5 Productivity Tips to start the month off right

Posted on April 2, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Not many people I know are like me in that they feel the start of a new week (ahem Monday!) or even the 1st day of the month is like the 1st day of school. It’s the feeling of fresh starts, dreaming big and new routines. I also love reading about people’s organization methods and goal setting – so I thought I’d share to abundance of resources on Google and share tips for a productive month!

Set up your monthly calendar: Appointments, Celebrations, Get togethers, Extra Curriculars, Fitness classes, Classes etc. Getting it out of your head and getting all down in your calendar just makes sense. I use a combination of Goggle Calendar and my paper planner monthly view
Set up goals for the month: whether it’s finishing a book, getting out 3 fitness classes/running x km or maybe it’s doing something you’ve never done before – working towards something helps get you out of your comfort zone and develop character.
Set up a monthly to-do list: I definitely think some of the activities on this list will be created from the monthly goals, but it may also include routine items (ie: run the washer clean cycle, sign up for swimming lessons) and bonus items (ie: artistic projects, going to the art gallery). I personally love the bonus activities – it makes my soul smile
Set a budget: Something is to be said about being mindful about spending. Not just because mindless shopping and over spending is a waste of time and money. But because it’s not good for our environment. So whether it’s a “no spend month” or a cap on eating out, it’s definitely worth a try.
Deep clean something! I think it’s a good habit that I’m starting to implement whereby I clean something that has piled up. Whether it’s a junk drawer, a basement closet or the baseboards. Schedule it in and get it done!

5 things I learned from my running streak

Posted on February 19, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I did a thing! I committed to a running streak!

So ….what is a running streak anyway? Essentially it’s a certain amount of time where a runner commits to running with no days off. Running more than anything is a mind game. It’s not about how fast or how far you can run…it’s always about taking the first stride, then the next and the next. It it’s about constantly reminding yourself about you why and finding the discipline to keep going.

Before I get into some of what I learned, I wanted to share a little about my steak.

I ran everyday, no days off
I ran a minimum of 2km, most days 3.33km and at least 1 5km run
I ran outside and on my treadmill
I live by my Nike Run Club app – I love that I can track everything there, I love that it captures my run details, cheers and guides me through different runs ++ I can see all the cool accomplishments I make happen!

Okay so here are the top 5 things I learned:

New habits should be approachable on a daily basis
This means, your daily “to-do” run should be something you can do without thinking. Granted running requires different kinds of training (long runs, sprints/farlek, hills, cross training & recovery) but for a running streak you need be ready to go without having to think too much about it.
Learn to list to your body
I am intuitive by nature, but my body gave me stronger messages when I ran consistently. I think thats a very important skill (tool?) to develop. It also made me become more aware of functional fitness and exercises that weren’t heavy but helped to developed the way my body moved.
Do the hard thing first
When I got my run done in the morning, the rest of the day seemed to go much smoother and my mind was able to focus. The same happens when you have a personal morning routine (wake up early, meditate, journal, sunlight etc). Getting up (late) to only check email and hustle just doesn’t make sense.
You always do things twice, once in your head and then in real life
Same goes for running. You literally see yourself doing it in your minds eye before you actually do it. For me it was seeing the trails or sideways I knew I’d run before getting out there.
Somethings can be multi tasked (but not everything)
For me it was running an errand. LITERALLY! Being able to run to the store to pick up something and then running back home with that something was such a delight!

A day in my life – on a Friday

Posted on January 18, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I love reading people’s day in the life posts & vlogs. I find learning about other people’s daily routines and schedules interesting. So much so, that I’ve decided to share a typical day in the life of my own. Albeit a Friday!

Friday’s are a usually a lighter day of meetings which means I will try to add some tasks to get ahead (or catch up), admin and personal activities (related to my goals or life in general).

I also feel that #DITL posts need context. I have a corporate career, happily married mom to 2 kids with busy extra curricular schedules. But I’m also creative (running this blog, my Etsy store and pursing creative hobbies to ensure I build skills), habit stacker who is very intentional about how I spend my free time and what content I consume.

That said, there are a lot of things in my day that are non-negotiables, almost to the point that I don’t even think about doing them anymore – they just get done. (When people ask how I make the the time or prioritize my non-negotiables, I don’t know what to say other then “it’s like when I get up I brush my teeth…I do these things because I do them).

Anywho on to my Fri-yay!

632am – Today I was working from home but I still I meditate right after awaking. I love that early morning meditation. I feel like it works wonders for me. Following that, I put on my apple watch, drink a sip of water and journal. I get my AM hygiene routine out of the away before the rest of the house wakes up.

7:05am – Kids alarm goes off and I’ll hop on over to see how they are doing. There is usually some fight that needs to be broken up (slammed door, hogging the sink etc) but after that is diffused I’ll head downstairs to start breakfast and pack lunches (the hubby and I will rotate that job daily so if I’m not downstairs, I’m helping the girls get ready).

750am – Kids lunches are packed, breakfast is mostly eaten and we are out the door on the way to the bus stop!

8:10am – As soon as we get back from school bus drop off, I start my workout. I’ll warm up for a run with my air buds playing affirmations. This is a new routine and I find it works really well. As for my run, I have a daily rotation: 20 min, 3km or 4km. During that time I’ll watch a TedTalk or a podcast on youtube. Because it was Friday – I decided to treat myself to a little Netflix and a long run.

8:45am – I like to do a little resistance as well, so thats when I’ll turn on a motivational podcast (well slightly aggressive motivational speeches. (Think: Zig Ziglar, Coach Pain, Eric Thomas etc). I rotate between legs, full body and multiple arm days per week. After the long run, I wanted to cool down and stretch today.

9:00am to 11:45am – After a quick breakfast, I jump straight into meetings. But because I documented my day on a Friday – my meetings are light. So I try and keep my time blocked for sessions with my mentees, networking & skill building. On this day in particular I had a training session and then I did a brain dump of my work tasks before continuing a self study course.

1:30pm – Before grabbing a bite, I did a Move with Nicole 15 min Pilates class. Her classes are soo good!

3:15pm – Today I picked up my daughters early as we were going to my in-laws house. And it was straight to Karate for them.

6:00pm – Last Friday we celebrated Lorhi. Lorhi is the celebration to mark the passing of Winter Solstice. I love celebrating anything that follows the lunar phases. Time spend with family, playing games, building a fire, throwing peanuts into said fire, eating and drinking great food!

And that’s it! How do your Friday’s look? Is it the same every Friday or varied? These kind of days offer me the most work life integration – which is what I strive for everyday!

How to make better to do lists!

Posted on January 15, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Planner, Crystals, Productivity, Smart Goals, Work Smarter, Women in Tech, Lifestyle, Life Lately, Life Tips

To do lists are the micro levels of my big dreams. Big dreams are astronomical, may take months or years to achieve them, require persistence and consistency. Consistency is where our daily to do lists come in.

I do want to preface this post by saying the following:

we shouldn’t be slaves to our to do lists
to do lists don’t own us
to do lists are meant to serve us

So if your daily to do list, post it or weekly planner spread is making you feel bad about yourself – throw it out, take a beat and start over again when you are ready!

We shouldn’t feel productivity debt (feeling like you always need to be doing something and rest is not deserved unless your to do list is completed) from not completing everything on our to do list & there is nothing you NEED to do to earn your existence.

But when you are ready to schedule the day you want to make it amazing – read on!

Side note: I’m writing this as I was feeling overwhelm trying to use notion. Notion is meant to be a tool to keep your life organized but there was too much scope creep in their product – for me at least. The idea that it might also need to look aesthetic, link to a Spotify playlist and my Pinterest mood board was a little too much. So I realized I need to step back and figured others might need to too.

So how do we make our to do lists work for us?

Figure out your big dreams, goals, priorities and projects. But also think about the habits you want to build and routines you want to have.
Pick a medium that works for you. Could be paper or digital, simple or complex. You’ll also want to choose a template: Is it just 1 sticky note for the day, or multiple colour coded ones, is it a weekly spread planner or an hour-by-hour list of tasks. This can obviously change but it’s a great idea to try something out.
Fill your list with your daily living + tasks that will help you got to your big goals. Example are meetings, but also your workouts (goal: to focus on fitness). It could be having lunch with someone and blocking 2 hours in the morning for writing (goal: to write a book).
Pick something to fail at. Not everything has to be checked off and not everything has to be done well. So knowing what can be moved to another day vs a non-negotiable will help you stay intentional and not feel like you aren’t moving forward.

Remember – it’s all about getting to outcomes (not getting things done). Your to do list should be on your side helping you build intentional habits and keep you 1 step closer to your goals!

Hello New Year

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Bhanu Misra Marya

Welcome 2023.

Pouring champagne for our friends during #RockinEve

It’s 11pm on Jan 1 and I’m listening to a podcast.

For me the start of a new timeline (I say timeline because to me it could be the start of the school year, the final day of Diwali or Jan 1) is powerful. Beginnings are powerful, and we get a new beginning every time we see the sun rise, a new moon and a full moon. 🧿

My New Year Run – on a treadmill this year

The beauty for me is harnessing the power of beginnings

Captured this beauty during our family forrest bath (post processed in Fotor)

For as long as I can remember, I’ve tried to be mindful of the things I do on the first day of the new year. Some of those activities include:

Meditation, Journaling & Workout
Get outdoors
Study
Do something creative
Eat Health
Smile & be positive
Enjoy time with friends and family (and hug them and tell them I love them)

As you can see, these are really things we should all be doing daily, so doing this on the first day of a beginning really just sets the tone for the rest of that time line.

We aren’t perfect, and that’s okay – but thats why we should reset and re-try. Remember, energy grows where intention flows.

How did you spend the first day of the new year?

9 Habits to become unrecognizable in 6 months

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Bhanu Misra Marya

I cannot take credit for this. But I really wanted to share it.
(Edit: all pictures are from Pinterest)

I’ve been following @Art0fLife_ on twitter for a few months and I love when people re-share their content. It means 1) it resonates with folks and 2) it needs to be shared more.

The 9 habits shared by @Art0fLife_ are very specific, so I’ll be sharing them with a more consistent mindset as opposed to a “follow this exactly to find results”.

Should preface by this saying, I’m will a Work in Progress. I do do a handful of these, but there are areas where I know I want to improve.

Wake up early at the same time every day: really dependent on what time you go to sleep, but if you know the hours of sleep you need (somewhere between 6-8 for most of us) you can get into bed and get that sleep in consistently. Why wake up early? because you get time to yourself and it ensures you are ahead of everything and anyone
Journal daily: Don’t know what to write? brain-dump, goals, gratitude list, thoughts that make you spiral. Getting things out of your head will dramatically improve your creativity and mental wellness.
Learning/Studying for 30 min a day: This is so important for anyone and unfortunately we do less of it in mid life and beyond. Whether it studying certification material (hello scrum, agile, data or product) or hobby (wood work, coding, knitting, content creation). Learning creates increase neural pathways and can also help you create multiple income streams.
Exercise daily for at least 30 min: not only for the physical side, but also for the mental wellness side. Consider ways to incorporate cardio (swimming, running) and resistance training (weight lifting, resistance or body weight exercises).
Meditate for at least 5 min: Essentially sitting in silence or with a guided mentation will help you practice mindfulness and give your mind a break.
Create a proper sleep schedule: including a wind down routine. This will do wonders for your performance, productivity and mood.
Walk in nature: I love my forrest baths. Nature is a proven way to improve anxiety and increase happiness. It helps to also get the creative juices flowing. I would love to do this daily but it’s only once a week currently. Will be looking to improve this.
Read 20 pages a day: read anything (fiction, non fiction, self dev, poems, history etc). Reading an actual book helps to improve focus and knowledge (even if that is just what a word means and how to spell it).
Drink 2.5-3L of water daily: water is essential to our body and our recovery. So staying hydrated is key.

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