On living a happy and productive life

By our very human nature combined with modern heavy data consumption and online social activity levels, it's probably more difficult than ever in human history to feel happy and lead a simple and productive life.

But if we are to aim for that, which we should, we need to consciously decide on some fundamental principles that are to serve as the compass to our decision making, such that knowing what the right thing for you to do is in any given situation is automatic and self-evident.

I believe that living a happy and productive life and defining what that is for you, in your personal circumstance and context, with your goals and aspirations but also your shortcomings or what you still need to work at is key to the being a content person.

To be productive you first need to shut down the noise. There's too much noise in our society, and attention spans are ever smaller. You can't live a productive life whilst being bombarded with multiple stimuli constantly. Shutting down the noise implies that you can filter what's essencial, so that's the first question.

What is essential for you to feel balanced and in which order ? This can usually be derived from your values, the things you hold dear. To me, it's my family, my career and my health. IN THAT ORDER. This is key. Knowing what takes precedence even if it's uncomfortable to have to choose one over another.

Determine activities that support your balance and productive goals - these are the things you do to get action behind what comes out of your mouth. An example would be knowing I need to keep studying and learning if I'm to support my career goals. Or ensure I go to the gym regularly to support my health goals.

Identify the 'fun factor' in those activities- look for the little or big things that you really enjoy on those activities. You may not like all of it, but there are usually aspects of what makes you productive you like. It helps if you actually enjoy your work for instance. Then focus on that particular aspect of the activity and not what you don't like so much about. For instance, there are many types of physical training, choose one you can actually enjoy if health is something you value.

Choose activities that maximize both fun and productivity - Now you have the baseline set to choose to do things that maximize fun and your sense of well being, but also productivity towards doing and being the things you value. For instance, for me Brazilian Jiu Jitsu is the one activity that spans all 3 things I value (my ability to defend my family if needed, the carryover to my career from being able to face adversity and discomfort and it's a great workout so it's productive for me to train regularly so I can maximize what I hold dear

Go do it - Then the framework is set, and your job is to wake up and do those maximised activities every single day, so you're always one step closer to being who you wish to be across everything you hold dear.

That's it. Then, day to day decision making and routine becomes simple, easy and enjoyable because you're always doing things you like. It may be a 6 in happiness as opposed to a 10, but it's also productive so that's good enough and is helping you build your character on a daily basis.

Life becomes mostly automatic and decision making simple and easy. You do the things that keep you balanced and that allow you to move forward in all areas you value in your life.