mom and toddler on bed

New Mom Tried “The 10-3-2-1-0 Formula” For A Week And This is What Happened

mom and toddler on bed

New Mom Tried “The 10-3-2-1-0 Formula” For A Week And This is What Happened

Author and Business Consultant Bedros Keuilian created a system to help you sleep better, wake up earlier, get more done,...

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New Mom Tried “The 10-3-2-1-0 Formula” For A Week And This is What Happened

Author and Business Consultant Bedros Keuilian created a system to help you sleep better, wake up earlier, get more done, and feel great doing it. It’s called the 10-3-2-1-0 formula!

We all want to “wake up early and get stuff done!” But with busy schedules, classes, kids, and showering, all you want to do is squeeze every last minute out of your sleep. Hello, snooze button! This method promises better sleep and improved focus.

What Is The 10-3-2-1-0 Formula?

The 10-3-2-1-0 formula breaks down like this:

  • 10 hours before bed – No more caffeine.
  • 3 hours before bed – No more food or alcohol.
  • 2 hours before bed – No more work.
  • 1 hour before bed – No more screen time (turn off all phones, TVs and computers).
  • 0 – The number of times you will hit the snooze button in the morning.

Keuilian uses science to back up his claims. Caffeine takes longer than you might expect to leave your system (about 10 hours.) That residual caffeine lives in your system and can make it hard to unwind. Eating large meals, spicy foods, and drinking alcohol can make it harder to fall asleep and stay asleep all night—even though having a glass of wine in the evening may seem to make it easy. Plus, working, thinking about work, and staring at screens can keep your brain active when it’s time to turn the lights out.

This method is designed to help power down your brain so you can wake up refreshed.

Sounds interesting, right? We wanted to put this formula to the test, so we enlisted a real mom to try it out for 7 days. Would it live up to the hype?

A New Mom’s Experience with 10-3-2-1-0

New Mom Briana Scott is a Wife, Full-Time Employee, Part-Time Online Student, and Mama to 1-year-old baby girl. With so many roles and responsibilities, she was excited to try a simple method designed to help her feel better and get more done!

Briana tried the 10-3-2-1-0 formula for 7 days and reported back on her experience.

What was the first day like?

Rough! It was definitely an adjustment. Usually with the caffeine side of things, I drink a Grande size drink from Starbucks around 7 AM! To go without it, on most days, was difficult and made it hard to stay awake for homework after work. Because I have a couple classes and a full-time job to prepare for every night, I never got to bed at a decent time throughout this experiment.

How was the last day in comparison (easier, harder, did you want to quit?)

It was easier than the first day for sure, but it was something I had to keep remembering to do. So, it was almost like adding to the list of things in my day to be aware of. It was a great experiment, though, and would do it again when I’m off track.

What were some challenges you faced in doing the method each day?

Staying on top of it. There was a day or two that I forgot what I was doing with this. Again, that’s only because I had a few other things going on.

Did you notice any benefits in your work, school, or personal life?

I did! Whoop, whoop! The nights that I made myself follow the sleep part of this routine, I woke up the next day on time, refreshed and alert! I loved this result!

Does this method fit your lifestyle? Would you keep it up?

It does and it doesn’t! It holds me accountable for making sure I get the rest/relaxation I need as a parent, student, wife and full-time employee. If I can stick to something like this, I would be well-balanced all the time.

Will you try the 10-3-2-1-0 formula? Have your discovered a “secret recipe” for better sleep? Let us know in the comments!

 

happy women gazing away with writing journal in hand

The Surefire Way To Organize Your Life With A Bullet Journal

happy women gazing away with writing journal in hand

The Surefire Way To Organize Your Life With A Bullet Journal

Between home life, work, and school, how’s a girl supposed to find time to just live? The bullet journal, the organizational notebook thought up by Ryder Carroll, could be your ...

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The Surefire Way To Organize Your Life With A Bullet Journal

Between home life, work, and school, how’s a girl supposed to find time to just live? The bullet journal, the organizational notebook thought up by Ryder Carroll, could be your solve. At its heart, this simple method acts like a combination of to-do list, day planner and project planner. It’s easy to get started, and easy to personalize (perfect for creative expression!)

The Surefire Way To Organize Your Life With A Bullet Journal

Between home life, work, and school, how’s a girl supposed to find time to just live? The bullet journal, the organizational notebook thought up by Ryder Carroll, could be your solve. At its heart, this simple method acts like a combination of to-do list, day planner and project planner. It’s easy to get started, and easy to personalize (perfect for creative expression!)

Bullet Journaling — that is — writing things down in a bulleted list or bullet journal as some call it, places our daily, weekly and monthly “to do” list in a sequential order.

Write down the things on your brain:

  • An appointment
  • An essay due date
  • Kids’ activities
  • Life goals

And get it off your mind.

Why Create A Bullet Journal?

Using a bullet journal can keep you on track. It’s also a great place to write down important appointments, social events, contacts and other items that require your attention.  The act of writing can also make your life calmer and keep you more organized as you go about the day caring for your family, your work, and yourself. It’s the best way to keep rocking every aspect of your life like the organized Diva that you are!

As you fill out your BUJO create a method for keeping track of things. The Lazy Genius Collective suggests that placing things in order, starting with an index with notes on all the pages in your journal, and moving into a daily or monthly plot can be beneficial to keeping you using your BUJO effectively.

The beautiful thing about this style planning is that it’s as unique as you are. No more wasting pages on day planners. Create it exactly the way you like, with only the things you need! In general there is no right way to organize your BUJO.

Get Started With Your Bullet Journal

Getting started is easy! Just buy any lined or dotted notebook and a pen—that’s truly all you need. Bloggers at www.simplepurpose.ca recommend that you buy yourself a good planner or notebook, one that makes you feel like you want to write in[1] it. The great thing about bullet journals is that they are customized to your life – you get to make lists, write, and scribble in your BUJO – and you can make it as minimalist or creative as you like!

Make Your Bullet Journal Work For YOU, Diva!

Once you’ve got the basics, you may choose to step things up a little by getting creative. Create monthly themes, plan layouts for tracking class projects, or make space for a gratitude log. You can do what you like! Planning Mindfully is a blog dedicated to the art and creation of handy, beautiful bullet journal templates. If drawing and “making it fancy” aren’t your interest, explore the official Ryder Carroll edition of Bullet Journal 101!

Get your life organized, gain some clarity of mind, and keep working it!

What’s your favorite way to plan? Tell us in the comments!

And if you want even more tips on staying organized, join our email list for weekly inspiration.

Bullet Journaling — that is — writing things down in a bulleted list or bullet journal as some call it, places our daily, weekly and monthly “to do” list in a sequential order.

Write down the things on your brain:

  • An appointment
  • An essay due date
  • Kids’ activities
  • Life goals

And get it off your mind.

Why Create A Bullet Journal?

Using a bullet journal can keep you on track. It’s also a great place to write down important appointments, social events, contacts and other items that require your attention.  The act of writing can also make your life calmer and keep you more organized as you go about the day caring for your family, your work, and yourself. It’s the best way to keep rocking every aspect of your life like the organized Diva that you are!

As you fill out your BUJO create a method for keeping track of things. The Lazy Genius Collective suggests that placing things in order, starting with an index with notes on all the pages in your journal, and moving into a daily or monthly plot can be beneficial to keeping you using your BUJO effectively.

The beautiful thing about this style planning is that it’s as unique as you are. No more wasting pages on day planners. Create it exactly the way you like, with only the things you need! In general there is no right way to organize your BUJO.

Get Started With Your Bullet Journal

Getting started is easy! Just buy any lined or dotted notebook and a pen—that’s truly all you need. Bloggers at www.simplepurpose.ca recommend that you buy yourself a good planner or notebook, one that makes you feel like you want to write in[1] it. The great thing about bullet journals is that they are customized to your life – you get to make lists, write, and scribble in your BUJO – and you can make it as minimalist or creative as you like!

Make Your Bullet Journal Work For YOU, Diva!

Once you’ve got the basics, you may choose to step things up a little by getting creative. Create monthly themes, plan layouts for tracking class projects, or make space for a gratitude log. You can do what you like! Planning Mindfully is a blog dedicated to the art and creation of handy, beautiful bullet journal templates. If drawing and “making it fancy” aren’t your interest, explore the official Ryder Carroll edition of Bullet Journal 101!

Get your life organized, gain some clarity of mind, and keep working it!

What’s your favorite way to plan? Tell us in the comments!

And if you want even more tips on staying organized, join our email list for weekly inspiration.

young woman in glasses checking watch while writing in a book

Simple Time Management Tips For Graduate Students

young woman in glasses checking watch while writing in a book

Simple Time Management Tips For Graduate Students

All academics, graduate students, and faculty alike struggle with the challenge of time management. New graduate students are often amazed at how much there is to do each day: classes, resea...

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Simple Time Management Tips For Graduate Students

All academics, graduate students, and faculty alike struggle with the challenge of time management. New graduate students are often amazed at how much there is to do each day: classes, research, study groups, meetings with professors, reading, writing, and attempts at a social life.

Many students believe that it will get better after they graduate, but, unfortunately, most people report being even busier as new professors, researchers, and professionals. With so much to do and so little time, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. But don’t let stress and deadlines overtake your life.

How to Avoid Burnout

My best advice for avoiding burnout and getting bogged down is to keep track of your time: Record your days and maintain daily progress towards your goals. The simple term for this is “time management.” Many people dislike this term, but, call it what you will, managing yourself is essential to your success in grad school.

Use a Calendar System

By now, you probably use a calendar to keep track of weekly appointments and meetings. Grad school requires taking a long-term perspective on time. Use a yearly, monthly, and weekly calendar.

  • Year Scale. It’s difficult to keep track of today and remember what needs to be done in six months. Long term deadlines for financial aid, conference submission, and grant proposals creep up quickly! Don’t find yourself surprised to realize that your comprehensive exams are in a few weeks. Plan at least two years ahead with a yearly calendar, divided into months. Add all long-term deadlines on this calendar.
  • Month Scale. Your monthly calendar should include all paper deadlines, test dates, and appointments so that you can plan ahead. Add self-imposed deadlines for completing long-term projects like papers.
  • Week Scale. Most academic planners use a weekly scale of measurement. Your weekly calendar includes your day-to-day appointments and deadlines. Have a study group on Thursday afternoon? Record it here. Carry your weekly calendar everywhere.

Use a To-Do List

Your to-do list will keep you moving towards your goals on a daily basis. Take 10 minutes every night and make a to-do list for the next day. Look at your calendar for the next couple of weeks to remember tasks that need to be planned in advance: searching for literature for that term paper, buying and sending birthday cards, and preparing submissions to conferences and grants. Your to-do list is your friend; never leave home without it.

  • Prioritize your to-do list. Rank each item by importance and attack your list accordingly so that you don’t waste time on non-essential tasks.
  • Schedule time to work on classes and research each day, even if it is just a few 20-minute blocks. Think you can’t get much done in 20 minutes? You’d be surprised. What’s more important is that the material will stay fresh in your mind, enabling you to reflect on it at unexpected times (like on your ride to school or walk to the library).
  • Be flexible. Allow time for interruptions and distractions. Aim to plan just 50 percent or less of your time so that you’ll have the flexibility to handle unexpected interruptions. When you’re distracted by a new task or something that you need to remember, write it down and get back to work. Don’t let a flight of ideas keep you from completing the task at hand. When you’re interrupted by others or seemingly urgent tasks, ask yourself, “What is the most important thing I can do right now? What’s most urgent?” Use your answer to plan your time and get back on track.

Time management doesn’t have to be a dirty word. Use these simple techniques to get things done your way.