7 ways to spice up your everydays
There are 2 ways to increase profit margin in any business - Either increase the share of high margin products and services or increase the margin of your not so profitable products and services.
Similarly, increasing fulfillment and happiness (bottom line) of life is all about either increasing moments and situations in your life which are more fulfilling or Spicing up the "meh" moments.
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Increase Meaningful buckets of time
Every month, go ahead and do activities which fulfill you as a person and fulfill you in your many roles - As just you, a parent, an employer, a friend etc. For me reading hindi literature and more so reciting some of the epic works of Hindi poets like Ramdhari Singh "Dinkar" like "Rashmirathi", was one such thing. I had loved reading as a little kid but poetry had a special place always. Over the years non-fiction, psychology and other interests took over but I still feel that sense of homecoming when I read some good hindi literature.
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Incorporate it in your work and profession life
One of my clients is a creative soul. Expressing her creativity brings her alive. She expresses concepts of management, products, sales and leadership through these colorful diagrams. Its amazing to see her simply those concepts, express herself and make it easy for people to understand them. A true win-win. What's more, it gives outlet to her creative genius and keeps her happy.
Another way to do it could be having a monthly or bi-monthly team outing or happy hours time. Do something fun as a team - games or activities which helps you get to know each other as friends beyond work.
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Mark time in your calendar as "Dates with myself"
Treat these as meetings with yourself. Do whatever you like to do with whoever you like to do it with or alone. These could be anything that makes you come alive. Like playing an instrument, DJ-ing, stand up comedy, theatre, biking, running, making crochet dolls, go-karting..anyting that brings "YOU" happiness outside of your professional life.
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Cut our 15mins of TV time and gradually increase it or apply the same to social media
Replace 15mins of TV time with anything that’s more worth your time. Speaking to family, friends, playing with your kids, coffee date with your spouse or partner - literally anything that brings more meaning to those moments than staring at a 6 inch or 60 inch screen.
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Learn something new
What have you never done or tried? Learn it or try it out. Learn salsa, ballroom dancing, a new musical instrument, bake something new or cook an old recipe - anything that breaks the daily rigmarole.
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These were all the things you can do on a longer time frame. However, there are things you can do to Spice up the "meh" moments too - Simple ways you can make the everyday matter more?
Set small goals:
Setting small goals for yourself can help you feel more motivated and accomplished in your daily life. Find the one Most Important Thing (MIT) you want to get done that day and make sure to do it. Achieving small goals can add a sense of excitement to your day.
Find the silver lining:
There is always something good about every single day - it doesn't have to be great achievements every day but simple joys. Practice being in the moment and gratitude every day for something gone right or happened well. Simple things like finding a great parking spot at a busy time, baby sleeping through the night, great weather the day you decided to go camping, just missing the traffic jam, a meeting or 2 getting cancelled in a fully booked day - there could be so many things in our everyday to be thankful for.
If possible, incorporate something as a daily habit:
As a family we play some game for 15-30mins every day. Sometimes it’s a longer one like Ticket to Ride, Cluedo or Catan, often its more of Sleeping Queens or Sequence and when we don't have much time, its just Spot It or Dobble. But we spend that meaningful time with each other every single day.?
For others it could be walks with their partner, reading a book every night or journaling morning pages, working out 4-5 days a week or?making music with their friends or family. Whatever brings you joy in the company of your close ones.
These are just a few which over the years I have found to work for me and some of my clients. Do share what has worked for you so we all can try something new.