5 Tips on how to treat your life like you are still at school!

Photo By N. Ireland Wallpapers / Desktop Backgrounds

I like to think back to my days at school and ponder how, in a way, the system got it right. Let me explain.

Remember how we all used to have different classes? We had science, history, English literature, religious studies, French, geography, art, music and physical education to name but a few. It got me to thinking how varied and broad the education we got was and how the varied subjects kept it interesting. You utilized different parts of your brain and lived a balanced life.

As we got older we became more and more specialized. Some of us went on to study law or medicine. Some studied engineering or science and others trained in trades such as carpentry or plumbing. We lost the balanced approach to our learning and our lives. Some of us let the physical exercise go by the road side, others stopped reading for pleasure and others even stopped learning all together.

In my humble opinion, if we model our lives on the structure of how we were educated as children, our lives would be a lot more balanced. We would constantly be learning. We would try new things and learn a wide range of skills. We would appreciate literature, music, science and history - even more now than when we were kids. We would have our own phys. ed. classes were we wouldn't have to feel like we are competing with everyone else - it would be enough just to BE active. Here are some of my tips on how we would re-capture that spark of life that was learning and being educated.

1) Create your own time table for the week.

Make time for learning. Schedule in some time for learning or reading something new. Schedule in some time for exercise or listening to some music you wouldn’t normally listen to. If you actually make the effort to schedule like your school used to do for you - you might actually find the time to learn.

2) Make your own physical education class.

Some of the sports we were made to do - I hated! I also hated gym class as I was never very good compared to my classmates. Well you know what? Now that you are an adult you don't have to compare yourself to others. You can pick physical activities and sports that you enjoy and that you might actually stick with!

3) Make your own art or music class.

Again you don't need to worry what other people think of your painting, sketching or drawing. Do it for you and let your creativity flow. We all have it! Learn any musical instrument you want. I have started learning guitar again and it doesn’t matter that I can only play a few chords. I can play Johnny Cash’s “A boy named Sue” as is only three chords!

4) Make up your own syllabus.

You are the school principal. You are the head coach, the English, history or science teacher. You make up a learning time table that suits you. It can be as heavy or light a schedule as you want. Imaging the fun you could have had if you could do that in school!

5) Keep it varied and keep it balanced.

Keep your new school time table varied and balanced. Leave time for physical exercise and relaxation. Keep the subjects you choose varied so you use different parts of your brain i.e. the logical part or the artistic part for example. Most of all have fun with it!


I hope this helps to inspire you to begin a path of life long learning. I really believe if you live your life this way you will start living your life to the full!

Good Luck,
Allen

5 Tips on how to treat your life like you are still at school!

Photo By N. Ireland Wallpapers / Desktop Backgrounds

I like to think back to my days at school and ponder how, in a way, the system got it right. Let me explain.

Remember how we all used to have different classes? We had science, history, English literature, religious studies, French, geography, art, music and physical education to name but a few. It got me to thinking how varied and broad the education we got was and how the varied subjects kept it interesting. You utilized different parts of your brain and lived a balanced life.

As we got older we became more and more specialized. Some of us went on to study law or medicine. Some studied engineering or science and others trained in trades such as carpentry or plumbing. We lost the balanced approach to our learning and our lives. Some of us let the physical exercise go by the road side, others stopped reading for pleasure and others even stopped learning all together.

In my humble opinion, if we model our lives on the structure of how we were educated as children, our lives would be a lot more balanced. We would constantly be learning. We would try new things and learn a wide range of skills. We would appreciate literature, music, science and history - even more now than when we were kids. We would have our own phys. ed. classes were we wouldn't have to feel like we are competing with everyone else - it would be enough just to BE active. Here are some of my tips on how we would re-capture that spark of life that was learning and being educated.

1) Create your own time table for the week.

Make time for learning. Schedule in some time for learning or reading something new. Schedule in some time for exercise or listening to some music you wouldn’t normally listen to. If you actually make the effort to schedule like your school used to do for you - you might actually find the time to learn.

2) Make your own physical education class.

Some of the sports we were made to do - I hated! I also hated gym class as I was never very good compared to my classmates. Well you know what? Now that you are an adult you don't have to compare yourself to others. You can pick physical activities and sports that you enjoy and that you might actually stick with!

3) Make your own art or music class.

Again you don't need to worry what other people think of your painting, sketching or drawing. Do it for you and let your creativity flow. We all have it! Learn any musical instrument you want. I have started learning guitar again and it doesn’t matter that I can only play a few chords. I can play Johnny Cash’s “A boy named Sue” as is only three chords!

4) Make up your own syllabus.

You are the school principal. You are the head coach, the English, history or science teacher. You make up a learning time table that suits you. It can be as heavy or light a schedule as you want. Imaging the fun you could have had if you could do that in school!

5) Keep it varied and keep it balanced.

Keep your new school time table varied and balanced. Leave time for physical exercise and relaxation. Keep the subjects you choose varied so you use different parts of your brain i.e. the logical part or the artistic part for example. Most of all have fun with it!


I hope this helps to inspire you to begin a path of life long learning. I really believe if you live your life this way you will start living your life to the full!

Good Luck,
Allen

10 Tips On How To Be Healthier at The Office

10 Tips On How To Be Healthier at The Office
A lot of us now earn our livings by working in an office environment. This may seem like an environment that would be safe and perhaps an environment that would not damage your health, but if you learn the wrong habits it can be exactly that! I have suffered from an injury associated with bad posture and as my physiotherapist said “One has to have a fit body to be able to sit all day!” Other adverse health related issues from working in the office can range from over work and stress to bad nutrition and exhaustion.

With the right strategies, potential dangers to your health can be avoided and the following list is for my own benefit as much as any of the readers of Life is a Journal.

1) Take your breaks.

You do need to take a break for both your mental and your physical well being. Try doing healthier things during your breaks too. Don’t just get up and go for a coffee – go for a walk around the block instead. Try and recruit other people into your walking breaks and make it social thing.

2) Sit properly i.e. good posture.

There are lots of links on the web that will show you how to sit correctly at a desk or workstation. It’s very important to sit correctly to avoid repetitive stress injury (RSI) and neck and shoulder tension. Your health and safety officer at your work might have some information on good posture too.

3) Drink water.

It is important to keep yourself hydrated in the dry air conditioned environment that is the modern workplace. Keep a filled water bottle at your desk and sip it during the day. I noticed a big difference in how I felt with less headaches and tiredness when I adopted this habit. To give you an idea on how little water people drink – current medical advice suggests that you should be drinking about two liters a day although this includes all fluids from food too!

4) Eat healthy.

Bring in your own lunch – that way you have control of what is going into your mouth at lunch time. Substitute snacking on junk food to snacking on nuts, dried fruit or fresh fruit. I know we all need a little pick me up in the afternoon so I won’t recommend not snacking at all! What I will say though is reducing refined sugar based products also reduces the “crash and burn” affect as I like to call it. This comes when the sugar and caffeine effects wear off and you feel a hundred times worse than you did before you went for the sugar fix.

5) Reduce Caffeine Intake.

Coffee and tea can not only set your nerves a jittering but it can dehydrate you too. Again instead, of stopping totally – slowly reduce your intake and substitute something in its place such a herbal teas, red bush tea, fruit juice or even water!

6) Arrive to work early.

A lot of jobs these days allow for flexible working hours. As tempting as it is to lie in bed that bit longer it comes back to bite you at the end of the day when you have to make up the balance at the other end. It is important to have a balanced life so come in early, work when you are fresh and go home on time (with the exceptions of some emergencies of course!)

7) Stretch.

This could go into the point about taking a break but when you are busy, going for a walk round the block isn’t always an option (although you should make time for one of those breaks!!). Stretching at your desk to release tension in your shoulders and neck is very important. Again there are many resources on the web that will show the best exercises to do

8) Go for a lunch time work out.

Instead of sitting in the canteen and then plodding back to your desk, take some time to go work out in a gym or play a sport you like. If you are not a sporty person – try going for a brisk walk. The idea is to counter the inactivity of office work with activity!

9) Work when you are at work.

Don’t surf. Try and be efficient. Do you really need to check your email every five minutes? Or write in a blog that is not work related! J

10) Plan your day.

This can reduce stress, keep you focused on what is important, help with time management and help you get out that office door on time. Work out your long term, medium term and short term goals. Construct a task list that helps you achieve your goals and review the list regularly. Do your goals fit with your organization? Do the goals fit with you as a person? Are they achievable? Do this and your days will run much more smoothly and you will have time to implement all the rest of my tips one through to nine.

What tips can you think of that would help you survive a day at the office? If you think of any, please leave a comment below

10 Tips On How To Be Healthier at The Office

10 Tips On How To Be Healthier at The Office
A lot of us now earn our livings by working in an office environment. This may seem like an environment that would be safe and perhaps an environment that would not damage your health, but if you learn the wrong habits it can be exactly that! I have suffered from an injury associated with bad posture and as my physiotherapist said “One has to have a fit body to be able to sit all day!” Other adverse health related issues from working in the office can range from over work and stress to bad nutrition and exhaustion.

With the right strategies, potential dangers to your health can be avoided and the following list is for my own benefit as much as any of the readers of Life is a Journal.

1) Take your breaks.

You do need to take a break for both your mental and your physical well being. Try doing healthier things during your breaks too. Don’t just get up and go for a coffee – go for a walk around the block instead. Try and recruit other people into your walking breaks and make it social thing.

2) Sit properly i.e. good posture.

There are lots of links on the web that will show you how to sit correctly at a desk or workstation. It’s very important to sit correctly to avoid repetitive stress injury (RSI) and neck and shoulder tension. Your health and safety officer at your work might have some information on good posture too.

3) Drink water.

It is important to keep yourself hydrated in the dry air conditioned environment that is the modern workplace. Keep a filled water bottle at your desk and sip it during the day. I noticed a big difference in how I felt with less headaches and tiredness when I adopted this habit. To give you an idea on how little water people drink – current medical advice suggests that you should be drinking about two liters a day although this includes all fluids from food too!

4) Eat healthy.

Bring in your own lunch – that way you have control of what is going into your mouth at lunch time. Substitute snacking on junk food to snacking on nuts, dried fruit or fresh fruit. I know we all need a little pick me up in the afternoon so I won’t recommend not snacking at all! What I will say though is reducing refined sugar based products also reduces the “crash and burn” affect as I like to call it. This comes when the sugar and caffeine effects wear off and you feel a hundred times worse than you did before you went for the sugar fix.

5) Reduce Caffeine Intake.

Coffee and tea can not only set your nerves a jittering but it can dehydrate you too. Again instead, of stopping totally – slowly reduce your intake and substitute something in its place such a herbal teas, red bush tea, fruit juice or even water!

6) Arrive to work early.

A lot of jobs these days allow for flexible working hours. As tempting as it is to lie in bed that bit longer it comes back to bite you at the end of the day when you have to make up the balance at the other end. It is important to have a balanced life so come in early, work when you are fresh and go home on time (with the exceptions of some emergencies of course!)

7) Stretch.

This could go into the point about taking a break but when you are busy, going for a walk round the block isn’t always an option (although you should make time for one of those breaks!!). Stretching at your desk to release tension in your shoulders and neck is very important. Again there are many resources on the web that will show the best exercises to do

8) Go for a lunch time work out.

Instead of sitting in the canteen and then plodding back to your desk, take some time to go work out in a gym or play a sport you like. If you are not a sporty person – try going for a brisk walk. The idea is to counter the inactivity of office work with activity!

9) Work when you are at work.

Don’t surf. Try and be efficient. Do you really need to check your email every five minutes? Or write in a blog that is not work related! J

10) Plan your day.

This can reduce stress, keep you focused on what is important, help with time management and help you get out that office door on time. Work out your long term, medium term and short term goals. Construct a task list that helps you achieve your goals and review the list regularly. Do your goals fit with your organization? Do the goals fit with you as a person? Are they achievable? Do this and your days will run much more smoothly and you will have time to implement all the rest of my tips one through to nine.

What tips can you think of that would help you survive a day at the office? If you think of any, please leave a comment below

10 Tips on How To Think For Yourself!

Thinking for yourself is one of those skills I had to learn as I got older. I had a really bad habit of blindly following what an authority figure would say without ever questioning the reasoning behind it. Another example would be doing something a certain way as this has always been the way it has been done. Well I have put together some strategies here that I think will help you develop your thought processes, to think in a more independent fashion. If you can think of any more methods or strategies, let me know by submitting a comment.

1) If in doubt - ask a question.
Don't be afraid to question things. Don't be afraid to offer a question even though other people in your peer group have not questioned before.

2) Place experience over authority.
If one reflects upon what the authority figure is conveying to you, does it pan out with your real life experience? For example, if someone tells you that all red heads are moody - have you experienced this in your life?

3) Understand People.
Does the person communicating with you have an agenda that might be influencing what they are telling you? What is motivating this person? Why do you think they think this way?

4) Don't feel you have to follow the crowd.
Remember the old adage - if Johnny put his hand in the fire does that mean you have to do that too?

5) Trust your feelings.
Trusting your "gut instinct" about something is often an over looked trait. If something does not feel right to you there is probably something wrong (or at least something seriously flawed) with what you are being told.

6) Remain calm.
Remaining calm and collected will help you remain objective and help you to think clearly. If you get caught up in a heated debated and loose your cool, your capacity for rational thinking is diminished.

7) Gather the facts.
Like any good thinker would do - gather all the facts before making a judgment. Ask yourself do you have all the facts? Are there gaps in your knowledge that is keeping me from the truth or from the solution to a problem?

8) Look at Things from Different Perspectives.
If you are trying to solve a problem - try coming at it in a different way. If one way hasn’t worked for you - try a different one! Try and see ideas or concepts from different perspectives. For example, would someone growing up in Japan think the same way about a subject as someone from Ireland?

9) Cultivate Empathy.
It is easier to understand why people think the way they do if you understand their situation. If I said "All red heads are moody and I don't want anything to do with them!" - there could be a reason for me to be saying this. Maybe I was bullied by a red head in school for example. Empathizing with people helps you understand that you may have a different opinion about something but that’s OK!

10) Be Brave.
It takes courage to stand up and say “I don't agree with you." Be kind to yourself, be patient and don't give up. If you want to learn how to think more independently -it does take time.

Oh and before I go - don't forget to question everything I have just told you. :)

Good luck!

Allen