Sonia Majumder

Firstly, hope the new year has been going well for you all! The new year for me has been filled with good laughs and an overload of Bengali food and sweets – it’s good to be back home. It’s also been great to slow down and reconnect with my family, siblings & childhood bestie. This year I have decluttered, recharged and simplified my life to become more focused and productive for university/assignments.

University has been keeping me busy, although it’s virtual due to the pandemic I have been enjoying the thought-provoking class discussions, learning new topics, meeting new lecturers/classmates and it does feel good to be doing well at school. But not going to lie I do crave face to face connection.

I am currently focusing on my long term goals, intentions and trying to grow daily. I thought to share some hacks that include apps and habits which has helped me focus and stay on track while studying and working from home. I hope you find it useful too!

Insight Timer – Meditation App for sleep, anxiety and stress

Starting the morning with Insight timer soothes my soul, mind and body to help me conquer the day ahead. An Insider article states 7 science based benefits of meditation including decreased stress and improved focus to name a few. Insight timer has the largest free library of guided meditation that helps cope with anxiety, improve sleep, manage stress and unwind with music. Some of my favorites that really help are: 1.Meditation music that include nature sounds such as the ocean, rain flowing stream 2.Sound healing music such as root chakra (energy) healing that uses vibrations to relax deeply 3.Guided mediation for emotional trauma & self soothing that helps cultivate appreciation and affection for ourselves, practice compassion, kindness and acceptance to change the way we think about our past negative experiences 4.Sound meditation that uses music to clear the mind 5.Imaginative bedtime stories to drift into dreamy mind experiences and 6.Chakra meditation which can unblock energy centers in our body.

Yoga or Walk – Move the body the mind will follow

Practising yoga or going for a quick walk for 20 minutes a day helps boost my mood, relax the mind and reduce stress. Intentional breathing brings our attention to the present moment, get out of our head and get into the flow of your body and movement. According to Harvard health publishing ” yoga brings mental health benefits such as reduced anxiety and depression.” Moreover “it strengthens parts of the brain that play a key role in learning, memory, attention, awareness, thought & language”

Notion – Productivity, project management and notetaking software

Notion is like a little black book that helps organize your whole life in one place. From goals, task list, habit tracker, content calendar and writing to name a few which you can access on your desktop or mobile through the app. The free notion plan allows to create from beautifully designed templates for students, design, marketing, product management, sales, personal and more. It helps plan, keep track of everything and write all your thoughts.

Be Focused – Focus timer for work & study

Be focused follows the Pomodoro technique – a productivity system that stops you from being distracted and helps focus on tasks. You can create a to-do list of task you would like to accomplish, set a timer for 25-minutes where you focus on the task and avoid all distractions such as social media, emails and texts. When the timer rings take a 5 minute break to stretch, grab a coffee, breathe or check social media. After every four Pomodoro’s take a longer break between 15-30 minutes. The best part is you can track your progress to see how you progress daily.

Spotify – Lift your mood

Music is therapy. Who doesn’t love Spotify whether you want destress, chill out pump your day up there is beats for every mood. It’s a great way to shift mental and emotional states. According to a Time article “music selectively activate neurochemical systems and brain structures associated with emotional regulation, attention and memory that promote beneficial changes.

Pinterest – Visualize & Get Inspired

Pinterest is a “place to explore inspiration” and save images on a board. I have created boards such as home, travel, art, vision/goals, romance, art and fitness to visualize and put me in a good mood. An article by the Huffpost states “visualization requires you to want something, perceive it and believe in it. overtime once you are working towards your goal, put energy into visualization it will shift your life in a positive direction. Mental imagery and vision boards have been used by athletes and successful people to achieve their goal.

Flipboard – World’s Stories

Flipboard is gives latest world stories that are personalized according to your interests with a seamless experience. I love that it’s a flip board where you can collect stories and turn it into your own little magazine. The best part is you get latest national publishers such as “The Washington Post, ESPN, National Geographic, NPR, TIME, The Atlantic, BBC, CBS, NBC and thousands more” all in one app. If you want a quick update and read latest stories on the go some articles are a 3-5 minute read.

Blinkst – Key Ideas from Books in 15 mins

Blinkst app is great if you have a hectic lifestyle but want to gain key insights and improve your knowledge in 15mins from non-fiction books. It is focused on self-help, happiness and success in business. It summarizes the book in small chunks and makes you feel good that you have accomplished reading and learning each day. Small habits makes learning fun if you don’t feel like reading a whole chapter or book.

Declutter – Your home, room or workspace

Less is more. Decluttering has powerful mental health benefits and allows us to “focus on what matters, promotes productivity, improves mental and physical health. When everything is organized I feel more in control of my life allowing me to focus better on my tasks for the day. Start small, get rid of excess stuff and be minimal. I also find surrounding my room with earthy tones such as beige and green soothes, calms my mind and mood.

I hope you enjoyed this quick guide. Let me know how it goes in the comment section below!