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You might be aware of the fact that almost all successful people have morning rituals, and they follow those habits consistently. Sometimes, I wonder how these people can be so regular?

Well, one thing I’m certain of is that if you want to achieve anything in life, you have to show up no matter what the situation is!

You have to be strict with yourself, motivate yourself when your life is falling apart. There will be situations in your life that you least expected, and because of that, your life changes 360 degrees. But that’s okay. Even with your broken life, you have to wake up every day and work on your goals.

I know the current situation in India or in the world is not good. Every morning we wake up, we get to read about the X bridge collapsing, someone dying because of a pothole, and whatnot. Around the world, wars are going on, and so many lives have been lost. Lately, I was really disturbed about all these things and was not able to concentrate on anything. 

But I’m blessed enough to be in circumstances where my life is on track. I’ve got food on my plate, my loved ones are here, and I have time to work on my goals, and this is when I started working on this blog. I always wanted to start blogging, but due to laziness or the circumstances that I mentioned above, I couldn’t.

However, I decided to write at least one blog a week (I know very slow), but my schedule is kinda busy due to my job, freelancing, and other responsibilities. 

I’m sharing all these things with you guys, because you might be having several reasons not to wake up early or follow morning habits, but find one reason to get rid of your bed and be thankful to God. 

I guess I’ve encouraged you enough. Let’s talk about the morning habits successful people follow. 

Proven Morning Habits Successful People Follow

Schedule Entire Day Pre Evening

I know many people in my life who plan their morning pre evening and schedule everything accordingly. From choosing clothes to packing their bags, to creating a list of tasks that they have to accomplish tomorrow.

I remember I used to ask them, you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, why are you planning everything in advance? 

They were like: Exactly, you don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, why not plan in advance if you have tomorrow, you don’t have to waste your time on what to do next, as you already have a task list in your hand. 

The interesting thing is they don’t only plan which tasks to work on, but also about breaks, entertainment time, solitude time, and the list goes on. 

Well, to start, you don’t have to go into that depth, just start with choosing clothes you are going to wear tomorrow, what breakfast you are going to make, tasks that you have to accomplish, and the rest time you can do whatever you want to do.

Wake Up Early

Many surveys found that most CEOs and successful people wake up between 4 am and 6 am. This time, they treat it as their personal growth time so that they can be ready for an entire day. 

I know this sounds extremely easy, but ask me how difficult it is! So, what I do instead of focusing on waking up early, I sleep early between 10 am and 11 am so that I would wake up around 5 am to 7 am. 

Some days I wake at 6 am, some days at 5:30 am, and so on. You guys can also try something like this for an easier start.

Drink Healthy Beverages

Undoubtedly, I’m a tea lover and my day doesn’t start without it. However, my day starts with drinking water. Somehow, nowadays, I’m trying to have fennel seeds water and cumin seeds water alternate days to avoid drinking tea in the first place. 

Most people start their day with a protein shake, fruit juice, or smoothies. According to your diet, you can opt for anything on this list. But before that, make sure you drink plenty of water.

Exercise, Yoga, Meditation

You don’t have to start with heavy lifting and exercising. Most successful people start with stretching and then exercise, yoga, and meditate. However, they don’t do everything in one day; they schedule it. Like Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, they exercise, and on other days, yoga and so on. 

You can also plan something like this. Start with stretching and slowly increase your time of exercise. If I have to talk about myself, I also work out on alternate days. But I always manage to complete my steps and stretch in the morning. 

Read And Write 

Most people have a habit of either reading or writing a journal in the morning. Undoubtedly, it’s a good habit as it improves your vocabulary and thinking. In contrast, when you write down your thoughts, it gives you clarity.

If you are not a fan of reading or writing, start with 10 minutes of reading and 10 minutes of writing your thoughts, and see how much it helps in decision-making and changes your life. 

Read more: 10 Simple Digital Detox habits you can start today

Bottom Line 

The one thing I would like to include here in the morning is to strictly avoid the usage of mobile phones for at least the first three hours. If you start your day with a phone, you know where you will see yourself (scrolling reels).

I know there are days when we don’t feel like doing anything, and that’s perfectly fine. Take one or two days off and don’t follow any schedule. Instead, follow your heart. But don’t make that a habit.

I usually go with two days off in a month when I’m not in a hurry and do the work at my own pace.

Making changes in your morning routine is a tough call, and I totally get it, but try slowly, gracefully, and eventually you’ll get used to it.

Just like you, there are millions of students who are struggling to pay off their debts and save money.​

If you are here, that means you also searched how to save money while paying student loans, and most probably looking for some practical ways to save money while paying off loans.

Well, I do not have any magic tricks to pay off your student loans within a fraction of seconds, but I do have some strategies that will work for you and help you finish your loans faster. Along with this, you’ll be able to save a significant amount every month.

So, without taking too much of your time, let’s jump into our main topic.

Categorise Saving Money And Paying Off Debt

Many people get confused here. See, there is a difference between paying off your student loans and saving money. 

No doubt you have to spend monthly, but saving money is also there. Most people focus on paying debts and overlook saving.

So many people talk about how to pay off student loans fast, and that’s completely fine, but along with this, you must keep some amount as savings.

Personally, I’ve three accounts where I divide money as soon as I get a paycheck. Saving account, emergency account, and general account. 

There is an interesting story behind this. Back in 2015, when I got my very first job, I was on cloud nine. I was like, now I don’t have to ask anyone for money, and I can handle everything on my own. All these kinds of stuff.

As soon as the first month ended, I got my first paycheck, and the sooner it came, the sooner it went out. A few months passed like this. But then I realised I’m doing something wrong and need to figure this out.

Honestly speaking, at that time I was not that careful in terms of money, but when I realised something was wrong with my spendings, I analysed the past months and what I did wrong. And this is when I divided my monthly income into these three accounts. 

Let me tell you how I divide my money in these three accounts; 

General account – this is the account where I receive my monthly paycheck. So in this account, I keep the money that I’ll be needing for daily or monthly expenses like groceries, fuel, etc. It is the same account where I keep monthly loan payments if I’ve any. Touchwood, now I do not have any debt. In short, in this account, I put all my spending money. I forgot to mention, this account also includes the money that I invest on a monthly or yearly basis, which I’ll talk about in another article.

Saving account – As soon as I receive my paycheck, I keep almost 20% in this account. This is the account I rarely use. Basically, it is an account where I put money for my short-term and long-term goals, and as needed, use the amount.

Emergency account – This account is similar to a touch-me-not plant. But just like this plant possesses medical properties and is useful in medical conditions. Similarly, when an emergency comes like medical conditions, car repair, etc., only at that time I touch this account. This account also holds 20% of my income.

So here what I wanted to explain is saving money is also important, regardless of the debt you have. In the first place, try to avoid loans as much as possible. However, if there is an extreme situation, only that time go for it.

If you are a student and reading this article, you should know how to save money as a student. 

Paying Off debt

In the first place, let me talk about how to pay off student loans fast. I know you might be thinking that at the start of the article, I talked about saving money, and now I’m talking about paying off debt fast.

The reason behind this is that I want to give you a clear-cut idea of how you can pay off your debt fast. Once I cover this, I’ll get back to our savings topic.

Be Sure About Your Total Loan Amount

Do you know how much loan amount you have to pay? 

The answer will be yes. But here I’m not talking about a single student loan. There might be a possibility that you have taken more than one loan. So sit in a quiet place, take pen and paper, and note down all the debt that you have to pay.

Don’t get afraid if the loan amount is too big. Anyhow, you have to pay them back. So being nervous will not work here.

Your Monthly Income

How much do you earn monthly? How many income sources do you have? 

Don’t get me wrong here! I do not want to know how much you earn. Ask this question to yourself. 

The scenario I’m about to reveal here had happened to me earlier. I had (now also I’ve) more than one income source. Along with the job, I was freelancing. 

But what happened here? Income from the job was fixed, so some portion of it I was using for monthly loan payments, and the rest of the money was coming and going. (earlier days that I discussed in the category of saving money and paying off debt ).

Similarly, when I used to freelance, the money from that was not fixed, so I was using that money randomly without thinking twice. This is where I made the biggest mistake.

However, later on I realised my mistake. 

So what I started doing here is I was waiting for my salary, and till that time, I was not touching the money that I was getting from freelance work. This helped me get a clear picture of my total income. At that moment, I realised how much exactly I was earning. To my surprise, that amount was quite big. 

If you also have different sources of income, don’t spend them in the middle of the month. Wait for all the money to gather and know how much you earn monthly. 

If you have only one source of income, you do not have to worry though you must have a side hustle that I’m going to talk about below. 

Know The Total Monthly Installments

If you have taken more than one loan and need to pay more than one installment monthly, first of all, calculate the total installments amount and see how much it is. 

If it is 20, 40% of your income, you are on the safer side. You have enough money left after making payments, and you are good to save a significant amount.

However, if you are unable to do so, you must know the ways to save money on a tight budget.  

Think About The Loan You Can Finish Earlier

Having more than one loan makes people depressed, and saving along with it, kinda difficult job.

So, what you can do here is think about the debt you can finish earlier. If your total monthly  installments is only 20%, you are definitely earning good. In this case, you left with enough money in your hands that you can use to finish debts earlier.

Start with the smallest debt, and finish it first. As a result, it won’t affect your budget, and you can save some amount every month.

Some people question how to pay off student loans fast with low income. I guess you just got the answer here. 

Though you have a low income, with the above strategies, you can plan better and become debt-free sooner.

Do Not Rely On Loan Forgiveness

This is the most important one. If you are waiting for the government to forgive your loan, you are actually making the biggest mistake. It may happen, might not.

You never know, so it is better not to wait for it. There are so many applicants who apply for loan forgiveness, so just think for a moment about how many people can benefit from it.

I guess you just imagined the number.

See, there are no sure short ways to get rid of your debts, but the ways I mentioned above are practical and easy to follow.

Using Swagbucks and Inboxdollars won’t help you out. If you have seen these websites and thought that you could use them to make some extra income, please don’t go for them.

Hardly it will work for you. For instance, look for some better side hustle alternatives.

Saving Money While Paying Off Student Loans

I guess throughout this blog, I talked more or less about saving money. But in this section, I’m about to reveal some proven tactics that worked for me (still work for me). So be ready to get your answer on how to save money while paying student loans.

With Full Time Job, Do Side Hustle

If you already have any side hustle besides a job, you are on the right track. 

I’m not saying this just because you are struggling with debt; nowadays, this has become crucial to have more than one side income source.

No matter how much you are earning from your job, having a side hustle is a must. 

However, when you choose a side hustle, make sure that it is something that will serve you longer. 

For instance, if you choose freelancing, all the time you have to look for clients. So going for freelancing is not something that will benefit you in the long run. 

In contrast, if you start a blog or YouTube channel or something similar to this, it will give you a steady income. 

Prioritise The Spendings

As soon as we receive a paycheck, we have a long list to spend on and we tend to spend mindlessly. 

And this habit one has to change if you really want to manage your finances like a pro. 

When you get your paycheck, create the essential item list, and before you start paying for those items, recheck the list. I’m sure by rechecking the list you can understand what’s crucial and what is not. 

Divide your spendings in three stages; 1) Essential 2) Wants 3) Future Savings

Make A Goal For Savings

Saving without a goal is like a fish without water. Save with a purpose. 

You may have long-term or short-term goals. 

Let’s say you have a goal of buying a car; keep saving some portion from your monthly income for that. By doing so, you can quickly achieve your goal without making a hole in your pocket.  

See, you may have a lot of dreams of buying this or that. But what I’ve seen in my life is that most people, even for small purchases like smartphones, take out a loan or buy the phone in installments. 

If there is an urgency to buy a smartphone and take out a loan, it could be understandable. But if you are planning to buy a smartphone in the upcoming months, saving a small portion of your total income would be a better alternative.

Taking out a loan is not the only way. 

Create Budget And Stick To It

Regardless of your income, you must create a budget and stick to it at any cost. 

If you are living alone, creating a budget for yourself is quite an easy task to do. However, if you are living with a family, in the first place, you must calculate the whole family’s income.

Obviously, when we live in a family, more than one person earns. In such cases, you must know the total income. Suppose you have a family of four, and two people earn, calculate those two people’s earnings. After this, create a budget for everything (including the tiniest one) and try your best to stick to it.

There are some situations where we have to go out of the way, but not always. For those situations, you must have an emergency account where you can save for rainy days, or I can say for any uncertainties. 

One more thing, creating a budget does not mean that you can not have fun. Well, you must pay for yourself in the first place. But the amount you decide should not disturb your monthly budget. 

Related to – How to save money as a homemaker

Stay Motivated 

This time will also pass just like every other good and bad time. I know how it feels having loans, whether it’s student loans or other loans.

But the reality is you have to pay for it by yourself, and you have to deal with all this trauma. 

So being depressed will not work here. You only need to find some practical ways to get rid of it.

I know so many people try to misguide us in such situations, and when the time is bad, we also fall for it.

My suggestions to all those people who have debt: don’t get discouraged, don’t fall for shortcuts, don’t trust everything you listen to or read (including mine), and above all, stay strong, stay motivated.

It feels amazing to finally have your own home and sit on that comfy sofa, holding your tea or coffee cup and looking outside the window, and enjoying nature. 

However, when we move to another apartment or flat, we all know how difficult it is to arrange everything, from furniture to making ourselves comfortable in a new place. 

If you moved to a small apartment or are planning to and are looking for simple living room ideas, let me help you out. 

Well, I’m not exactly going to tell you about how to decorate your apartment, as this is not my core. But when it comes to a comfy lifestyle and mental peace, you can count on me. Surely, these two things start from home. 

No one wants to live in clutter and wake up feeling tired again. 

It doesn’t matter whether you own a very small apartment or a big one, but decorating it from your heart and whatever budget allows you for, is what makes it a home. 

In this article, we will specifically talk about very small apartment living room ideas to keep our topic within. 

As I said, I’m not an interior designer; therefore, the advice or ideas you’ll get here are completely related to comfort and mental peace. So here we go.

#11 Simple Living Room Ideas For Very Small Apartment Under Your Budget 

#1 Keep The Furniture Minimum 

Having a small living room doesn’t mean you can’t have furniture in it. Obviously, you can. Let me walk you through some simple modern living room ideas.

When selecting furniture, be minimalist. The place should look tidy, clean and spacious. 

I also live on rent in Hyderabad, so for job change reasons and unrealistically skyrocketing rent by property owners, I’ve to move from one flat to another. Currently, I live in a 1 BHK, so we have sofa-cum-bed, a small tea-pot and a bookstand, which adds cosy vibes to my place. 

There is one more benefit of keeping minimalist furniture: if you’ve to move, it won’t be much of a headache. 

Focus On Light Colours And Warm Lightening

Light colours don’t mean dull colours. According to me, your home represents you. So when selecting colours for your home, be extra cautious. 

Select a colour palette that will resonate with your personality and lifestyle. Select pastels like baby pink, light blue, mint green, lavender and so on. Personally, I like these colours a lot due to their soothing effects.

Also, don’t go for white lights; instead, try using warm-toned lights such as soft yellow bulbs and warm white LEDs. At the end of the day, you should feel the warmth of home. 

Leave Space For Natural Light

I remember when I was searching for a flat in Hyderabad, I was only looking for ventilation, and if you live in Hyderabad, you can totally relate to me. 

I can’t live in a suffocated environment where there is no natural light and no ventilation. I like sunlight to fall on my face while sipping my tea (mostly) or coffee (rarely), reading or just getting into my zone. 

So when I plan the interior, I make sure there is enough space for natural light. 

Have Indoor Plants

Oh, I love indoor plants, and currently, I’m a big fan of round-the-clock oxygen-giving plants. Now, my living room and bedroom are occupied with Areca Palm, Snake Plant, Peace Lily, and Gerbera Daisy. 

However, I also like outdoor plants, but the apartment I live in has a common balcony, so I can’t decorate it. But next time, when I move, I’ll definitely opt for an individual balcony so I can keep more plants. 

The best part of having indoor plants is that they give oxygen, purify air and calm your mind. When you look for simple living room decor ideas, keep this option in mind.  

Decorate Balcony

As I just mentioned, I don’t have an individual balcony, but I would love to have one in future so that I can decorate it. This is going to be my number one priority when looking for very small living room decorating ideas. 

But if you have one, please decorate it. It will change the complete vibe of your home and give you a reason to come back home. You can have your hot beverage while looking at the sun, stars, moon, or simply gazing at nature. 

You can use soft lights, create a mini garden, and add some miniature designs. 

Back home in Nagpur, I had a beautiful balcony, and I used to sit there whenever I needed some “me” time. I used to read books, drink tea or stare at the sky. 

I decorated that balcony with some hanging plants, added soft lighting for evening decor and a comfy chair for relaxation. You can also add other decorative items to make it extra special.

Set the mood of a room using soft fabrics, whether it’s plush throws, soft cotton bedsheets, gentle rugs or comfy cushions. Now, there are many fabrics in the market to compare with, which will help you make your decision.

Use Soft Fabrics

I’ve a special place for soft fabrics in my heart since the time I realised the importance of choosing the right fabric. Back then, I was never cautious of using the right fabric because I was not sure of its benefits. 

I used to buy random bedsheets, rugs, curtains, cushions or anything else. But from the time I realised the importance of soft fabrics, it was never going back for me. 

When you opt for soft materials or fabrics, you feel the warmth of them, making your home breathable. 

Keep Small Book Shelf 

If you are a reader like me, I would advise you to keep a small bookshelf in your small living room. This is going to be your personal space, where you can pause, read, reflect on your thoughts and be in your own world.  

I personally believe that everyone should read at least one book per month. If it sounds like too much for you, start reading for 10 minutes a day only and see how much your life changes. 

Select Motivating Frames For Your Wall

Do you know that wall decor or frames can make a significant impact on your life? 

Instead of picking any random frames, pick something that inspires you every day. Something like inspirational quotes, happy moments from your life, or poetic artwork. Adding motivational frames to your wall is one of the simple living room wall decor ideas. 

Imagine a scenario: you are not feeling like doing anything, feeling miserable, but when you look around and see such motivational frames, you gain the courage to start work and feel energetic. 

Declutter On A Regular Basis

I don’t think that I need to add this point. Nobody likes messy and cluttered homes. 

Plus, decluttering is like therapy. When you declutter and remove all unwanted things, you give your home space to breathe. 

However, don’t try to clean everything in one go. Schedule a time to clean, like for organising essentials on Saturday, dusting on Friday, kitchen cleaning on Thursday evening and so on. Schedule a time that works for you. 

A tidy home is equal to fewer distractions and more clarity.

Keep Kitchen And Living Room Separate

If you have enough space, please keep the kitchen and living room separate. It can still be attached, but there is enough distance between them. So it won’t look suffocated. 

As I mentioned earlier, the apartment I’m living in is also very small, a 1 BHK. But there is enough space between the kitchen and the living room. To make it even better, we used a partition. So it feels like we have a separate kitchen and living room. 

The main reason behind this is that the kitchen is a place where we cook, which leads to a lot of activities and strong aromas. On the other hand, the living room is a place for relaxation where we want calm and cosy vibes. 

Wrap Up Time

So these are my simple budget simple living room ideas for managing your very small apartment. These ideas are based on my own experience which I personally prefer. You guys can add your own touch and make it even better. 

Let’s catch up on a new blog. 

On Tuesday, September 16, 2025, I received a call from one of my friends. Almost 10 years later, she called me. First, I thought she just wanted to catch up on things. But later I realised she is going through some kind of depression. I can’t reveal the exact reason for her call because that’s her personal life. 

Here, I didn’t want to share why and when she called me. Let me tell you a short story about her. She was a topper of the college, but she was an introvert, and I assume she is still the same way. She mostly used to talk to me and never really had friends. She belongs to a good family and has everything in her life that she has always desired. 

But she has no friends. Not a single person with whom she can talk about her personal problems and take advice. 

After finishing the conversation with her, I realised how lonely she is, and I kept wondering why she didn’t make any friends in the past 10 years. 

I understand that she is an introvert, but these 10 years have been enough to make at least 2 to 3 friends. Or maybe she doesn’t trust people easily or doesn’t want to share her personal life with others. 

I don’t know the exact reason, but I felt really bad for her. I asked her to call me whenever she wants. 

See, it’s not like that I don’t have any problems in my life; everyone has. But I’m thankful to God that I’ve people to share with. I realised that in every organisation I worked in, I made more than one friend whom I could trust. Yes, there are snakes as well, but thankfully, I’ve the ability to distinguish between bad and good people. 

After that conversation, the one thought that remained with me is how lonely many people are and most of the time we don’t even realise it. I know many people like to be alone and feel like they don’t need anyone in their lives, but you should have at least 2 to 3 people in your life with whom you can share your difficulties and sorrows. 

You should understand that overcoming loneliness in life is really important. You can’t always be alone and think that you don’t need anyone in life. Not only her, I’ve a few introverts in my life, they are like I can’t talk with people unless the next person starts the conversation. It’s not like they can’t, they don’t want to. 

So I would like to mention here, if you are feeling lonely, try to open your heart to your trustworthy people, and for that, you should make bonds (again, back to square one). 

Here, I want to share a few tactics to break this chain of loneliness and get exposed to this beautiful world.

How Not to be Lonely? 

Take Initiative 

It’s not always gonna happen that other people will come and talk to you. Sometimes, you have to take initiative, start with hi, hello. To be clear, here I’m not talking about the opposite sex. You can start a conversation with a person of the same gender if you find it easier. But in my opinion, even if you start talking with the opposite sex, it’s not like you are going to end up getting married to that person. 

Go on a Trip with Strangers

When I moved to Hyderabad, I got introduced to many things, like trips with strangers. Before that, I didn’t know that such things existed. And it’s a really good opportunity for people who do not have many friends, want to explore new things or want to make new friends. 

This way, you get a chance to meet new people and forget all your sorrows. For instance, you recently had a breakup and felt like your whole world had fallen apart. You don’t know whom to discuss with. What’s better than meeting new people, talking to nature and experiencing new adventures? Who knows, you may find a better partner there? 

Be a Part of Mental Health Communities

Gone are the days when mental health was trauma. I know many families in India still think mental health does not need any treatment. But believe me, if you are going through depression, heartbreaks, layoffs, or any other problems, you need support. 

If it’s too expensive for you to go to a psychologist, join mental health communities where the fee is remarkably affordable, and you can talk with them about your life problems without any judgment.  

Meditate, Yoga, and Exercise

Many studies show that when you exercise, meditate or do yoga, you are more likely to live a happy and cheerful life. To some extent, it helps overcome your introverted nature and leads to overcoming loneliness. 

Start with a simple breathing exercise for 5 min and slowly adapt to other exercises. You can also start with walking if you enjoy walking as I do. After dinner, it’s mandatory for me to walk for at least 1 hour. From college days, it just became part of my life. 

Journal your Thoughts

Sometimes, it feels kinda risky to write down your own thoughts as other people can read them. But be cautious. For that, you can do one thing. You can buy a diary with a password lock and pour your heart into it. 

It will help you simplify your thoughts and get clarity on what you want in your life. 

Final thought

So, my lovely readers, if you’ve read this far, I know most of you are going through loneliness. But don’t worry, you are not alone in this. Many people face such situations in life that lead them to loneliness. However, it doesn’t mean that you should stop trusting people or meeting new people. 

Make friends, meet new people and enjoy this beautiful life. Life is too short to overthink; embrace it. Count every moment. 

Before starting to write this blog, it was raining outside, and I was trying to be present in the moment. The weather was pleasant, and I could clearly hear the drops’ sound (along with that, I could hear the construction noise, quite common in Hyderabad these days, but I ignored that noise and focused on enjoying the weather). The date is 2nd Sep 2025. 

I wanted to share this experience with you all to make you understand the importance of mindfulness. As I discussed in that paragraph, along with rain, construction was going on, but instead of focusing on construction noise, I was completely focused on raindrops and how beautifully nature transformed around me. 

Being in the moment and allowing life to happen for us without worrying about the past and future can drastically reduce our stress and anxiety. Someone is taking care of us, that is the Universe, God, or whatever you believe in. 

Do you know there is a word for being in the moment? 

Well, it’s called mindfulness. 

You might have heard about “mindfulness” multiple times, but have you tried to incorporate it in your life?

If yes, to what extent did you succeed in it? 

If not, do you know there are extraordinary benefits of following mindfulness? 

Yes, you read it right. There are endless benefits that you can get by incorporating mindfulness into your life. 

In this blog, I’ll walk you through the benefits of mindfulness and encourage you to read ways to be mindful. 

#8 Life Changing Benefits of Mindfulness

Breaks the Cycle of Overthinking

Many people deal with it on a daily basis. Some people have a habit of thinking to such an extent that it has nothing to do with real life. 

If you are an overthinker, you should know how to stop overthinking. Unless you know how to stop it, you won’t be able to break this habit. 

Well, you don’t have to think this much as I’ve a good solution for this, which is mindfulness. Whenever you have plenty of thoughts going on, try focusing on the present situation. Tell yourself that you’ll get back to those thoughts shortly. This will help you break the chain of overthinking.

Improves Self Control

I’ve seen many people who stay calm and composed regardless of the situation. I used to think how these people can be so calm in such a chaotic situation. But now, if I think about it, it is because they have mastered the art of self-control. 

Now, the question is how they learned self-control? I guess you know the answer, which is being mindful. 

Being mindful is not only about being present in a moment; it also helps us manage our emotions and keep them under control. 

When you follow mindfulness, you only react to absolutely necessary situations. You know when/how to react, pause or give a space. 

Helps in Getting Rid of Stress and Anxiety

Stress and anxiety are like two peas in a pod. When you are stressed, anxiety follows it just like an obedient younger sibling. 

You should agree on one thing, which is that not everything is going to be under your control. Some things you have to let go of. Instead of focusing on how stressful this situation is, try to look at the opposite side of the situation. However, to look at the opposite side means a good side, you should follow mindfulness. 

In my life, a few incidents happened when I was feeling miserable, but I was carrying it so well that no one got to know that I was stressed. Because I knew that this would pass. Throughout such situations, only one thing helped, which is mindfulness. 

Helps with Depression

I was not aware of this term before 2012. This was the year when I actually went into depression. The story is for another time. So I spent days doing nothing, feeling miserable about the situation without knowing how to react to it. 

I used to talk with my friends, but as everyone was on their new journey of college, they were busy dealing with their lives. Then I knew I had to do something of my own; no one or nothing is going to make you feel better. 

This was the same time when I started practising mindfulness meditation and breathing exercises, which helped me heal within. 

Overcome Addiction

Nowadays, most people are addicted to their phones (sorry, smartphones). Somehow, it has become a trend to pretend to be busy on their phones even when they are only scrolling Insta or Snap. 

I’ve a few friends who use their phones while walking, talking and rest you guys can guess. Without their phones, they feel uncomfortable. Whenever they are with me, I ask them either to talk to me or just get lost with their phones (seriously). Mostly, they listen to me. 

Here, I only talked about one addiction, but there are endless addictions people are into: smoking, drinking, drugs, and whatnot. 

With mindfulness, you can distinguish between good and bad habits and end them with adequate steps. 

Improves Concentration

Mindfulness plays an important role when it comes to keeping focus. Try to remember days when you used to be completely focused on one thing at a time. 

What changed then? 

I remember, till the age of 13, I used to be completely focused. When I was doing homework, I was completely into that; not a single thought was crossing my mind. Or whatever I used to do, I was completely into that task (keep in mind, at that age, I was not familiar with any kind of yoga or meditation).

Then puberty hit, hormonal changes happened, and I was literally struggling with keeping my focus on one thing. At that time, I did not have anyone to discuss all these things with (because in the 90s, mostly parents were not discussing such things), but I knew one thing: if I were able to do this earlier, I could do that again. 

Again, I was not aware of the term mindfulness. So what I did was try to keep all my thoughts aside and focus on the present task. It literally helped me improve concentration. 

If you are a teenager and struggling with being focused, start focusing on a single task at a time, and you’ll end up being mindful of things. 

Soothes Negative Emotions

It’s okay to have negative emotions. Everyone feels it at some point in their lives. 

But why did you feel that way, or do you feel that way, knowing this answer is more important than anything else? It would be possible when you practice mindfulness. 

Being mindful helps you understand the reason behind it. When any negative thought crosses your mind, by following mindfulness first, you’ll think about why this thought comes to your mind, what’s the reason behind it, and accordingly, you’ll take action. 

By knowing the answer, we can easily diminish those negative emotions. 

Improves Sleep

How many of you struggle with insomnia? 

I guess many of you. Try mindfulness meditation before sleep or in the morning and see how much your sleep quality improves. 

When you follow mindful meditation or simply being mindful about breathing, it controls your thoughts, relaxes your body and helps you have a peaceful, good night’s sleep. 

Wrap-up Time

I know mindfulness is not something that you can include in your life instantly. It’s not 2-minute Maggie. But slowly and steadily, you can for sure. 

Start slow. Like focusing on one thing at a time, and if any thoughts cross your mind, try writing them down initially or give any specific timeframe where you’ll think about those thoughts.

Constantly, tell yourself that the task you are working on is important; if it weren’t important, you wouldn’t have started it in the first place. 

Trying mindful is also part of being mindful. 

More to read:

How to start saving money in your 20s

Digital Detox!

Who else came across this term? Or, how many times have you come across this term? 

Well, I know many of you have at least heard this term and thought of giving it a try. But how many of you succeeded in it? 

So, the people who succeed in it deserve big applause. And those who are still trying, this blog is for you. However, the succeed people can read it too. 

Digital Detox is nothing but taking a break from digital devices, such as smartphones, televisions, and laptops.

However, some people think that Digital Detox means giving up on digital devices completely, but this is not true. 

While incorporating a Digital Detox into your life, you can still use digital devices, but you need to create a schedule and adhere to it. 

So, now the question would be how to start it? 

No worries! Here I share the simple steps that will help you control the habit of using digital devices, resulting in reducing anxiety, stress, and depression.

Most useful yet simple Daily Digital Detox habits 

Why and when you use digital devices

Have you ever thought about this? If not, you should think about it right now. Grab a pen and paper, find a quiet spot (obviously, don’t carry your smartphone with you) where you won’t be disturbed, and start reflecting on it. 

Because understanding why and when is crucial if you want to break those habits. 

You should realise why you use a smartphone or any other digital device, what benefits it’s giving you or if it’s simply a waste of your time. 

When do you use it? Another essential question to consider. 

If you have answers to these two questions, you are already on the path to Digital Detox. 

Let me quickly share my experience. When I wanted to limit smartphone usage, I did the same. I switched off my phone and did this exercise. Later on, I became mindful of using any digital devices, especially my phone. Because I understood the reasons. Now, it’s your turn!

Which digital device you use the most

I believe this question won’t be that difficult unless you are a corporate employee. If you are, you have to use a laptop for more than 8 hours, and I completely understand that; you can’t do anything about it. 

But, I observed many corporate people who just switch between the screens: from laptop to phone, from phone to tablet, from tablet to television, and vice versa. 

On the other hand, if you are a student or belong to any other field, think carefully about which device you use the most. 

Having clarity solves most of the problems. 

PS: Many of you might be wondering why I asked you guys to think about why, when, and which questions. In the upcoming points, you’ll get answers to those questions. Stay tuned!

Have a schedule and maintain it

Now you have the answers to why, when, and which, so I’m assuming you understood whether it’s worth your time or not. 

Let’s say you are using a smartphone for 4 hours daily, but what benefits are you getting from it?

If you are scrolling through shorts and reels of others, you are only consuming junk. There is no return. 

Being human, we need entertainment, but when you scroll reels, shorts, or binge-watch, most of the time, it gives you anxiety, stress and sometimes depression as well instead of making you entertained. 

Because when you see other people’s lifestyles or how they get dressed or how good their life is, you start comparing your life with theirs. Though most of the time, what you see on social media is not true. 

I won’t blame you for that. It’s a human tendency. Now, let’s come back to our topic, which is scheduling. 

What if you schedule the time that for this X amount of time, I’ll use Insta, for Y amount of time I’ll use LinkedIn or whatever other apps you use. 

For instance, if you are about to use Instagram, first think about why you are using it, what’s your purpose? This way, you’ll only use it for that specific task. 

Morning time = Me time

You should not compromise your morning time at any cost. Make sure that the first two hours of the morning are completely yours. No mobile phones, no television. 

Just you and your morning. Wake up, make your bed, go for a walk, meditate, make tea, do anything you want, but avoid using digital devices. In Gen Z slang, this is your cleansing time. 

Read Illusion of perfect mornings to get an idea of how your mornings should be. 

Also, don’t carry your phone to the bathroom. 

Turn OFF all unwanted notifications

Many of us have a habit of using our phones as soon as any notification pops up. First of all, turn off all the unwanted notifications. 

You don’t need notification from Blinkit, Zepto, Amazon, Flipkart, or Instagram, and the list goes on. 

On my phone, I only kept notifications ON for WhatsApp and emergency alerts. Other than that, all notifications are OFF. 

Turn OFF your data 

Make a habit of turning data OFF when you are doing some important work or not using your phone. Don’t keep your data ON 24/7. 

Sometimes, people even taunt me, “why you keep your data off? You are not a student anymore” and blah blah. I believe if there is an emergency, your family and friends can simply call you or text you. 

For me, when I work on any task, I need undivided attention. Like right now, when I’m writing, my phone’s data is OFF. 

Walk instead of scroll

Whenever you feel like scrolling, run for a walk (LOL). Just kidding!

I mean to say just go for a walk, or you can run as well (as you wish). 

Many people have a habit of using their phones when they don’t feel like working anymore or get bored. So instead of scrolling through your phone, you can go for a walk. 

You can go for a 5-minute walk or a 10-minute walk. You don’t have to go for long walks. 

By making this simple change, you’ll feel more energetic and will complete your task more efficiently. 

No use of digital screen before bed 

I know it’s quite difficult, as we have a habit of using our phones while in bed and falling asleep. But got a solution for this. Instead of using your phone or watching TV, you can read books. 

One piece of advice, while choosing a book for reading at night, pick a decent book, something related to habits, lifestyle, etc. Don’t read fictional or thriller stories. You’ll end up losing your sleep. 

My suggestion would be reading books like The Art of Being Alone, Mindfulness, Atomic Habits, etc. 

Mindfulness

How many of you have a habit of doing multiple tasks at the same time? 

For example, you are cooking and watching your favourite series at the same time. This way, you are not giving your attention to either cooking or series. In lieu of that, you can finish your cooking, and after that, watch your favourite series. Mindfulness is this simple.

While practising mindfulness, try to be present in the moment. When you are reading, only read, don’t use your phone if you don’t understand any word or sentence. Underline it for later and check its meanings. 

Hopefully, you got my point. 

No screen time while having meals

When you live alone, it feels awkward to have meals without watching anything. To some extent, it is understandable. 

The same goes with me. When I’m alone, I prefer watching something on TV or my Phone while having meals. But when I’m with my family or my husband is around, we try to avoid the screen completely. 

We discuss how our day went and other things here and there. 

Bonus point – no scrolling or binge watching on weekends

Many people have a habit of scrolling on their phones or binge-watching on weekends. Weekends are for relaxation, and by continuously staring at screens, your brain becomes anxious. So what’s the point of weekends?

Rather than staring at screens and being a couch potato, you can go for outings, meet friends, do some household chores, work on any hobby, and many other things you can do. 

Even if you are watching a series, don’t binge-watch. Watch one episode at a time, just like the old way. 

When the world was not exposed to Netflix, Hotstar or any other streaming platform, how patiently we used to wait for the next episode. You can try a similar way now as well. 

Final thoughts

As I said earlier in this blog, Digital Detox doesn’t mean that you have to completely give up on technology. You just have to find the balance to protect your mental health.

Try incorporating these habits into your life and see how it works. You can start with one habit at a time and gradually increase it. 

If you want to become successful in your life, the first thing you have to do is stop lying to yourself and be honest. 

Have genuine conversations with yourself about every topic. Whether it’s related to a relationship, friendship, job, health or anything. 

Why am I saying this? When you don’t understand your current situation, you won’t make impactful decisions. 

My question is, “Have you ever lied to yourself?”

You don’t have to answer anyone. Just answer yourself, and I’m damn sure you’ll get your answer because we all do at some point. Now, the next question is how to stop lying to yourself and become an authentic version of yourself. 

Well, there are a number of solutions people will tell you to stop lying to yourself, but it won’t work until you really wanna change it. 

Well, there are a number of solutions people will tell you to stop lying to yourself, but it won’t work until you really wanna work on it. 

For instance, you always want to believe everything is good in your life, even if it is not. This is where you have to understand that when you are talking with your inner voice, you don’t have to lie. You have to be brutally honest with yourself. This way, you’ll get to know what the real problem is, and you can easily find the solution for that. 

Now, back to the question, how to stop lying to yourself. In this article, I revealed all the secrets that would help you become the best version of yourself. 

Keep reading!

Before jumping into our main topic, let me tell you the benefits and harmful effects of lying to yourself.

Benefits of not lying to yourself

You can lie in front of the whole world, your parents, friends, but somehow your inner self knows when you are lying and when you are not.

But what if I tell you that there are lots of benefits to being true to yourself? 

• You understand your emotions, giving you better clarity towards your emotions.
• You can predict future outcomes and accordingly take steps.
• You can make better decisions, knowing your true feelings.
• Reduce stress levels and keep you mentally fit.
• You learn to take responsibility for your own actions.

Harmful effects of lying to yourself

Just like benefits, there are some harmful or we can say dangerous effects of lying to yourself. Let’s unfold them one by one;

• You will always be confused and full of stress.
• You will never be sure what exactly you want.
• You will end up making poor decisions.
• You won’t be sure about areas of self-improvement.

If you can’t be true to yourself, you can’t be true to others, resulting in weak bonds with your loved ones.

You will never know who you are, what you want and where you are heading.

Okay. It’s time to jump to our main topic!

How to stop lying to yourself

Understand why you lie 

You can not deal with the outer battle until and unless you resolve the battle that is going on within you. You might be thinking what battle I’m talking about? 

See, when you lie to yourself, there must be a reflection of something which is happening within you, and you are not happy about it. And to protect yourself from that, you start lying to yourself, pretending that it doesn’t matter or doesn’t exist at all. 

For instance, your boss told you, “You get confused all the time or don’t work at all”, and you know that this is not true. But rather than that, what you do is you start to pretend that it never happened. This is where you are lying. What your boss said is his opinion and not a fact. Maybe he is the one who gets confused all the time. 

So accept the reality and don’t let other people put you down.  

Accept who you are

This is something I learned the arduous way. From childhood, I’ve had a habit of observing things, people, even the smallest act, and I used to think about who I am exactly, what I am exactly, what type of personality I’ve. 

So when I was a child, I used to imagine myself as a popular girl, something like a model or an actress, and all people liked me.

As a teenager, I saw a serial where that girl was an introvert, nerd and used to wear a salwar kurta only, and I thought that this is what I’m (well, here I’m talking about Mile Jab Hum Tum, 90s kids can understand), and then I tried to become like her. 

As a young adult, I watched the Twilight movie, though I didn’t like the actress, but I was fascinated by the story and thought one vampire might come into my life too (not exactly a vampire but a caring person like him). Also, this was the time when I was influenced by one of my friends’ lifestyles and tried to follow her, and it was the biggest mess. So this continued till the age of 26. 

However, when I turned 27, something changed in my life. Because even when I tried to pretend like other people, I was always me. And I’m an unpredictable person. Sometimes I’m shy, sometimes I’m jolly, sometimes I’m silent, sometimes I’m an introvert, sometimes I’m an extrovert, and the list goes on. 

So this is when I accepted myself wholeheartedly. From then on, I  never tried to become like anyone because me is me and I am unique. 

So, the moral of the story is that you are unique and should accept the way you are.  

Develop self-honesty

I understand certain situations come up where we have to lie a little, but even in that scenario, make sure that you are not lying to yourself. 

If you do that, I’m damn sure you are hurting your inner self. To avoid this, whenever you have to lie to others, after that have a mirror meeting with yourself and explain to yourself why you lied, why it was important and if you feel that you made a mistake, go and fix it.

Writing journal

You might have been hearing this for a long time, but this is one of the most effective things to include in your daily life. 

When you start writing down about your day, you will understand what you have done, what made you happy, what made you sad and so on. This will help you know yourself better. When you comprehend yourself better, no need to lie. You could be brutally honest with yourself.

Know your limitations

Don’t aim for the Moon when you can only get stars. It doesn’t mean that you can’t dream big. Dream whatever you want to achieve, but know your limitations. 

Let’s understand this better with an example;

For instance, you want to start a cafe. So to know your constraints, you have to ask the following questions;

• Do I have prior experience?
• Do I have enough money to spend on it?
• Do I have enough sustainable money until the business gets booming?
• Do I have enough resources?

When you know these answers, you know your constraints for sure. This will help you set your milestones carefully, and you’ll be sure you can achieve them as you have already done your research. 

Wrap-up time

So next time, whenever you try lying to yourself, colossal or tiny, remember these points and stop yourself immediately. Voila!

“Yesterday, I thought of waking up early and following the proper morning rituals. But I woke up late today. Let it be. Tomorrow, I’ll wake up early and start my perfect morning routine.”

Tell me who does this? I’m quite sure most of you do that. 

There is no need to be ashamed of it. 

I was also used to that until I realised that there are no perfect mornings. 

See, you might have seen many reels or read some blogs around how to design your perfect morning or the list of things you have to follow if you want your mornings to be perfect and blah, blah.

First of all, in my opinion, there are no perfect mornings at all. And if you are one of those who are struggling with perfect mornings, this blog is for you. 

So, let me clarify why I said that there are no perfect mornings. 

There are no perfect mornings

See, I don’t have perfect mornings, but I’ve relaxed mornings. 

As soon as I wake up, I make my bed, drink water, go for a simple walk on a terrace or a nearby garden, do meditation or yoga (all depends on my priority of task). After completing these basic rituals, I sit quietly and think about the tasks I’ve to complete for the rest of the day while drinking my fennel seeds water (sometimes ash gourd juice too). 

See, this is how simple it is! The first few things, like making the bed, drinking water and going for a walk, are my fixed routine in the morning, and the rest always varies. Some mornings I read and do yoga, some mornings I read, some mornings I write blogs and vice versa. 

I try to complete all these things in the first two hours of the morning (enough time) as later on I’ve to cook and start working on my other tasks. Normally, I don’t cook breakfast as I have fruits and dry fruits for my breakfast. 

So, as you can see, my mornings are not perfect. Only 3 to 4 things are fixed, and shuffling is always there. 

Also, there are days when mornings feel lazy, so on those days, I don’t hurry myself at all. I allow myself to be in bed and let my body and mind get the rest they require. 

However, while doing all these things, I never use my phone or turn on the data. 

But the mess starts when you try to follow other influencers’ morning routines, who are giving you the list of rituals that they are following. 

How do you know that list will work for you? 

You are a different person and have different responsibilities. If something works for them, it doesn’t mean that it will work for you as well. 

Just because some random person pops up in your feed and tells you to follow these routines for perfect mornings. You don’t have to. 

When you wake up, you already have so many things in your mind. Plus, you try to add the list of rituals that you have to follow, which have nothing to do with your own thinking or lifestyle. 

So make your own morning routine. 

If you are struggling with a morning routine, here are tricks and tips you can follow; 

How to make your personal morning routine? 

Keep 2 or 3 habits constant

I’m not sure about the rest of the things, but there are 2 to 3 things which are not hard to follow at all. Like tidying your bed, going for a walk, doing yoga or meditation (simple breathing exercise is also fine), anyone can include them in their morning routine. 

Don’t plan too much

See, planning is a good thing, or I can say a good habit, but too much planning has its consequences. 

Many people say, “plan tomorrow in advance”. Even though I’m okay with it, to what extent? You can’t plan every small second. Like after waking up tomorrow, I’ve to do this this on that that time. Will it really work? I don’t think so. 

Plans like keep your bag ready if you go to the office, decide on the clothes which you are going to wear tomorrow, keep the meal plan ready, etc. Planning these tasks will make your morning easy for sure.

But don’t pressurise yourself and tie yourself to time bonds. Be relaxed, it’s your life, and you have 24 hours, just make every second count. 

Don’t try to follow others’ routine

As I said clearly at the beginning of this blog, never follow others’ routines. You’ll see thousands of influencers talking about the morning routine and how one can master it. But honestly speaking, none of this will work for you. 

Because that’s their routine, not yours. You can take one or two things from their routine, but following it entirely, I don’t think, it will work for you. 

Be consistent

There is a huge difference between being perfect and being consistent. Here, I’m asking you to be consistent. Be consistent with actions, and over a period of time, those actions will become your habits. 

Well, make good habits only. 

Final thoughts

Don’t try to have a perfect morning routine, as there is no such concept. And if you are trying to have perfect mornings, you are in an illusion, and you have to get rid of it. 

Just make your own personal morning rituals that completely satisfy your soul and give you the desired outcome. 

For that, you have to understand yourself and understand your wants.