your exercise will get done every day.
13. Allowing Negativity To Get To You
Negativity is something that, if believed and implemented, could be disastrous in your daily life. Sometimes negativity is disguised as the only solution to a problem, where we think there is absolutely no other way we can resolve the issue. Building negativity over time not only affects you, but also affects loved ones and others around you.
Being surrounded by negative people could be the worst. Do not surround yourself with negative people that will make you unhappy and bring you down, draining all the positivity you possess. Ultimately it is up to you to allow someone to get to you and cause you distress. Sometimes it’s hard, but just try to be calm and don’t let them do it.
There are numerous things we do wrong and we don’t even notice it. Sometimes we even ignore red flags and signs that we are headed for a fall. This is why we need to start being proactive and unafraid to opening our “case file” and “shred” the negativity that we don’t want. Discarding a “corrupted file” could end up benefiting us and allowing us to make a U-turn for the better. Look for your errors and correct them.
Now it’s your turn. What else have you been doing wrong and how’d you fix it?
