Why alone time matters and how to do it properly

Why alone time matters and how to do it properlyWhy alone time matters and how to do it properlyMost days, I work from home, alone. I also often travel alone. Solitude is a central part of my everyday existence. Yet I am not lonely.Working alone doesnt meant I dont collaborate. I schedule virtual and in-person meetings with kollektiv members and clients.Traveling alone is less of a sentence to isolation and more of an opportunity to connect with strangers and welcome unexpected encounters into my jurney. It also offers more freedom and flexibility than traveling with others.Theres much written about our culture of distraction, but theres too little discussion of the value of time spent truly alone. We largely fear it and cling to the pings and prods from our personal devices to keep us in constant company.Dont get me wrong. Connection still matters. It is an important indicator of health and happiness.Studiesindicate that social isolation is more dangerous to your health than obesity , increasing your risk of premature death by more than 14%.But quality alone time does not indicate loneliness. Celebrating solitude doesnt condemn connection.Why Is Alone Time So Crucial?For introverts alone time is crucial to recharging . But everyone, even extroverts, benefits mentally from regular intervals spent alone. Think of constant social interaction - be it in-person or digital - as your brain running on a treadmill. It needs to take periodic breathers. When we burnout, we are useless to others and ourselves.Groupthink, the psychological phenomenon when groups overconform and stop thinking as individuals, is largely a result of too much togetherness. Creative brainstorming is most effective when anfangsbuchstabely conducted solo, with collaboration to follow after those initial seeds of creativity and problem-solving are planted. But more often than not we feel compelled to air all of our ideas publically from inception. Because of our fear of rejection of bad ideas, th is discourages the breadth of our creative potential.Alone time has largely become taboo in our always-on, always-connected culture. But solitude clears our heads, gives us focus, and recharges our bodies. It also centers us and creates clarity. Distraction is the nemesis of clarity, so consider solitude your tool for sanity and clear vision. Solitude helps us to reconnect with who we are and who we want to become. In turn, this enhances our relationships and what we can offer those we love and encounter.For those with families, alone time might seem like a scarce commodity or feel selfish. But once you realize you are actually more valuable to the people in your life if you periodically disengage from them, it becomes much easier to prioritize and give yourself permission.How can you create more alone time? Here are three easy, immediately accessible ways you can implement alone time into your life starting today1. UnplugI encourage all my clients to turn their phones off while the y sleep. Not on silent or do not disturb, but completely off. It allows you to be off-duty and avoid temptation to check messages or emails - to truly disconnect. Remember that digitally-distracted interactions are different than intimate, empathic conversations.Bring that unplugged mentality to your individual encounters. Being truly alone with someone is one of the greatest gifts you can give.2. Schedule Dates With YourselfOne of my favorite pastimes is to go to the movies by myself. I slip into an alternate reality where I dont need to be social or productive. My mind wanders and my body relaxes. I emerge recharged and ready to re-engage with the world.Its also a way to take back control - to do what you want, how you want to do it. When we feel a sense of agency, we are happier. Your solo date might be a surf session or a hike in the woods, or perhaps its getting lost in a book. Whatever it is, schedule it, make it purposeful, and indulge regularly.3. Actively ReflectSometimes we need to formally recognize the benefit of something before we can prioritize it. Identity the ways you want to spend your alone time - in nature, unplugged from technology, or lost in a creative pursuit - and actively reflect on how you feel before and after.Perhaps you free write about your week after implementing these experiments. Or perhaps its only a 10-minute meditation session where you feel the difference in your mind and body. Using whatever method most resonates with you, take a few moments to recognize the feedback and results of your efforts, and use that to fuel your commitment to regular alone time.By taking control of your time, and prioritizing time by yourself, youll be more productive and better connect with friends, family, and colleagues when together.Anna Akbari, PhD is a sociologist, the founder ofSociology of Style, and the author ofStartup Your Life Hustle and Hack Your Way To Happiness.This article was originally published on Talkspace.com.

5 ways to be frugal while saving the environment

5 ways to be frugal while saving the environment5 ways to be frugal while saving the environmentRecently I read a post very similar to this one. I always try to be frugal and help the environment, so I was compelled to present some ideas of my own. At the same time, I know I need to be better about some of these things.So, this is also a way to hold myself accountable in the areas in which I am slacking.Its really quite interesting because the mora you think about it, the mora you realize that these two ideas are more compatible than you may realize.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moreSo, what do you do to be frugal?1. Bring Your Lunch Instead of Buying ItRemember how I said I need to get better about a lot of these? Well, bringing my lunch is what I would call exhibit A. Indeed, there are a lot of days when I feel like I should have brought my lunch, but I simply didnt have the mot ivation.Heres the thing, though buying my lunch means using more single-use, disposable items. If I buy my lunch, both the containers I use as well as my utensils will end up in the trash.Thats a big deal since according to the Earth Day Network, takeout orders account foraround 269,000 US tons of plastic wastethat have entered the oceans.And look I get it. Many of us dont think about these things because they dont affect our daily lives.Well, at some point they will affect our daily lives more based on current trends, but still. Even if you just dont care about the growing amount of single-use disposables in our landfills and our oceans, we all know that bringing your lunch to work will be cheaper than buying it.What better way to be frugal than buying your own lunch?2. Be Frugal by Ditching Bottled WaterYes, it is true that tap water can be compromised in some cases. One such case is local to my area, where Chemours hasprovided bottled waterto families whose water supplies are pr ofilly tainted by a chemical called GenX.More recently Chemours haspushed water filtersas a solution, but I can understand why people would want bottled water in this situation.And those folks arent alone. Themost recent EPA dataI could find shows that 91.4 percent of water systems in the USmeet all applicable health-based drinking water standards. 91.4 percent is pretty good, but that leaves a very rough 28 million people whose water system doesnt meet federal guidelines.It would be nearly impossible to figure out how many people are actually serviced byeach oneof these systems that dont meet federal guidelines. So I did the next best thing and multiplied the population of the US by the remaining 8.6 percent.Similarly, bottled and canned soda creates unnecessary waste in addition to being expensive. Sure, buying a 24-pack of soda from Wal-Mart is relatively cheap, but hitting up the vending machine certainly isnt.As an alternative, I picked up Drinkmateseveral months back and I mus t say I love this thing It helps me cut back on waste, cut back on actual soda, and best of all, its cheaper in the long run.In addition to ditching bottled water, its always a good idea toreduce water usagein general.You Have OptionsAll that said, even the aforementioned people have options. Even for them, bottled water is notlage automatically the one and only solution. In aninterview with NPR, Elizabeth Royte mentioned that a good place to start in your approach isyour right-to-know report or consumer-confidence report.These reports are required if youre part of a community water system, and they will tell you what is in your water supply.Once you know what is in your water supply, you can determine whether different types of filters would remove all potential contaminants. If something basic such as a Brita pitcher wont get the job done, Royte mentionedreverse osmosis filters. These filters remove nearly everything, she says.While these filters arent cheap, they can last an ext remely long time 10 to 15 years with regular maintenance,says Water Tech. That solution is quite obviously much cheaper in the long run than bottled water not to mention creation far less pollution.I realize this is a complicated situation, to say the least. Still, we shouldnt assume that bottled water is the best or the only solution because that simply isnt true. Do your research and you may find you have other options.3. Use Public Transportation to Be FrugalI realize this is not an option for everyone. If you have it though, you should take advantage. Many commuter trains run on electricity, which is far more efficient than gas. Even the ones that arent electric are typically diesel-powered still more efficient than gas.Its no secret that I like prefer electric forms of transportation over those that pollute the atmosphere. Yes, I have seen some debate over how much better electricity really is given that power plants burn coal and other pollutants in many cases. But I find t hese arguments counter-productive.Electric trains are themost efficient means of transportation. Conversely, gasoline-powered cars arevery inefficient. In addition, its much easier to regulate a few power plants than it is to regulate millions of vehicles.Thus, if we only have to regulate the pollution being done by the power plants, its much easier to control what enters the atmosphere.And even if you ride a diesel-powered train or bus, the footprint is still much better. After all, diesel is already better than gas. Plus, you are carpooling in that scenario.By that I mean having only one vehicle for several passengers. Reducing the number of vehicles on the road will almost always create less pollution.Oh, and I havent even mentioned the cost. In the interest of the theme of this post, Id be remiss if I didnt do so. Luckily, ThoughtCo. hasalready done that for me.Spoiler alert yes, public transit is probably cheaper than driving. So indeed, its a great way to be frugal.4. Frugal L iving Tip Buy in BulkThis is a great frugal living tip. While I do not have a Costco membership myself, many people in the FI community do. And they swear by it.It may not make sense to have a membership if you are single or have a small family. For larger families, it might be worth considering.I would guess that most of us are familiar with the idea of buying in bulk. You pay more up front but pay less per unit, making it cheaper in the long run.At the same time, although the profit margin is smallerper item,it still works as a business model since you are committing to buying more of them.This is basically the same business model that makes Walmart so successful. They just sell more items in smaller quantities, but at a low cost with slim profit margins. What can we say we like low prices.Coming back to the idea of buying bulk yes, the cost is lower in the long run. What we dont often talk about, though, is the packaging. Consider toilet paper, for example. The reduction in wast e may not be huge. But when you consider having to package four rolls compared to packaging 30 of them, you will inevitably use more plastic on seven or eight packs of four.These small differences can really add up over time.5. Switch to Shampoo Bars (in Bulk if Possible)This is a change I have not yet done myself, but I will in the near future. If you arent familiar withshampoo bars, they are very similar to the shampoo bars many of us know. But, of course, the formula is different so that they are better for washing hair.Needless to say, this one lines up with the overall message here. Not only can buying shampoo bars in bulk be cheaper than buying shampoo bottles, but they are often packaged in paper.That means you eliminate a lot of the plastic you would normally be getting with shampoo bottles.I havent checked my local options yet, but if you can buy them locally at a reasonable price, that also helps. Doing so means you are cutting down on packing materials, which yet again re duces waste.Lastly, and this is just a dreingabe frugal living tip Ive read that if you use shampoo bars, you should get a well-drained soap dish.The reason for that is because if they sit in water, it speeds up the dissolving process. Getting a soap dish allows you to prevent wasting it.Frugal Living Tips the Environment Will Thanks Us ForThe environment is a complicated thing. Very complicated. Typically when we are done using things, we shove them in a corner of the world where they arent visible. Because they are sort of hidden, we wont necessarily notice the effects of reducing waste immediately.This article first appeared on the Frugal Fellow.

These are worlds most expensive cities

These are worlds most expensive citiesThese are worlds most expensive citiesIn the pilot episode of Girls, Lena Dunhams character Hannah, after quitting her unpaid internship, estimates that shecan only last in New York City for Three and a half more days. Maybe seven if I dont eat lunch. Hannah encompassed the plight of many 20-somethings in New York who come to pursue their dreams, but realize that is quite hard to do when you are living in an expensive city.However, it turns out Hannahs counterparts in other cities in the world may have actually only lasted for two days sans lunch asthe Economist Intelligence Units (EIU) Worldwide Cost of Living 2018 survey welches just released and New York didnt even make the Top 10. In fact, no North American cities made it. So where are the worlds most expensive cities?Asia and Europe are all about the $$SingaporeParis, FranceZrich, SwitzerlandHong Kong, SAR, ChinaOslo, NorwayGeneva, SwitzerlandSeoul, South KoreaCopenhagen, DenmarkTel Aviv, Is raelSydney, AustraliaThe Economist came up with the rankings by comparing the prices of 150 basic commodities including bread, wine, gasoline, etc., bottle of wine, pack of 20 cigarettes, liter of gasoline, etc., For the fifth year in a row, Singapore landed on top as prices are 16% higher than in New York, which was a benchmark city in the study.Many Asian cities, including Hong Kong and Seoul, are seeing the cost ofliving surge as these cities expand at fast rates and items like basic groceries see inflated prices. Car ownership is also extremely expensive in Singapore but the cost of domestic help and household items are actually relatively reasonable there.Paris moved from spot No. 7 to No. 2 with only the price of alcohol and transportation being somewhat reasonable when compared to other cities in Europe.New York and Los Angeles took 13th and 14th place respectively, which is a drop from last year. Tel Aviv was the only Middle Eastern city to make the cut, coming in at ninth.N ew York and Los Angeles FTWBut if you were thinking New York and L.A. werent expensive, think again. The report also ranked the most expensive cities in North America and New York and L.A. took the top spots (domestic help and utilities continue to keep these cities quite expensive), followed by Minneapolis, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C. out of 16 cities in total. Atlanta was found to be the cheapest.New York, NYLos Angeles, CAMinneapolis, MNSan Francisco, CAWashington, D.C.Chicago, ILVancouver, CAHouston, TXSeattle, WAPittsburgh, PASomething to consider if you are looking to relocate,work abroad or just take a vacation.