Productive Versus Unproductive Thinking

Productive Versus Unproductive Thinking

How much of your time do you spend thinking each day during your waking hours? Most likely, at least 99% of the time. But how much of that thinking is productive?

There are two basic types of thinking: productive and unproductive. Productive thinking helps motivate us, reach our goals, and create the life we desire. On the other hand, much of the unproductive thinking we do is actually harmful to our happiness, contentment, and success.

What types of thoughts do you find yourself spending the most time on?

Consider how unproductive these types of thinking are:

1. Thinking about the past in a way that creates regret. This is a common type of negative thinking that has no positive benefits. Remembering that time you embarrassed yourself in high school or had a huge argument with your partner only serves to lower your mood and put you into an unresourceful state.
   • The solution is simple. Catch yourself as soon as possible when you’re thinking about the past and redirect your attention to something more positive.
2. Thinking about the future in a way that creates worry. We also tend to look at the future and imagine the worst. We might only look ahead 10 seconds and imagine being rejected by the person we’re approaching. Or we might look ahead further and imagine our yet non-existent business failing.
   • The solution: Notice that you’re thinking unproductively and bring your mind back to the present.
3. Daydreaming in a non-directed way. It’s fun to daydream. Who wouldn’t like to imagine spending time with a movie star, being able to fly, or other fanciful thoughts? Most of this type of thinking isn’t productive. It only wastes time.
   • Why are you daydreaming? Are you bored? Stressed? Is it just random behavior? Think of better ways to spend your time when you notice that you’re daydreaming.
4. Focusing on problems rather than solutions. Focusing on problems creates stress and fails to address the issue in a useful way. Focusing on solutions puts you in a much more resourceful state and provides a chance for success.
   • Notice when you’re focusing on problems and start thinking about possible solutions for them.

These types of productive thinking create tremendous value in our lives:

1. Planning for the future. It’s nearly impossible to be successful by relying on luck and chance. Success for any individual person is unique. It’s very precise. Making plans to craft your future is a great way of using your mental faculties.
2. Learning from the past. Looking at the past can be productive if it’s done with the intention of learning. Each success and failure can be useful for the future.
3. Seeking solutions. Focusing your thoughts on finding solutions for the challenges in your life is a powerful way to use your brain.
4. Looking for potential obstacles and threats. Looking into the future isn’t always a negative action. Looking forward can be useful if you’re identifying and preparing for roadblocks and threats. Then, the trick is to use your brain to find solutions, rather than just worry.
5. Thinking about what you’re doing. Try spending most of your day with your attention focused on whatever you’re doing. You’ll get more done and increase the quality of your work if you pay attention to what you’re doing.

Your brain likes to think. That’s what it was designed to do. It will provide a never-ending supply of thoughts even if you don’t want them. Unfortunately, much of the thinking we do each day is of little benefit. In fact, the majority of it is harmful. We make ourselves feel bad or waste precious time with most of the thinking we do.

Directing your brain to focus on whatever you choose requires a lot of practice, but you’ll get better and better at it the more you practice.

You’ll love the benefits you’ll receive when you are able to spend more time on productive thinking and less time on unproductive thinking! Try it – you’ll like it!

Why a Mentor is Critical and How to Find One

Why a Mentor is Critical and How to Find One

Success is easier and faster with a mentor.

Maybe you want the satisfaction of pursuing your dream alone. Or maybe you’re embarrassed to reach out to a potential mentor or don’t even know where to begin looking.

Whether you want to master the piano, create a popular blog, or build a billion-dollar business, a mentor can smooth and expedite the process.

Consider these reasons why a mentor could be critical to your success:

1. Mentors know people that matter. Mentors know people that can be helpful on your journey.
   • For example, let’s suppose you want to be a movie star. The right mentor will know successful actors, directors, writers, producers, and other people in the entertainment business.
   • If you want to attend graduate school in the biological sciences, a good mentor will know successful scientists in academia and industry and people on admissions committees.
2. Mentors know what matters. A mentor has done what you want to do or is at least an expert on what it takes to be successful. Consider that many of the world’s greatest coaches weren’t necessarily successful themselves as players. However, they know how to make others successful.
3. Mentors help you to avoid mistakes. Mistakes slow progress.
   • There are different types of mistakes, such as: working on something that doesn’t matter, failing to give something the proper priority, doing the wrong thing, or doing the right thing improperly.
   • Mentors direct your focus, so you can avoid mistakes. They also help to correct your mistakes.
4. A mentor is an ally. A mentor is always on your side. If you need a cheerleader, your mentor is there for you. A shoulder to cry on? Your mentor is available. Even your friends and family can come to resent your success, but your mentor is always happy when you’re successful.
5. A mentor will push you. We often fail to push ourselves when we manage ourselves. A mentor will push you to develop at a faster rate than you’re likely to push yourself.
   • In some instances, your mentor might push you to be patient and slow down.
6. A mentor saves time. All of these advantages serve to save time. A mentor will help you to develop fully in less time. A mentor can shave years off the period of time it takes to be successful.

These strategies can help you find a mentor that’s right for you:

1. Be clear on what you want and what you’re looking for. What is your goal? Is it to be a pianist? What type of pianist? Do you want to teach, record, tour the world? What are you trying to accomplish?
   • What do you want your mentor to do for you? What type of personality do you mesh with well? Whom do you respect in that field?
     
2. Ask around. Finally, you can make a productive use for social media. You’d be surprised who your social circle knows. You never know whose cousin’s wife’s brother is a neurosurgeon or runs a zoo. You have potential access to far more people than you realize.
3. Do research. Set a goal to find the ideal mentor and start looking for them. They are out there somewhere.
4. Make contact. Many people would love to have someone to mentor, but it has to be the right person. Contact potential mentors and show them that you’re worth their time and effort.

What would having a mentor do for you in your quest to advance your skills and your life? Imagine having an expert to guide, teach, and provide constructive criticism. A mentor can save years of wasted time and effort. All you have to do is define your objectives and begin searching for a mentor that can help you meet those objectives.

8 Common Habits of Unproductive People

8 Common Habits of Unproductive People

Groups of people that have similar results have similar habits. Thin people have similar habits. Overweight people have similar habits. Productive people have several habits in common. Likewise, unsuccessful people have several habits in common, too. If you’re struggling with your productivity, this article is for you.

While we’re all capable of doing some amazing things from time to time, it’s the things we do each and every day that have the greatest influence on our results in life. You simply need a different set of habits if you want to be more productive.

For your best results, avoid these habits of unsuccessful people:

1. Failing to learn. People fail to become more productive if they fail to learn and develop. Try to be the best at what you do. Learn from each day.
   • Read a book, research articles on the internet, or watch a video on productivity tips. You’ll likely learn something that will help you to be more productive.
   • Productive people are always learning things that will allow them to be more productive.
     
2. Giving in to distractions. We have more distractions than ever before. There are a lot of distractions that are far more interesting than anything you need to do.
   • Focus on what you’re supposed to be doing.
   • Remove as many distractions from the area as possible.
   • Plan time to engage in your distractions. It’s easier to avoid distractions if you know that you can engage in them at a later time.
3. A lack of emphasis on taking action. Unproductive people often like to plan and learn. Some people love the strategic side of things. However, these same people have a lot less interest in taking action. Planning has its place. Learning is great. Eventually, though, things have to get done if productivity is important.
4. Failing to make a plan for the day. Unproductive people often don’t know what to do. They don’t have a clear vision or plan. Have a plan for the day, the week, or even just the next few hours. Make a plan and follow it until you’re done!
5. Majoring in minor things. Many productive people are quite busy, and even look busy to others. But, being busy and being productive aren’t the same thing.
   • Focus on the most effective course of action.
   • Avoid any activities that don’t provide significant results for the amount of time required.
6. Giving up. You can’t be productive if you give up too soon. Productivity is about what you do, how well you do it, how fast you do it, and how much time you spend doing it. You can’t get a lot done if you don’t put in the time.
7. Worrying. It’s fine to have concern and then address those concerns. However, worrying is an unproductive habit. It wastes time and makes you less effective.
   • Consider the positive things you’ve accomplished by worrying. Write them all down. How many did you identify?
8. Procrastination. You can’t get anything accomplished if you never even get started. Procrastination is a productivity killer.
   • If you must procrastinate, at least use the time to do something else that’s productive. Going for a run is a better way of procrastinating than eating a hot fudge sundae.

We all have the same amount of time each day. The most productive people are also the most successful. If you have big goals, and you are productive in working toward those goals, you’re going to be a highly successful person.

Eliminate the habits that are reducing your productivity, and you’ll be in the best position to start getting more things done. You’ll be surprised by how much you can accomplish!

How To Cultivate Wisdom

How to Cultivate Wisdom Before You’re Too Old to Benefit From It

You might be pretty smart, but are you wise? A smart person knows facts, and a wise person knows truths. A smart person can find a solution to a problem. A wise person avoids the problem altogether.

They say that wisdom comes with age, but who wants to wait that long?

It would be better to become wise as soon as possible. While experience matters, there are other ways to boost your wisdom to King Solomon levels.

Use these strategies to start becoming wiser today:

1. Read books. Books are perhaps the best way to gain wisdom quickly and at a young age. Smart people like to write books. No-so-smart people like to write books, too. So, be picky about the books you choose.
   • These smart people condense the information they think is most important into a few hundred pages that you can learn in a week or two. It took the author a lifetime to learn these things, and you can access it all in less than a month. What a deal!
2. Find a mentor. A mentor is an expert in an area of interest to you. A mentor can help you with your relationships, fitness, career, or any other specialized facet of life. The right mentor has a lot to share and can greatly add to your wisdom.
3. Examine your past for mistakes. Your mistakes have a lot to teach you. We don’t like to think about our mistakes, but you might as well gain all the benefit from them that you can. A mistake is just a step in your evolution.
   • Most of your mistakes could have been avoided. Think about how you could have prevented your mistakes from happening in the first place. Take them one by one and really think about it.
   • Most of your mistakes could have been handled better after the fact, too. Again, review all of your mistakes and consider what you could have done versus what you did.
4. Examine your past for successes. You’ve had a lot of successes, too. But, you probably didn’t learn as much from them as you could have. Review your successes. What did you do right? Can you do that again?
5. Evaluate your day. Spend 30 minutes at the end of each day and see what you can learn from your day.
   • Did you spend your time well?
   • What mistakes did you make?
   • What did you do well?
   • What could you have done better?
   • How can you have a better day tomorrow?
6. Learn from the mistakes of others. You can also learn from the mistakes of others. Everyone around you is making mistakes. Feel free to examine the mistakes of other people and learn what you can from them. Everyone’s mistakes can be of benefit for you.
7. Think. Think before you speak, decide, or take action. When something out of the ordinary happens, think. Not enough people take the time to actually think. A little thinking can avoid a lot of challenges.

Older people know a lot. But you also frequently hear them say, “I wish I had known this when I was younger.”

Luckily, you can learn a lot of things while you’re still young enough to benefit from them. You can start becoming wiser today. You don’t have to spend a lifetime making mistakes to become a wise person.

Learn from your experiences and the experiences of others. Read good books. Get a mentor. A little work now can pay off for the rest of your life.

8 Time Management Techniques for Busy People

8 Time Management Techniques for Busy People

There are only so many hours in the day. You can’t store it, nor can you borrow more for later.

Only you can decide what you spend your time on. Naturally, you’ll want to spend your time on things that add value to your life. But with life being so busy in these modern times, what with jobs, kids, and other activities, how can you have time for those things that matter the most to you?

Luckily, you can use time management techniques that are tailor-made for busy people. Discover techniques that help simplify how you work, ensuring that you get tasks done more efficiently and giving you more time for whatever you choose.

See how these techniques can free up your time:

1. Organize your work around your energy levels. Your productivity levels are directly related to your energy levels, so schedule your hardest tasks for when your energy levels are at their highest.
   • Any low-value tasks that require little energy, such as responding to emails, can be scheduled for the times when your energy levels are lower.

1. Make a plan for the day. Before you go to bed, write a to-do list for the next day. When you plan ahead, you’re mentally preparing yourself for any challenges you may face.
   • This will also help to limit procrastination at the start of the day and ensure that you work faster and more efficiently.

1. Start your day with the most important task. When you start the day off by completing your most important task, you’ll give yourself a boost of momentum and a real sense of accomplishment.

1. Prioritize tasks. When every task is a priority, nothing is. Urgent tasks should be the highest priority, then look at any high-value tasks, while relegating low-priority tasks to the back of the queue.

1. Learn to outsource. You don’t have to complete every task yourself. Especially those low-priority tasks. Sometimes it’s better to outsource these tasks, so you can focus your attention on the more pressing tasks.

1. Automate repetitive tasks. Nowadays there is technology available that can help automate many of your tasks. There are tools to schedule your social media postings, create canned email responses, and automatically fill in online forms at the touch of a button.
   • Automating these tasks could save you hours a week.

1. Cut out distractions. When you are distracted, it can take a while to get your focus back. This can greatly limit your productivity.
   • Consider turning off the notifications on your phone.
   • Invest in a pair of headphones, as this makes others less likely to approach you when you have them on.
   • Browsing social media is a big distraction and should really be avoided if you want to increase productivity.

1. Realize that things don’t need to be perfect. It’s easy to get caught up in trying to make everything perfect. However, perfectionism will slow you down and could result in deadlines being missed.
   • Having the attitude of “that’ll do” will save valuable time. Your work will be adequate, and you’ll finish in less time.

To start, try each of these techniques. Once you find those that work best for your situation, use them daily. Your productivity will increase, and you’ll save precious time in your busy life, giving you the time to do what matters most to you.

7 Ways to Grow Your Mental Toughness

7 Ways to Grow Your Mental Toughness

Mental toughness can benefit you in many ways. When you’re mentally tough, it’s easier to overcome challenges, whether they be mental, physical, emotional, or something that’s keeping you from achieving your goals.

Would you like to make your life easier with mental toughness?

Luckily, you don’t have to be born mentally tough. You can cultivate toughness. And you can grow your mental toughness step by step from wherever your starting point happens to be.

Use these strategies to create a level of mental toughness that will send a chill down the spine of most others:

1. Meditate. Meditation looks peaceful and easy to the casual observer, but they might not be seeing everything.
   • Meditation can be exhausting and uncomfortable, both physically and emotionally. It’s uncomfortable to sit in the same position for any length of time. Your brain is also used to a lot more stimulation than meditation provides.
   • When you teach yourself to sit still and clear your mind, you also practice mental toughness.
2. Physical discomfort. A cold shower, hot weather, an exhausting workout, staying awake when you’re very tired: These are a few examples of physical discomfort. Put yourself in physically uncomfortable situations and see how long you can last. Obviously, you want to avoid causing yourself any real harm.
   • Keep in mind that the level of discomfort doesn’t have to be extreme. Mild discomfort over a longer period of time can be just as challenging.
3. Emotional discomfort. Make yourself bored. Introduce yourself to five strangers each day. Ask out someone on a date. Sit, stare at the wall, and count until you give up. Boredom and anxiety are the basic emotions of discomfort. Test yourself each day.
4. Finish what you start. Most of us want to quit before we’re done. We’ll vacuum the last room tomorrow. That last repetition of bench press isn’t necessary. Why pound away on the treadmill for an hour when you can quit after 45 minutes? Some of those dirty dishes need to soak anyway.
   • Quitting is the result of either physical or emotional discomfort. Learning how to finish what you start is a great habit to grow and display your mental toughness. It’s also great for your overall success in life.
5. Only concern yourself with what you can control. One way to be tougher is to focus all of your mental and physical resources on just one thing – something that you can control. Avoid spreading yourself too thin. Why worry about something you can’t do anything about?
6. Avoid complaining. Complaining is a demonstration of weakness. If you’re tough, you don’t complain, because nothing can bother you. Show yourself and the world that you’re a tough guy, or tough gal, by not complaining about anything.
   • That doesn’t mean you have to tolerate something you don’t like. If you can change it, change it. If you can’t, keep yourself from complaining about it.
7. Use affirmations. There are plenty of affirmations online related to mental toughness. YouTube is loaded with videos of affirmations.
   • Tell yourself each day just how tough and resilient you are.
   • When you notice your internal dialog beginning to falter, fall back on those affirmations.
   • Make this a daily habit. It takes time, but affirmations can make a difference.

How tough are you? It’s a trick question, because it doesn’t matter. Whether you’re super tough or a total wimp, you can become even tougher. You don’t have to join the marines, live in a cabin with no electricity or running water, or join a motorcycle gang to learn how to be tough. You can teach yourself each day.

Stick To The Basics And Forget The Complex

Why You Should Stick to the Basics and Forget the Complex

You probably already know way more than you need to know to make some big improvements in your life. Mastering the basics is all you probably need to greatly enhance your health, fitness, relationships, finances, and career.

Few people really need to move beyond the basics. Your life would change for the better if you spent more time mastering the basics and less time worrying about the complex.

Keep these facts in mind:

1. The basics provide at least 80-90% of the results of nearly anything you want to accomplish. Mastering the basics is the most important first step toward mastering anything. In fact, unless you want to take something to the highest level, the basics are likely all you need.
   • Let’s take your health, for example. What are the things that matter the most?
   • Diet. If you eat your fruits and vegetables, consume some protein, and avoid the foods you know are unhealthy, you’re in a good place.
   • Exercise. Thirty minutes of basic exercise five times a week is sufficient to maximize your health.
   • Sleep. Get enough of it. How much is enough? If you’re not tired when you wake up, you’re getting enough.
   • There’s really not much else that matters. Eat well, get some exercise, and get enough sleep. If you do these three things well, you’ll look and feel great.
2. It’s easy to learn the basics. This is good and bad. Since the basics are easy to learn, we assume they’re not relevant. But if you realize how relevant the basics are, you can make a lot of progress in a short period of time.
   
3. The basics might be boring. The details and the complex are always more interesting than the basics. Eating your veggies and getting 8 hours of sleep isn’t as interesting as figuring out the perfect blend of amino acids or finding the optimal training shoes.
   • The basics might not be interesting, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t important.
4. The details and the complex contribute little. The small details only contribute incremental improvements. It’s not beneficial to spend valuable time on complex strategies until you have the basics mastered.
5. You’re addicted to the complex. Our brains love complex things. We’re addicted to trying to figure things out. This makes mastering the basics much more difficult. Recognizing the value of the basics makes it easier to avoid the trap of becoming obsessed with the details.
6. The complex can take a lot of time to master. Another downside to focusing on complex ideas and strategies is the vast amount of time it can take to make any real progress. Spending a lot of time on something that contributes very little is a poor strategy.
   • That’s not to say that the more complex ideas and techniques are never worth your time. Get good at the basics and then see if there is a need to go further.

The fundamentals matter, whether you’re talking about boxing or dating. Completing five advanced courses on flirting won’t help your dating life as much as looking your best, having a life you’re excited about, and being pleasant and sociable with everyone you meet.

Consider these impactful words of Bruce Lee:

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once,

but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.”

Let go of the complex and develop a desire to master the basics of life. Most of the challenges in your life are from a failure to master and apply the basics consistently and intelligently.

Whether you need an upgrade to your health, social life, finances, or career, the basics are all that you require.

7 Concentration Exercises That Will Train Your Mind

7 Concentration Exercises That Will Train Your Mind

If your concentration skills are lacking, it’s not your fault. No one ever taught you how to concentrate and focus. In fact, most of us are experts at distracting ourselves.

You’re probably pretty good at finding something to keep yourself busy. However, that something probably isn’t very productive. It’s just comfortable or entertaining.

Do you want to be successful or comfortable?

The world we live in is full of distractions. It’s never been more challenging to concentrate than it is right now. If you’re struggling to keep your attention on what matters, you’re not alone.

However, you can greatly strengthen this important skill and enhance your life as a result.

Start Slowly

If you’d like to increase your attention span, it’s more effective to start by doing it little by little, especially at first. You wouldn’t try to jog for 20 miles the first time you went running or try to bench press 300 pounds the first time you went to the gym. You’d start at an appropriate level and move forward from that point.

The same goes for training your mind.

See how long you can concentrate on a task before your mind wanders. Is it a minute? Five minutes? Start where you are and move forward from there.

Slow progress is okay. It will pick up. Take your time.

Use these exercises to train your mind to develop greater focus:

1. Be mindful. The best way to increase your concentration is to practice concentrating. Instead of driving to work and daydreaming about work, your finances, or your spouse, put your attention on the road. Keep your attention on whatever it is you’re doing throughout the day.
2. Practice listening. When someone speaks to you, you’re most likely thinking about what you want to say or thinking about something else other than the conversation. Practice putting all of your attention on the other person during a conversation.
3. Sit still. Take a chair and position it so that you’re facing the wall. See how long you can sit in the chair without moving or looking away from the wall. You’ll notice little aches, pains, and itches crop up after a few minutes. Ignore them. They will move to a different part of the body soon enough. How long can you last?
4. Follow the second hand of an analog clock. Watch the second hand of a clock go around and around. How long can you watch the clock without thinking about something else? When your mind wanders, bring it back to the clock. Is it boring? Of course. That’s what makes it challenging.
5. Count backward from 100. Count backwards by ones. Then try sevens, or any other number that appeals to you. How far can you get before your mind drifts away? You might strengthen your math skills, too.
6. Focus on your breathing. Put your focus on your breath and keep it there. See how many breaths or minutes you can maintain your awareness on your breathing before you catch yourself thinking about something else.
7. Listen to instrumental music and try to keep your attention on the music. It’s harder than you think! Without lyrics to help keep your brain engaged, your mind will start daydreaming very quickly.

Very few people can concentrate well. You have a huge advantage if you can develop this important skill. Being able to concentrate well is a superpower when everyone lives in an age of distraction.

Concentration requires practice. If you’re willing to do the work, this power can be yours.

14 Self Knowledge Questions to Ask Yourself

Who Are You? 14 Self-Knowledge Questions to Ask Yourself

The greatest blind spot we all have is ourselves. We don’t know ourselves that well. We certainly don’t see ourselves the way others do. Truly knowing yourself might be one of the greatest challenges you’ll ever face. But it’s a challenge worth pursuing.

Knowing yourself better has so many benefits. You become better at managing yourself and your life.

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What activities do I engage in to distract myself from my challenges? We all have our ways of avoiding the things that we don’t want to do. You might eat, shop, watch TV, surf the internet, call a friend, clean the house, read a book, or go for a walk.
   • Understanding how you distract yourself allows you to notice when you’re avoiding what needs to be done.
2. What would I tell my younger self? Everyone wishes they had a time machine so they could give themselves a do-over. What would you tell your younger self?
3. At what time of day can I focus the most easily? Most people experience the greatest ability to focus either early in the day or late in the day. When do you find it easiest to focus? How can you use that information in your daily life?
4. At what time of day am I the most creative? When are you best at creating? How can you use that information?
   
5. What are 10 words that accurately describe you? Be honest with yourself. These aren’t the words you’d like to describe you. What are the words that actually describe you?
6. What are the 10 words that you wish described you? Now, you can list the 10 words you wish were accurate about you.
   
7. What am I currently tolerating in my life? Make a list of the things that you’re currently tolerating. Is it your boss? Partner? An unreliable car? Twenty extra pounds? Debt? What are you tolerating that you wish was out of your life?
8. What do I believe is the meaning of life? Are you living your life accordingly?
9. If I had to drop one person from my life, who would it be? Name the one person you would eliminate from your life if you had to choose just one. Why that person? Why are they still part of your life?
10. What would be the perfect day for me? It’s easier to have a good day if you know what a great day looks like. Describe your perfect day. Now, try to describe an even better day.
11. Whom do I most respect? Why do you respect this person? Do you have the same traits that this person possesses? How would your life change if you had these traits?
12. What would I do if I were less afraid? Fear limits us all. In what ways is fear limiting you? Most people believe they have conquered their fears, when in reality they’ve found ways to avoid them. A life built around the need to avoid your fears is a life that’s limited.
13. What is my greatest weakness? No one is perfect. Weaknesses are part of life. What is your weakness and how is it impacting your life? How can you work around it?
14. What is my greatest strength? How can I use my greatest strength to my best advantage? Have I been taking full advantage of my strength?

Knowing yourself makes you powerful. If you know your strengths, weaknesses, and how to manage yourself effectively, you become a powerful person. If you know the type of person you want to be and how you want to live, you have a direction. Knowing yourself is the path to freedom.

Why Everyone Needs Some Solitude

Why Everyone Needs Some Solitude and How to Achieve It

Though humans might be social creatures, we also need time to ourselves. Our brains crave some time to relax.

Interestingly, our society views solitude in a negative light. It’s considered pitiful to be alone on Saturday night. When kids misbehave, they are sent to their rooms alone as punishment. It’s practically blasphemy to go to a movie or a restaurant alone because of the perceived optics.

But choosing to spend time alone is nothing to be embarrassed about. In fact, it’s wise to spend some time alone on a regular basis.

Solitude provides many amazing benefits, such as:

1. Fewer distractions. Spending time alone allows you to focus on yourself or anything else that you wish to reflect on.
   • People are distracting. They make noise, distract you with their movement, make requests, and more.
   • If you need a break from distractions, a little solitude can go a long way.
2. You can be yourself. Others change our behavior. For example:
   • You act differently around your mother than you do around your friends.
   • You act differently in front of your boss than you do around your spouse.
   • You can only truly be yourself 100% when you’re all by yourself.
3. You learn more about yourself. You learn about yourself when you’re alone because you’re free to do whatever you like. You don’t have to worry about what anyone else thinks. You don’t have to accommodate anyone else’s needs or desires.
4. Solitude recharges your batteries. Being alone can be incredibly peaceful and allows you to regain your physical and mental energy. If you’re an introvert, you already know that nothing feels better than getting some time to yourself.

Use these techniques to find time to enjoy all of those benefits that are found in solitude:

1. Consider your options. Most people don’t have a cabin in the woods they can escape to at a moment’s notice. What are your options for being alone? Make a list. Perhaps you could:
   • Take a walk in nature, at the park, or at night in your neighborhood.
   • Turn a spare bedroom into your personal sanctuary.
   • Sit on your deck alone.
   • Rent a hotel room.
   • Take a long drive.
   • Go camping.
   • Sit in your car during your lunch hour.
   • Make a list of all the ways you could get some time to yourself.
2. Plan solitude into your schedule. Make time to be alone. If you wait until you have free time, you might be waiting for a long time. Plan the important things in your life. Start your week with a plan for when you’re going to spend time alone.
3. Explain to the people that matter. You might find that your partner is offended if you go for a walk alone rather than spending that time with them.
   • Explain that it’s better for everyone if you’re able to spend some time by yourself. A good partner will be understanding.
4. Remove the unnecessary obligations from your life. You might have to free up some time in your schedule if you want to enjoy some solitude. Be aggressive in hacking away the unnecessary commitments from your life.
   • Try to spend as many meaningful minutes each day as you can.

Solitude provides benefits that aren’t easily found anywhere else. It will boost your self-awareness, charge your mental batteries, and allow you to be yourself without reserve. You’re also free from distractions and have a greater opportunity to focus on what matters.

Make the time to give yourself the gift of regular solitude. You’ll be glad you did!