https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr ¨Direct your actions properly¨ - The Daily Stoic en-us 2021-11-09 19:48:33 UTC 2025-10-27 21:37:59 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4d4.png VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879466098 Have you ever stopped for a moment to think about who are you becoming? I am not referring to daydreaming for hours and coming back to reality disheartened. Getting lost in the future and imagining your perfect life with zero problems is not the answer to this question. Right here and right now is the only time we have got. Let´s put it this way: is what you are doing today getting you closer to who you want to become? If your answer is ¨yes¨, keep doing your thing, but if it is a ¨no¨, you might want to have a closer look at your habits.

]]> 2021-11-09 20:52:43 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879466098 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879698053 You might ask yourself:
1. ¨Where do I start?¨
2. ¨How can I change my old habits and implement new and better ones?¨
3. ¨How long does it take to form a habit?¨

1. My answer to this question is: change starts with awareness. If you want to put into practice a new habit, you need to be conscious about the actions you are taking every single day. This first step is crucial because if you are not aware of what you are doing, you will not know if you are helping or sabotaging yourself. In other words, if you are only repeating the same actions every day like a robot without reflecting on them, you will not evolve as a person.  Make a list of the things you do during the whole day and find your pattern. Do you procrastinate? Are you disorganised? Do you wake up late? Are your goals unrealistic? Reflecting on why, when, where and how you do all these things will help you realise what your current habits are and what strategies could help you improve yourself.

2. Prioritize your tasks and make sure your goals are realistic! One way of doing this is by making a list with the things you do during your day and another one with those you would actually like to do. Compare them and add or erase whatever task you consider necessary or not for that day. Another way would be writing down everything you need to do during your day and deciding which task is important and urgent (do it now), which one is important but not urgent (schedule a time to do it) and which is neither important not urgent (eliminate it). Set your intentions daily and create the environment that supports you in becoming the person you want to be and remove anything that does not support who you want to be.

3. Although some people might think that you only need 21 days to learn a new habit, research shows that on average, it takes 66 days for a new behaviour to become automatic, with a range from 18 to 254 days. However, this does not mean that every single person is going to change their habits in 2 months since every individual is different. Keep in mind that there is no perfect recipe that works for everyone. Use trial and error to find what works for you and be consistent.

]]> 2021-11-09 23:33:57 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879698053 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879706934 2021-11-09 23:40:23 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879706934 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879869647 2021-11-10 01:05:55 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879869647 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879884911 I like practicing yoga with Adriene because she teaches me how to be gentle with myself when stretching or when trying new postures. There are days in which I do not feel like stretching and I just take deep breaths. She has videos for days like these, which I really love because her videos are a reflection of reality itself. She does not sell ideas such as "yoga solves your problems" or "buy this perfect mat to match your perfect life" but helps me find what feels good for my body. 

]]> 2021-11-10 01:12:38 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1879884911 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1880043282 It took me a long time (years) internalising the importance of rewarding and celebrating myself first, without having expectations from others to do so. Why? I used to work hard and wait for others to ackowledge and reward me, but it happened so rarely that I ended up feeling frustrated and had no energy on starting new challenging projects. However, in time, I learned to look at this situation from another perspective and instead of focusing and blaming the external elements in my life (peers, friends, family), I started to take the responsibility and doing it myself.

What impact has this had on my life?

It helped me feel seen and loved by myself and nobody else and eventually I understood that this was enough. Now I feel valued, happier and more energised after completing any task, whether it is small or not. In psychology, this is called positive reinforcement, and let me tell you that when done properly, it definitely works. ]]> 2021-11-10 02:18:03 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1880043282 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1882611259 I have started to consciously use the ¨2-minute rule¨ some months ago. This habit helps me complete my chores like making my bed or throwing the trash without procrastinating. Thanks to it, my days are more productive as I prioritise the activities I need to carry out first and I leave out other time-wasting habits. For instance, during my breaks between studying, I do no longer watch random youtube videos but I wash the dishes, do the laundry, etc. Therefore, I am able to disconnect from what I am studying and do several simple tasks that would otherwise accumulate at the end of the day. ]]> 2021-11-10 23:08:32 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1882611259 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1882614119 ➡️ Quality time: friends, family
➡️ Watching a movie 
➡️ Preparing special dishes
➡️ Going for a long walk by myself
➡️ Going for a long walk with my dog
➡️ Playing Fall Guys 
➡️ Listening to music 
➡️ Changing my haircut 
➡️ Taking pictures ]]> 2021-11-10 23:11:03 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1882614119 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1882658867 My nº 1 issue right now is my sleep schedule. I used to sleep at the same hour every night, but some weeks ago, I overslept during the weekend, and it ruined all the progress I have made in the past months. I want to change this habit (again) because I know it is not healthy to go late to bed. In addition, I feel sleepy during the day, and I sometimes struggle to concentrate on demanding tasks. What I am doing differently now is to sleep 15-30 min earlier every three days to get used to sleeping again at my desired hour.

]]> 2021-11-10 23:48:43 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1882658867 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1892540908 2021-11-15 23:32:38 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1892540908 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1920632446 ➡️ Practice gratitude by writing down 3 things you are grateful for every day
➡️ Listen actively to people around you 
➡️ Have a healthy diet 
➡️ Get 6-8 h of sleep at night
➡️ Do some physical activity
➡️ Find your own way to relax
➡️ Do not react, respond
➡️ Learn to say ¨no¨ to others and ¨yes¨ to yourself
➡️ Declutter your home ]]> 2021-11-30 15:13:25 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1920632446 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1920841512 A wise friend once told me that it is not enough to have a nice list of your goals. Make sure your goal is achievable but challenging. Next, break it down further. For instance, set monthly goals to achieve the one-year goal, and then weekly goals to achieve the goal for the month, then daily goals to achieve the week. Every Monday, recalibrate to make sure your weekly goals are on track to achieve the month and your monthly goals are on track to achieve the year. ]]> 2021-11-30 16:30:13 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1920841512 VarvaraB https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1926204152 2021-12-02 22:44:19 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1926204152 tomasgt1996 https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1965253992 Hey Varvara! I found a TED-talk which you may find interesting about forming healthy habits. ]]> 2021-12-27 11:07:14 UTC https://padlet.com/VarvaraB/2yi0b51fnih457pr/wish/1965253992