SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE

Simplicity is the highest sophistication –Leonardo da Vinci

The most complex thing to do is to simplify. Don't we think only we are complicating things sometimes?? 2 decades before is there this much complexity in lives? Definitely not!! We need to simplify as we go. Where to start? Come let's get rid of things which are weighing us down in every way for the new decade.

·         Organize  and Declutter

Decluttering your desk/house/room is important when you want a peaceful lifestyle. Identify your unneeded things in your surroundings and get rid of them. This technique is not only for things but also for mindset. Declutter your mind if unnecessary threads are bothering you.

·         Batching:

All the time you don’t have to attend to every detail. Pile up to a certain limit for your tasks and you can concentrate all at a time. For example, if you are a homemaker, let the chores pile up your drawing room until you concentrate on your Kitchen work.

·         Prioritize:

Prioritize your chores or ideas or tasks in your day, week and a month. Try to delay unnecessary tasks in your day. This can give fewer complications for a day. Use Eisenhower Matrix

·         Single Task

All of us wanted to become a multi-tasker, but do you know multi-tasking is not a sign of productivity? The truth is you cannot multi-task. Concentrate on a single task at a time.

·         Say No

Every Indian face the problem of saying NO. There are ways to say no without hurting their feelings.

·         Let go:

In yoga, the first lesson I learnt is to let go. Is it that easy to let go? NO. There are many thoughts that weigh you down mentally. You have to learn to let go of a peaceful life. You need to be in the present moment.

Sarva-dharmān parityajya mām ekaṁ śharaṇaṁ vraja
ahaṁ tvāṁ Sarva-pāpebhyo mokṣhayiṣhyāmi mā śhuchaḥ

BG 18.66: Abandon all varieties of dharmas and simply surrender unto me alone. I shall liberate you from all sinful reactions; do not fear.

·         Slow down

Once in a while slow down in your daily life, sit in peace, know what is going in your life, how you can take control of it.

            A simple life definition will differ from person to person. But the main motto is to eliminate negativity and spending time on important tasks for you. Simplicity is not an easy process, it is a journey, not a destination.

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PRODUCTIVITY HACKS FOR WORK AT HOME MOTHER

Times changed!!

After pregnancy, women are not ready to be at home. They were looking for work from home opportunities and the employees also offering them to work from home. But the question is, is it easy to work at home for mothers?? When children are around, whether newborn or toddlers, it is more than difficult to concentrate on work. Daily household chores are itself harder, if Mother's need to concentrate on her career, it needs good planning. Here are some tips for more productivity for work at home mothers. 

•  No social media: 

Strictly no social media!! I know it became a great stress buster for a mother. But to balance your work and child you need to get rid of that in your work time. 

• Batching:

If you want to do the dishes, you don't pick every dish and wash it. You wait for some time to pile up and after that, you do all the dishes at a time. This is what exactly batching means. As a mother you will be interrupted constantly, batching of work will help you. Instead of multi-tasking, you batch your tasks. By this, you can handle if there is a potty emergency and go back to work. 

• Prioritize and schedule

For a mummy, priorities will change, strict schedules will be crashed. But you need to prioritize your tasks according to your emergency and convenience.

• No Mom guilt

You have chosen work from home just because you have a life to attend at home. Don’t be guilty when you have a meeting to attend, or a task to be completed. Ask your family to help or hire a nanny if you are not able to focus.

• Brain dump

At times, you feel so confused, as so many threads running in your mind. In these times, you feel stress and anxiety. Whenever you feel like your mind is overloaded, write it on a piece of paper. Your schedules, or to-do lists, or the thing which is disturbing you put down on a paper. I am damn sure, it will help to empty your disturbances and you can focus better.

• Get a planner

The best thing about a planner for a mother is you can simply know, list of things we are not going to do!! (Yes we mothers can never follow as per plan. There will be a lot of things which will object in the way)

However, get a planner, at least you can know what important and urgent tasks are. It organizes your thoughts and tasks.

• Find your productive time

Some may be energetic during the day, some can be during evening time. Find your productive time and plan your tasks (whether it is household or official). You can become more focused. Work at home mothers has no time to waste. Use time wisely.

• Dressing and Placement

Generally, if a woman works from home, they wouldn’t concentrate on the dressing. Yes, it will be more comfortable in pyjamas than in formal attire. But dressing up like you are going to the office will help you to concentrate on work and your thoughts will be more directional. Your subconscious mind is trained for a particular dress code and place of work. Use this point for your productivity.

Likewise giving your laptop or PC or your work items space, it can help you and your children to distinguish your workspace from remaining home. They can be sure, that mother will be working here and you can make them understand you will have some limitations there.

• Pomodoro Technique

This is the technique I deeply appreciate and learnt through the internet. In this method, work undisturbed for short sessions, and take a break after every session. This is a proven method for increasing productivity and also method to teach your toddlers that you don’t want to be disturbed during work. Meanwhile, they can be engaged by colouring or making a toys line or play dough, or books.

The activities that engage your kids can be ordinary ones which they do in normal times.  

• Unload Your Mental Clutter Before You Get to Work

Last but not least hack which works like magic. Before you start working, dump your brain on a paper in the form of a to-do list or done list. By which you can be clear what is to be done.

Organizing is not a onetime thing. It is a lifestyle. Organize both your home and work with these tips. It is scientifically proven that women can handle so many tasks at a time. We can balance both work and home at the same time. And we can be the best.

Good luck!!!!

Happy Motherhood!!!

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WHAT MOTHER'S LIE ABOUT!!

The moment you have a child, your morals, your safety measures, your timings and your lifestyles will be changed. Mostly when you are a mother, you will learn how to lie beautifully to your kids during regular conversations according to your convenience. Here are some lines I use when I speak to my kid.

1. Looking at mobile phone:

When I was in a process to limit her screen time, I didn’t use the mobile phone in front of her. Because it triggers her to see the mobile, I secretly used the mobile. And used to lie her, “ I will not use mobile phone baby, because it is under repair.

2. Tasty bitter gourd curry:

“Amma, I won't eat this cabbage curry, it doesn’t taste nice”

“It will be so tasty baby, I made it with your favourite cumin seeds, complete it!!”

This will be the situation in every house, but many mothers don’t like that curries by themselves.

3. How good the school will be:

We, mothers, will describe the school, and promise we will be there till they come out. We know the truth!!
4. If she doesn’t eat her food, zombies in her stomach cry:

To make her complete the food, I used to say zombies are there in her stomach, and they will cry when they are hungry.
5. If she is not ready to go to the restroom in a new place, I said a monster in your stomach will eat you from inside:

My daughter is too picky about the restrooms. When we go to any new place, she refuses to go to the restroom. I lied to her that there will be a monster in her stomach and it will eat from inside. She still believes it.

6. The sun won’t come tomorrow if she doesn’t sleep:

When she refuses to sleep a late night, I say the sun will not be coming, if she doesn’t sleep. She loves sun, mornings, so I created this statement.

7. The toy is broken and never work for replacement of batteries:

The toy is broken and can never be repaired, even though it is a replacement of batteries. Just because I was bored with that toy!!

8. The ice-cream shop is closed and they open tomorrow :

I wonder why ice cream shops behave like emergency services, anytime you go, they will be open. I say the shop is open just to clean and that will be closed after cleaning, and there will be no sales today. They will open tomorrow.

9. Medicine tastes like chocolate:

I hate medicines myself. But I pretend that it tastes like orange, chocolate, strawberry. But it sucks!!

10. Minions will sleep at night:

My daughter is a big fan of minions’ movie. She wanted to watch it all day. But I say it is their bedtime!!
11. We miss our train if you don’t eat fast:

We pretend our sofa is a train, and I push her to eat fast to catch the train.
12.Interpretations: 

“What do that cartoon character say Amma?”

 “Listen to your mummy/daddy”, “Eat your food”, ”Drink water”

( I will be screwed if she understands)

13. TV guy will be on leave on Sunday:

We don’t switch on TV on Sunday. So I say the TV operator will be on leave/he is sick/he will be sleeping on Sunday.
14. Toys are not for sale:

Those teddies in the supermarket are attention grabbers for kids. I say they are just to see, not for sale.

15. ICONIC ONE:

I am your mother I will not lie to you!!!!!

Happy motherhood!!

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