11 commandments for better living
Commandment 1: Learn one new thing per day. It could be a word, a science fact, or something about technology. It was something I was taught to do in school. It helped me stay curious and allowed me articulate myself better. For example, today I learnt that having a password that goes www.g00gle.com would take 18 million years to crack. While having a password like www.google.com would take 1 million years to crack. I know the information is pointless, but it keeps me on my toes.
Commandment 2: Read at least 2 books per month: You cannot be a good writer if you are poor reader. C.S Lewis and Oscar Wilde are some of my favourite authors. Reading them can help shape your analytical and linguistic skills. Right now, I am reading The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde, and I just finished The Screwtape letters by C.S Lewis. Both are incredibly refreshing and interesting.
Commandment 3: Say something positive to three people in a day. Share a word of appreciation. Give them a pat on their back. The more you give, the more you get. Eventually, your positiveness will reflect in your writing style. Don't know who to start with? Call mom, dad and someone else you love, but haven't told.
Commandment 4: Take time to relax and unwind for atleast 4 hours in a week. Watch a movie, play a game, visit a friend, anything to get your serotonin and dopamine levels up. It will give you the boost you need to get back to work with energy. I play tennis and snooker for atleast 4 hours per week.
Commandment 5: Instagram's CEO has a mantra to avoid procrastination. “If you don’t want to do something, make a deal with yourself to do at least five minutes of it. After five minutes, you’ll end up doing the whole thing.” This is something new I learnt, and its extremely effective.
Commandment 6: Wrap up work by 6pm. Avoid carrying any work back home. We must be productive in our regular work hours. We are not paid to work beyond that. There is no excuse for being slack in office and working hard at play time. I started doing this two years back, and it has given me time to do what is commanded in the first 5 commandments.
Commandment 7: The Bible suggests resting on the 7th day of every week. It is important for us to truly rest our senses, and our minds on atleast one day of the week.
Commandment 8: Never invite more than 8 people to a meeting. In fact, I once read of a CEO who followed a 1 Pizza Rule: He would never invite more people to a meeting than a certain number of people who can eat a pizza together. Remember the old adage, too many cooks spoil the broth. I use this technique and it makes my meeting so much more effective.
Commandment 9: On every 9th day, review the past 8 days and the proposals you have written. See what you could have done better, but dont hurt yourself over it. Learn from your mistakes and move on. Read my blog on feedback
Commandment 10: Use the pomodero technique to improve productivity. 20 minutes of super-hard work, followed by 10 minutes of ease/ relaxation. Repeat over and over, and you will get more done in as little time as possible.
Commandment 11: Okay, you must be bored by now, but I am adding this, only because it changed my life: Try working out for 11 minutes per day. 5 minutes of jump rope, and 5 minutes of intense running with 1 minute to rest in between. It changed my life and helped me put off 25 kgs of weight over a span of 2 years.
