Besides the bad side of Work Culture, there are positive sides to it. One thing this current situation has taken from us is this one thing that I loved about 9 to 5 jobs, that is taking a break.

Imagine a Software that monitors you every 5 minutes that's horrible. Coffee breaks was one of the important moments in my work life.

I really enjoyed it, it was like a short vacation but only for a couple of minutes. Nice and hot coffee with myself or sometimes a colleague. It was simply phenomenal.

Vacations and Short Breaks

Vacations can be short

The joy of small things can be something really big. I think even during this situation when most of us work from home, we need to remind ourselves that we need to take some timeout.

Please don't think this is unproductive time. You are human, sometimes creativity and problem solving require you to do things differently. Taking a break can be one of them.

So does every break need to be a vacation that is 3 days long to a small coffee break. I think it depends.

It depends on factors like work life balance, your mental health and how you balance personal relationships.

Evaluating these areas of your life can be an important step. Next step would be trying to see the importance of dealing with negative stress.

Work Stress and living

Every Work has it's share of Stress

Every work comes with it's share of stress. We need to strategize ways to deal with it. Just because you are working from home. It does not mean you are balancing you work and life.

Check this article from The Hindu that talks about the stress of working from home.

It does not mean you have no stress. Taking short breaks can be a nice way to deal with stress.

Now the important question. What does one do on a short break?

Here are some ideas you could use:

1. Have some Coffee (Lol :))
2. Have some Tea
3. Take a short walk
4. Sprint 
5. Do a stretch
6. Meditate
7. Pray
8. Repeat your affirmations
9. Evaluate your day
10. Plan for the Next day
11. Write an article or a blog related to your work
12. Research on a topic that interests you
13. Message your loved one
14. Tweet
15. Don't Check social media
16. Read some scripture or any book or person that inspires you

The art is in how you understand your needs and respond to it. Years ago, when I decided to shift from yo-yo diets to dealing with my personal problems. I took a break and it really helped me see the important things in my life.

Even nowadays as a Self employed Educator and Blogger, I see the importance of short breaks. It has helped me tremendously.

Conclusion

Productivity is important as it is the value we add to this world. Being productive with the other faculties we have and our own personal life is equally important.

Take sometime out and refresh yourself. You deserve it. I hope you liked this post.

Please do comment how you spend your coffee break, I will meet you in the next Blog. Ciao!

Have a Happy Learning Day! Jai Hind! [full-width]

Use Motivation to get you out of your Comfort Zone

Starting Something New

How to achieve your goals? Do this...

Could it be your Temperament?

Sources of Encouragement

Check this quote on dealing with Uncertainty

Patience and virtues

Imagine trying to shed all you extra pounds in a month. May be possible for some, But it is very unrealistic for many of us

Concluding Thoughts

Further Reading

Powerful ideas to be an Effective Self Learner

Introduction

Change is a scary word and one loaded with surprises. We don't know about the twists and turns life can throw at us. But Change always remains our constant companion.

Recently I came across a person from a New religious movement or as some may call a 'Cult'. I was able to treat the person with respect and educate him whilst hearing him. It was a very interesting interaction.

I have been a self-learner for a very long time. It has helped me tremendously, not just professionally or with self-development but also with making good choices in Life.

What is Self Learning?

Self Learning is when a learner teaches him/her/zer self to learn a body of knowledge, without a Teacher, Master or an Institution.

It is also called as Autodidactism. Quite a heavy word to learn. I am sure most of may not realise but at some point, we all have been Autodidacts or as we may say Self Taught.

Isn't it really Awesome? To Learn by yourself, Just having your curiosity lead you and Trial & Error be a guide. Can it be heartbreaking, yes it can be.

I personally love studying world religions and different worldviews. It's just a hobby, exploring tough questions can be eye-opening and difficult but transformative at the same time. Sometimes one can misunderstand the information we are reading.

That is where online communities are kind of helpful, but not a good replacement for a Good Teacher.

Personally speaking, I love Self Learning with all the joy and pain that comes with it.

Power of the Internet (and some Consequences)

Internet is powerful for Learning

Over the years, there has been a lot of purposeful disinformation. This can be really dangerous. It can take us on a rabbit trail to a place we don't want to be.

I must say healthy scepticism and critical thinking can really be useful. So one place topic to begin learning or taking a course is on Critical thinking and logic.

The internet is a powerful tool, but the disinformation part of it besides the many avenues to time-wasting can be quite detrimental.

I would like to repeat the cliché, 'Don't believe everything you read on the internet'. But that is not to say that there are no good or great resources available online.

There are many. I have listed some of them on the Resources page on this website.

So what are some consequences we may face from learning the wrong information? Firstly, it will give us a wrong view on things and in some cases even lead us to bad decisions.

How to Start Self Learning?

So How does one begin teaching oneself? I would say it begins with passion. The next required is a healthy sense of enquiry.

Yes, there are many quick to learn guides and resources available online. Are they good? I would maybe or yes, it depends on the course or book and the topic.

But the way to decide could be by first doing a little bit of research into the topic you want to learn. Then maybe after reading a few articles or books getting deeper into the subject.

Note making is something that could really be useful. I have listed some keys pointers to help effectively Teach yourself.

10 Steps to Effective Learning

Create a Plan to Learn

1. Scan the topic and related topics: Before you commit to learning something new, read a bit about it. Find related topics and get a basic understanding of the topic.
2. Do a bit of enquiry: Enquiry is like a shorter version of research. It doesn't need to be professional, but it could be thorough. You could find material related to the subject and try to understand a bit more about it. You will be able to understand the gaps in your knowledge and skills you would need to learn the subject.
3. Understand your motives before you commit: Remember time is a limited resource. Understand your motives behind learning the subject and how it is relevant to you.
4. Take Action: Start learning, do what you planned. 
5. Commit Time: It can get interesting initially and if you do not commit time, it could be a fad that fades away. Don't make it a fad, get serious, commit time to your new Learning project.
6. Take Notes: I think this is one of the most important skills to learn as a learner. Recording and systematically learning a subject. Note making is a very important skill for any good learner.
7. Revise your learnings: Take time to evaluate what you learned. Reflect on it and probably do a short project or maybe write an article on it. 
8. Find a good group or online forum: It's priceless to join a community of like-minded individuals. It motivates you and gives a forum to discuss what you are learning. You could even share what you learned.
9. Find a good mentor: Find someone who has mastered the subject you are learning. It is very helpful and it could help you get a deeper understanding of various aspects of the topic you are studying.
10. Read articles or whitepapers published on the topic: Keep yourself updated on the latest research and case studies on the topic you are studying.

Conclusion

I would say learning is life and all of us at some point need to understand the gaps in our understanding. This is only possible if we evaluate ourselves and begin the process of learning.

Learning does not end at a course or with professional Education. It is an ongoing process, it is transformative to learn and share ideas with people

Share your ideas and this article with people if you found this post interesting.

A simple way to enjoy a stress-free weekend: Journal

Further Reading

Time to motivate yourself

Let me start this post with a story. I always wanted to act. I love movies and really amazing stories.

One of my favourite pastimes as a kid would be to listen to amazing stories. Stories can be captivating and boring sometimes if it's a drag. But overall it really impresses powerful ideas, thoughts and reflections.

Life can sometimes be like a story and we want a happy ending (pun intended). Lol, But seriously, it can be a real pain.

It can be exhilarating and painful too. I once had a near-death experience of sorts, I missed to drown. That incident pushed me out of my Nihilistic phase.

I began to see life as something amazing. Haha, Life can be amazing. I came across this idea about stories while speaking with a friend.

He is an entrepreneur and blogger too. He was speaking about the importance of stories and fiction books. I must confess I don't read much fiction.

But that conversation made me think that I must begin to read some fiction. It made me think about one more thing. We tell ourselves stories.

Some of us may feel like we are in one. 

Reasons to cheer up

Benefits

I believe it can benefit us at different levels.

Motivating ourselves to exercise better, become a better version of ourselves Physically, Spiritually or Emotionally. I think it starts with accepting the way we are. 

Respecting ourselves and staying healthy. Personally, it was very difficult for me, I had gained a lot of weight after going through some health issues. 

It greatly affected me and the way I saw myself. I exercised, but it still didn't help. So I chose to accept myself and love myself by motivating me.

Some Tips I Recommend

Positive Self-talk

You can motivate yourself

Reminders 

Starting a New Habit

Small Steps to Powerful Habits

Future Truth

Journaling

Daily Journal

Conclusion

Service is Life

This is the week you get to apply the tasks and plans to fulfil your Goals. Believe there is no perfect situation or time.

The Perfect Time is right now. Rabindranath Tagore was an amazing Indian intellectual and poet. I would like to share this interesting Quote with you.

Service is a way of life. We add to our experiences and help others succeed. It is an amazing value chain.

Making the world a better place can simply start by doing what we do and doing it well.  Making a difference doesn't need to be something over the top and super amazing. It can simply be doing your work well.

I wish you an amazing week.

Ciao!

Do follow me on Instagram, @officialchriseducator

Further Reading

[full-width]

Image by Dariusz Sankowski from Pixabay

Friendship is a wonderful thing. It is a joyous consolation to have close and valuable friends.

For some of us, Books can be those friends. They guide us and are there for us. It is great to have them as companions.

I have often heard Motivational speakers encourage people to have good mentors.

Some of us may have chosen books or other resources to mentor and guide us.

Books are not static

Words are lively and dynamic

I do not consider books to a static collection of words stuck to a page.

I believe they are lively and dynamic.

As much we read them, they show us a lot of things about ourselves.

I would like to share with some of the books on Life that have been a joy to read.

I list only 5 books, it is not a comprehensive book list.

5 Books on Life Skills I love:

Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill

Learn Powerful & Timeless insights

This one of my favourite books.

First I came across this book, was in my Uncle's library.

The title of the book was very Catchy.

But reading the book helped me understand the meaning of Thinking and Becoming Rich.

I must say I wish I did apply what I read.

So I reread it, But in an audio format.

The Power of positive thinking by Norman Vincent Peale

Positive and Powerful Thinking

This is another impactful book.

As a person, I like to be as realistic as possible.

The idea of positive thinking was something I found quite stupid until I read the book.

I was recommended to the book by one of Church counsellor.

I bought and read a copy of it. I was in my undergraduate studies then.

It was years back. I love this book because it had techniques that not only helped me improve my attitude, but it made my prayer life more interesting.

(I do not pray very often)

The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ De Marco

Learn how to take the Fastlane to Success

I came across this book on Instagram.

I did not make a million dollars after reading it, nor did the author promise I would.

But its an awesome book, MJ De Marco really brings out the importance of a side hustle.

He shows exactly how creating a business can impact one's life and others.

It's a no-bullshit book. I loved this book very much.

The Roadless Travelled by M. Scott Peck

Change your Perspective

I read this book when I was having some serious personal issues.

It showed a different perspective on life and religion.

I must say as someone who was a seeker for years, Religion has not been a kind experience. This book has really helped me in this area too.

Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Understanding Money

He is one of my favourites. I have heard people criticise him, I think people have their share of critics.

But this book really helped me appreciate the power of Management and Entrepreneurship.

Understanding the meaning and value of time and the right place for passion.

I have read a couple of books besides this book by Mr Kiyosaki. It's a quick read and really informative.

In Conclusion

Yes, this is not a review of these books, But as a reader, I want to share how these books have helped me.

It is really useful to share ideas and also read insights from people who are more experienced and smarter.

Please do mention on my FB Page if you would like me to review any of the books on the list I shared.