10 SMALL CHANGES THAT IMPROVED THE QUALITY OF MY LIFE

A small change can make a big difference. You must have heard about this statement many times. But have you ever incorporated some small changes in your life, that made a big difference? Well, I did and in today’s blog post I am going to discuss those points with you all.

The power of small change I learned from the book ‘Atomic Habit’. There were many wonderful things you can take from that book. It’s not that I haven’t heard about small changes before but after reading that book, I thought of incorporating a few small changes in my life and it really has been very helpful till today.

After becoming a mother it was not easy for me to manage my work and my personal life. Motherhood is a full-time job and I really appreciate those women who made big in their life being a mother.

My son is going to be of 2 years of this April and I am still figuring out how to increase my productivity. It’s next to impossible for me to work when he is around. So I had to find out a few ways to be productive because if I am not productive I am not happy.

01-KEEP IT SIMPLE

Earlier I wanted to do every possible work I get. Ready for a site visit whenever there was a call. But after becoming a mother it was not possible for me.

So I made a deliberate attempt to be selective about the work that I will be doing and also plan my site visits on the weekends only. Yes, these days I rarely get my weekends off but at least I am able to do my work.

Also after becoming particular about the work that I do, I noticed that I am doing some good quality work and they save a lot of my time and energy. There are a few things in my mind that I will be doing in the future but right now, my focus is to keep on moving forward even if it is a baby step.

02-JUST DO IT

There are so many household chores that a woman has to do while staying in a house. Well I won’t deny it, my husband also helps me with that but still, there are many. Washing clothes, folding them, keeping the house organized, preparing meals……..

I followed the habit of just doing it right and then. Like folding clothes right they get dried. Cleaning the mess created by a son or sometimes by us, right and then. I have noticed, this small habit made a big change in my life as it reduces the mental blockage for the work undone and I feel free most of the time.

I follow the same thing when it comes to working as well. If something can be done today, though it is required after a few days, I try to finish that work. It helps me to be prepared for any urgent work that can come from any ongoing site work.

03-PLANNING MY DAY

My days are generally planned. I write my everyday task and try to follow them on a regular basis. Well for me, time blocking for certain tasks is not possible these days because of my son but whatever chunks I have I try to make it count.

While planning my day, I try to keep it simple. In fact, I not only plan my work but also plan my meal. Like what I am going to have for my breakfast, lunch, or dinner. It saves a lot of my time and also helps me to be on time.

04-DOING UNPRODUCTIVE WORK DURING NIGHTS

Having my son around all the time consumes a lot of my energy so I have to find out ways to use it judiciously.

Work like washing clothes, cleaning and organizing the house, having a lengthy call on the phone, replying to msgs…. it all happens during 8:00 pm to 11:00 pm window and I have made all my family members aware of it. I have realized by doing so, I save a lot of my energy and that helps me to perform better during the daytime.

One small change that I have acquired recently is organizing the house before I sleep and that really made a big difference in my life. Earlier I used to do it in the morning, before starting my office work. I realized I am not only energetic after acquiring this small habit but also I feel good seeing everything at the right place as soon as I get up which is a good start for the day.

05-ART OF DELIGATION

“Naseema, you must learn the art of delegation if you want to do something in your life”. This was the sentence I heard from one of my clients. She is a lawyer and a mother of two wonderful kids. She is one of the most happening people I have ever known.

I have already kept one lady to do the regular chores like washing utensils, sweeping and all but recently I have hired someone to prepare our breakfast and lunch. I did it on a trial basis and it has not been even a month, but I can see the change in my life. I am on time at my work these days. Its 9:45 am and I am at my work desk. And I can’t tell you, how happy I am these days because of this change.

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06-EARLY TO BED AND EARLY TO RISE

Getting up early is always a task for me. If I have something important to do then only I will get up otherwise I won’t. But I wanted to be a part of the 5:00 am club for a long time. I have seen my father getting up at 4:00 am every day throughout my life and I want to become like him but I don’t know-how.

I generally used to work late at night, from 11:30 pm to 2:30 am because of my work and after that, getting up early was next to impossible for me, and because of that, I felt lethargic all day.

Another small change I made in my life was to sleep early. I try to be in bed before 12:00 pm these days. In the beginning, it didn’t help me to get up early in the morning, but after time I realized I was up all by myself before my alarm rang and I feel fresh and energetic all day.

07-HABIT OF WRITING

I am Architect and Interior Designer by profession but I like to write as well. It makes me happy. These days I try to write every day. It gives a sense of accomplishment and helps me perform better.

Earlier I used to think, I should be focused on my profession and should keep my passion for writing aside as it consumes time because actually, it does. But I have realized one thing, the day I finish my one post, I feel very productive and enthusiastic about designing as well.

In fact, I generally use my time on a cab to write and I use the ‘Notion’ App for that. I have never been tech savvy but I must say it is a wonderful App. It helps me to organize all my thoughts and ideas in one place and I can access them anytime.

08-SPENDIND LESS TIME ON PHONE

Another small change that I adopted is to keep my phone away during my work time. I get very less window to work and it happens only when Rayan (my son) sleeps. And at that time I avoid talking on the phone or responding to messages unless it’s very important.

This small habit of keeping my phone away when I am working helped me to increase my productivity. In fact, because of social media people are checking their phones all the time. This reduces their productivity and reduces their concentration.

Adopting this small habit of keeping phones away will help you to avoid distraction and will create a big change in your productivity. Try this if you haven’t tried it.

09-HAVING SOME ‘ME TIME’

The constant buzzing of phone, Rayan’s demand, work pressure………. started affecting my mental health. I realized it was not difficult for me to lose my temper or to get disheartened which was definitely not a good sign. There was a time when I could just sit and think for hours. I love my company a lot. But these days I don’t get any.

So another small change that I made is to just go for a walk without my phone. It’s just for 20-30 mins but its really worth it. I observe my surroundings, observe myself, how I am feeling and what should I do to improve the quality of my life…

10-LESS IS MORE

There was a time when it was not difficult for me to make new friends. But every relationship needs proper time and attention. Otherwise, you won’t be able to do justice. Today, I am not in a condition to make new friends because I can’t devote that much time.

I have limited my circle and try to be in regular touch with them. I try to spend quality time with my family and take a deliberate effort to make moments count. And also I focus on capturing good moments which I never cared about earlier.

I have very few close friends, but I can rely on them. I can trust them and I am grateful for having them in my life. I don’t care about having a large number of people in my life. I try to follow ‘ OQP’, only quality people. People who love you unconditionally, who uplift you when you are sad and disheartened, and who can help you when you are in need.

CONCLUSION

There are more small changes I made in my life like monitoring my expenses, making a deliberate effort to learn about finances which I am really bad at today. Listening to audiobooks while cooking or whenever I have free time. Focusing on learning something new and watching what I eat in a day and trying to have a healthy routine.

I have realized, small changes are easy to follow and you are more likely to be persistent because it does not create a drastic change in your routine but its results are massive. The small changes that I mentioned are actually becoming my habit.

Initially, I had to make a deliberate and conscious effort to follow the changes, but now my mind is trained. Like before I sleep, I subconsciously do the cleaning thing, do unproductive work at night, etc.

If you want to make a big change in your life, you should start small, let it become your habit, and then accelerate it. It’s much easier to continue this way. It’s not about quantity but about persistence.

It’s not about quantity but about persistence.

Naseema Khatoon

That’s all for today’s post. Let me know in the comment section about the small change that you want to incorporate in your life and want it to become your habit. Also, keep visiting https://naseemakhatoon.in/ for more.

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