After working a long, tiring day, all you want to do is plop down on the sofa and watch TV. The thought of laying on the couch spending hours of mindless activity is tempting to most. In fact, the average American watches over five hours of TV a day. We become so addicted to TV that our lives look a little like this:
It’s easy to see how this schedule could lead to a flat-line kind of life. This is the schedule that leads to a mid-life crisis.
What if, when you got home from work, you spent one hour doing something you found productive? Ask yourself what you’ve always wanted to accomplish in your life. Have you wanted to learn a new language? How about writing a book? Have you ever thought about starting a side business? Or, how about running a marathon?
By spending just one hour of your day being productive, you will have made a huge impact in your goals. For example, let’s say you’ve always wanted to learn how to code. If you spend one hour every day reading books about coding or practicing your skills, you’ll become an expert by the end of the year!
So, how can you spend one productive hour a day?
You could learn something new! After spending an hour learning something new every day, you are not only contributing to your overall happiness, but you’re adding a new skill to your resume. Providing more useful skills to your company can also lead to a significant increase in your salary. Companies value employees who commit the time for self-growth.
Another sure way to boost productivity is to read. Bill Gates once said, “Reading is still the main way that I both learn new things and test my understanding.” Books are the cheapest way to learn something new. Read as much as you can, from whatever genre you desire. Plus, nothing opens up a conversation more than discussing literary finds.
If you want to run a marathon, try walking for an hour and adding some jogging in. Over time your body will get stronger and you will be able to run for longer periods of time.
If you want to write a book, commit to writing for a solid hour every day. Renowned authors like Ernest Hemingway and Virginia Woolf would rise at dawn and work straight until the afternoon. Now, most of us are not as vigilant as these great writers, but an hour a day could be the start of a very successful habit.
Now, productivity comes in many forms. You don’t necessarily have to spend that hour actively working on something. Although acting on your goals is necessary, critical thought is required as well. You could spend your hour every day thinking about what the process you would like to achieve. Authors don’t create a story out of thin air. They think about their characters and where their narrative should go. Beethoven would often go on long walks to take a break from working. He would take a pencil and paper on these walks so he could jot down any musical notes that sprang into his mind.
Taking an hour each day to be productive may seem like a tough thing to accomplish. But, with the right amount of grit and focus, this habit will become second-nature to you. Take that one hour for yourself and you will be reaching your goals in no time!