Friday, November 10, 2017

Jie He



Jie He

Illustrations by Jie He











Illustrations by Jie He

Minimal Illustrations by Haneul Kim a.k.a From SkyHaneul Kim is... crss



















Minimal Illustrations by Haneul Kim a.k.a From Sky

Haneul Kim is a very talented artist from Seoul, Korea. He has a ton of great work that needs to be seen, so why not check out Kim blog or pop on over to his Tumblr.


Follow us on Facebook! WARNING - awesomeness inside.

posted by Margaret

crss

Minimal Illustrations by Haneul Kim a.k.a From SkyHaneul Kim is...



















Minimal Illustrations by Haneul Kim a.k.a From Sky

Haneul Kim is a very talented artist from Seoul, Korea. He has a ton of great work that needs to be seen, so why not check out Kim blog or pop on over to his Tumblr.


Follow us on Facebook! WARNING - awesomeness inside.

posted by Margaret

How Top Performers Never Let a Second Go to Waste

Every person on the planet is allotted the same 1440 minutes each day; it’s how we choose to use them that makes all the difference. Unfortunately, efficient time management can sometimes be a challenge. To help you make the most of the time you’ve been given, check out these 14 simple yet effective time management tips.

1. Tackle the Most Important Tasks First

This is calling Eating That Frog! Start every day by tackling your largest, scariest task first. When you do that, everything else will be simple.

I outline a system for prioritizing tasks called the ABCDE Method. In this method, A tasks always come before B tasks and B tasks before C tasks. D tasks are delegated and E tasks are eliminated entirely. By sticking to this method, you can ensure that you are always tackling the most important things first and using your time as wisely as possible.

2. Make a To-Do List

To-do lists have a way of helping people organize their tasks. They also create a physical embodiment of the tasks’ existence, reminding you that they need to be done and providing you incentive to start checking items off. Be sure to use multiple lists to stay organized. I wrote an article about the 4 types of to-do lists to demonstrate the range of lists that can be useful for achieving all your goals.

3. Divide and Conquer

If you have a major task to get done, try to divide it up into a bunch of smaller tasks. This collection of smaller tasks will seem much less intimidating than the task seems when viewed as the whole.

4. Get the Momentum Going

Once you’ve divided your large task up into a bunch of smaller tasks, choose the smallest one in the bunch and knock it out. Getting started is often the hardest part of accomplishing something. Once you’ve got the ball rolling by finishing just one, small task, though, pushing forward will be much easier.

5. Start with the Unpleasant

If you’re staring down the barrel of an especially unpleasant task, it’s best to get it over with and get it done. Often times, worrying about your most difficult task will take up more energy than doing it. Avoid this waste of mental energy by getting your most unpleasant task out of the way first.

6. Focus on the Negative

Fear is an excellent motivator, and, if your tasks are important, not completing them is sure to come with some negative consequences. While you don’t want to focus on these consequences so much that you allow them to work you into a worried frenzy, a little bit concern can be great for crushing procrastination.

7. Come Prepared

When you set about a task, make sure you come fully prepared with everything you need to complete it. Not only will coming prepared keep you from having to trace back and forth getting items, being prepared is a great motivator in and of itself.

8. Take Time to Relax

A little bit of relaxation is crucial for maintaining a positive, motivated mindset. If you work constantly without taking the time to rest and gather your thoughts, you’ll quickly burn out and be unable to efficiently accomplish your tasks no matter how hard you try. My personal recommendation for relaxation time is meditation, but do whatever you find the most refreshing and peaceful.

9. Adopt a Sense of Urgency

It’s not enough to work hard – you need to work fast. Working fast is the best way to make the most of your time and accomplish as much as you can in the time you have available. Find a speed at which the quality of your work is still high and develop the sense of urgency necessary for you to maintain that speed.

10. Reward Yourself

Each time you complete a task (or a significant portion of a task) reward yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything major; step outside and stretch, get a cookie from the cabinet, check your phone, or substitute any other short yet pleasant activity that you might enjoy. So long as your rewards don’t start taking up too much of your time, they can be a powerful way to motivate you to start checking items off your to-do list.

11. Work Smarter, Not Harder

Before you dive into a task head first, take a step back and analyze the best way to go about it. Often times, a few minutes of advanced preparation will end up saving you hours of inefficient work.

12. Delegate

The best leaders know how to properly delegate tasks. If there is work that you can afford to outsource or delegate to someone else, do it. This way, you can ensure your efforts are always focused on the tasks that are most important for you yourself to handle.

13. Eliminate the Nonessential

Some tasks don’t really belong on your to-do list. If it’s not really important that they are done and you’re pressed for time, strike them out and don’t worry about them. They’ll only distract you from your other, more essential tasks.

14. Lock the Door

Distractions are the fuel of procrastination. Sometimes, the only way to completely defeat procrastination is to lock yourself in a room and avoid all distractions. Put your phone in another room, pull the shades, and get to work until the task is finished.

Top Performers Make Every Second Count

Time is everyone’s most valuable resource and how you spend it determines how much you can accomplish in life. In order to spend your time most effectively, you must learn the right time management skills for your personality and responsibilities. The proper amounts of focus, prioritization, preparation, delegation, relaxation, and strategy are essential to maintaining a balanced approach to a productive lifestyle. When it comes down to it, time management tips such as these are among the most valuable life hacks I have ever put to use.

The post How Top Performers Never Let a Second Go to Waste appeared first on Lifehack.



from Lifehack http://ift.tt/2i1RVe5

Buchner Bründler - Apartment building, Zürich 2017. Via, photos...

Tran Nguyen











Tran Nguyen

How to Fall Asleep Fast When the Fluffy Pillow and Cozy Blankets Don't Help

Winter is coming, and for many of us, that means bundling up in cozy blankets and pilling fluffy pillows on our bed to tempt us to hit the snooze button more than usual. Though turning up the heat before you turn into bed can seem appealing with cooler weather, you may find you don’t have such a restful night of sleep.

Though it sounds like a cozy bedroom creation, keeping your bedroom warm can make you more likely to overheat while you sleep. This can lead to excessive tossing and turning and even those embarrassing sweaty mornings.

The relationship between body temperature and sleep

Our body temperature is always changing and self-adjusting throughout the day.

As you can see from the graph above, you’re coolest around 6am – the time many of us wake up. Throughout the day, you continue to get warmer until you peak around 9pm – the time many of us are getting ready to head to bed. From there, your body temperature drops until you reach your coolest point once again at 6am.

Have you ever realized how lazy you feel when you’re hot? It’s due to a physiological response our body gives off!

It’s fighting against the temperature in an effort to keep from overheating. It’s the same reason you’re more likely to want to take a nap on a hot summer afternoon than you would be to play a sport. One will help regulate your body temp, while the other can overheat you and cause severe dizziness.

By now you’ve heard about how important absolute darkness is for truly restful sleep, but did you know your body temperature is just as impactful?[1]

“Combination of sleep onset and maintenance insomnia has been associated with a 24-h elevation of core body temperature supporting the chronic hyper-arousal model of insomnia. The possibility that these last two types of insomnia may be related to impaired thermoregulation, particularly a reduced ability to dissipate body heat from distal skin areas, has not been consistently supported in laboratory studies. Further studies of thermoregulation are needed in the typical home environment in which the insomnia is most evident.”

The best temperature for restful sleep

The optimal body temperature for sleep should be between 60 and 67 degrees.[2] When the room is too warm and you’re also bundled under a heavy comforter and surrounded by heavy pillows, the body temperature increases leading to discomfort.

In most cases any temperature above 75 degrees Fahrenheit and below 54 degrees will interfere with your sleep.

Keep your body temperature low to sleep better

We could all use a better night’s sleep, so here’s how to be the master of your temperature and wake up ready to face the day.

1. Keep the room temperature low

If you keep your room relatively cool, you are far less likely to become overheated, leading to that restless sleep no one wants. In order to ensure ideal temperatures, try keeping your curtains closed during the day so the sun light can’t heat the bedroom too much. And if possible, leave your bedroom door open so that air can circulate throughout the day.

2. Use Breathable Bedding

Synthetics like polyester, which tend to be less breathable than their natural counterparts like cotton, linen, or even wool are a no-no. Natural fibers can also help wick away moisture like sweat. Memory foam pillows may be comfortable but they also get very hot, so try to stay away. If you’re convinced you can’t sleep without a fancy pillow, look into those that have cooling and breathable fibers to ensure a low temp while you rest. For mattresses, or mattress covers, look for those with cooling fibers, too.

3. Lower your temperature before you go to sleep.

Take a warm bath, or hot shower, before bed. As soon as you step out of the bath or shower, your body temperature drops rapidly to re-regulate with the temperature of the room. That quick change physiologically can cause sleepiness.

4. Stay away from anything that gives you heat.

Try not to use, or even look at, your mobile devices before bed. Along with keeping you interested and awake, the light also makes it hard for your brain to register that it’s bedtime. Likewise, keep the room dark when you’re trying to fall asleep. A sleep mask does an excellent job of blocking out all light, helping you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. And to ensure you stay cool, try wearing a cool face cloth to bed, or keep a water spray bottle for misting. It’s also a great idea to keep a glass of cold water next to the bed.

Get some sleep!

Remember, keep your bedroom cool and stay away from non-breathable fabrics when shopping for bedding. Though the fall and winter can have you craving heavy blankets and this pajamas, it’s not conducive to sleep and can leave you feeling overheated and generally unwell. Keep some ice water by your bedside and take a few sips if you find yourself waking up throughout the night. Don’t be afraid to peel back the blankets; you can always keep some extras nearby in case you wake up chilly.

Featured photo credit: Pixabay via pixabay.com

Reference

The post How to Fall Asleep Fast When the Fluffy Pillow and Cozy Blankets Don’t Help appeared first on Lifehack.



from Lifehack http://ift.tt/2zx7HF7

Layered Paintings by Michelle Jader Michelle Jader originally... crss





















Layered Paintings by Michelle Jader

Michelle Jader originally from Minnesota, is a figurative artist based in San Francisco. Michelle worked for nearly 10 years as a marketing consultant before following her heart and earning an MFA in fine art painting from the Academy of Art University, San Francisco.

My work explores moments when we willingly and unwillingly dive into the next phase of our life. Whether it’s moving to a new city, starting or ending a relationship, having a baby, or quitting a job, these moments of endings and beginnings are alternately terrifying and exhilarating. Ready or not, we jump, fall or are pushed, and our lives change.
Transitions like these include the sense of falling, lack of control, and the feeling that anything is possible. We’re vulnerable in these moments and despite our best efforts, our actions seem to be more public than other times in our lives. To capture these feelings, I paint a series of images on semi-transparent, acrylic panels. The push and pull inherent in having different layers of images support the work’s theme and provide an exciting way to paint motion, change and emotional release. Each oil painting consists of several layers of semi-transparent acrylic panels. They are stacked in front of one another to add depth and emphasize the feeling of movement.


Cross Connect Mag // Facebook - Twitter - Instagram

posted by Margaret

crss