Habit is stronger than reason.

- George Santayana





Did you know that Warren Buffet used to space out and not be productive in the morning on purpose?









Yeah, you thought he’d look at charts all day to make money 24/7. But no, he does exactly what we’re encouraged not to do. So, what’s up with that? (No, it’s not because he’s rich. He’s done this throughout his career)





However, this post is not about copying quirky habits of successful people. Everyone has a different set of issues and bad habits to be dealt with. Therefore, there’s no such thing as the BEST HABIT OF THEM ALL to yield the greatest results.





...or, is there?





While it’s true that different habits work for different people, there are few universal and yet, effective brain hacks that you might not have known. Today, we’re sharing some of the easiest, but rewarding brain hacks to nudge your life in a direction that you want. And maybe, give you that small edge.





Let's look at three categories where these brain hacks can be effective: Brain health, Automation, and the good old PRIORITIZATION.





Here we go.









Methods





1. Space out Have you ever spaced out and your teacher, boss, or your parents called you out on it? Well, get ready to do that again for 10-15 minutes a day. If you have time, do it for 30 minutes. According to science , it’s extremely beneficial for your brain health.

Helps brain to rest.

Helps brain to consolidate knowledge.

Helps brain to create patterns between new knowledge and information.





Even Harvard admitted that zoning out can make you more productive . So next time someone scolds you for looking outside the window, tell them-





“I’m forming brilliant patterns, hiding in my subconscious.”

















2. Automation: The night before wins the morning





Still having a hard time waking up? Well, have you heard of this phrase:





Win the Morning, Win the day





It sounds like one of those motivational speeches on YouTube. However true this might be, it’s never easy to truly win the morning. One reason is that your brain is not usually ready for the uphill battle.





So, instead of setting up millions of alarms, automate the tasks as much as you can and make it easier for you. Prepare your clothes and ‘things’ for tomorrow morning before going to sleep . For example, if you want to play basketball in the morning:





Set out clothes to wear on the table.

Leave basketball shoes and ball next to the door.

Take a shower before going to sleep.

Set up an alarm next to your clothes.

By creating a step by step ritual, your brain will pass the information through the Reticular Activating System in the brain and deem it important enough to act. Thus, increasing the probability of success.

















3.Replace the to-do list with ‘Priority List’





To-do lists don’t work . And Harvard agrees, again. Because you overload yourself with so much work to be done, you often delay some for tomorrow, stress out, and feel reluctant to go back to them. Sounds familiar?





Here’s the good news. Instead of doing a to-do list, do a priority list. Basically, after writing down every item on your mind, assign them a priority. Depending on your style, you could assess points (1-5), a scale of importance (low-mid-high), and even days to accomplish them throughout the week. For example, do you have to do the laundry today? You can do them on Sunday.





By setting a priority, you’re able to feel calm and ignore tasks that don’t require your immediate attention.





You can use tools like Trello to utilize the Kanban method and set priorities while visualizing the workflow.





Remember, you don’t have to tackle everything on your list. If the list causes anxiety, hide it from sight and create new ones that represent what’s important for today.









Brain Health – The Night Before – Priority True life is lived when tiny changes occur. - Leo Tolstoy

You don’t need to read a book a day.

You don’t need to wake up at 4:00 am in the morning.

You don't need to take cold showers every day.





Those are drastic changes that are more difficult than we give credit for. Just doing simple things that affect your brain health, automation, and priorities, life can improve incrementally. And incremental improvements are all you need.





Here’s the recap





Take care of your brain by zoning out.

Automate your process by setting things up the night before.

Use a priority list with Kanban(optional) instead of to-do lists.

With the above 3 life-changing, but simple brain hacks, you’ll be able to start building a great life.

PS: If you need help with breaking bad habits, join our FREE neuroscience app, Synapse. We'll keep you updated with free brain hacks and real-life solutions.

Read Next

How to sleep more and prevent Alzheimer's disease : Figure out how to sleep earlier and stop procrastinating on the phone to prevent Alzheimer’s.

How to stop procrastination on YouTube : No more watching useless videos.





References



