January 2022 - Success With Savitha

Month: January 2022

Sustainable habits to build in 2022

By Vaishnavi Kumar

It’s 2022 and we are into yet another year of unpredictable times. What can and will hold us in good stead is habits that are sustainable, that renew and replenish us. Now more than ever we need the regularity of habits to keep us grounded and anchored in.

Habits are automatic and rigid patterns of behavior. They are usually formed in specific situations and are acquired through repetition. Habits are very difficult to change and some of them remain with us throughout our lives. This is why it is very important to develop habits that are sustainable.

Do you want to build healthy habits but are not sure how to get started? Here are our recommendations for 8 sustainable habits which you should build this year:
1. Journaling– Journaling your thoughts and emotions is a very healthy habit which everybody should develop. Sometimes nobody in this world, not even you yourself are in a position to understand what’s happening. That is when a journal comes to your rescue. Penning down things makes everything simpler and you realize things aren’t that bad.
1. Daily meditation– Meditating daily helps to clear the clutter in your mind and to function better in your personal as well as professional lives. Many researchers have proven that daily meditation boosts productivity. Develop this habit and you now are ready to multitask and manage your daily hassles.
1. Stretching– Stretching is best for improving flexibility, posture and to prevent aches and pains. It helps in enhancing your well-being and practicing it daily is one of the best habits one should develop. Stretching is yet another way to relieve stress and calm your mind.
1. Reading– Reading is a lifelong habit. Take some time out and indulge in reading every day. It not only improves your memory and concentration but also your imagination and creativity. Reading has innumerable benefits and no drawbacks. It also helps to relax your mind and calm your soul.
1. Mini-vacations– Take as many mini vacations as possible. It helps you balance your personal and professional lives. You have more quality in your experiences, you get to switch off often, more time with your loved ones. It also helps you reset and refresh. Taking small breaks often may be more beneficial in the long run Vs 1 or 2 longer breaks. You are filled with positive energy which will help you function at your best.
1. Hydrating regularly– Hydrating yourself regularly is a must. It helps in proper digestion, regulates body temperature, boots skin health, and provides energy. Get yourself a bottle, set your daily hydration goal, and make sure you follow and fulfill the goal every day.
1. Healthy eating– Eating is essential for our survival but eating healthy is critical for long term health. Healthy eating is a habit that will help you in unimaginable ways, from keeping your body fit to boosting your mental health. Eat more veggies and fruits and greens, work with a nutritionist, eat local, cut down on sugar and salt intake. Small steps lead to long term change.
1. Work on your bad habits – Building a habit of working on your bad habits is a habit. Instead of just blaming them to be part of your nature, is a sustainable habit one must develop. Habits are often difficult to change but not impossible. Work on it and try to be a better version of yourself.
These are some of the sustainable habits which we feel everybody should build. These little habits will help you grow stronger and better!

Read our post on Self care here

For more on sustainable habits in 2022 see this post by Forbes

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7 Quick ways to pull yourself together fast

By Vaishnavi Kumar

Cancel your pity party! Pull yourself together and take total ownership of everything in your life.

If you are a person who suffers from sudden mood swings and finds it very difficult to take your mind off things then you are at the right place. Sometimes you may not understand what is bothering you. It may be someone else’s behaviour with you that is affecting you or it may something you have said or done accidentally. Here are some simple steps that may help you release stress and regain your equilibrium.
1. Disconnect for a few minutes – When you don’t feel yourself or feel like crap disconnect from the world for a few minutes. Walk away from the situation that is bothering you until you are calm enough to deal with it. Stepping away is a great tool to get perspective.
1. Breathe – This might seem pointless to many people, but breathing is the best way to pull yourself together fast. Taking deep long breaths count to 10, repeat again if you don’t feel calm.
1. Affirmations – When negative thoughts hit you like a tsunami, say affirmations that will help calm down. Use positive affirmations like “Things are going to be ok” “I’ve got this” in no time “I can do it”, say this a few times and see if it make a difference.
1. Meditate – Find a quiet place, put on your earphones, play a soothing guided meditation track close your eyes, and just relax. It goes a long way helping to reduce stress and feel calm.
5. Write – Write, Journal, Give gratitude. Identify any five things you are proud about. Jot down any five things that have made your life beautiful. This might seem silly to some people but go ahead and give it a try.
1. Grab a quick bite – Take a break and eat your favourite comfort food. Its is proven to reduce stress and make you feel better. Well do avoid sugary snacks if you can help it.
1. Laugh – Watch something funny or be around someone who can make you laugh. Even if you don’t feel like laughing, do it deliberately. This immediately reduces stress and you will experience a sense of peace and joy.
These were some ways that we feel might help you pull yourself together quickly. All you need is to take those couple of minutes from your schedule, so you don’t ruin your entire day. Uplift your mood quickly, release all the stress and have a great day!

Let us know in the comments below what you do to pull yourself together.

To see how to get back on track after burnout from over work see this post here

See this post from Huff Post on dealing with setbacks.

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What are high performance habits?

By Bhumika Ramesh

Most of us designate a high position to productivity in our daily lives, making it a priority in some cases. We can begin by cultivating a few habits that can make this process easier. High-performance habits are key to exponential success. Maintaining consistency in these habits will aid in the elevation of one’s qualities too.

Let’s talk about some of these High performance habits:
- In pursuit of clarity – Seeking out opportunities that provide challenges. Or focusing on oneself to find out what might be right are all different ways of pursuing clarity. Everyone has a unique mix of passions and obstacles. Taking time to reflect and understand them better and making an effort to incorporate them in your life sets you a level above others. Reflection – What passions do you cultivate and practice consistently?
- Energy, consistency and momentum – Feeling exhausted in the afternoon or evening after a hectic day isn’t new for us. But have you ever wondered how people keep themselves driven all day long? Balancing physical and mental energy throughout is key. Giving yourself short focused breaks, making time for relaxing activities promote the release of tension accumulated from the daily grind. It’s a way to refresh and rest your mind and body.
- Find purpose: When you associate your work with a deeper meaning or purpose, your dedication increases. It’s important to know your purpose, have a Why. You tend to excel at it more frequently. Intertwining identity with performance is not common, but once you do so, quality and excellence follow.
Nothing is achieved without hard work. Implementing these habits may not be a piece of cake for us, however the changes that arrive after doing so are worthwhile. Stepping out of the comfort zone is what matters in the end.

The inspiration for this post comes from Brendon Burchard’s Book – High Performance Habits.

We share a number of posts on peak performance and productivity on our Blog. See this post

for more.

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5 financial habits every girl should follow

By Vaishnavi Kumar

What is the 1 thing you need to live, to fulfill all your wishes and desires. Yes, you guessed it right. It’s MONEY. And everybody knows that just merely earning money and spending it is not enough. Saving, making investments, having control over your expenses is what are most important. In short, having good financial habits is very important. Financial independence for every woman is our dream!

Here are our 5 must have financial habits that every girl should follow:

Good habits around Credit Cards: It is always advisable to minimize the use of credit cards as much as possible. While spending we just swipe our card assuming we will clear the amount when the bill comes. But everybody knows that life is unpredictable. We feel that paying just the minimum balance is fine, leading to ending up paying the highest interest rates ever. Use credit cards judiciously, read up on bank rates, pay in full before the due date and learn how to use credit cards to your benefit Vs to the bank’s benefit.

Emergency fund: Create an emergency fund for unexpected emergencies. Being prepared for all the events, problems, and unexpected surprises in life is smart. When you have a back up plan in place you can navigate unexpected emergencies without having to borrow and without anxiety around money. Of course the hope is that you never have such a circumstance, but incase you do, you have got YOU covered.

Invest: Don’t just save, but invest. Investing money not only helps to save it but also to double it. This is one of the best habits that everyone should follow. It helps in securing money for the present and the future needs with extra returns. Studies show that women are better investors than men so take up the opportunity! Get learning, take a course, start reading up arm yourself with the right resources and get investing.

Do not disclose your income to everyone: Not all people are your well wishers. People will find innumerable reasons to save their money and make you spend yours instead. Helping others in their difficult times is a very good deed, but never help people for their selfish motives. Keep your money to yourself and spend it wisely. Less lending more investing. Being cautious if you get hit up frequently to lend a helping hand is wise.

Passive income: There is no harm in earning extra money by working in your free time or via a side hustle. People often feel embarrassed to take up small jobs except their main work. Setting up other passive income streams is a good plan of action.

See this Post by Erin Gobler for more Tips around building good financial habits

Read our posts on Money here

Let us know in the comments below what are the financial habits that you follow that has helped you grow more.

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Simple ways to start saving money today

By Vaishnavi Kumar
The importance of saving money was most felt the most during lockdown times. With Businesses shutting down or going bankrupt, it had a huge impact on the employees. They were the most dispensable resource. People had to fall back on savings. People often don’t understand how important it is to save money until there is an adversity.

As said by Warren Buffett, “Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving”.

So with that understanding out of the way. Let’s talk about some simple ways to start saving today.

Here are some strategies which might help you start saving money

1.The first step is to start by setting a fixed amount separate on the day you receive your salary/payments. If you are an entrepreneur, make it a point to save a particular amount from your earnings. It is not as difficult as it seems because all you have to do is be consistent and true to yourself.

2. Another way that might help you save is to start monitoring your expenses. Just making a note of all your outgoings can be a wakeup call for you.

3. Invest in shares or mutual funds. Of course, there is going to be risk involved! However if you spend some time learning, reading up and following good advice you can start small. Set aside only what you can afford to invest, start small and don’t get carried away. Study all the pros and cons thoroughly before investing.

4. Automatic savings – Almost all banks offer this way of transferring money from checking to the savings account. Also called a recurring deposit. You can start with a set amount and time of transfer and every month that particular amount will be saved. Such deposits don’t require you to invest a lot but over time the benefits of compounding interest are a huge payoff.

Saving money may seem very difficult till you get started. Often you will feel like you are left with very little or no money to spend on other things or small luxuries for yourself. But once you start with this habit and realize the importance and benefits of savings, then you are surely never going back!

We hope these simple strategies will help you develop the habit of saving. Let us know what motivates you to save money in the comments below.

Want to build good money habits, Read this post on having confidence around money.

Here is a Blog post we like on Investing for Beginners. Read Here.

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Self Care tips to try today

By Vaishnavi Kumar

“Self-care means giving yourself permission to pause.”

Cecilia Tran

Taking a break no matter how small is essential for the proper functioning and well being of every individual.

Today we are sharing our favourite 5 self care tips that you can start doing right away.

1.Head and Face massagers: These are one of the best and easiest ways to release stress and instantly feel good. Massage therapies are meant to improve people’s well being. 5 minutes with a hand held Head massager can help boost your well being and reduce stress instantly. This is especially helpful if you get frequent headaches and migraines. It also improves circulation and boosts happiness.

Face massagers contribute to the same and reduce signs of ageing as well. Carrying a hand held massager doesn’t require a lot of effort but the benefits are worth enjoying, you can carry this in your purse easily or stack it in your desk draw.

2. Health supplements: As a busy professional,what suffers is being able to eat on time. To make sure you’re staying on top of your health and fitness adding medically recommended health supplements are a good idea. It ensures that our body gets the required nutrients so that we are fit and fine to face any challenge and pressures in personal as well as professional life. It also improves cognitive abilities and helps you concentrate better. Keeping nutritional deficiencies at bay and managing your energy is a good self care practice.

3. Acupressure tools: Acupressure tools are also one of the best ways to relieve any kinds of stress, tension, anxiety and relax your mind and body. It also works as a medium to reduce aches and pains which you might face due to the long hours of work. Acupressure tools have varying sizes, shapes and forms and you get one that works for you. Handheld ones are easy to adapt to. Acupressure as a treatment for almost all health problems and works as an effective way of self care. It may also be a good idea to work with an acupressure practitioner to help you get started.

4. Journal: Journaling your thoughts is one of our most effective self care tips. Penning down your thoughts won’t take you much time but the relief you’ll experience after this will be your real victory. Sometimes we don’t feel like sharing our thoughts even with our closest people and that’s when Journaling comes to our rescue. Releasing our emotions and thoughts by writing will help you clear all the clutter in your mind and help you focus more on work.

5. Hydration and Quick bites: Keeping some healthy snacks like protein bars, nuts and fruit ready at your desk is always a must. If you feel sudden weakness or you want to uplift your mood, or miss a mail, having something ready on hand helps. Drink lots of water, eat, take a deep breath will all help you when you don’t have a moment in your day for yourself. This will even help you focus better.

For more tips on Self care on our Blog see this post here

We also like this post from Kourtney Kardashian’s website for self care tips.

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