Laura Earnest

In this article, I explore the concept of "Effortful Before Effortless" from the book "Tranquility By Tuesday". I share my personal journey of how I identified my effortless activities, like playing word games on my phone or reading for pure entertainment, which were consuming my time. By using the principle of "Effortful Before Effortless", I've been able to engage more in meaningful activities without giving up my effortless ones. This has led to a more enriched life. To keep this going, I've made a list of these activities and make sure to engage in one of them before moving to my effortless activities.

In this blog post, I explore the concept of "batching" tasks as a means to improve productivity. The idea, taken from "Tranquility By Tuesday," is to group like tasks together to create efficiencies and reduce wasted time. I share my personal experiences trying to implement this approach, including the challenges I've faced and the ways I've adapted the method to my own context. I also discuss the impact of "little stuff" or small tasks that often take up more time than they should. Ultimately, the goal is to make my life more tranquil and less dominated by unimportant tasks.

In this article, I discuss the importance of taking one night for myself amidst the busy week, a principle I learned from the book "Tranquility By Tuesday". For many years, I've been participating in a choir every Wednesday night - a routine that gives me a refreshing break from my responsibilities. This commitment has not only given me the chance to express myself musically, but also serves as a valuable respite from my intellectually demanding job. I delve into the reasons behind this practice, the challenges I've faced, and how I've managed to stick to it.

In this issue of "Tranquility By Tuesday", I share my newfound philosophy of incorporating adventures into my life. This realization came about from my weekly conversations with my stepfather, where I found that my life had become too routinized, with the days and weeks melding into one. To break this monotony, I decided to embrace the challenge from Tranquility By Tuesday of one big and one little adventure every week. These adventures have made my life feel more meaningful and time pass with more attention.

In this piece, I discuss Rule #5 of Tranquility by Tuesday: Create Backup Slots. Despite planning my week, I often find myself derailed by unexpected changes. To combat this, I've implemented 'backup slots' into my schedule, especially for smaller tasks that significantly impact my quality of life if they are skipped, such as grocery shopping and housework. This approach has reduced my stress and increased my productivity.

Today we talk about the trap of personal development and the misconception that habits must be done every day. Tranquility By Tuesday tells us doing something three times a week is enough to form a habit. We can incorporate this approach into a weekly plan and feel less guilty when unable to do certain activities every day.

The third rule of Tranquility By Tuesday is moving for at least 10 minutes by 3pm. I found simple ways to incorporate movement into my daily routine, such as doing a workout video during lunch or taking a walk around the building. The article emphasizes the ease and benefits of this rule, even for those who may resist regular exercise.

This is the second rule of planning on Fridays from the book "Tranquility By Tuesday." We go over the benefits of planning a week in advance and suggests using Friday afternoons to plan for the upcoming week and weekend. The resistance to this rule is addressed, and the I share my experience with implementing work and personal planning. The results have been positive, leading to increased productivity and freedom to think about weekly activities.

The article discusses the first rule of the book "Tranquility By Tuesday" which is to give yourself a bedtime. I was very skeptical initially but eventually found that establishing a consistent bedtime and routine improved my sleep quality and overall well-being.

Tranquility By Tuesday by Laura Vanderkam is a book that focuses on building a meaningful life rather than squeezing more time out of a busy schedule. The author claims that by creating a meaningful life, time will seem to pass slower and give more meaning to daily activities. The book introduces nine main ideas, including establishing a regular bedtime, planning the week on Fridays, incorporating physical movement into the day, and making time for personal interests. In this article series, the author applies one idea each week and shares the results. Readers are encouraged to join the journey and share their own experiences.