(upbeat music)
- Hi loves, how's it going?
My name is Ann Le and I created the Creative Minds Journal
which is the only journal out there that encourages
creativity and productivity.
That way you can exercise your right and your left brain
in order to find balance and clarity in your life.
So with that being said, today's journal entry is going
to be about 10 tips to boost your productivity.
(upbeat music)
Let's go ahead and dive into number one.
Number one is going to be a no brainer,
but usually the obvious are the ones that we tend to forget.
So this is a reminder to you and that is to get some sleep.
To get a good night's rest.
You want to get about seven to eight hours of sleep per day.
And if you're not getting that at all, that can be the cause
to your mental state and also your happiness.
This really, really affects your mood during the daytime,
so if you're feeling grumpy and down most of the time
you may want to take control of your sleep pattern again.
We're living in such a fast paced world and it's really,
really easy for us to just like get into work
and other things in life and we forget to take care
of ourselves.
Something that helps me is to get sunlight in the morning
and that is to go outside and get about 10 to 15 minutes
of pure sunlight.
You want to go out, drink a little coffee or tea,
or walk your dog, whatever it is.
Just go out there and be in the sun.
The best time of the day to go out and get some sunshine
is around 8 a.m., because that's when the sun is out
at it's best.
It's not too strong.
It's just enough for you to get a little bit
of that Vitamin D.
That little sunshine and it really helps with your
circadian rhythm as well.
Which is your internal clock that helps you wake up
and go to sleep at night.
Blue lights are the most invasive lighting out there.
If you can stay away from electronics like two to three
hours before bedtime, that would be really, really good
and helpful to your sleep.
I recommend just take light an hour or two to do other
things you like.
Like catch up on reading, maybe cleaning up,
doing the dishes, and so that way, when you hop into bed,
your mind and your body is ready to get a good night's rest.
The blue light can definitely keep you awake and interfere
with your circadian rhythm.
Number two is to take care of your brain.
You want to take care of your mind, body, and soul.
When you're taking care of your brain, you're also taking
care of your body and your health and your well being.
So a few things that you can do to take care of your brain
is one, diet.
Diet will not only help and take care of your brain,
but it will help take care of everything else.
So think of wholesome foods.
There are so many lists of healthy brain foods out there
to check out.
All you have to do is Google search.
There are books.
But I'm going to go over three of my favorites.
So avocado is one of my favorite foods.
It's full of omega-3 fatty acids,
which helps with the absorption of nutrients.
These are good fats that help increase
your feel good chemicals into the brain.
It also regulates mood and emotion.
So if you want to be in a good mood, eat good food.
(laughing)
Tomatoes, I love tomatoes and avocados together,
mm, they are so delicious.
Tomatoes contain high levels
of two mood enhancing nutrients.
That's folate and magnesium.
And magnesium is so beneficial in so many ways
like for your hair, for sleep, just your overall health.
So definitely look into that as well.
Dark chocolate, the darker the chocolate,
the better it is for you.
And this helps with the blood flow to the brain.
It also contains a lot of mood enhancing properties
and also helps you with focus
and your cardiovascular system.
Other things you can do to keep your mind healthy
is taking care of the state of your mind.
I like to do mindfulness exercises in my journal.
Usually in my journal, I just go to like the Mind Spill page
or I go to the Interpretation page.
Doing the improv artwork also helps you stay present,
mindful, and aware.
So journaling is really great for mindfulness
and staying present.
Number three is to be around healthy people
and people that inspires you.
Now I know that in the entrepreneur space,
in the business space, they say that you are the five
people that you spend the most time with.
And a lot of people would tend to just gear toward
the people who are rich and wealthy.
And for me, I think what's important is to be around
the people who are happy.
Like the people who are living life
to their fullest potential.
And the people who knows what happiness really is.
You want to be around those people.
Not what's in their bank account.
Because those people can be the most miserable people
and that can reflect upon you.
So find people who are living their healthiest,
most happiest, and greatest life out there.
So anybody who's really into fitness, health and fitness,
and they're really happy about it.
They're really excited and passionate about what they do.
People who are into like gardening or something like that.
People who find passion in their lives.
You wanna be around those people,
because those are the people that will inspire you to live
your best self.
Number four, this is going to be super,
super difficult for a lot of you guys,
but put your phone in a different room.
I know when I do that, I really was able to complete most
of my projects or complete many of the things
that are on my checklist.
Usually when I have the phone on my desk, in front of me,
in front of the computer,
I just go back and I get distracted so easily.
So now, what I do is, I put my phone in my bedroom.
And although it's just a room away, I just,
I stay on my computer, and then I'm just like,
once I'm in my work mode, I'm just there.
I'm like, oh I can't get up, I can't get up, I can't get up.
And I just finish my work.
And then when I really, really have time,
then I walk to my room and then I would check my messages
or whatever.
So I highly recommend for you to do that.
It really works and it's beneficial to you so why not do it?
I mean the phone is such a huge distraction.
It's fun, it's great, but always checking your messages,
being on Instagram, it's like a drug.
It produces dopamine, whenever you go and you check
for instant gratification on your Facebook or your Instagram
so try to stay away from your phone by putting it into
another room.
That will help prevent you from checking it
every single second.
You will be able to focus more on whatever task you're
working on.
Number five, this one is so, so simple.
But write a to-do list.
I always talk about this because this helps me so much.
So I write a to-do list everywhere.
I put it in my Mind Spill pages and then I take that
and I consolidate, I break them up, categorize them,
and then I put them in my planner that is also in here.
So I did a big Mind Spill.
Everything that's on my mind.
And sometimes I would have my journal near my bed
or some paper near my bed, and then whenever I'm thinking
of something, I just write it down.
I take all that and then I consolidate it in my planner
of things that I need to do.
From there, I just do a checklist.
Be your own boss.
Be a tough boss too.
And tell yourself to finish all those tasks, write it down,
write some commands for yourself,
so that way you can get right to it.
Having a checklist really just helps guide me
throughout the day.
It's like my little guide right there.
And it's a reminder.
I get so distracted easily that having the checklist
right there, is just it helps me go back
to what I need to focus on.
So checklist is so easy to do and it's so easy to forget.
So make sure to create a checklist.
It would definitely help you out 110%.
Number six, that is to reward yourself after every task
you've done.
So have little rewards here and there after each task.
For me, I know that editing a video is very tedious.
And so sometimes I would break in between times
and just get distracted, do something else,
and that just makes my workflow lengthier and drags on.
So in order for me to complete this project
and be a little bit more efficient,
I would reward myself if I finished this task
within three hours non-stop.
I will reward myself by doing something I really,
really wanted to do, like baking banana bread.
So when I'm editing the video, in my mind,
I'm like you know what, I'm gonna finish this video
and then after I finish this video,
I'm going to have a great time in the kitchen
baking my banana bread without having to stress out
that I need to finish, complete this video later on.
I can do this with a clear conscious, with a clear mind,
and just be my happy little self baking my banana bread.
(laughing)
Number seven, is set the right environment.
You want clarity around you.
You want space around you.
So that way, you can create.
That way you can invent.
That way you can produce.
So make sure that your environment is nice
and clear of any clutter.
So before you work on a big project, clean up your space.
And you want good lighting at the same time to set the right
mood and tone.
You wanna feel relaxed in your environment.
And lighting is really essential to that.
Also, smell.
Smell really helps.
So if you set some aromatherapy around that area.
Use a diffuser or something like that
with some essential oils.
So if you don't have a diffuser, that's okay,
just crack a window or something.
You want some fresh air to circulate in your space.
That way you can feel fresh, invigorated while your working.
Number eight, instead of focusing on the problem,
focus on the solution.
The problem is a good starting point for you,
but you want to focus more on the different kind
of solutions that you can use in order to get out
of your problem or your issues.
There are three modes of thinking: convergent, divergent,
and lateral.
Now convergent and divergent synchronize with each other,
but convergent is usually you have one answer
and that is it.
There's only one answer to the problem.
Divergent, you become more creative.
You think of different creative ways you can solve
or to get to this answer.
And usually convergent and divergent thinking works
together because usually you have an issue
and you want to think of different solutions
and once you have the right solution,
there is that one goal.
And then there's lateral thinking.
Lateral thinking is more exponential.
You're thinking beyond what's in your bubble.
You're thinking beyond the box.
That is how innovators think like.
People who create new ideas and revolutionize the world.
So instead of just dwelling on the problem,
there's so many solutions out there,
that will open new doors and windows and ideas for you.
So remember the problem is not going to do anything for you,
it's not growth.
The solution will help you move forward.
And how you want to come about that is up to you.
Number nine, and that is to say no.
Say no to anything that doesn't have to do
with your end goal.
There are so many distractions out there and it's so easy
to want to do a little bit of this,
want to do a little bit of that.
Sometimes we don't say no because we're afraid
to let people down too.
But when it comes down to what is your priority?
What is it your really want to do, accomplish?
And where exactly do you want to see yourself in a week,
two weeks, a month, or the end of the year?
So I get invited to a lot of events around LA
and I stopped going to these events.
And although they are fun, I learned how to say no,
just because it doesn't serve my overall goal.
I don't want to be going to events year after year unless
it gives me great content to Instagram about,
but that's about it.
It doesn't serve my overall goal of where I want
to be in my life.
And I stay home and just focus on my work.
I wanna craft my work and master it.
Number ten, and that is to organize your ideas.
Write it down.
I love having my journal around,
because I get to just the practice of writing it on paper.
It's almost like a kinetic kind of exercise.
You're writing down all your tasks and you're reviewing
everything that you want to accomplish in your mind
while you're working your hands.
So I love organizing everything on paper
and I would also use my calendar on my phone as well.
As much as you can repeat all your tasks, your To-do's,
it's really, really crucial.
It's helps you review and refine it.
So whenever I get super, super overwhelmed, I just go in
my Mind Spill page and I just dump out everything.
All the notes in my head.
After my Mind Spill page, I then categorize it and take
different parts and put it in my planner
or my phone's calendar.
So it's almost like taking everything,
all the ideas in your head out and just putting
it in the right place so that way you can plan out your life
and live it.
At the end of the day you just wanna focus on your craft,
master it, and make it happen.
Create your best life.
So if you wanna get a hold of this list,
make sure to go to creativemindsjournal.com.
Sign up for our weekly emails.
Other than that, thank you all so much for watching.
And I will see you next week.
(smacking lips)
Ciao.