os.me Digest: 10 Self-Improvement Hacks

If you are reading self-improvement books, you are wasting time. 

Merely reading books, listening to Ted Talks, or attending spiritual satsangs won’t transform your life. What will? Imbibing knowledge, absorbing lessons, practising at least one suggestion, and contemplating on at least one thought from that material. 

This is an invaluable lesson I picked up from an article I read. Ever since, whatever knowledge I have ingested, I devoured it to ensure it was worth the time I Invested. Even when I meet people, interact with groups, read fiction, watch movies, I imbibe knowledge that promotes growth — spiritual, material, psychological, qualitative. 

Let the content you consume alter you.

Otherwise, what’s the point, right? Just reading for the sake of reading or showing off your bibliophilic side at a party is a pure waste of time and effort, if you do not adopt tools from the books you read. 

I have, thus, a long list. For instance: 

• For self-worth: Carry out a random act of kindness. Helping others is a pat on the back we give ourselves. It’s a boost to our self-worth.
• Drink when hungry. Did you know we confuse hunger and thirst cues? Next time you think you are hungry, drink a glass of water. Eat only if you still feel hungry. Look it up. It is more common than you think. 
• The only way to stop procrastinating is to just do it. Resist resistance.
• Pomodoro Technique for productivity: Work for 25 minutes, take a 5-minute break and back to work.  
• Change the bedsheet to switch that mood. It brings about a sense of newness. 
• No doomscrolling!

Over 10 self-imporvement hacks that work! The os.me community has tested these; which one will you try out today? tell a friend

Today, I share a few os.me blogs from the past week that shaped me in some way. I highlight one life-improvement hack from each, but the same article might have a different lesson for you. Happy reading: 

Transformative Ideas

The Act of Kindness that Saves Me Every Time: Here’s a nice little hack for when you do not feel too great about yourself: Think of all the times you made life better for someone. This one time, Adarsh Shah helped a visually challenged man, and that incident has helped him see through dark times.

Kab Tak: A mindfulness hack? Two words to remember the transient nature of life and everything that it moves — kab tak. Chander Om shares a story.

Two Monks and a Woman: Riddhima Sharma writes, “We do not heal the past by dwelling there, we heal it by living fully in the present.” A story to help you when you find it difficult to move on. Shed the baggage of the past, already!

Rest is the Key to Massive Productivity: ll dolce far niente, the Italian phrase that translates to the sweet art of doing nothing, is a wonderful thing to do. Because someday, you have to stop proving yourself to others and start knowing your worth. Bollywood screenwriter Mahendra Jakhar’s article has many beautiful lines, ideas and takeaways.

The Presentation Day: Peace Kindness’s blog demonstrates two useful hacks: For productivity, the 25-minute Pomodoro Technique. The writer picked it up from Swamiji’s video. Another thing that helped make the presentation better was Albert Einstein’s suggestion: If you can’t explain it to a six-year-old, you don’t understand it yourself.

Seen Unseen: Here’s a fantastic hack to instantly feel grateful, no matter the problems that surround you: Chop off your right hand (not really!). Read Hetal Sonpal’s blog to understand how this hack works. 

Healthify-ing Me: Jaya Om Kumar’s weight loss story has several tips. The one line that I will never forget: What brought me here will not take me there. To change results, change the strategy. 

A Peaceful Mind: Tyoga shares a very effective hack to find answers and, maybe, lost items. Stop searching, sit down and listen! Listen to your mind, and it will bring to you what you are seeking. 

Wisdom From Swamiji

Eat That Frog: How to prioritize tasks, manage time, and master skills? Swamiji offers tips, tricks, and a hierarchy of competence. An article packed with self-improvement hacks.

How to Build a New Habit: Swamiji shares the art and science of building a new habit. Follow the three golden rules and improve your life. 

Watch This Now!

Quote of the Week

“No price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself” ~~ Rudyard Kipling

Up for a Challenge?

The Write Choice Challenge is back! It has two categories:  1) Writers 2) Readers. 

The first category of this challenge is for the writers amongst us. 

What’s up for grabs? Three winners get to choose from this curated gift basket: 1) 100% free access to the Creative Writing Course; 2) 100% free access to the Art of Meditation Retreat; 3) 100% free access to the Self-Purification Retreat; 4) Annual Membership (individual) – keep it or gift it

The Challenge: Pretty simple. Starting September 16 through 20, write at least one post every day about anything you want, but original content. The one who writes the maximum number of posts and at least one every day is the winner. If you write ten posts but miss out even a day, you are out. So, if A writes 12 posts, but misses out writing on one of the days, then B who might have written 10 posts but at least one every day, gets the prize. Three winners with maximum entries win + One winner to be selected at random by the editorial team; this writer might not have too many entries but must write one every day through the challenge dates. Remember to use #TheWriteChoice with your posts. 

Who can participate? os.me members. Not a member yet? No problem. Make a free account now!

The second category of this challenge is for the readers amongst us. 

You are the ones who make writing worth the toil. You always have the right word to say. You encourage, you motivate. You get your own category. For the readers amongst us, the one who writes the maximum number of comments, between the challenge dates, also wins from the gift basket. Who can participate? The os.me members with a premium account. 

Dates to remember: #TheWriteChoice challenge starts 16 Sep, 2021 (5:00am IST); ends 20 Sep, 2021 (11:55pm IST). The winners will be announced in the weekly editorial later.

The decision of the os.me team will be final. In case of a tie, there will be a draw of lots. 

Here is your chance to win a writing retreat, a meditation retreat, and an annual membership! tell a friend

C’mon, now! Push your limits and dazzle with your talent. It’s a great way to build consistency, discipline, and willpower. You can even make it about journal entries. Let the games begin 🙂 Stay OSME!

Until next…