How to Make Reading Part of Your Daily Routine

8 ways even the busiest people find time to read

Is that book you’ve been meaning to read still sitting unopened on your nightstand? Or maybe you started a novel that you haven’t picked up again in months. You’re not alone. Finding time to read is hard when you’re busy. But it’s not impossible.

We asked members of the Young Entrepreneur Council—busy people by definition—how they make time for reading. Here are some of their best tips. Use them, and start reading more today!

1. Do it first and do it last.

With the craziness of our daily schedules, it can be hard to find time to read, but we all know how important it is to our success that we make reading a habit. I have found that if you allocate 15 minutes first thing in the morning and 15 minutes before bed to read, you will start your day with ideas that expand your mind and go to bed with something other than work to think about.

—Rahim Charania, American Fueling Systems

2. Put reading on your calendar.

Reading is no harder to achieve than your weekly conference call if you schedule it on your calendar and take it just as seriously. I’ve found that things that don’t make it onto my calendar typically don’t get accomplished.

—Scott Baxter, PlayYourCourse

3. Read while you work out.

One of the only times I have time to read is while I am working out. I like to take an hour a day on the treadmill while reading and learning something. Work out your body while you work out your brain!

—Torrey Tayenaka, Sparkhouse

4. Get off social media.

You can easily spend 30 minutes browsing emails, answering text messages or watching dog videos on Facebook. Discipline your mind to replace staring at a screen with reading a book (or an e-book). You’d be amazed at how those three to five minutes of updating your timeline to see the newest tweets can add up to a waste of time. We have the time to read; we just don’t manage our time well enough to include it.

—Robert De Los Santos, Sky High Party Rentals

5. Consider audio instead.

Scheduling time to sit down and read is often impossible. Consider replacing reading with audio. Things like audiobooks and podcasts are an extremely efficient way of consuming content. Next time you’re commuting, working out or cleaning, turn on your favorite book. You’ll efficiently fill your dead time and will be blowing through books faster than ever.

—Kyle Goguen, Pawstruck

6. Put e-books on your phone.

You can always find time to read as long as you have reading material with you—and what better way to do that than through your phone? I have books on my phone that I read when I’m waiting for anything, like a new update to load on my computer. It can be hard to find time to sit down and read, but having 10 minutes of quick reading throughout the day can be a great break for the mind.

—Bryce Welker, Crush The CPA Exam

7. Learn to say no.

Reading needs to be a priority, otherwise you’ll never do it. So, start by saying “no” to one task a week and use the time it would have taken you to complete the task to read. Once you have that down, say no to two tasks a week and so on and so forth, until you’re saying no to enough things that you can read every day.

—Michael Burdick, Paro

8. Don’t overthink it.

If you run a business, then you read more than you realize. From reports, to pitch decks, to the news, it’s all reading. This is why it is hard to segregate even more time out of a busy schedule to read books. Rather than striving to carve out reading time, simply allow yourself to go down the rabbit hole and read the content that you find the most engaging, no matter what the outlet.

—Ryan Bradley, Koester & Bradley, LLP

10 Ways to Increase the Dopamine In Your Brain

“Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain’s reward and pleasure centers. Dopamine also helps regulate movement and emotional response, and it enables us not only to see rewards, but to take action to move toward them.”  – Psychology Today

Here’s something worth noting (really!): Dopamine is a powerful neurotransmitter in the brain. In fact, it’s the brain chemical directly responsible for motivation and focus. Who doesn’t want to be more motivated and focused?

Another really exciting thing is that dopamine can be increased! Yes, you can effectively improve your motivation, focus and mood by taking natural steps to increasing the dopamine levels in your brain.

So, let’s get to it!

HERE ARE 10 WAYS TO INCREASE DOPAMINE LEVELS AND BOOST PRODUCTIVITY:

1. DON’T GET ADDICTED

Many people get addicted to something because it gives them some kind of instant gratification – drugs, alcohol, sex, pornography, shopping, and other addictive behaviors actually have the opposite effect on dopamine levels in the long-term. In essence, when we get overly addicted to something, the “reward circuitry” of our brain kicks into overdrive and we crave the “quick hit”. This is not a sustainable solution for dopamine production, which can and should be done naturally.

2. CHECKLIST SMALL TASKS

Dopamine increases when we are organized and finish tasks – regardless if the task is small or large. So, don’t allow your brain to worry about things that need to be done. Instead, write these tasks down and then check them off one at a time. It’s been shown that it’s more satisfying to the brain’s dopamine levels when we physically check something off of our to-do list. Also, write down and check stuff off regardless if you can mentally remember the tasks.

3. CREATE SOMETHING

For us writers, painters, sculptors, poets, singers, dancers, and other artists, we can identify with this. When we’re in creative mode, we can become hyper-focused. As a result, we can enter a state called flow. Dopamine is the brain chemical that allows us to achieve this state. The lesson is this: take up a hobby or activity in which you actually create something tangible. Try something like arts, crafts, auto repair, drawing, photography, or something else that sounds interesting.

4. EXERCISE

Same ‘ole, same ‘ole, we know. We’ve discussed repeatedly the importance and benefits of physical exercise, and we’re just going to add to this list again. So, not only does exercise help us relieve stress, achieve better physical health and make us more productive; it boosts our dopamine levels. More specifically, exercise increases multiple neurotransmitters – serotonin and endorphins, besides dopamine, receive a boost. Here’s something else cool: the exercise needn’t not be arduous. Simply taking a stroll or climbing some stairs will achieve a good dopamine jolt.

5. GET A STREAK GOING

As with creating a checklist, getting a streak going is a great way to increase dopamine levels. For the purpose of this article, a streak is a visual reminder of how many days in a row you’ve achieved something.

Get a calendar specifically for this purpose: write down whatever goal you have and the days of the week or month when they are scheduled. For example, if you work out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, mark these days on the calendar for the month. As you finish a workout, mark it off on the calendar. Keep a streak going, and you’ll keep the dopamine coming.

6. INCREASE TYROSINE

Of the chemicals that make up dopamine, none are more important than tyrosine. In fact, tyrosine is considered the building block of dopamine. Therefore, it is important that you get enough of this protein. There’s a large list of foods that increase Tyrosine, including:

– Almonds

– Avocados

– Bananas

– Beef

– Chicken

– Chocolate

– Coffee

– Eggs

– Green Tea

– Milk

– Watermelon

– Yogurt

There’s a bunch of good stuff in there, so it shouldn’t be difficult finding something that’ll serve your dopamine levels well.

7. LISTEN TO MUSIC

Do you ever wonder why music makes you happy? I mean, we can be in the dumps one moment but once we put on our favorite jam, we’re swaying and shaking away…feeling pretty good about ourselves too! The reason for this is that listening to music increases dopamine levels. In fact, scientists say that listening to music has the same effect as eating our favorite foods or watching our favorite T.V. show. So, when you’re feeling down, throw on some of your favorite tunes and jam out!

8. MEDITATE

As with exercise, we are discovering more and more benefits to meditation. We are again adding to the list. As we discussed, the human brain is susceptible to a variety of addictions. One other addictive habit that we have is overthinking. In fact, some Buddhists have a phrase for this addiction: ‘monkey mind.’

Overthinking is not merely a distracting habit, it’s also a genuine compulsion that leaves us in a perplexing state, while also having a negative effect on our spiritual development. However, scientists are finally catching up to what Buddhists have known for thousands of years: meditation and mindfulness are essential to a healthy mind.

Also, prayer and self-reflection are show to increase dopamine levels.

9. TAKE SUPPLEMENTS

While there are some great ways to increase dopamine levels, sometimes we’re facing a time crunch. Fortunately, there are natural supplements on the market that have been shown to increase dopamine levels. Here are a few:

Acetyl-l-tyrosine: Another building block of dopamine. A healthy dose of this makes it easier for the brain to produce dopamine.

Curcumin: An active ingredient that’s also common in curry spices and turmeric.

Ginkgo Biloba: A tremendously popular wonder supplement that’s also believed to boost dopamine levels and keep it circulating in the brain longer.

L-theanine: Increases multiple neurotransmitters in the brain, including dopamine. Green tea is a terrific source for this.

10. TOXIC CLEANSING

As miraculous as our bodies are, we do accumulate toxins and bacteria that is bad for us. Endotoxins are the kind that can cause our immune systems to get out of whack, and it also constrains the production of dopamine. Here are a couple tips for helping cleanse the gut of endotoxins: eat fermented good, get enough sleep, and resist the urge to indulge in fatty or sugary foods.

Perhaps the best way to rid our bodies of these nasty toxins is to do a toxic cleanse. Read up on the process and decide whether or not this is for you.

Source: https://www.powerofpositivity.com/increase-dopamine-brain-boost-productivity/?c=viral

Rohn: 4 Straightforward Steps to Success

Success is nothing more than a few simple disciplines practiced every day.

Jim Rohn

 

Success is neither magical nor mysterious. Success is the natural consequence of consistently applying basic fundamentals.

I’ve said it before, that success is the study of the obvious—but sometimes we need someone to remind us and show us the simplest way to get there.

Here are four simple steps to find your way to more success than you could ever imagine:

1. Collect good ideas.

My mentor taught me to keep a journal when I was 25 years old. It’s the best collecting place for all of the ideas and information that comes your way. And that inspiration will be passed on to my children and my grandchildren.

If you hear a good health idea, capture it, write it down. Then on a cold wintry evening or a balmy summer night, go back through your journal. Dive back into the ideas that changed your life, the ideas that saved your marriage, the ideas that bailed you out of hard times, the ideas that helped you become successful. That’s valuable, going back over the pages of ideas you gathered over the years, reminiscing, reminding yourself. So be a collector of good ideas, of experiences, for your business, for your relationships, for your future.

It is challenging to be a student of your own life, your own future, your own destiny. Don’t trust your memory. When you listen to something valuable, write it down. When you come across something important, write it down. Take the time to keep notes and to keep a journal.

2. Have good plans.

Building a life, building anything, is like building a house; you need to have a plan. What if you just started laying bricks and somebody asks, “What are you building?” You put down the brick you’re holding and say, “I have no idea.”

So, here’s the question: When should you start building the house? Answer: As soon as you have it finished. It’s simple time management.

Don’t start the day until it is pretty well finished—at least the outline of it. Leave some room to improvise, leave some room for extra strategies, but finish it before you start it. Don’t start the week until you have it finished. Lay it out, structure it, put it to work. The same goes for the month ahead—don’t start it until you have a plan in place.

And, the big one, don’t start the year until it is finished on paper. It’s not a bad idea, toward the end of the year, to sit down with your family for the personal plans, to sit down in your business for the professional plans, to sit down with your financial advisor to map out money plans. Plan out your calendar, your game plan, for all of life’s moving parts.

The reason why most people face the future with apprehension instead of anticipation is because they don’t have it well designed.

3. Give yourself time.

It takes time to build a career. It takes time to make changes. It takes time to learn, grow, change, develop and produce. It takes time to refine philosophy and activity. So give yourself time to learn, time to start some momentum, time to finally achieve.

I remember when Mama was teaching me a little bit about the piano. “Here is the left hand scale,” she said. I got that; it was easy. “Here is the right hand scale.” I got that, too. Then she said, “Now we are going to play both hands at the same time.” “Well, how can you do that?” I asked. Because one at a time was easy... but two the same time? But I got to where I could play the scales with both hands. “Now we are going to read the music and play with both hands,” she said. You can’t do all that, I thought. But you know, sure enough I looked at the music, looked at each hand, a little confused at first, but finally I grasped it. Then I remember the day when Mama said, “Now we are going to watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands. Now that is going too far! I thought. How could one person possibly do all that? By giving myself time to master one skill before we went to the next, I got to where I could watch the audience, read the music and play with both hands.

Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.

4. Change yourself.

Learn to solve problems—business problems, family problems, financial problems, emotional problems. The best way to treat a challenge? As an opportunity to grow. Change if you have to, modify if you must, discard an old philosophy that wasn’t working well for a new one.

The best phrase my mentor ever gave me: “Mr. Rohn, if you will change, everything will change for you.” I took that to heart, and sure enough, the more I improved, the more everything improved for me.

You cannot change your destination overnight, but you can change your direction overnight.

Source: https://www.success.com/article/rohn-4-straightforward-steps-to-success