24 tips to guide you to happiness and productivity

I would first like to thank my readers and all the positive feedback I’ve received recently. This is what led me into my next topic of discussion, which is, “what is happiness, and how can we achieve it?”

This is a question many of my readers have and this path requires us to look at the smaller pictures of life.

Despite what material possessions we have or the amount of people who admire us, there’s often a reason for depression. It’s not the objects we get that gives us happiness and productivity. It’s how we feel about ourselves and who we are. It’s how we accomplish our goals to receive the great things we have that helps us feel complete.

That’s why there are lottery winners who end up more miserable than before. It’s because they didn’t work hard for their bundle of cash they received, which gives them a strange sense of emptiness as if they cheated their rewards in life.

Other reasons people feel an emptiness in their heart is because they desire love and to be truly accepted by someone for their best and worst features.

If you were sitting on a deathbed the next day, what would you think about? What regrets would gather in your mind? Would you finally know what you want out of life? If you know your greatest desires, your next step will be to make small changes in your life.

Create habits that build you into a stronger person. Such as how a person builds a brick house, you want to place each brick down carefully and perfect.

If a person wishes to exceed their expectations, it’s best not to think of the bigger picture and focus on small habits we could do every day that will forever change our lives. So to give you tips on achieving happiness and productivity:

1. Reflect on yourself

Reflect on the things you’ve done. Good and bad, and see where it led you in life. It if helps, write it down so you could narrow your thoughts.

2. Listen to music

This brings you into the moment and lets your thoughts relax, possibly bringing you an inspiring idea or a source of motivation.

3. Change your Perspective

Rather than looking at the bad side to everything, learn to embrace the humor and understand there’s nothing we could do to change it. The only thing you have control over are your emotions and thoughts.

Don’t allow anger to be your first reaction when a bad situation arrives. Think, and change your thought process into thinking, “why is this happening, and what can I do to make it better?”

4. Spoil yourself occasionally

Sometimes, rather than buying something for someone else, think of yourself and treat yourself. Learn to spend time with yourself rather than with others. Buy yourself a pricey gift despite the costs (however, don’t buy anything that exceeds your budget.)

These types of decisions are what sends positive vibes into your brain and keep away negative thoughts. Eat junk food from time to time if you’re on a strict diet. Eat a piece of cake or ice cream. Give yourself a gift of life and prove to your conscious that it’s okay to break the rules.

5. Don’t regret. Act

When something goes wrong, we tend to sulk and question what we could have done to change it. So unless you manage to build a time machine, the only thing you can do is not reflect on the past, but decide on how to change the future.

You have the answers inside your head, and if you need help, read books or examine other people lives to see how they overcame their challenges.

6. Make plans and commit to them

We want to complete a lot of things on our to-do list every day, but this ends up distracting us from completing important tasks. So write your task list on a piece of paper or white board, reminding you of your most important goals to complete.

7. Eat Healthier

Eating nutritious foods will be a strange change to adopt in your life, but it’s one that will give you more energy and a better mood. It may be easier to stick with junk food because it’s faster and tastier, however, a quantity of it could ultimately change your attitude and emotion without even being aware of it.

8. Exercising

Such as eating healthier, this will be a challenge to start committing to if you’ve never worked out regularly before. Exercising releases endorphin which triggers a happiness impulse inside our brains. It also provides us with more energy throughout our day, changes our attitude, and gives us a toned body.

9. Drink more water

If you have a habit of refusing to drink water, learn to change it by replacing a few glasses of juice for it. Studies have shown that people who drink soda or sugary beverages every day for a year grow the chances of gaining 10 pounds.

By drinking more water, you give your body a chance to cleanse itself from its toxin and provide you with a new source of energy without a lack of dehydration.

10. Eat smaller meals

When we eat excessively, this not only stretches our stomachs, but causes us to become more tired and fatigue when going about our day.

The recommended eating solution is to drink a glass of water before our meal, eat on smaller plates, and to stop eating when we feel the first signs of being full. It takes about 20 minutes before our stomach realizes how full it is.

11. Talk to others

We can’t and shouldn’t spend all day alone with only our minds. It creates a strange isolation we hold from the world and makes it difficult when trying to communicate with someone.

So when you have time, talk on the phone to a family member or friend. If you have no friends or family to talk to, speak to your local neighbors or store clerks. It doesn’t have to be a full conversation. Just ask about their day and if anything is going on in their lives.

The goal is getting out of your comfort zone so you could feel human connection.

12. Create a Journal/Diary

We think so much throughout the day and come up with so many ideas of what we want to do. The only problem is that we normally forget about them until another event triggers it back for us.

But by writing down your personal thoughts into a diary on a consistent basis, you have a deeper commitment with what you want to do. I recently started writing in a diary about my daily activities and goals I want to achieve.

I sometimes miss days to write in it because of my schedule, but that journal has allowed me to narrow my thoughts so I know how to accomplish my goals.

13. Reading

Spend alone time by reading a book that separates you from reality. Such as when a person watches television, books have an amazing power of transforming an individual away from their problems, fears, and worries. It doesn’t matter what book it is whether it be a self-development books, fiction, or nonfiction.

Personally, I enjoy reading either Game of Thrones, self-development books, the Bible, or history books. Each serve a great purpose on transforming my mind and teaching me an important value in life.

14. Enjoy your Relaxation

It’s okay to have a lazy day and in most cases, it’s recommended for you take a break from the rest of the world. You need a time to recharge your mind and receive the same motivations to chase after your goals.

We sometimes fear that relaxation is an evil to embrace because we shouldn’t be too lazy when working on our goals. But it’s the small breaks we give ourselves that gives us our greatest inspiration moments.

For some people, all it takes is being at a beach when they have a vision of going into politics to change the world for the better.

15. Help others

We all want to help each other to our fullest capabilities. We don’t want to watch others suffer while we pleasure ourselves. We don’t want to see people walk the streets homeless and watch them starve. We have a natural kindness embedded into our hearts that desire a unity for humanity,

However, it’s because of our greed that we choose to turn a blind eye from those in need. It’s hate that has poisoned our souls and shut ourselves in, preventing us from showing true kindness to others. So don’t give someone your last dollar, but show them kindness and restore their faith in humanity.

Those in need feel weak and have a sense of no one caring about them. So kill that thought and don’t blindly give them a dollar with pity, buy them a meal. Don’t ignore their presence and ask for their name to know who they are.

This act of kindness will bubble not only their hearts, but yours as well because of the happiness in their eyes and their hope in humanity is one step closer to restoration.

16. Take walks outside and enjoy nature

Enjoy the nature that surrounds us and truly examine what environment we live in. As children, we saw the world with amazement and wonder, but as we grew, we developed a habit of ignoring the clouds, stars, and trees.

So when you have time, step outside to look at the stars and guess which stars are which. Examine the moon and marvel at how it brightens the night. Keep a watch of the clouds and how they form about each other. Live in the moment such as nature.

17. Don’t hold onto anger

When we fall into anger, it’s easy to hold onto it for years, allowing it to darken our hearts and give us a negative view of the world. We want to make the person who harmed us suffer, but do nothing about it other than holding those bitter thoughts.

It may be in our right to be angry at someone who wronged us, but it does us no good.

Nothing will change or make the situation any better.

You won’t hurt the other person the same way they harmed you. So release the bitterness and anger and question how to go about your anger in a new manner. If you’re depressed because someone betrayed your trust, speak to someone close to release the anger from your heart.

18. Clean your house

This may not be the biggest change to make in your life, but it could be a starting point of your day. We become happier, relaxed, and productive when we witness a clean room. Our thoughts become organized and allows us to focus on other tasks we want to complete rather than the clutter in our spaces.

19. Become Early Risers

When we wake up earlier to start our day, not only do we have more time to complete our tasks, but it provides us with a strange source of energy throughout the day. Most successful people hold a very strong habit to waking up around 5:00 – 6:00 AM to start their day by either exercising, meditating, or working on a personal project.

20. Don’t envy others

When we desire what another person has, this creates a bitterness in us. It’s easy to see only the good parts of another person’s life as we only see the negative ones in ours. But everyone have their own issues to deal with, whether you’re rich or poor. Don’t be angry at another person who makes more money, but be happy for them.

Look at them as your goal to become and thrive to change your life to be as successful as them. When we envy others, this creates a barrier to success.

21. Surround yourself by positive people

There’s a saying that goes by, “We become who we surround ourselves with.” This isn’t said in vain either. We may act different from the group when we first meet, but the longer we spend with them, the more we neglect our own beliefs in exchange for keeping the group together.

Some groups are good to be around because they build us into stronger people. However, there are even more groups that will act as a poison in our lives if we continue to stick near them.

22. Accept Failure with open arms

When we fail at something for the first time, we have thoughts and suggestions to forever back away from something. We think if we fail at something, it’s over and we should move on to something else. But it’s our failures that show us the type of person we really are.

We can’t measure our self-discipline and know how badly we want our dreams if we’re always successful. Failure isn’t the end of something, but a lesson we receive in life. It’s hard to learn anything if we always win because we’ll think we’re always doing the right thing. It’s failure that tests our limits and helps us overcome the barriers that held millions of people from achieving their dreams.

23. Spend less time on social networks

To keep our minds distracted, a common trait for us is to play on our phone or stick to Facebook. One of my biggest productivity issues was being stuck on YouTube for several hours until I realized I only wanted to watch one video.

When we have goals and tasks we want to complete, we have to limit the amount of time we spend on social sites. It may be fun and relaxing to be on twitter, but it won’t be the push we need to reach our goals.

24. Do less

Don’t be overwhelmed by giving yourself a task list larger than you could complete. You don’t have to conquer the world in one day. It’s a step by step process that requires focusing on each goal you complete. If we overburden ourselves, we consider ourselves failures and abandon the rest of our projects.

So don’t stress yourself by doing everything you can to achieve success in one day, week, or month. Spend each day becoming better at your craft and understanding the methods to mastering it.

In final thoughts….

It’s easy for us to be captured by busy schedules and demands given to us. Our thoughts and judgments become clouded because we’re trying to satisfy the world while neglecting our own happiness and productivity. So apply any of these 24 tips to change your life for the better.

You might not see immediate changes on the first day or week, but if you stop paying attention to the end results and mostly on the process, you’ll notice a great revolution in your life.