How I am Spending My Time Daily (Work Day)

 Given that my full time job is 100% work from office, I will be able to keep to the same routine more easily.

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I am trying to cultivate better habits into my life. Here are some ways that I am trying to change and hopefully it will stay.

Before Leaving the House

Read News: 30min max (I know many books mentioned how toxic news is as it is heavily focused on the negatively to capture our attention. However, I am still curious about the world and will like to be kept up to date)

Exercise:

• Lift some light barbell weights at home while drinking coffee and reading news: 5min at max repetitions (not sure if it is healthy but it is part of the habit to increase the exercise level)
• Max number of push ups before leaving house for work

During the Long Commute

Read News: Finish up left over news

Read Book: At least 10 pages (some contents are dry)

Drama: Watch 1 episode of TV drama to relax

Work

Work is just work.

After Work Commute

News: 30min

Read book: At least read to maintain the momentum

Drama: Watch 1 episode of TV drama to relax

At Home

Read book: Continue reading the book (usually too tired to process anything)

Unwind: YouTube (May not be the best habit)

Journal: Start the habit of journaling

I found out that after work, it is not easy to do things that require brain work. It is too mentally draining and I will have to try to tailor the habits. In the end, I will most likely be watching some informative content on YouTube or journal. Otherwise, a better habit might be to sleep even earlier.

The habits above do not account for any over time required at work. If there is any overtime work, the brain capacity will be reduced due to a shortage of sleep and a lot of the more “productive” habits may end up as resting or even dozing off during the commute.

How are you spending your time? Are you going to start changing to waste less time doom scrolling and potentially affecting your sleep?

Good Habits to Cultivate

 As we pursue our goals in our daily lives or even just coasting through life, living without any sense of purpose, we should still focus on some habits that we can cultivate to better ourselves. While cultivating these habits, we may be in a better state in the future while we ponder about our life, goals and purposes. I have written down some habits that I intend to follow and is by no means a health advice. Please do your own research.

Health Goal

Sleep

Getting 7-8h of sleep as an adult will help us recover both mentally and physically. Many of us are sleep deprived possibly due to stress or doom scrolling before sleeping. With a good night rest, it helps that we will be more energised with all the other benefits that comes with it, such as lower risk of heart disease and healthier blood sugar levels.

Nutrition

Getting sufficient and balanced nutrition is also key to having a healthier body. Follow the Quarter Quarter Half rule, where 1/4 of the plate is grains, 1/4 of the plate is proteins and half of the plate is fruits and vegetables.

Hydration

Keep yourself hydrated throughout the day. The usual guideline is 8 glasses of water per day or to check if urine colour is clear colourless. Being hydrated will help to reduce the stress on the kidneys to filter out toxins from the body and also lower the chances of kidney stones.

Mental Wellbeing

Journal

Writing down your thoughts and what has happened throughout the day can help to organise your thoughts. It also helps you to process what you have gone through and have a closure for the day. It can even be a note taking session where you write down what you have to do the next day so that the workload is offloaded from your brain and reduces the stress that your brain experiences.

Connecting with Nature

Nature has the ability to reduce stress in our body and improves our mood. Furthermore, it helps to reduce anxiety and sadness. With these benefits, it is good to take a hike or walk around parks to get some fresh air and relax. This may be difficult to achieve daily but it should at least be a weekly habit

Knowledge

Reading

Gaining new knowledge will be a good habit to have as it is part of self improvement. It can be fiction or non fiction as both genres develop us in different ways. The important point is to ensure that the habit of reading is kept, and that the absorption of knowledge takes place.

Learn Something New

It can be anything. For me, it will be some new language that will be basic. I believe with a habit of learning, I will less likely drop it off when it gets tough.

Reflections on Happiness

What makes me happy?

I am unsure what exactly makes me happy. However, I do know what are some frustrations that I have. The daily long distance travel to work and to squeeze on transportation during the daily commute. The long queue for food during lunch time.

To target these frustrations, having financial independence is a good goal to have. This will help to remove the monetary stress and open up more options for me. Furthermore, rental or even ownership of house nearer to work place will remove these frustrations.

Does removal of these frustrations make me truly happy?

I have the privilege of working in a field and company where I am satisfied. However, the daily commute might be the reason why the motivation to push harder to achieve more in my career is not a priority. I am unsure if it is due to the nature of my personality or the daily grind of the commute that drains me.

With financial independence,

• Will it motivate me to work harder?
• Does it push me to make a difference and help to change the world?

These are questions that I will have to continue pondering.

In the end, in the pursuit of money, we have to remember that money is an enabler of the lifestyle that we want to achieve. Do not accumulate money for the sake of money. Try to have a purpose on why and what you want to do with it. With sufficient money for financial independence, will we be happy?