22 Delightful Tips to Live a Smarter Life

Today’s world is full of distractions and bad advice. From obsessing over social media to stressing over money, it’s all too easy to lose sight of what really matters in life.

Here are 22 tips that can help you live a smarter and more fulfilling life.

Set Goals Every Day

For more efficient time management, you will want to first set goals for your day. Once you have those set, you will then be able to prioritize more appropriately and get rid of distractions that may prevent you from achieving them. Make these goals SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely.

Cut Down On Social Distractions

Social media has become a large part of our lives in today’s time. We spend a lot of time scrolling through our timelines and newsfeeds, checking up on what everyone else is doing and if they’re having any fun. Social media can be a great tool, but you should also be mindful of how much time you want to spend on it and if there are ways that you can cut down on it. Delete apps that you don’t use often or don’t contribute anything of importance to your lifestyle and limit your screen time each evening.

Stop Wasting Time on People Who aren’t Good for You

We often allow toxic people into our lives; however, it’s important not to waste time on people that just drain us. Whether it’s a family member or a friend, you should set some boundaries on behaviour and certain topics which you no longer want to be involved with. If needed, remove yourself completely from the situation.

Sleep for 7-9 Hours Per Night

Sleep deprivation often has a negative impact on your health and daily activities. To make sure that you get enough sleep every night, you should try to go to bed at a regular time every night and wake up at the same time every morning. This will also set your body’s circadian rhythm and allow you to feel more refreshed and energized throughout the day.

Exercise Frequently

Exercise releases endorphins into your body which will make you feel happier and more relaxed. It can also improve your mood and boost your immune system to fight off disease more effectively in the future.

It doesn’t have to be anything strenuous – simply go for a walk or go on an outdoor adventure to burn some calories and clear your head. You can also participate in activities like yoga or pilates for low-impact exercises that will still let you burn some calories and improve your overall health at the same time.

Practice Mindfulness

Whenever you’re stressed or worried over an upcoming event or task, or you’re just in the middle of a difficult day, you should try to practice mindfulness. This essentially means slowing down and taking deep breaths to clear your mind and make sure you are in the present moment. You can do this by walking outside to clear your head or listening to music to help you calm down and relax.

Take a Nap

If you’re constantly feeling tired or fatigued throughout the day, you should try taking a nap. You’ll be more refreshed and alert after a 20 to 30-minute nap and will be able to refocus and get back to your daily activities more effectively.

Schedule Your Free Time

Some people have a tendency to overwork themselves to the point that they don’t have any free time left to enjoy themselves or spend time with their loved ones. It’s important that you set a schedule for yourself and stick to that schedule so that you don’t end up overworking yourself. If you set aside one hour each day for browsing social media or one hour per week for watching a TV show, make sure you stick to that schedule and don’t end up wasting your precious time browsing social media hours past your allotted time.

Create a Daily Plan

To prevent yourself from feeling overwhelmed by your daily routine, you should start creating an outline of your morning and night activities before going to bed at night. Doing so will help you stay organized and will prevent you from forgetting any important tasks you need to complete the next day. Make sure that you also prioritize the most important tasks because you don’t want to do work on an activity that isn’t important or urgent since that will only waste your time and efforts.

Get Rid of Unnecessary Items

Living with excess items will only make it more stressful for you in the long run because you’ll need to find somewhere to store them. It will also make it a hassle for you to move around since you’ll likely have too much stuff for the space provided and won’t be able to find the things you need when you need them the most. Cleaning out your closet and donating unwanted items will not only make it easier for you to find what you need but will also help you get rid of things that you no longer need or have use for anymore.

Let Go of Stress

Take a moment and write down some of the stress-inducing situations you face on a daily basis. You should write down your biggest stressors and your possible solutions to overcoming them and getting rid of them permanently. Once you’ve done this, you should write out a plan of how you are going to overcome these stressors and get rid of them. These may include delegating some of your tasks, taking a vacation or hiring professional help to help you get rid of them.

Do Tasks in Batches

Instead of trying to do multiple tasks simultaneously and switching between them, you should prioritize and work on one task at a time until it’s done. For example, if you’re writing a series of articles on the same topic, you should focus on just writing down your initial ideas in a freeform style into your document editor first. Don’t worry about editing as you go or sourcing images at the same time, as it will slow down your workflow. Your productivity will be significantly boosted if you focus on doing one task at a time and completing it before moving onto the next one.

Limit Your Email Checking Time Each Day

Emails are often one of the biggest distractions for a lot of people because they get bombarded with emails throughout the day and are constantly interrupted when checking their emails. Try to check your emails during your designated time slot and try not to check your emails throughout the day. This will not only help you stay more focused on your current tasks but also be more productive with your time since you will only be dealing with emails at certain times throughout the day.

Use Positive Affirmations Daily

Positive affirmations will help you improve your attitude and outlook on life. You can either write them down or say them out loud to yourself every morning to remind yourself of the positive things about you and your future goals and how you can achieve those goals if put in the proper efforts to do so. Positive affirmations will help you stay positive throughout the duration of your daily activities and will also help reduce anxiety and stress.

Simplify Your Finances

In order to successfully live a smarter life, you should first start managing your spending habits and your finances better. To do this, you should get rid of the unnecessary expenses from your life such as subscriptions or items that you don’t really need anymore. You should also set aside a budget for yourself and stick to the set budget each month to prevent you from spending more money than you have.

Cook Meals at Home

As much as possible, you should cook your meals at home instead of eating out or ordering take-out. You’ll save a lot of money and calories this way and will also be able to control what goes into your food. Besides that, it will also save you a lot of time since you won’t have to go out or wait long for your meal to be delivered to you.

Drive Only When Necessary

With petrol prices going up you might want to explore more economical and environmentally friendly options when running errands or going to work. Explore other options such as carpooling or public transportation or you could also consider walking or biking if you’re close enough and it’s safe to do so.

Learn About Yourself and Your Personality

By learning about yourself as a person and what you like, you’ll be able to live a smarter life by doing things that will cater to your strengths and your personality. For example, if you enjoy spending time outdoors, you should try to spend more time in your national park or exploring your hometown during the weekends. If you would rather spend your time indoors, you should plan a trip to explore museums or art galleries in your city. Learning about yourself will also allow you to live a smarter life by learning how to manage yourself better and overcoming some of your weaknesses.

Set Goals to Accomplish Them

By setting yourself goals to achieve, you’ll be able to live a smarter life by working towards something and achieving it. Whether it’s finding a new job or saving up enough money to go on vacation next year, you have to keep these goals in mind and work towards accomplishing them. Set short-term goals as well as long-term goals for yourself and make sure that you plan your steps to achieving them properly. This will give you a sense of accomplishment and confidence in knowing you have achieved something you wanted to.

Reduce Clutter and Mess

Whether you live in a big or small house, it’s a good idea to start reducing your clutter and mess since that will only clutter your mind and make you feel more disorganized and stressed out. You should start by organizing and cleaning up your room and sorting your belongings to reduce the amount of mess you have lying around. You should also reduce the use of paper in your home and try to use digital files instead of paper files whenever possible.

Start a Hobby/Interest

If you have an interest like fashion or cooking for example, you should start blogging or writing on these topics because doing so will help you boost your knowledge about the topics you’re interested in. Blogging will give you a sense of fulfilment and accomplishment and will help boost your confidence. You will also be more likely to take initiative and learn new things about topics you are really interested in.

Find Some Me Time

Everyone needs some time to themselves to de-stress and relax from their daily stressors and responsibilities. You should try to set aside some time for yourself each day and use it to de-stress and relax. This can be done through meditation, exercise or even just by sitting down and enjoying some peace and quiet by yourself. This will help you clear your mind and feel more refreshed and energized to take on your next daily challenge.

Hopefully, this list has provided some great ideas and tips on how to live a smarter life. These tips include things like managing your time, minimizing clutter, managing your stress, and just overall ways to live a smarter and more fulfilling life every day!