Relationships – HabitHacks

Relationships – HabitHacks https://blog.lift.do The power of small changes to make big results Sat, 14 May 2022 09:08:53 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://blog.lift.do/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/cropped-Screenshot-1-32x32.png Relationships – HabitHacks https://blog.lift.do 32 32 The Most Inspiring Quotes From The 32 Best Self-Help Books of All Time https://blog.lift.do/the-most-inspiring-quotes-from-the-32-best-self-help-books-of-all-time/ Sat, 14 May 2022 09:08:47 +0000 https://blog.lift.do/?p=3380 Read ]]> Get your daily dose of motivation from our exhaustive list of quotes.

]]> How to Listen More than You Talk https://blog.lift.do/how-to-listen-more-than-you-talk/ Sun, 18 Apr 2021 10:29:43 +0000 https://blog.lift.do/?p=2121 Read ]]>

Listening more than you talk might just be one of the most underrated superpowers in the world. Not only does it help you have better relationships, but it also endears you to the other person, making them open up and trust you more.

In fact, here are some other benefits of listening more than you talk:

It gives you time to think before you blurt out whatever first instinct is in your mind.
It prevents you from jumping to conclusions and makes you a better listener.
You can limit yourself to only talking about what’s important.
You get to know the other person better.
Since you’re more aware of what the other person thinks, you’ll have a better perspective on reality other than what only your brain tells you.

Now that we’ve established the many benefits of speaking less and listening more, how does one go about it? This post discusses three ways how you can be a better listener and only speak when it’s necessary.

Give the other person your full attention

You can do this by applying the following ways:

Make good eye contact. This will give you an idea of how deeply they feel about the subject at hand.
Keep your phone away. Don’t be distracted.
Show interest in what they are speaking about. Be enthusiastic to encourage them to keep going on.

These steps will help you become a better conversationalist. It will also help you absorb more from the talk rather than just passive listening.

Be a better listener

Here are some steps you can apply to be a better listener:

Be open-minded about whatever the other person is talking about. Keep your preconceived biases at bay and be willing to listen to a different point of view.
Pay attention and remember what the speaker is telling you.
Try and picture whatever the person is talking about so you can see a clear picture in your head. This will help you make connections quicker and draw to conclusions with ease.

A huge part of being a good listener is learning to be comfortable with silence. You don’t have to rush in to fill every moment of silence that comes into the conversation. Just because there’s a lull doesn’t mean it’s awkward.

Know when to speak

Knowing when to speak is a great tool you can have in your arsenal on your journey of being a better conversationalist. Here are some ways to help you how:

Don’t interrupt the other person when they are speaking. Let them finish their account and only speak when they are done.
Ask follow-up questions to gain a deeper understanding of what they are talking about.
Don’t listen only so you can prove your point once they are done. Listen actively and let the conversation sink in before rushing to make your point.

Turn to technology

This might be the most innovative use of technology yet, but being a better listener is a habit too. Like all other habits, you can track it on a habit tracker, so the thrill of seeing an unbroken streak motivates you to try harder to listen more than you speak.

You can also hire an accountability coach to keep you on track. They are trained professionals who will keep applying creative ways to hold you accountable to your new habit of listening more than you speak.

]]> 8 Different Daily Journals You Can Start Today https://blog.lift.do/keep-journal-8-different-diaries-can-start-today/ Mon, 30 Jun 2014 09:52:45 +0000 http://blog.coach.me/?p=673 Read ]]> Keeping a daily journal is a great way to start a habit of writing every day. It’s relatively easy to write about yourself compared to subjects you don’t know (or for fiction, have to create). Keeping a journal serves a dual purpose: a way to practice writing and a way to record the moments of your life.

There are infinite ways to journal and here are a few that you can try today:

Gratitude Journal

Gratitude journals are as simple as they seem: write down the people, places, things, or moments that you’re grateful for each day. You can write about one thing, many things, and even micro-journal using the note feature on Lift. Practicing gratitude daily makes you a better person, too: people who keep gratitude journals are more likely to do good deeds for friends and strangers than people who don’t.

Write Three Positive Things Each Day

Reflecting on the positive moments of your day has been shown to decrease depression and increase happiness. It’s takes just a few minutes every night to keep up this kind of journal. Pro tip: sharing your positive moments with your partner can be a great bonding exercise (Lift’s CEO Tony does this).

Keep a Food/Meal Journal

Food journals are traditionally used in diet programs to help people track what they eat, but food can be a great prompt for writing about the many human experiences that revolve around food, too. You can write about the conversation you had with a colleague over lunch, a new cooking adventure in the kitchen, or your Missed Connection at the coffee shop.

Write About Your Feelings

Writing is a free form of therapy. It’s easy to live your life in autopilot without pausing to reflect on how you feel. Taking a moment every day to write about your emotions can help you process them and understand the impact that daily decisions have on your happiness.

Write About Important People in Your Life

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be surrounded by everyone you loved? For 10-30 minutes each day, you can have that experience by writing about them. Make a list of people you who you treasure in your life–family, friends, even strangers–and then write entries about what you remember about them.

Write Gratitude Letters

This is the gratitude journal version of the Important People journal: write letters to people thanking them for making a difference in your life. This can be a very emotional exercise, so keep that in mind as you pace yourself (and keep a box of tissues handy). You can keep these letters to yourself, or if you’re brave, send them out.

Make a Dream File

Spend 10-20 minutes each day writing about your dreams and how you’re achieving them. What are your goals in the next week, year, or decade? What do you want to achieve in your lifetime? What goals would you shoot for if you didn’t care about what other people thought and didn’t have to worry about money or responsibilities? Write these thoughts down. Forcing yourself to write down your goals is usually the first step in achieving them.

Keep a Traditional Diary

Keep all of the options open by writing a traditional diary. Write a chronological list of what happened today or hone in on a specific moment. I always found that naming my diary helped the writing flow better, since I much prefer conversation to any other type of communication (even writing!). My diary’s name is Rupert and he’s been a supportive force since 2004.

We just added Questions & Answers to Lift where you get advice from other journal writers or give some yourself. If you have a question about journaling or advice to give, please share it. Here’s one popular question: What is the best time to write in your journal?

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