Researchers found that in families where both spouses work, individuals who spent more time doing housework reported higher evening cortisol levels (a biochemical correlated with stress) and poorer afternoon-to-evening recovery.

While husbands often spent more time on leisure activities than their wives, the study also indicated that when husbands help out with housework this can lead to lower stress levels for wives (although slightly higher stress levels for husbands). In addition, husbands whose wives spent less time on leisure activities had better after-work recovery times.

There a couple lessons here. One is that a cooperative household where both husbands and wives share housework is better for overall reduction of stress rather than an uncooperative household (where one spouse has a significant more amount of work than the other). The second lessons is one that I frequently mention on this blog: leisure time is important for life satisfaction (and, my guess, probably overall productivity as well).

But here’s the thing. People always say they are too busy to enjoy themselves. They come home from a rough day at work to find more and more chores to do: pick up kids from school, help with homework, cook, clean, pay bills, etc. But I believe that however busy you may be, it is absolutely necessary that you find time for leisure and relaxation. Here are some suggestions to help get work done and still find time for relaxation:

• Find ways to divvy up the work (have kids do small chores, carpool, etc.)
• Try to only focus on tasks that are absolutely necessary.
• Don’t let your inner clean freak get the best of you. Cleaning the house once a week should be fine.
• Make a schedule and leave time to actually enjoy yourself.
• The kinds of breaks you take are important: 20 minutes of meditation may be more rejuvenating to you than watching 2 hours of TV. Try new things and find what works best.
• Conscious practice over time can build a stable routine.
• Try to see if you can make some chores more fun by blurring the line between work and play.
• Also lower stress levels by taking more quality breaks during your workday (start by checking out this list of 50 Stress Relievers That Take 5 Minutes or Less).
• Don’t be afraid to take a 30-60 minute nap (when done right, it can boost alertness and productivity).

Again, these are just suggestions. And I realize some of this stuff is commonsense, but it’s worth reminding people about. I find people often underestimate the importance of leisure, but it’s something that – in my mind – is crucial to both productivity and life satisfaction. We need to know how to recharge our batteries. I’ve seen people just try to “push through” ridiculous work schedules; maybe sometimes it’s necessary, but it shouldn’t become the norm. Focus on smart work, not hard work, and part of that intelligence definitely includes well-spent leisure time. Enjoy yourself.

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What’s wrong with that? Well, some may say that blogging distracts us from our “real work” or our “real job.” Blogging in this case is seen as just a hobby, and thus it is considering a pleasure, not a mode of productivity.

But is this even true?

I believe blogging actually makes us more productive, not less. Just because we aren’t making a lot of money doing it doesn’t mean that we aren’t being productive. And just because something is self-serving doesn’t mean it can’t also benefit others. Blogging exemplifies both of these points.

This is why I have compiled five main reasons why having a blog makes you more productive. These reasons include:

Each of these will be expanded on below:

1. Organizing Your Thoughts

A blog is basically a diary with a public audience. It provides an outlet to share our experiences and expand on our thoughts.

When we write about these aspects of our life we are allowing our brains to better organize our mental world, to make better sense of it, and to think more lucidly about our life situations. This can lead us to better problem-solving skills, a more goal-oriented lifestyle, and a clearer understanding of what we really want out of life.

2. Exercising Creativity

Our blog is our creation. Sure, we may have a default WordPress theme, we may have borrowed some pictures from Flickr.com, and we may even quote from different news articles and blog entries. But when it is all said and done: it is our creation! We were the ones who found all the resources and put them together in a way that we envisioned.

Some are more creative than others, but there is virtually no limit to the things we can do while maintaining a blog. We can write, take photos, record videos, design, manufacture products, and so much more. Blogging is what makes it possible to combine all these elements all in one place.

3. Networking

If we are consistent with what we do then we are bound to cross paths with others who have similar interests. This can lead us in all sorts of productive directions. We could run into someone who gives us a helpful suggestion regarding a current endeavor. We may even run into our future business partner.

Nowadays good networking skills can get us almost anywhere in the workplace. Even if we don’t connect with someone directly through our blog, the skills we develop while networking with others will carry over to other areas of life as well.

4. Better Spent Freetime

How would you be spending your freetime if you weren’t blogging? Would it be watching TV, playing videogames, or surfing YouTube? Which do you think is more productive: blogging or what you would most likely be doing if you weren’t blogging?

You could be writing about anything and I would wager that you are being more productive, and that you are provoking reality to a much greater extent, then if you were just sitting in a near vegetative state passively consuming various mediums of entertainment. This isn’t to take anything away from the enjoyment of a good movie or a hilarious Youtube video, but – in terms of productivity – blogging is the better choice.

5. Visiting Other Blogs

If you are like most bloggers then you probably also like to visit other people’s blogs too. And of course, just like your blog provokes the interests of its readers, other blogs are going to provoke your interests as well. The blogosphere is filled with quality, thought provoking, and mind expanding material. I have only been blogging for 6 months and I already feel much smarter because of it.

There is a blog for just about anything you could possibly be interested in. Do you like obscure music? Do you need business tips that come from the heart? What about advice on how to pick-up women? The blogosphere has it all, no wonder it is the newest and most popular way to disseminate information across the net.

Conclusion

I hope you are now convinced that blogging is an activity that can benefit anyone. Whether you plan on creating a business out of it or just pursuing your own personal pleasure there is something to gain if you are willing to dedicate the time.

There is no moment in time inherently worth more than any other moment in time. It is your own judgment of value on how you should spend your time, and not anyone else. However, I will give some advice as to something that I have spent much of my time neglecting, and the consequences I had to face because of my misallocated time.

Time Spent With The Body

If you are anything like me, you probably spend way too much time on your computer, watching TV, reading, or find other ways of being physically inactive. With so much technology to distract us we sometimes forget that we have a body to take care of too.

Our bodies are always with us so it is easy to take them for granted. We cater to its needs when it calls for them – food, sleep, and warmth – but when it comes to keeping our body’s prepared for long-lasting health we get forgetful, or just plain lazy.

Technically, we spend every waking moment with our body. But when I say to dedicate time to your body, I am talking about the time spent attending to your body. Our attention is one of the most important tools we can use for self-improvement, without it we are unaware of our dissatisfactions and shortcomings. But when we shine our beacon of attention we become enlightened to the things that make us dissatisfied and we are given the opportunity to correct them. Without attention (and in a broader sense our awareness), time would be meaningless and valueless.

Mindfulness of Time = Attention

To attend to the body is to experience the body at the most basic of sensations. If one is stretching or flexing, it is really important to pay close attention to the muscles involved in that movement as they expand and contrast. This not only makes one more familiar with their body (building a heightened awareness to the body) but it also helps to optimize your effort exerted onto the body.

There are over 600 muscles in the body from the eyebrows to the toes, and they all deserve time attended to – appreciated. This comment isn’t meant to encourage tedious exercises that account for each and every muscle, but to instead encourage a certain mentality that the body is a constantly unraveling gift and a terrain that calls for much exploration.

Everyone – athletes, muscle builders, casual exercisers, couch potatoes, and all in between – should pick up the habit of being aware of the body as often as possible. When in daily routines such as cooking or cleaning, remain mindful of the movements your body makes and how its parts are designed to move with elegance and mechanical precision. Be awed and bewildered. This does not only help the body but it enriches the experience of even the most seemingly mundane and repetitive of tasks.

Also plan for time where you are not busy and can go into greater detailed attention of the body. My favorite time to do this is early morning. Before I begin any kind of work, I first set aside no more than 20-25 minutes just to dwell on the body. I stretch, bend, twist, and flex my muscles to awaken them; I give them my gratitude for all they offer to me (this is a mental event, a perception and act of will).

Don’t be afraid to push your body to its “limits.” I am not encouraging you to pull muscles but to acknowledge when certain movements begin to shift towards sensations of stress or pain. It is important you explore these limits and to push yourself (in a healthy and mindful manner) so that you come away from your session learning something new about the body. You may find a previously foreign motion that acquaints you to a muscle you did not know of before. Maybe you didn’t realize you could bend in that way.

Do not force anything, but don’t be too surprised if you discover things that you were unaware the body was capable of. These are signs that you are on the right path.

How should I get started? Should I follow a daily regimen?

Most exercise programs encourage persistence and dedication by following a mostly-rigid schedule. This is where my opinions most diverge away from popular consensus, and thus I hope I explain myself clearly.

For some, it is easy to jump right into a rigid regimen and stick with it for extended periods of time. For others like myself, we are slow adapters and need to ease into change at our own pace. My advice for this section will be mostly geared towards these “slow adapters.”

As a slow adapter, the first thing that you need to accept is that any change in the right direction is still a change in the right direction, no matter how tiny of an increment it may first seem. Remember, as cliché as it may seem, a snowball that builds as it rolls down a hill still started as a lonely snowflake.

The smallest and most effortless change one can make to get started is to simply examine one’s body. I prefer a full-length mirror (provides the most accurate presentation of how you look from a third-person perspective) but it is also important to acknowledge how you look when you look down on your body from the first-person. Do not turn this opportunity as a method to criticize your body and hamper your self-esteem. Instead, try your best to passively observe yourself with little to no judgment. You may note dissatisfactions, but balance it by noting an equal amount of things you already like about yourself.

If you find things you don’t like about yourself that you are mostly powerless to change then learn to like them – they are a part of you and there is no reason to show yourself anything but unconditional love; people that love themselves are immediately more attractive than those who do not.

Pay particular attention to the things you do not like about yourself but have the power to change. Also make a note on how much effort you may need to invest to make the change.

Some things you will find you can get started on right away. For instance, if you find yourself over or under weight then you can begin to make changes in your diet (again this can happen over small increments, there is no rush to the finish line unless you find out from a physician that you have habits that have dire health consequences that require immediate change – but this is not often the case). Maybe you find that you have acne or poor skin on certain areas of your body, you could then try out a new face wash, seek medication, change your diet, or try to get more sun.

You’ll notice that for most dissatisfaction you have multiple options on how to improve them. Begin to experiment with exercises, diet changes, time spent outdoors, drinking more water, hygiene products, even your mental states.

I’m throwing a lot of ideas out at once. This isn’t intended to overwhelm you, but to keep your mind open to all the possible ways you can make small and seemingly effortless changes, as well as the changes that will require effort but will be well worth it.

In the end, I want you to make changes at your own discretion and good judgment. Do not underestimate your intelligence and your will to do the right thing. There is no natural law that requires you to listen to others in order to improve yourself; sometimes the answers are right in front of you – stay mindful of this.

Miscellaneous tips

I will now take the opportunity to jump around between subjects and throw ideas at you that I have found particularly helpful in my own, ongoing journey of self-improvement and health.

Know your body. This goes back to observing yourself as well as remaining mindful of your body throughout the day. Learn things about yourself from a personal, anecdotal perspective – how do you react to certain foods, how do certain foods make you feel, what parts of your body are weak or strong, do you feel any aches or pains, how do you feel after you exercise, keep track of your energy levels throughout the day, etc. Keeping these kinds of things in mind is going to help you to monitor yourself throughout your day as well as give your body the opportunity to tell you when something is wrong or right. Let your body speak, keep your senses open, and keep the line of communication between mind-body strong.

Do research. You can know your body from a scientific perspective too. What have studies shown about the health benefits or consequences of certain foods? What do experts have to say about certain exercises? Learn how your metabolism works, what muscles there are in the body and how you can exercise them, and other things to consider in the environment that effect your body (such as weather, pollution, noise and other potentially stressful stimuli, pets and animals, plants, too much TV, and whatever else).

Always keep the body somewhere in your mind. Don’t let it slip away for so long that you forget about it. Health should be a top priority so get used to thinking about the body often and the things you can do to take better care of it.

Get encouragement. If you are the type of person that isn’t the best self-motivator than seek the help of others. Find a friend to join a gym with you or agree to run with you on certain days of the week. Try to find a friend who is in a similar position. Ignore friends that discourage you. If you notice a friend is not keeping up with their promise to exercise with you, and this bothers you, then find someone else to work with.

Final Thought