There are a few factors which influence how your hair looks and feels.

These can include genetics, your environment and, most importantly, your diet.

We’ll touch on the first two briefly in this article, but what we’re focusing on right now are ways in which you can use food and natural supplements to give your hair the best possible chance of looking and feeling its best.

First, let’s ask a simple question: What exactly is hair?

In the simplest terms, hair is formed of a kind of protein called keratin. Keratin isn’t the kind of protein you would expect; it’s tough, and is made to function outside of your body for months at a time.

That alone is a pretty incredible feat considering what most of us put our hair through on a daily basis.

Each hair begins life inside a follicle at a base point called the hair bulb. Blood vessels feed nutrients to the bulb, and from there cells begin dividing to make a hair.

This happens for up to 150,000 hair follicles (the number can vary based on hair color).

Overall, the human body is covered in around 5 million hair follicles, with men having a few hundred thousand more than women.

Once a hair has grown, that’s pretty much all she wrote for that little guy. Your scalp does continue to produce a slightly oily substance called sebum which is needed to protect and lubricate hair, but that has its limits. 

If you’re really looking to try and influence the look and feel of your hair, then you’ll want to start on your diet.

Can A Vegan Diet Really Make Your Hair Healthier?

Absolutely it can, although it can be a slow process. Once a hair is out of your scalp and grown, there’s very little you can eat that will affect it, since it’s essentially just a long bundle of protein.

What eating the right kinds of foods does is to prime your entire body and those all-important follicles and bulbs for healthier hair growth next time around. That’s why when you start to eat a more hair-healthy diet, you’ll start to notice real results after the first month or two.

Top 6 Vegan Foods for Healthy Hair

While there are a lot of promises online about what might and might not work for your hair, it really comes down to the basics, especially when the needs of a vegan diet are considered. Here are 6 foods you can start with to help you see results in a few months:

1) Almonds and Almond Butter

There are few foods that are more hair-friendly than almonds. Considering how hair is mostly protein and both skin and hair thrive on the presence of vitamin E, almonds are an excellent choices for getting both in. Just a tablespoon a day is enough to help gradually strengthen newly-forming hair.

2) Spinach

Packed with zinc, magnesium, potassium and calcium, spinach also helps with that all-important sebum, which acts as a natural lubricant for your hair. Spinach is a true superfood and what it does for your body as a whole will show in your hair.

3) Oatmeal

Oats are high in fiber, zinc and omega-3 fatty acids, making them an ideal addition to your diet generally. Yet this is especially the case if you struggle with thin or weak hair. Look for organic oats wherever possible.

4) Lentils

This vegan favorite is also loaded with biotin and zinc, which when combined can help to strengthen hair from the roots, making it thicker and more robust.

5) Nuts and Seeds

We’ve mentioned almonds already, but if you’re not a fan of those, check out walnuts, pistachios, and hazelnuts. As far as seeds, look into sesame, pumpkin and sunflower seeds. They’re all rich in an array of hair-loving vitamins and minerals, along with protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

6) Sweet potatoes

The beta-carotene in sweet potatoes is an awesome defense against dry, dull hair. Try them roasted or replace your regular mashed white potatoes with sweet potatoes instead.

A Few Supplements for Healthier Hair

If you are interested, there are also a supplements you can take for healthier hair, too. Some of the ones aimed at hair specifically are great, but often a little overpriced. All you really need are the basics, including:

• Vitamin E
• Biotin
• Calcium
• Iron
• Vitamin A

Just make sure to check how the supplements are made to make sure it’s vegan friendly!

Other factors affecting your hair can come from your surroundings. If you travel a lot, then pollution can do a number on your hair, making it appear tired and dull. Smoking and secondhand smoke are also terrible for the health of your hair. Avoid smoke when you can and wear either a hat or bandana when travelling to and from work to protect your hair from the elements. Consider some of our tips for healthy and natural hair, if you’re worried about products and environmental damage.

You’ll want to reduce your stress levels, too. Being stressed out has a body-wide impact, which manifests very visibly in your hair. 

Of course, good hair health is a complex topic and will require more research still. For more healthy hair tips, visit Groom+Style’s Art of Hair section.

The Art of Tidying Up: A Complete Guide to a Decluttered Life

Many are finding that household clutter can make them feel as if their life is out of control.

We frequently permit consumer goods to take in more area in our homes than we do. often sufficient, these gadgets are underutilized and needless, which is a disgrace in view that cluttered and disorganized space burden our minds.

They can cause lethargy, time waste, low feelings, anxiety, and even health problems.

Human beings have a tendency to sense overwhelmed when there is too much muddle surrounding them. that is because we experience the need to control the whole lot such as our things and our surroundings.

Overly cluttered or disorganized regions give us an excessive amount of to control. muddle is a visible distraction that forces us to attempt to cut up our consciousness among needless stimuli.

This can cause us to feel stressed out, while decreasing our ability to finish our tasks or even relax. Psychologically, clutter can induce feelings of anxiety, guilt, and embarrassment.

On top of that, some organization experts have found that clutter can ruin your diet through stress responses, enable overconsumption, and in extreme cases, cause potential respiratory issues and fire hazards.

On the grounds that litter may be a subject of embarrassment, it is also a potential cause of social isolation and bad spending habits, because it allows conduct of ‘retail therapy’ or impulse purchasing.

Clutter infiltrates and disrupts other areas of our lives as well, such as self-care, health, and our ability to perform daily tasks, particularly cooking and hygiene-related activities. For those with small children, clutter can even pose a hazard.

Cluttered Life?

It’s easy for even otherwise very organized people to accumulate too many things.

Clutter generally accumulates around you when you aren’t paying attention. Not having a strong organizational system can make us easy victims of clutter, since our hobbies, goals, and the fine touches of our lifestyle add up.

Clutter refers to the things around your home that don’t add value to your life. While decluttering means that you’re technically getting rid of your stuff, it can be a positive experience as it makes more room for things that matter to your life.

Many find decluttering to offer stress relief and a sense of accomplishment, clearing the mind and freeing space. Additionally, decluttering is a great opportunity to evaluate what you really care about and enjoy, which can help you save money in the long run, as you avoid purchasing items that you don’t need or enjoy.

What We Learned From Watching The Art Of Being Tidy

While Marie Kondo offers great advice for deciding how to organize your home and creating a space that relieves your burdens, one of the most important things we learned from watching Tidying Up is not to let nostalgia dictate your decisions.

Tips for remaining in the present while decluttering:

• Find a buddy to help you declutter.
• Don’t keep something you don’t like just because it was a gift.
• Ditch feelings of guilt.
• Make digital copies.
• Repurpose objects of past significance by donating them.
• Trust your own memory when it comes to people and events.
• Start a scrapbook to keep minimalistic reminders of sentimental experiences.

Decluttering Mistakes to Avoid

• Starting too big with your decluttering project. Going straight to your worst clutter spots can make you feel overwhelmed. Instead, start small with a basic desk or workspace. Starting small offers direct results from your tidying practices. These smaller accomplishments will help you feel good and keep you going.
• Procrastinating your donation, trash, and recycling removal. It’s easy to let procrastination stall us at all levels of the process, making us slow to get started and follow through. Try to take anything that you intend to donate directly to your car so that you will remember to drop it off when you are on the road.
• Trying to organize before decluttering. It’s impossible to fully organize excess. In other words, buying organizational tools and drawer dividers won’t help you feel more organized if you still have too many things. It’s best not to try organizing before you do the lion’s share of your decluttering process.
• Starting by going shopping for organizational equipment. Buying your storage containers and new organizational systems before really spending time in the space can lead to overspending and more things that you don’t need. It’s best to declutter and strategize your organizational system before purchasing the equipment.
• Getting too touchy with items we intend to get rid of. The more we touch and hold onto something the harder it will be to get rid of it, even if we haven’t picked it up in years. Be mindful of this tactile attachment.
• Forgetting that decluttering is a process. Your first go through with tidying may just scratch the surface, and that’s okay. You may not get picture-perfect organization results your first time, or ever, unless that’s really what you want. Remember that decluttering is meant to make your home comfortable and more relaxing for yourself.
• Not prepping yourself with garbage bags and recycling bins. Getting rid of your stuff means that those items need somewhere to go. It’s best to have you designated bins ready so your decluttered items don’t migrate to somewhere else in the house. This will also help save you from losing your organizational progress.
• Letting the ‘one-year’ rule run your life. The one-year rule is a staple for decluttering. The idea behind it is that if you haven’t used something in a year, it’s time to get rid of it. In some cases, this way of thinking works really well, as we grow out of some of our hobbies and interests or find that some things just aren’t for us and we don’t intend to return to them.

However, when it comes to the one-year rule, you have to trust yourself.

We have some necessities in our homes that don’t surface every year, such as tools and first aid supplies.

Furthermore, only you know the pattern that your life and the past year has taken. If you’ve found yourself in a slump or have been focusing your energy on other things, decluttering doesn’t mean giving up on your hobbies.

The decluttering process offers you time to reevaluate and reorganize your time and goal management. For example, let finding your abandoned DSLR be a reminder to start carrying it around again and shooting pictures everyday.

Decluttering Tips and Ideas

• Make a plan for your decluttering and organizing process. If you know that you have a long decluttering process ahead of you, it’s useful to set goals or make a plan. Depending on your personal style, you might set a deadline for yourself or mark the calendar with particular dates for tidying. If you think that decluttering a space will take more than a few hours, give yourself more time to deal with it.
• Begin with a starter zone. Declutter one space or room at a time to avoid the general feeling that mess is everywhere and overwhelming. Your starter zone can be a counter or workspace. After decluttering the starter zone, you will know where everything that pertains to this zone goes, making it a great place to start your other decluttering projects.
• Try to visualize the room. When it comes to picking your organization and any decoration elements, remember to keep only the ones that bring you joy. Maintain a calm decoration scheme by imagining what the room will look like after you finish.
• Create an Inbox to cut down on the paper mess. In most homes, paper mess makes up a majority of clutter, including mail, bills, magazines, and other documents. It can be helpful to have a designated inbox where paper clutter like this goes until you are able to fully sort, read through, and reallocate these materials digitally or into files.
• Use a three-box method. As you declutter and clean, separate your items into three boxes. The first box is for items that you plan to keep, the second for items that you plan to toss or get rid of, and the last box is for items that you intend to put into storage containers. Those who are reluctant to get rid of their stuff might also consider a ‘maybe’ box. ‘Maybe’ boxes can be a more gentle way of evaluating how much you need something.
• Categorize items across rooms as you go. Categorizing as you go will help you promote organization throughout the house. This allows you to store your items near where you will be using them and keep like items together.

Questions to Ask When Decluttering

• Will your daily life be affected if you let go of this thing?
• Is it worth the space that it takes up?
• Does it add value to your life?
• Does it bring you joy?

What Should You Get Rid Of?

• Use the 80/20 rule. The 80/20 tells us that we only really use and enjoy twenty percent of our things for 80 percent of our time. Consider what falls into that twenty percent, your favorite clothes, your most-used pots, pans, and knives, the books you prefer to read. Prioritize this 20 percent, and get rid of anything that you can’t remember using or haven’t used in over a year, especially if you have duplicates.
• Sometimes we keep items around purely because they were expensive or we remember how much they cost. This can make us keep clutter on account of guilt. Actually using the items would make good on that investment, but there are some items that we buy that we never use. While you can sell these items, it’s best to let go of those costs and think about what you really want to keep.

Room by Room Decluttering Guide

Every home has surfaces and corners that accumulate the most clutter. The thing is, we often get so used to the clutter that we don’t notice it.

If you’re looking for inspiration and help brainstorming regarding decluttering, sometimes it can really help to change your perspective.

We tend to get used to the look of our own homes, allowing us to ignore the build-up of clutter until it becomes overwhelming.

If this is the case, it is helpful to take photos of your rooms and spaces. This will give you a new perspective to help you strategize your organization and use of space.

For each room, try to stay within a fairly uniform style and color scheme.

Clutter doesn’t just mean mess, in some cases it can refer to clashing styles or colors. These clashes can be overstimulating, causing the same problems with rest and relaxation that one might otherwise encounter in an unclean or overly cluttered space.

This doesn’t mean that each room needs to be monochrome, but it’s helpful to pick an attractive neutral and focal color combination for each space that will help you decide on the room’s overall look and decor, such as soft-blue and light beige.

Bedroom

Bedrooms become an easy place to shove everything that you don’t want visitors to see. However, a cluttered bedroom can inhibit our sleeping patterns and add stress. Here are some tips for decluttering the bedroom.

Use Furniture Wisely

If you have a night-stand, use its drawers for nighttime routines and clothing essentials.

The best organizational systems are easily accessible. If it’s too difficult to practice a system, then it will fall apart quickly. There are some goldmine storage areas, such as below the bed, which can easily become disorganized due to being difficult to reach. One way to make under the bed storage more accessible is to put wheels on the containers you use for storage.

Use slim shelves to hold odds and ends. Deeper shelves encourage the kind of stacking that makes a room feel weighty or too full. Slim shelves can hold many objects with odd shapes and sizes while also keeping the room’s appearance light.

Keep Surfaces Clear

Make a habit of clearing off dressers and finding homes for all the things on it. It will help to have specific places for dirty clothes, mismatched socks, loose buttons, and other odds and ends. These homes can even be compartmentalized within the dresser drawers by decluttering the drawers using drawer organizers.

Declutter jewelry. You’re less likely to wear jewelry items when there are too many of them or they are tangled together. Not only is organization a must in this respect, but it’s also a good idea to go through any jewelry that you haven’t worn in over a year. The 80/20 rule applies well here too.

Use attractive containers to hold your everyday essentials, such as lotions and tissues. These containers can sit on your nightstand to consolidate the number of items and bottles.

Make Places for the Clutter

Keep a laundry basket in your room for dirty clothes and make sure that the clothes land there rather than on the floor.

Put a catch-all bin in your bedroom. For those who are prone to clutter, a catchall bin is a place you can put any object that needs to be put back in its home later. However, it is necessary to empty and replace objects from this bin at least once a week.

Make an empty space or a section on your shelving for magazines and catalogs that you haven’t gotten around to reading. This will give them a home and keep them from cluttering the coffee table.

Home Office

Home offices are the frequent victims of errant papers, forms, receipts, documents, and unanswered mail. These papers clutter surfaces and make it difficult to actually work and focus in the home office space.

It’s necessary to clean up the paper clutter.

This probably will require a lot of recycling, and even developing a filing organization system for documents that you want to keep. As you begin, sort the papers into appropriate piles, including recycling, to-do items, shredding, and filing. You might also consider scanning any documents and receipts to store them digitally. There are even apps that use your smartphone camera for easy digital filings, such as Evernote or Scanbot.

If you’re uncertain how to get started decluttering your office, here are a few common culprits of office clutter:

• Outdated Technology – This refers to old power cords or devices you no longer use, outdated software, as well as broken technology you haven’t gotten around to fixing.
• Unreliable Office Supplies – Bad pens and other office supplies that don’t work reliably or that you just don’t like, as well as office supplies that you were given for free but that you never use.
• Empty Ink Cartridges – It’s time to take them by the office supply store and recycle them.
• Outdated Reference Materials and Books – User manuals and old books that won’t benefit your life or help you make future decisions.
• Desktop Knick-knacks – It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that personalizing your desk with knick-knacks will help you enjoy your work more. While a good atmosphere can definitely help get you into your flow, having too many things on your desk can be extremely restrictive to that flow. Clutter can decrease your concentration, and reduce the space you have to actually work on your projects. There are other places for knick-knacks, such as a slim floating shelf on the wall of the office.
• Misplaced Objects – It’s best to have a home for everything that you want to store. This will help your workspace from being overrun by craft and art supplies, broken objects that need fixing, and anything else that finds its way onto your desk.

Steps to Digital Decluttering

While we’re looking at the home office, it’s a good idea to spend a day devoted to tackling digital clutter, since digital disorganization can cause us stress as well.

Organizing digital clutter can come in a variety of forms:

• Clear out unused applications – If there are applications that you never use on your devices, it’s a good idea of clear them out. This will free up space, and could give other benefits, such as extending your battery life. This also extends to browser plugins and extensions.
• Commit to a few major organization applications – Narrowing down your organizational and productivity applications will help you keep your information, content and files from spreading across multiple storage spots. Narrowing down your applications to only what you need and use, you can make sure to keep this information in one accessible place.
• Clean-up temporary files – It’s a good practice to go through your computer to empty the trash, delete temporary files, browser history, and cookies.
• Go through your files – Clutter and hoarding tendencies can follow us to digital space as well, especially since many find that digital storage doesn’t feel as real as our actual closets and cupboards. This makes it easy to download things we don’t need and keep documents that we never intend to look at again. To organize your files, go through and categorize your files into folders and categories. Computers simplify this decluttering process by letting you know the last time you opened a file.

Develop a Paper Filing System

Designate a filing inbox space for any papers that come in that you will need to act on. Paper can be sorted into this particular space and taken care of from there.

Try making labels to develop an organizational system. Make labels for everything, including cords folders, binders etc. Categorize your office supplies and organize your drawers accordingly, so that you know where to look for what you need when you need it. If something doesn’t have a coherent label or category, it might be clutter.

Remove items from the desk, even organizers, if you aren’t using them. You should prioritize this space for being able to work in it and not being bogged down by clutter.

Implement Cord Management

There are many possible cord management systems. If cords are a problem for you, it’s best to evaluate your space before deciding on how to store and manage your cords. This might include setting up an electronics hub, decorating your cords, or finding crafty ways to hide them.

Closets

When it comes to decluttering your closet, it’s best to start with the foundation. This means starting at the bottom of the closet and working your way up.

If you’re tidying a closet that’s used for storage, such as linens, a pantry space, or a storage space, it’s tempting to try to pack everything you can into these spaces as tightly as possible. This, however, makes it a frustrating and time consuming task to reach these items. Instead, it’s best to organize your closet spaces for utility. This might mean having less on your shelves so that it’s easier to reach everything you need.

Steps toward a closet overhaul:

1. Gather basic organizational supplies, including bins for trash, recycling, and donating.
2. Take everything out of the closet.
3. Clean, dust and vacuum the closet.
4. Sort items into organizational piles.
5. Decide whether you intend a new organizational plan or a simple declutter. This is a good time to develop a plan for ongoing organization. Knowing your plan like this will make it easier to implement moving forward.
6. Replace items according to your plan, grouping similar items together and creating accessible places for items that you use or wear most often.

Thinning Down Your Wardrobe

Eventually, as you work your way through your closets, you will have to confront your wardrobe. As you sort through your clothes and shoes, there are a few questions you can ask yourself:

• Does it fit? Is it uncomfortable (itchy, scratchy, gives you blisters)?
• Do you still like it? Would you wear it?
• Is it torn, stained, ripped, or damaged?
• Have you worn it in the past year?
• Does it give off the image that you want to project?

It’s common to like an article of clothing, feel and look good in it, and still never wear it out because it doesn’t fit with your image.

For the most part, there’s no reason to have these clothes unless you’re ready to change how you dress. Wardrobe clutter and disorganization can also make less likely that the clothes you do like and want to wear are readily accessible.

Separate your clothes into piles, such as keep, try on, and give away.

You can also have a pile for seasonal clothing that goes into storage for much of the year. Decreasing your wardrobe most likely won’t make your clothing choices boring. Instead, having fewer items that you really enjoy will make it more likely that you invest in higher quality clothes that you really enjoy. Don’t forget to evaluate your seasonal clothing at the end of the season. This will keep you from storing items that you never intend to wear.

Kitchen

Kitchen clutter doesn’t just refer to the inside of your fridge.

It might also be cluttered counterspaces, cabinets full of toppling container towers, and utensils that you only use once a year.

Start with the surfaces by decluttering the countertops.

Counterspace is essential for meal preperation, so try to clear your workspaces of everything but a few essential items. This might be a coffee maker or essential countertop microwave (or better replace the countertop microwave with an over the range microwave).

Find homes for everything you cleared off the countertop.

Store kitchen items closest to where you will be using them. This might mean putting cooking utensils close to the stove and baking supplies near your stand mixer. Then go through your cabinets and purge any items that you haven’t used in over a year.

When it comes to small appliances that you love to have, such as your waffle maker or ice cream maker, consider how often you use it.

The rule of thumb is that if you haven’t used it in the last year, then get rid of it. This is also a good time to go through plastic or storage containers that don’t have lid matches and get rid of those containers that drive you crazy with leaks and other problems.

Bathroom

Decluttering a bathroom generally refers to purging unused items and organizing them so that they don’t end up on shelves or countertops.

If you have a small bathroom, it’s best to keep only things that you use daily in it. Store other items, such as a first-aid kit, in a coat closet or other accessible place.

Objects to Declutter in the Bathroom:

• Towels
• Cosmetics
• Hair accessories
• Lotions and skin-care products
• Hair and nail products
• Trial-size bottles
• Cleaning supplies

Get rid of anything that’s expired. This can include expired makeup and any cosmetics or containers that you have multiple bottles of, as well as lotions and pills from your medicine cabinet.

Add in Organization and Storage

Create organizers, shelves, and compartments for your daily-use items to keep them off the bathroom counter.

For example, the bathroom is one of the pleasant locations to invest in a drawer organizer, considering that many of the objects contained are likely to roll around or get messy. Take a look at the gadgets which you need to prepare for your drawers, and then find a drawer compartment in an effort to healthy these objects. Don’t forget about wall space and a vertical garage for things like hair-care appliances. You could additionally make extra garage space by putting a shelf above your toilet door.

Garage

Garages often require deep cleaning throughout the tidying process. Weather permitting, one of the best ways to do this is to empty out the garage. Cleaning, mopping, and dusting the garage for most homes will go a long way toward tidying up. This will also help you find and collect odds and ends that might be littering the floor. Cleaning also gives you entry into the decluttering process, as you come up against items that you may not be sure why they’re there or why you are keeping them.

Taking everything out of the garage allows you to have a deeper evaluation for workable storage ideas, such as wall shelving, possible hanging opportunities. This fresh perspective will help you see how you will ultimately organize the space. Alternately you may try starting in a corner and working your way through the garage.

Get rid of junk. It’s very easy for junk to migrate to the garage in the interim stage between wanting to have it and ready to let it go. When it comes to decluttering the garage, it’s time to finally kick out all that unnecessary clutter. Since garages do tend to be a dumping ground for homeless objects, this is another place to have a catch-all bin that you go through weekly. Since the garage is one of our go-to places for long-term storage, it can force us to ask hard questions, such as where we see ourselves in the future or which hobbies we intend to continue.

Once you have decluttered, you can add more storage. This will give you more places and crafty storage options to put things. Make use of vertical space throughout the garage as much as you can. This might include wall-shelving or hanging.

Labeling will assist you discover what you want and make sure that things are placed within the proper place. you may even divide your storage into zones where positive spots indicate what’s saved there. Zones would possibly include automobile components, cleansing substances, sports activities system, and tools.

And while you’re cleaning out your garage, make sure you take a look at your car as well. Just like you maintain the working parts of the car, you should maintain its appearance as well.

The World’s Foremost Experts on Decluttering

Peter Walsh

Author of Lose the Clutter, Lose the Weight

Sometimes hailed as a therapist as well as a home tidying contractor, Peter Walsh recognizes that the drive to buy consumer goods is related to what these goods seem to promise for our lives.

“It’s not necessarily about the new pots and pans but the idea of the cozy family meals that they will provide. People are finding that their homes are full of stuff, but their lives are littered with unfulfilled promises.”

Ideally, the things we have should help us live the life we want. This decluttering method aligns well with goals setting and personal development.

Walsh’s Tips:

• Tackle the master bedroom first, so that it fulfills the vision you have for your life.
• Don’t procrastinate and start now, even if it means just doing a little bit.

Julie Morgenstern

Author of: SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life

Julie Morgenstern recognizes that much of our clutter is sentimental and tied to self-identity. She explains that:

“Often these are things that represent who you once were. But once their purpose is over, they just keep you stagnant.”

Julie Morgenstern’s decluttering method emphasizes personal growth and self-development through letting go of the restrictive past that objects can hold in order to continue development and create a new calmer sense of self.

Morgenstern’s Tips:

• If you’re trying to make a change, think about how to make that change stick before and after the decluttering process.
• Follow all your decluttering with the strong organization.

Marie Kondo

Author of: The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Marie Kondo is an organizational consultant whose book and recent Netflix show set off a focus on decluttering and organization throughout America.

Her technique is a two-step process. She first asks you to put your hands on everything you own and evaluate whether it sparks joy. If it doesn’t, then you thank it for its service and find a way to remove it from your home. Then, place all your joyous items somewhere that they’re visible and accessible. This creates homes for your items so that you can easily grab them and put them back in place.

Kondo’s Tips:

• Declutter in categories instead of rooms. For example, work through all your cleaning supplies, all your books, all your clothes, all your sports equipment. This will help you truly evaluate what you need and what you don’t.
• For clothes in your drawers, try a vertical folding technique. This will allow you to see all your clothing options at once while also respecting your clothes as neat and enjoyable packages.

Sally Walford

Author of: The Clutter Monster

Sally Walford focuses on creating rooms of calm and inspiration. Her focus is on the house and its features in order to create calm spaces and reveal the character of the home.

Walford’s Tips:

• To keep the bedroom relaxing, make it a paperwork and even computer-free zone.
• If you’re having a hard time letting go of objects in your home, it might be because you haven’t examined and let go a sense of guilt that you carry about those objects.

Helen Sanderson

While many tidying experts are consultants and authors, Helen Sanderson brings the practice closer to home with a home declutter kit to help anyone get started with their own decluttering process.

Sanderson is concerned that our clutter keeps us from calmly engaging with our underlying creativity and possible projects and potential. Her tips ask you to strike at the heart of the matter, with those things we keep because of our belief that they will help to promote our public image.

Sanderson’s Tips:

• Try making your bedroom a no technology space.
• Similarly, having too many books in your room, aside from the one you’re currently reading, can be a burden on your mind and feel like work.
• Get rid of unused cosmetics, and keep only what you’ve used in the last six months.

Decluttering may be a cathartic interest with lengthy-time period rewards that decorate our productivity, deliver us an area to loosen up and enjoy our lives, and help us discover the proper organizational tools to accomplish our desires.

The Efficient Wellness Routine Guide for Busy People

Putting together your ideal wellness routine is all about forming healthy habits in tune with a schedule that best benefits your life and goals. Habits drive everything, from what products we buy to how we interact with our loved ones. The key point of efficiency is to make the most of our time. And we’re not just talking about clearing those tasks off your work desk. We’re talking about the time you schedule to yourself to move, work, and feel better in the long run.

The more we advance with our goals, the more long-term they become, and we expect more from ourselves. Nonetheless, the studies are in, and if we want to be good at anything, from fitness to cooking healthy and inspired meals, we need to dedicate time to practice and training.

The Importance of Routines and How they Help Your Busy Life

Choosing the healthy option isn’t easy. You’ve probably heard, time and again, that humans are ‘creatures of habit.’ There is a lot of truth behind this idiom, since when it comes to decision-making we generally prefer routine over novelty. However, our brains do not automatically discriminate between the good and bad habits.

This means that routines and schedules are the glue that binds our good habits together and eliminate activities that waste time or set us back from our goals. Routines are ways to structure your day so that you spend more time doing all the things that you want to do, and less time procrastinating.

On top of that, making a routine of something difficult allows you to normalize it in your schedule. Repetition will always make your tasks easier, whether it’s that dreaded leg day at the gym or meal prepping your lunches for the week.

Creating new routines also help us remain mindful of how we are spending our time. Often when we have an existing habit, it becomes automatic and we don’t always notice ourselves doing it. If you are trying to improve your morning routine or cultivate new habits, one of the first steps to eliminating wasteful activities is to be tracking where your time is going.

How to Start Adding Better Habits Into Existing Routines

Small reminders can keep you present and help cue new habits that you want to develop. These reminders could be anything from a sticky note on the fridge reminding you to have some fruit with your morning toast, to the use of a habit tracking application on your smartphone.

One way to successfully implement new parts into your automatic routine is to base your tasks on a time or a context cue. Time is the easiest to track, since you can set alarms to perform certain actions at certain times. For example, you might set an alarm at 7:45 am to go on a 20-minute jog.

However, time cues tend to be less flexible than context cues, which are better for performing actions that are contingent on other parts of your routine. This means that you cue yourself to do a task, before or after you do an already established habit. For example, if you have trouble remembering to floss regularly, you could tie a new flossing routine to your already established routine of brushing your teeth.

The Benefits of a Healthy Routine

Healthy routines are built on goals, which help you direct your life toward more ideal situations of your choosing. Without routines, goals, particularly those that benefit us in the long term, are much more difficult to accomplish. You can create routines tailored for any goal, from better sleep patterns, to better eating habits, and a more consistent exercise routine.

The goals are to create automatic processes, or habits, that cause us to fall back on healthy choices for ourselves without having to think about it. Once we have established a positive wellness routine, we won’t have to make the hard decisions about how to be healthy, it will seem to come naturally.

Additionally, routines can help you track your progress toward more subtle goals. For example, a goal such as weight loss is easy to quantify and track. However, toning and muscle building goals are more difficult to observe in the short term. Routines can help you stay on track and even find a way to record and reward yourself for more subtle goal progress.

Top Nine Mistakes People Make When Creating Routines

1. Being Inconsistent

Consistency is the most important predictor of whether you develop a strong routine or fall off the bandwagon. Consistency in our actions is one of the ways that we wire our brains to form habits. In fact, the same neural messengers that create automatic habits also regulate appetite, memory, and moods.

The part of our brain that controls habits and conscious decision-making (the basal ganglia) will side with habits, unless it’s incentivized to change its ways. Since we are so resistant to change, the only way to create a stable wellness routine is by consistently establishing good habits and weeding out the bad.

2. Not Rewarding Yourself or Rewarding Yourself Too Much

Achievement and reward are the powerful drivers of establishing a routine. When we feel a sense of achievement, our brain releases dopamine, which is a neurotransmitter that makes us feel good. Since your brain perceived benefit from the activity, it will want you to do the activity again, thus helping you to form a habit.

Rewarding yourself in this way is simple but depends on what motivates you personally. You need to find some way to acknowledge your success, without using another destructive habit. For example, it’s destructive to reward yourself for a gym visit with ice cream every time, as appealing as that may sound. It’s more constructive to find a reward that doesn’t set you back on your goals.

To-do lists are a common method people use to manage their personal chaos in a way that reduces stress levels. When you check off an item, it will trigger a dopamine response, and you will likely feel a sense of accomplishment. Certain types of people respond best to gamifying their routine.

You’ll know that you’ve managed to form a habit when you require fewer rewards for doing it. Incentives will be less important for motivation as healthier choices become automatic.

3. Letting Decision Fatigue and Stress Dictate Your Habits

Stress and distractions not only decrease our motivation, but they also cause us to resort to our most basic, least taxing, and likely unhealthy habits. Days of strenuous decision-making requires a lot of work from our executive brainpower. When we are tired of making decisions, we fall back on our habits.

In other words, stress increases our reliance on habits, whether good or bad, while simultaneously making them more difficult to change. Our habitual reaction to stress might be to get our breathing in check and do some yoga. However, we often find ourselves engaging destructive, unhealthy, or pleasure-seeking habits after a long day.

This is sometimes called decision fatigue. After a long day of making decisions, we may feel overwhelmed and make bad choices, such as eating unhealthy or indulgent foods. A combination of awareness and forming better automatic habits can help you to alter these patterns.

4. Constructing Meaningless Routines

It’s important to know why you’re doing something. If you want to wake up earlier, it’s good to have a reason or achievement behind it to strengthen your resolve. For example, waking up earlier could help to increase your productivity.

On the other hand, if you don’t have a reason for your routines, you will be more likely to undermine them. We only have so much time in the day, so construct routines that are meaningful for you and your goals.

5. Letting time encroach on your activities

Whatever you’re doing, focus and willpower are both important for achieving your goals. This means you can’t begrudge the time that you spend on your activities.

Instead, it’s best to give each activity your full focus, and don’t feel bad about taking that time, whether it’s time to cook a healthy meal, time to go to the gym, or simply time to shut the door, meditate and get yourself in a healthier headspace.

6. Talking to Others About Your Routine or Not Talking About it Enough

Sharing your goal or routine with each other can be helpful or destructive to the goal, depending on the person and the way that you choose to share it. This study found that it’s best not to talk too much about your goals, since sharing them with each other can give you a premature sense of accomplishment, making it less likely that you’ll complete your goal.

On the other hand, telling someone about your goals can be a good way of holding yourself accountable. Many people are more incentivized by the fear of letting someone else down. Many people have been able to develop transformative routines by putting themselves in the public eye to remain accountable, such as documenting their progress on social media or by blogging.

7. Being Overly Critical About Your Progress

Moods can be habitual too. Overly critical or discouraging moods can demotivate you and set you back from developing your routine. Instead, speak positively to yourself about your ability to make changes.

Sometimes too much criticism can manifest from expecting too much of yourself too soon, so pay attention to your expectations, mitigate them where necessary, and acknowledge what success you do have.

In fact, too much criticism can increase the negative effects of ego depletion. Ego depletion is when a person’s ability to regulate themselves becomes eroded over time, due to not exercising their willpower. Essentially, when we fail to say no to ourselves, we decrease our ability to make those hard choices. At the same time, frequently telling ourselves how badly we’re doing, causes unnecessary stress levels to our ability to exercise our willpower.

8. Incorporating Too Much Too Soon

It takes time to establish a routine. While routines will make us more efficient in the long run, the process can be slow to start with. This is because we have to learn something thoroughly before we can become truly efficient at it.

Most routines become difficult and unmanageable when we try to incorporate too much too soon. This can create stress which leads us to fall back on our established hobbies. Or, sometimes, it works only in the short-term as a vacation from our everyday life but is untenable with a long-term schedule.

Begin developing your routines with only a few changes. Prioritize activities that will form the base of your routine. These will be things that you can organize the rest of your wellness routine around, such as standardized waking and bedtimes, a basic gym schedule, using a planner, or cooking dinner five times a week. Then, when you’re more comfortable with those changes, you can add more and expand. At this point, you might add in morning meditation or journaling, a weekend yoga class, and more long-term meal prep.

9. Denying Enjoyable Activities

Thinking that your routine is denying you something that you enjoy is one of the quickest ways to break it. Routines need to add something to your life in a way that fulfills you. Telling yourself that you’re being denied something will make you want it more.

Instead, reframe everything as a purposeful choice. Rather than caving into the unhealthier option, tell yourself that you have decided to do something different, and remind yourself of your motivations. This way you can see the substitutes as just as rewarding as the thing you are craving.

How to Improve Your Morning Routine

• Wake Up to Your First Alarm. Snoozing your alarm may seem like a comfy option in the morning to seize some last minutes of sleep, but this can actually be a destructive waste of time. This is because once the alarm goes off, your sleep cycle has already been interrupted. Your best option is to wake up to your alarm, which will add some precious minutes to your day. If you have trouble waking on time, try stretching first thing in the morning, particularly your spine, to get your circulation flowing.
• Start Your Day with Calm. Remember that our moods are automatic brain functions developed based on routine as well. If you usually wake up and immediately feel a sense of stress and frustration about your tasks, you need a routine that helps you relax from the stress levels. Try setting yourself a cue to relax and practice meditation or mindful breathing. One powerful way to start your day with calm is to not check your phone until a set time or whenever you eat breakfast.
• Wake Up with a Purpose. Know what you want to do ahead of time, so you can start your day with purpose. Use the night before to prepare the specifics, such as what you’re going to eat, what exercise you’re going to do, or what book or newspaper you’ll read.
• Add Some Lemon into Your Morning Water. Water should be the first thing that you drink when you wake up. Adding lemon to it gives your body an added bonus that boosts energy levels and nutrient absorption in the stomach. It also adds a nice flavor to get you to drink down that cup of water first thing.
• Wear a Wristwatch to Keep Track of Time. An actual wristwatch (there are many stylish digital watch options available) will save you from wasting time and risking distractions and bad habits when clicking on your smartphone to see the time. Staying focused while checking the time is as easy as looking down at your wrist.
• Don’t Multitask. Attempting to multitask could be decreasing your efficiency. Most of the time, when we think we’re multitasking, we are rapidly switching between the two different tasks without allowing ourselves to focus. You might be able to listen to a podcast when you’re meal prepping, cooking, or exercising, but when you need to do tasks that have a more cognitive load, such as creating a task list, reading, or writing, that same podcast will make you less effective at doing either task.

Important Parts of Every Routine

One of the best ways to put together your ideal morning routine is to make a list and consider all the activities that you do each week. Look for areas where you feel that your time is wasted or activities that you don’t enjoy or feel good about. Then, start activities that you would like to do more or make part of your daily routine. This is the best way to make sure that the routine you design fits well into your own lifestyle and personal development needs.

Exercise

We all know the importance of exercise, particularly for those of us with more sedentary jobs. However, the real question is what’s the most efficient way to raise our heart rate daily and when to do it.

For most people, exercise will fit best into a morning routine. Exercising in the morning gives an additional boost to your metabolism and mental acuity. One of the best things about exercising in the morning is how you can dedicate time to it without the risk that other tasks will override it later in the day.

Others will find exercising to be most effective as a nighttime routine, allowing them more restful sleep at night. And for some of the busier folks, exercise can be squeezed into the daytime, with a yoga break from the office or a jog around the track wearing a weighted vest.

Best Exercises to Start Your Morning

Since your time in the morning is limited, it’s best to find exercises that will give you the most benefit for the time you put into them.

• Take a Walk – While walking isn’t high intensity, it has a lot of benefits in the morning, including offering you a calm space to clear your head or making time for you to walk your dog. In order to get real exercise gains out of walking, you will need to walk at a pace that challenges your cardiovascular system. One good thing about walking is that it can get your heart pumping without making you too tired before your workday.
• Go for a Jog or Run – Many people enjoy running in the morning to relieve early signs of stress levels, get the blood pumping, and burn calories so that you can enjoy the rest of your day. This is also a great activity to help get you outside if you normally find yourself spending a lot of time indoors.
• Do a High-Intensity Interval Routine – If you want to do a full workout in the morning HIIT is one of the best ways to maximize your time. Most HIIT workouts last thirty minutes, making them the perfect fit into a morning schedule. Additionally, these workouts often require minimal equipment, relying primarily on calisthenics, so you can do them at home.

 To get started with planning a morning HIIT routine, incorporate some of the following:

• Lunges
• Walkout Planks
• Power Push-Ups
• Jump Squats
• Leg Lifts
• Crunches
• Mountain Climbers

Yoga (or Acoryoga)

Yoga or acroyoga (which is just yoga with a partner) engages the body’s flexibility, strength, control, and breathing practices at the same time. It can be practiced at any time of the day and requires only as much space as you need to roll out a mat. While sun salutations are traditional to wake the body in the morning, more strength-based power yoga or vinyasa flows can fit into almost any interval of time.

This practice is also beneficial in its ability to incorporate stretching and flexibility into a routine, which many gym-goers sorely need. Doing yoga for thirty minutes to an hour in the evening after work is an amazing way to shake off work stress and start new before heading home for your evening routines.

Meditation

Meditation is extremely beneficial for a daily routine since it is able to help you balance your state of mind to alleviate stress and anxiety while also increasing your productivity and creativity. Meditation doesn’t always mean sitting in place or practicing silence. This is one tradition, but meditative practices can take other forms.

The most important part of meditation for your mental health is that it allows you to enter a state of flow or awareness only for your focus activity.

Beneficial creative practices such as journaling offer a powerful meditative influence. In fact, meditating on gratitude, such as that encouraged by the recent use of gratitude journals, has shown tremendous benefits for positive mental health.

It doesn’t have to be all words, however. Many practices prefer to meditate with images or by developing mental scenes, atmosphere or feeling to influence the mind. This also allows for drawing and each other components of the visual arts as meditative practices.

We also can’t forget listening to and playing music as a powerful way to engage with our inner life and enter a state of flow. Someone who routinely practices a musical instrument for fifteen minutes a morning can achieve a similar sense of clarity to that felt by runners who jog to clear their mind in the morning.

Healthy Diet

Routines that prioritize a healthy diet often begin with cooking for yourself more frequently, instead of ordering takeout or eating prepared foods. However, we tend to associate cooking healthy food as requiring more time than our other healthy routines. To cook for ourselves, we need ingredients, so we must go shopping. To know what to get at the store, we need to know what we plan to make, which means spending time meal planning. Then there’s the cooking, which can be time-consuming.

While this is all true, creating a routine can help greatly to cut down on time waste. With your routine, you will fall into a style of meal prep and food choices that make things easier for you in the long run. Once you have a few key dishes under your belt the rest will come quickly. In the end, spending ten minutes one day a week to plan can save you from making unhealthy choices and wasting more time throughout the week.

When you’re relying on your own cooking and trying to stick to a schedule, things are bound to go awry some of the time. Your fresh ingredients might spoil or an emergency might pop up that keeps you from cooking fresh food that night. In this case, it’s important to keep yourself stocked with a reserve of your own healthy and homemade freezer meals sealed with your own vacuum sealer. While processed freezer foods from the store are likely to contain added sodium, trans fats, and other preservatives, freezing your own food allows you to keep a backup of nutritious and convenient meals. 

If you’re running short on time, you don’t have to spend a whole day making food for the freezer. Instead, whenever you prepare something that would make a good frozen meal, such as a vegetable casserole, baked spaghetti, or a hearty soup, make it a double batch. This will only add a little time to your already planned meal prep, and it will give you a whole meal to keep in the freezer for emergencies.

Smoothies

Smoothies offer a quick morning option that can incorporate any vitamin, mineral, or level of protein you need in the form of fruits, chia seeds, nuts, non-dairy milk, protein and collagen powders, and even caffeine agents, such as green tea or coffee.

To create your most time-efficient smoothie routine, prep small containers with fruit and leafy greens portioned each day in the freezer, so all you have to do is drop the fruit into the blender. Keep your powders, supplements, and dry ingredients in tidy containers, so you don’t have to make a mess every time you reach for the protein powder, cocoa, or matcha. Additionally, opt for a blender that works quickly and cleans up easy so you won’t have to babysit it while it does its job.

Easy 15 Minute All-day Meals

• Overnight Oats – This oatmeal is meal prepped by adding oats, nuts, and healthy add-ins to oatmeal and milk overnight and storing it in the fridge. In the morning it will be ready to eat.

• Cauliflower Fried Rice – Grate cauliflower into a pan. Add diced up veggies and a protein of your choice. Crack an egg into it and continue to fry until cooked and tender.

• Southwestern-Style Omelet with Avocados – Add in all the veggies you want, including green peppers and onions. Then top with sliced avocados and all-natural salsa without added sugar.

• Smoked Salmon Wrap with Spinach and Garlic Dijon – Mix garlic powder into dijon until you reach the desired flavor. Wrap salmon and spinach, add capers and onions as desired.

• Hummus and Veggie Wrap – Make hummus in a blender and wrap it with fresh raw or roasted vegetables.

A Short Guide on What to Eat During the Day to Maximize Your Energy

One of the most important ways to keep up your energy level is to drink water throughout the day (filtered water if possible). Additionally, you can add herbal teas to your tea cabinet, including ginger tea which is an anti-inflammatory boost to the immune system and circulation.

Energy Options for Lunch:

• Hard-boiled eggs can offer enough protein to give your body energy for days. On top of that, we generally find them to be satisfying so we don’t leave hungry.

• Greek yogurt cup offers protein and can be paired with cinnamon, fruit, or granola.

• Raw fruit, including an apple or banana, offers energy and fiber while helping us to feel satisfied. 

• Spinach Salad. One of the healthiest leafy greens, spinach’s iron content will allow your cells to become more efficient in producing energy.

• Almond Butter this treat is packed with protein, potassium, and healthy fats. It goes well on all sorts of raw snacks or in your morning smoothie. 

• Pistachios and walnuts are full of proteins and healthy fats and offer a great small snack option.

• Dark chocolate has caffeine and mood-enhancing stimulants that can perk you up during the afternoon slump, just keep your eye on the sugar content.

• Warm Vegetable Bowl with Quinoa or Sweet Potatoes. Add together steamed or roasted vegetables with cooked quinoa or sweet potatoes for a healthy starch. Top it with your favorite protein, such as grilled chicken or salmon, and an avocado for added healthy fats to keep you going all day.

• Grilled Chicken Wrap. Combine your salad and entree into one hearty meal by putting together an easy to eat on the go grilled chicken wrap. Make sure to add in greens and dress it with your favorite salad dressing. Or, if you need more energy for a long work day, make it into a burrito with beans, brown rice, and avocado to keep you satisfied and functioning all day long.

Energy Options for Dinner

• Brown rice offers one of the most nutritious options for your carbs. It’s a whole grain to give you longer-lasting energy.
• Sweet potatoes offer more sustained energy than other potato varieties. Additionally, they help to curb a sugar craving.
• Shrimp is lean and high in protein, and it can be added onto most meals, including a salad, spaghetti, fajitas, or shrimp tacos.
• Fatty fish offer protein and fatty acids that help our brainpower. Try a tuna steak with a side of asparagus, or lemon salmon with a delicious caesar salad.
• Quinoa is a seed that offers high levels of protein and slowly absorbed carbohydrates to provide long-term energy.
• Pan-fried bananas can satisfy a craving for something sweet. Roll banana pieces in cinnamon and stevia. Then fry them in a non-stick pan.

Career

When it comes to your career, routines should be tailored around helping you achieve your goals. However, this may not always be so clear cut. For instance, you may not always be working toward a direct promotion.

Sometimes your career-based routines will be focused on developing a new skill or improving your skills and talents. You might make a plan to read a work-based article or newsletter once a week, or listen to a work-oriented podcast during your commute.

Other career-based routines might include limiting distractions, such as checking your email only a few times a day at routine times. You can also increase your workday productivity by positioning yourself away from distractions and working in places where you won’t be disturbed by others. 

One way to make the most of the time you spend on your career is to make a week-long routine that shapes your week.

In this wider pattern, you would dedicate each day to certain tasks. This might include special days for review, ideation, marketing, and meetings. Themed days will help you stay focused on your task even if you do get interrupted.

Planning Your Day

The best way to improve your efficiency in and out of the workplace is to organize your tasks. Some people thrive by setting times of the day next to their tasks, while others prioritize their lists, using color coding, tagging, and organizing.

There are many applications available to help organize large task loads. For some people, it can be better to use a pen and paper list, which tends to be less distracting than engaging with technology.

While it’s common in the workplace to answer emails first thing in the morning, many productivity specialists have found that this leads to a waste of time and a slow start on more focus-driven work.

If you find that answering emails slows you down, try reserving non-urgent emails for a designated time in the middle of the day. Instead, prioritize more difficult or deeper focus tasks earlier in the morning.

Setting Daily Goals

Goals help to keep us focused on what we want to do, what kind of life we want, and how we want to grow and progress. Setting at least three goals each day is the best way to take steps toward your bigger life goals.

Remember that when you set your daily goals it’s important to break them down into manageable chunks. This is the key to make progress toward deadlines at work, and it’s also the key for larger more long term goals, such as developing a skill.

Spending Time with the People You Love

Creating a routine of spending time with the people you love is a powerfully rewarding use of your time. This routine might encompass anything from having a dedicated game night (this could be anything from board games to a game of darts) with your family to a dedicated date night each week with your partner.

To plan this routine, consider what activities help you connect with each other. Consider your romantic partner, family members, kids, and friends. Routines can be as simple as talking to someone about their day, making a family meal, taking a weekend bike ride, or having an outing once a week to see a close friend.

One way to form strong relationships while you strengthen your goals and motivation is to become a resource for others. This will help you form a community that shares your interests and will hold you accountable to your goals. Helping each other make a positive change can inspire and reignite our own motivation, while holding us accountable as we form healthier routines.

Routine Tips from 10 Top Inspirational Blogs to Follow

1. Tina Haupert of Carrots n Cake recommends putting family time first, before checking her phone. Check out her quick and healthy morning meal recommendation of overnight oats.
2. Brittany Mullins of Eating Bird Food grounds herself each morning by tidying the bed before writing in a 5-minute journal first thing in the morning.
3. Shelby of Little Coffee Fox also starts her morning with journaling in what she calls her morning pages. She uses a planner method to remain productive throughout the day.
4. Marketing influencer and digital lifestyle strategist Jeff Bullas uses a five-minute gratitude application each morning. He recommends two hours of deep work in the morning before checking technology.
5. Holistic wellness influencer Aerial Lynn is a morning person who makes time in her morning routine for delicious and nutritious meals in the morning.
6. Lifestyle blogger Mattie James manages her morning routine of devotion, journaling, reading, and outlining her day, all before she wakes up her children and gets the rest of the day going. She advocates prepping everything you need the night before.
7. Some entrepreneurs thrive off of checking their phones in the morning and organizing their day accordingly, including K.G. Graham of COSIGN Magazine, who checks his emails, notifications, and social media applications in the morning in order to start creating his to-do list for the day.
8. Jason Gutierrez of The Monk Life goes to his office an hour early, where he focuses and writes on his own time as part of his personal growth goals. He emphasizes that your morning routine should be tailored to you and what you find to be most important.
9. Rachael DeVaux of Rachaels Good Eats likes to use her morning exercise to add some adventure and variety to her day. She switches it up between the gym, a staircase, or a home circuit.
10. Jason Loebig of Live Better reminds us that morning routines are our way of setting a purpose for our days and using our will to take control of our emotions and experiences. Above all, he recommends that you, “Find what works for you, not for someone else.”

The Ideal Morning Routine

Your morning routine helps to set the tone for the rest of your day. Rather than wasting this time, it’s important to use it to give your day direction.

For example, if you want a relaxed morning of stretching and meditation, plan yourself the time for it. If, on the other hand, you want to start moving right away, then you certainly should.

Remember, the key to a good morning routine is learning and doing what helps you get your day started, because a good start will help you work productively toward your goals all day.

• Make your bed and tidy the living space (5 min).
• Drink your first glass of water.
• Stretch and Exercise (20-60 min).
• Grooming (30 min) – Take a shower, shave and brush your teeth and make yourself feel fresh and look your best.
• Eat healthy breakfast (15 min) or try out intermittent fasting and put off eating until around 1 pm each day.
• Enjoy a cup of coffee with the news (15-20 min).
• Write down your day’s goals (5-10 min).

The Ideal Daily Routine

The ideal daily routine is something you personally can stick to despite the curveballs thrown by work, family life, and your own whim. If you have trouble sticking to a routine, use a habit tracker to better understand what you do throughout the day.

• Clean your workspace before beginning your workday for the best productivity (10 min).
• Drink water all day long.
• Work on your hardest tasks first (1+ hour).
• Check and respond to emails or handle other minor administrative tasks (1 hour).
• Take a lunch breaks and leave your desk (1 hour). Schedule a walk in your lunch breaks to get some air and stretch your legs, or go for a thirty-minute workout.
• Work on more creative things as you start to feel your ability to make decisions wane.

The Ideal Evening Routine

Your evening routine should prioritize your goals and spending time with your family. This is a time when we often slip up with our diets, so stay strong with your meal planning routine. Additionally, downtime is an important key to mental health, so don’t discount the fact that you need downtime.

Set yourself a sleep alarm for the evening. Developing a consistent sleep pattern is crucial to mental and physical health.

Working out hard will get you fit, as long as you give your body downtime to heal and regenerate. Without a consistent sleep schedule putting a toll on your body could cause stress reactions, rather than the strengthening and the positive physical benefits that you’re working so hard for.

Additionally, switch your phone to zero notifications at night so that you can get some rest without worrying about the next day’s plans.

• Exercise (60 minutes) – For those who like to take their time and exercise in the evening. Try to keep your exercise to the early evening. This will allow your body to recover throughout the later evening and promote good sleep patterns. Exercising right before bed, however, can spark your metabolism and give you a burst of unwanted energy that makes it difficult to get to sleep.
• Cook and eat a healthy dinner. (30-90 minutes).
• Spend time with your family or spend time on a hobby you enjoy. (1+ hour)
• Prepare for tomorrow (15-60 minutes) – You might pick out clothes to wear, making sure you have what you need for healthy breakfast, pack a work lunch, tidy the house, and set the coffeemaker for the morning.
• Read at night before bed (30+ min) – Reading is an amazingly healthy way to wind down and keep learning at the same time. Opt for a paper book to save your eyes if you’re reading late at night.

Conclusion

Forging your own wellness routine is all about knowing what goals you want to reach and finding the best way to remain consistent with your routines. Increased efficiency while doing our tasks will not only give us the time to get more done, but it will also help us feel a strong sense of accomplishment. Nonetheless, our best advice for you is to know what you want, strategize the best way to get there, and don’t let any setbacks get to you.

Oster is a famous home appliance company, which has been in the market since the 1920s. During World War II, John Oster decided to patent electric motors.

This opportunity helped him raise funds for his new venture. Once he had the capital, Oster bought a company named Steven’s Electric. They then changed the name of the company to Osterizer. This brand became the new face of hair clippers.

If you are buying clippers for your business, make sure to buy the best ones. Do not compromise on quality. Oster clippers have clippers in all price ranges. You will need high-quality motors that allow you to cut hair for a long time.

Oster offers both clippers with a cord and cordless clippers. Both have their pros and cons. Cordless clippers are more convenient and will allow you to move around with ease. But the battery might go off quickly. It might become a problem. You might have to ask your customer to wait till the battery charges.

In that case, the clipper with a 9ft cord will be better. You can plug it into the socket and keep cutting. Of course, the cable might come in the way. But if you have a socket close to the chair, it won’t be an issue.

Oster history and reputation

In 1920 Wahl was the most popular brand for hair clippers. They had patented the electric hair clipper.

When it came to hair clippers, Wahl had the monopoly. Oster wanted a piece of the pie. He decided to venture into the electric hair clipper market. John made some improvements to the electric hair clipper and began selling it under his new brand.

The market was soon flooded with Oster’s electric hair clippers. These clippers were lighter and easy to use. They did not make too much noise.

Barbers and ordinary people could use electric hair clippers. If you wanted to trim your beard, then you could buy these hair clippers. They were affordable and easy to maintain.

With stainless steel blades and a well-rounded grip, the Oster hair clippers became famous. Oster was now competing with Wahl. And that’s not all! Once John Oster realized the value of electric appliances, he began adding more products to his line. Today, Oster sells blenders, humidifiers, electric hair clippers, and so on.

The company has been making durable electric hair clippers for 100 years. Their century-long experience gives them an edge, and Oster does not compromise on quality. Instead, they provide value for money.

Even though their home appliances are well-liked, Oster is known chiefly for its electric hair clippers. With a century worth of experience, this brand is unbeatable. Their hair clippers are well-liked by professionals as well as individuals. Both Barbers and pet groomers rely heavily on Oster’s hair clippers. The high-quality products have sharp and durable blades. Its body is light and easy to grip.

Today, Oster is a household name. It has become synonymous with electric hair clippers. They make unique products for pet groomers.

Professional pet groomers mostly use the A5, A6 Slim, and A6 Cool. These trimmers do not make a lot of noise. It helps groom animals. They often become scared of the noise made by the hair trimmer.

Oster Pros and Cons

The Oster hair trimmer is specially designed for individuals. It gives you a clean shave. You can also style your beard using Oster clippers. Either way, these clippers are an absolute must-have!

Let’s take an in-depth look at the pros and cons of OsterPro.

Pros

• Oster clippers are durable. They last longer than most hair clippers in the market. Once you purchase an OsterPro hair clipper, you don’t have to worry about buying one for a long time.
• It has excellent motor power. The strength of the motor determines the quality of the shave. OsterPro’s motor runs at three different speeds.
• You can purchase one with a cord or without. The cordless clipper runs on battery. Its battery life is impressive. You can also buy the clipper with a cable. The cable is long and convenient.
• All their products are made in the USA. The quality is top-notch.
• You can use the Oster clippers on both wet and dry hair.
• Some Oster clippers are noiseless. They are not loud and can be handled with ease.
• You will get a one-year warranty for your Oster electric hair clipper.
• Oster also sells other grooming products. If you are a professional, you can purchase all your grooming products from one brand.
• They make hair clippers for pets. Professional pet groomers swear by their products.
• The blades of the clippers are easy to maintain. You can keep them clean and tidy. Oiling the blades is simple.
• Oster hair clippers are made out of metal, steel, and drop-resistant polymer.

Cons

• Some users feel that the clippers become too hot. If you use them for a long time, they tend to overheat.
• Not all Oster hair clippers are noiseless. Some are extremely loud.
• Individuals cannot remove the blades. They have to be taken to a professional to be cleaned.
• If you don’t oil your blades regularly, they will become dull.
• The clipper only comes with one blade. Other blades have to be purchased separately.

Featured products

Oster offers 14 different types of electric hair clippers. But, first, let’s take a look at a few of their most famous hair clippers.

These clippers also come with an array of accessories.

Oster Turbo 111

The Oster Turbo 111 is a universal clipper with a detachable blade. This single-speed clipper gives you a chiseled look. It cuts through the beard with utmost ease.

The Turbo 111 has an excellent grip. It is durable and drop-resistant. It comes with a 9ft power cord. The hair clipper comes with a blade guard, lubricating oil, cleaning brush, and clipper grease.

Oster Octane

The Oster Octane is a heavy-duty electric hair clipper. This clipper is cordless. It comes with a battery that needs to be charged. In addition, it comes with a dual battery charging base.

The Oster Octane boasts of Swiss engineering. The trimmer has a clear coat finish that protects it against fingerprints and smudges.

Along with the trimmer, you will get a rechargeable battery, cleaning equipment, the 000 blade, 1 blade, and a blade guard.

Oster Classic 76

The Oster Classic 76 is a universal motor clipper. This trimmer has a powerful motor. Professionals and individuals use it. It has a durable one-speed cutter.

The Oster Classic 76 is one of the most popular models. It comes with a 9ft cord. The clipper cuts through all hair types. You can use it on both wet and dry hair.

The Oster Classic comes with additional accessories. Lubricating oil, cleaning brush, blade guard, and clipper grease are all included with the clipper.

Oster Aspire

Oster’s Aspire hair trimmer is epic. It comes with an adjustable magnetic motor clipper. You get four different types of guide combs with the trimmer.

The clipper has a stylish, contoured body. Its magnetic motor allows you to get a wide variety of styles and lengths. In addition, Oster’s Aspire comes with a blade guard and a variety of cleaning accessories.

Oster WoodGrain Fast Feed

Oster WoodGrain Fast feed is a limited-edition hair clipper. It has an adjustable pivot motor. The motor is whisper-quiet. It is soft and makes very little noise.

It comes with a blade lever that helps you change the settings with ease. This clipper has an 8ft long cord. It improves your productivity. The trimmer lets you cut for a long time. You will also get a one-year warranty with this product.

Blades

Oster produces high-end blades. The blades are sleek and durable. These high-quality blades are made out of special steel. It is handcrafted with high-carbon steel.

Oster takes pride in its optimum quality products. They are optimized for performance and precision. You can use these blades on all types of hair. You can also use them for grooming animals. The blade cuts through the thickest furs.

Oster’s blades are sharp and long-lasting. They need to be maintained well. After each cut, you need to clean the blades. You can detach the blades and wash them with water. Once it is clean and dry, you can oil the blades. Wipe off the extra oil and put them back in the case. Oster provides lubricating oil with all its clippers. Make sure to use them well. If you don’t maintain the blades, they will become dull.

The blades that are made in the U.S are hardened to Rockwell Scale C. After which they receive a cryogenic treatment. This treatment hardens the blade further.

You can purchase all types of blades from Oster. You can use one clipper with multiple blades. Check the one that goes well with your trimmer. You can buy different blades depending on your needs. For example, if you are a barber, you might need a separate set of blades. The blades might wear out often. In that case, you can buy a set of blades from Oster.

Pet groomers require sturdy blades. Weak blades might not cut through the thick fur. Oster’s solid blades will cut through fur like butter. As long as they are well maintained, they will work like magic. Make sure your blade doesn’t rust. After using your clipper, dust off the extra hair and wash your blades.

Well-kept blades last for a long time. Professional groomers can choose from an array of blades. There are special blades from tiny animals and big animals. When you go through their website, you will find all types of blades.

You also have the option to buy special equine blades. You will also find special equine grooming kits on Oster’s website. Each animal has a different fur. Some have thick furs, while others have soft fur. It would be best if you had separate blades for all kinds of fur.

You can buy blades that suit your needs. You can buy both adjustable and detachable blades from their e-commerce store.

Motor

Oster clippers are famous for endurance. Whether you are a pet groomer or a barber, you will fall in love with Oster’s motors.

Some clippers come in three speeds while others come in one speed. You can keep using the trimmer for hours. The motor does not wear off quickly. The stroke per minute differs from clipper to clipper.

Some Oster Trimmers have 4400 SPM, while others have more. You can check the specs and SPM of each clipper in the description—the higher the speed per minute, the better the cut.

Ease of maintenance

Maintaining an Oster Clipper is easy. And the best part is clippers come with a maintenance kit.

Along with the clipper, you will also get a cleaning brush, lubricating oil, clipper grease, and a blade guard.

You can maintain your clipper with these simple steps.

Step 1: Clean the Blades

Once you are done using the clipper, brush off the hair from the blades. Now detach the blade and wash it with soap and water. Dry the blades properly.

Then brush off the rest of the hair from the clipper. Make sure you also brush inside. Do not wash the entire trimmer with water.

Step 2: Lubricate the Blade

After the blades are dried, add some oil to the blade. Make sure you oil it thoroughly.

The blades need to be washed and oiled after you finish using them. This step will keep the blades sharp. These blades will also last longer.

Step 3: Oil the Insides

Once you are done oiling the blade, make sure to grease the insides of the trimmer. Doing so will protect it from corrosion.

Rust can damage your trimmer. To make it last, you need to maintain it well. Good maintenance goes a long way.

Support and warranty

All Oster clippers come with a one-year warranty. If your trimmer becomes defective in a year, you can get it replaced.

Oster’s customer support is impeccable. They respond via emails and phone. You can email them anytime. They are also available on call from Mon-Fri 9 am-5 pm EST.

Oster 76 Hair Clipper Review

Conclusion

Professional pet groomers need to use their trimmers for hours. The consistent usage does not wear out an Oster Trimmer.

Hairstylists and barbers love Oster’s electric hair trimmers. If you are planning to become a hairdresser, you can start training with Oster hair trimmers. Many professional stylists have been using it for decades.

Oster keeps upgrading all their products. So no matter when you purchase a trimmer, you will always find a high-tech one. They are one of the leading brands when it comes to hair trimmers. Their strong blades and highly advanced motors make it a reliable buy!

Enjoying Responsibly Raised Meat: 3 Fundamentals to Live By (Plus BBQ Tips)

You might have heard that farming meat is one of the biggest contributors to global warming after fossil fuels, and while the carbon footprint of agriculture is large, there’s no need for you to go full vegan just yet (although as happyhappyvegan explains there are certainly many good reasons to adopt a vegan lifestyle). Why? Much like our energy sources, whether meat is sustainable or not depends on several factors, including these fundamental principles.

Fundamental #1: Industrial Farming Is Bad

We’re going to be fairly black and white in this article, but there are so many other complex points to consider, as well. In essence, what we’re saying here is that animals which are farmed en masse have a larger carbon footprint than those which are farmed in more sustainable ways.

What Do We Mean by ‘En Masse’?

Walk into any supermarket, and chances are the bulk of the meat on sale there will be from places (we hesitate to call them farms) where the animals have been fed grains, pellets, antibiotics and all sorts of other stuff.

Grains? Why does that matter? Animals love grains. Most animals will eat whatever’s put in front of them, and the problem with grains is that they’re an incredibly inefficient way of feeding animals. The amount of energy required to produce enough grain far outweighs the amount of meat produced. There’s an imbalance.

Grains — if you’re a subscriber to the paleo diet — are also not an ideal food source for humans, and if you feed animals on grains, it stands to reason that some of the inflammatory effects will be passed on via the meat.

A paleo-lover who eats grain-fed meat is selling themselves short.

Additionally, most of those grains are grown with the use of pesticides. Pellets and feed laced with antibiotics? If you need us to tell you why that’s a bad idea, we’ll save it for another day.

The bottom line here is that the environmental and nutritional impact of producing grain and pellet-fed meat is negatively disproportionate to the amount of and quality of food produced.

Fundamental #2: Grass-fed Meat Is Better

Animals which are free to roam and graze as they would in the wild have a smaller carbon footprint than the industrially farmed ones.

This mostly applies to cows and sheep, but chickens that roam and graze in the same way will forage bugs, greens and other scraps. This means they’re free of grains and pesticides, and will produce meat with a greater nutritional value. Pigs should be fed natural food sources as well as feed made without the use of pesticides or hormones.

We here at Groom+Style have so much more to say on this subject. You can find our entire article on the benefits of grass fed products here.

Fundamental #3: Quality over Quantity

You’ll pay more for organic meat, but it comes down to this:

If you care about the environment and/or your health, you cannot go on supporting a meat industry that is based on poor-quality, unsustainable meat and feed sources.

How to Choose Quality Meats

Now that you know how animals should be raised and what to look for, choosing the best meat is pretty straightforward. Below we’ll cover beef, chicken and pork.

Recommended: Check ThermoPro TP16 Meat Thermometer Price on Amazon

Beef

What taste and texture you get will depend on whereabouts on the cow that cut comes from. Meat which does more work will be tougher and generally less expensive. These are your stewing meats. The more tender cuts are the ones from muscle groups which don’t do as much work.

Chuck – One of the toughest cuts, but also the one which can offer massive flavor. It’s the one you’ll often find slow-cooked until it falls apart.

How to cook: Slow-roasted or in a slow cooker for several hours.

Brisket – Tough, cheap and totally worth it, just like the chuck. Brisket is best when slow-cooked or even slow-smoked over the course of the day.

How to cook: Slowly, either in a slow cooker or first grilled, then slow-smoked on a BBQ.

Top Sirloin – This cut, which runs along the back of the cow, is the best cut of the sirloin. There should be a good fat cap along the edge of the steak which will impart lots of flavor to this tender cut.

How to cook: Sear on both sides over a very high heat, turning at regular intervals until done.

Tri-tip – An awesome cut, named for its three-pointed appearance. This lightly marbled cut works well on the grill and should be rubbed with spices and charred.

How to cook: Grill, then rest and slice.

Short rib – Delicious and totally undervalued, beef short ribs can be slow-cooked and glazed for a real treat that won’t cost too much.

How to cook: Best when slow-cooked and glazed.

Tenderloin – One of the least worked parts on the cow, the tenderloin sits along the middle of the back and is extremely tender. You’ll pay more for it, but as a treat it’s worth it.

How to cook: Simply seasoned and grilled over a high heat.

Recommended: Check Husdon Professional Grade BBQ Chef Apron Price on Amazon

Chicken

As long as your chicken is organic and not pumped full of water, you can’t really go wrong. Some chickens are raised on corn, among other things, which can impart a certain flavor to the meat. That’s a matter of personal preference, but the most important things to look out for are:

• No added water.
• Not too big – Industrially farmed chickens tend to be big, but the meat is of low quality. Organic chickens are often smaller, but with higher quality meat.

Pork

All of the principles which apply to beef apply to pork. If it works hard, it’s tougher; if it doesn’t, it’s more tender.

Shoulder – Without a doubt, the best cut of pork for slow-cooking and shredding.

How to cook: Glaze and cook over a low heat for 8-12 hours.

Ribs – Another slow cooker favorite, ribs are fatty at first but will render to become succulent and delicious when slow-cooked.

How to cook: Treat it the same as the shoulder, in a slow cooker.

Fillet – The pork equivalent of the beef loin, this tender cut can either be cooked whole or sliced into medallions and fried. Great when topped with spices or even a bit of good cheese.

How to cook: Cut into 1cm thick rounds and cooked on the BBQ.

Chump chop – A flavorful cut which is the pork equivalent of a sirloin steak. You’ll need to cook it all the way through.

How to cook: On the grill. Cook it over a high heat to crisp up the fat.

No products found.

Recommended: No products found.

Top Tips for Summer BBQs

We couldn’t round this article off without giving you a few of our top tips on getting the most out of your BBQ. After all, there’s more to it than simply chucking the meat on and hoping for the best. Follow these tips and you’ll enjoy perfectly cooked meat, fish and vegetables every single time.

1. Don’t use lighter fluid if you can help it. Even if you let the flames die down before cooking, you could impart some funky flavors into your meat. Stick with charcoal instead.

2. Separate cooked meat and uncooked meat plates. Color code them if necessary.

3. Use the right fuel. We’ve mentioned charcoal, but if you can find the type which looks like burnt wood, that’s best.

4. Wait for even heat all over. You can’t grill meat with flames, so wait for them to die down before putting anything on the grill.

5. Control the heat across the grill. By keeping more fuel over on one side of the grill, you’ll have a side that’s cooler where you can move cooked meats.

6. Always marinate your meats ahead of time and drain thoroughly to avoid spitting and splashing.

7. Don’t disturb it too much. The temptation is always there to be constantly flipping and poking, but leave the meat and vegetables be, turning occasionally to check that they’re not burning.

8. Don’t overcook your meat. Cook pork and chicken all the way through, obviously, but don’t overcook them so that they become dry and tough.

9. Don’t oil your vegetables. Grill them dry and then finish with extra virgin olive oil

10. Grill your sides as well. Breads and the like can all be grilled as well, lending flavor and warmth.

If charcoal isn’t an option for you or prefer a level of convenience a gas grill can offer, you can still have excellent and environmentally-friendly meals with a gas grill. Whatever your preference, know that you are now one step closer to living a better and more environmentally responsible life.

For more articles on cool hobbies, check out the Groom+Style Lifestyle section.