how to be more effective at work / come up with more solutions to problems

productivity experts agree on the following :

• getting an adequate amount of sleep at night ( at least 8 hours ) is the key to a good next day
• take a break every 90 minutes of work , for at least 15 minutes – don’t check news , social media etc. during this time
• go to sleep early and wake up refreshed
• drink plenty of water , even before you feel thirsty – this will keep you energized
• have a bed time ritual – go to sleep the same time everyday , keep phones , tv out of the bedroom
• go to sleep at a time that you can get at least 8 hours of sleep without rushing the next day
• for a good work life balance , reduce your daily commute to less than 30 mins – walk to work if you stay close
• for an alarm , use a normal alarm clock – don’t use your cellphone
• before sleeping – you could read a book , meditate
• don’t drink stimulants like tea , coffee – they will disturb your sleep and they take at least 8 hours to get processed by the body
• if you live in an area surrounded by trees , it will be good – we are not built for concrete jungles
• take regular walks in nature without your cell phone – it will refresh you – morning or evening – depends on your convenience – but at least 30 minutes
• take mini vacations frequently – away from work – you could visit a beach , a sea-side resort , go hiking in the mountains , whatever you like
• pencil it in your calendar – schedule it – make the bookings – look at the holidays calendar at the beginning of the year and see where the long weekends are
• if your bosses are good , they will know that all work and no play makes the worker a dull one 🙂
• after waking up in the morning , if you can sweat it out in any way for 30 – 45 minutes , it is good for the brain . it could be cardio , brisk walking , jogging , aerobics , zumba , anything that you like .. the exercise releases chemicals in the brain called endorphins , which are natural pain killers and it also keeps you fit and healthy – both mentally and physically
• after the exercise , please drink a glass of warm water with a little lemon juice – warm water kills the fat and lemon increases your immunity against the common cold – it has vitamin c

Here is a list of some good vacation spots in india

• if you prefer a peaceful , slow vacation , you could visit the backwaters of kerala – it has beaches , mountains , etc
• you could also visit goa – it is full of activity
• if you prefer an in-expensive version of goa – you could visit vizag – a lot of beaches there as well
• shimla , uttarkhand , dehradun , mussorie in the north are good for hills
• ooty , kodaikanal in the south are good hill stations
• andaman and nicobar islands for beaches again
• darjeeling for hills and it’s scenic beauty
• there are plenty more places – you can research on the internet

while on vacation , leave the laptop and work emails on the cell behind – let your mind wander and get some rest , spend time with family , talk to friends

to give you an example of a concrete jungle and nature …

manhattan (a borough of new york ) in usa is a concrete jungle , but it has a very green patch in the center of it – called central park – if you are not from new york , just search for it