How I Actually Stay Productive at Home - feat Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 inch 2-in-1

What's up, everyone? Jossie here and in today's video, I'm going to be talking about how I actually stay productive. I want to give a special shout out to the sponsor of this video, Lenovo. If you give this video a thumbs up, it helps out with the algorithm a lot. And if you haven't already, I'd love for you all to subscribe to the channel to see more content like this and become a part of this amazing creative community. I myself do get pretty distracted. I mean, I got a smart TV, PlayStation 5, a couch so I could take naps throughout the day. Emphasis on naps being plural and not singular. But yeah, I mean, I get distracted just like the next person with TikTok and Instagram, Robin Hood and amongst other things. But I've really enjoyed making content about being productive. Not only does it help you and because I get a chance to share my experiences and things that have helped me be successful, but it keeps me accountable. And so I have to basically practice what I preach when it comes to being productive. Technology is really important. In the past few weeks, I've been using the Lenovo Yoga 7i 14 inch two in one. And let me tell you, this device is like a Swiss army knife for productivity because of its ease of use, small form factor and two in one capability. Switching it to tablet mode has made it like my productive go to, especially when I'm not at my desk. The specs on the Yoga 7i 14 inch two in one that I've been using the past few weeks is powered with the 11th Gen Core i7 Evo platform processor and is also equipped with full HD display with a resolution of 1920 by 1080, 512 gigabytes of storage, 12 gigs of RAM, which was weird at first, but actually is better than the eight gigs of RAM that most laptops that are entry level offer. Iris Xe graphics and 13 hour battery life style is important to me when it comes to laptops. So another thing I noticed was that the Yoga 7i two in one 14 inch style and design is really minimal, low key and obviously modern with the rounded edges and this really nice slate gray color. The slate gray color looks sophisticated and even better in person like me. The two in one style offers portability and after using a two in one for almost five or six months now, I've gotten really spoiled and really enjoyed having a device that functions as a laptop and a tablet. So I already knew I'd enjoy the Yoga 7i two in one 14 inch because it offers portability and flexibility in terms of how you can use it because of that small form factor. The Yoga two in one build quality is great. It feels durable and looks like it can last a long time. It's actually made out of metal and not plastic. In terms of form factor, I didn't even realize it was a 14 inch display because of how small the form factor is compared to 15 inch laptops that I'm used to using. It's very light and I found myself automatically gravitating to using this laptop for more lightweight tasks like note taking and consuming content because of how vibrant the display is and the Dolby Vision entertainment system and Atmos speakers. One of the main things that I pay attention to when it comes to productivity is my routine, my daily routine, whether I break it up into like a morning, afternoon and night routine. It really all depends, but just having a routine in general makes all the difference. So in the morning I usually get some coffee or tea, especially on those colder Midwest days where it's gray outside and I don't feel like doing anything. For one, coffee fills a room with this amazing aroma and the process of pour over always excites me and gives me time to reflect on what I want to accomplish for the day or the week. Also, I like to wash dishes, clean the main living space and my desk area because I can't really think with a cluttered environment. Another thing that I love to do every morning is turn on some lo-fi music, whether it's through the smart TV that I have in the living room space or through my computer at my desk using my audio engine A2 plus speakers, which are a very underrated aspect of your desk setup. For myself, the experience and atmosphere is really everything. I want to make sure that my environment and my setup is just clutter-free, distraction-free and motivates me and inspires me to crush the day. Next important aspect to boost your productivity is time. And I know a lot of these things that I'm talking about are basic, but if you don't take the initiative to effectively utilize a structure with the routine or managing your time, you'll notice that you'll end up being unproductive and probably not in the most healthy work-life balance. I remember one of my first days at college, I kept hearing this phrase, time management, time management. I really just kind of blocked it out because I was like, this just sounds like another buzzword. And I quickly realized the importance of time management because it was very difficult being a computer science major, let alone having a scholarship and having to have specific amount of credit hours that I have to complete each year, along with having at least like, I think, a 2.75 GPA. Where I'm getting at is that when it comes to managing your time and saying, hey, I'm going to use 45 minutes of my time to study algorithms, then the other 45 minutes to study chemistry, and then I'm just going to repeat that process for the next five hours, will help you control the amount of time you spend on each topic. And when you look back at what you studied, you'll feel a lot better knowing that you are more organized and structured with your approach to studying or prepping for an interview. Like recently, I was doing a lot of studying for a technical coding interview. So I needed to look at algorithms and data structures, along with practicing some legal problems. I had a few weeks to study, which isn't a lot of time when you are already have a job and create YouTube videos amongst just being a person with a life. Everything was about efficiency because I noticed that when I don't effectively utilize my time, I get distracted really easily. And when I'm done studying or prepping for an interview, I don't feel confident in what I've learned. And I just really don't feel confident about my approach to being successful. One thing that you may notice, one thing I've definitely noticed about myself is when I don't structure my time management effectively, I noticed that quality of work and studying is pretty poor. I have a very unhealthy work life balance because you might end up studying for a topic for five hours straight without any break, without moving your body and being active. I end up being very stressed out because I might be aggravated with feeling like I'm all over the place and not really having a structured plan, a thought out plan. And I really just don't feel like I got a grip on anything. Also, when you're not managing your time well, you can feel like you have a terrible work life balance. And it may seem like I'm just going to stay here for eight hours and study all these things. But it's better to say, hey, I'm going to do 45 minutes on 15 minutes off. I do that for eight hours, but I make sure that every 15 minutes I step away from my work, whether that's going on like a really short jog or walk outside if the weather is nice or just watching a YouTube video and relaxing your mind. One thing I've noticed is when I have some programming that I need to finish or I'm prepping for an interview and know that it's going to be a pretty late night. I know that if I work out maybe around 6 to 7 p.m. and I'm basically back at my desk by around 830 p.m., I feel rejuvenated because it's natural that as the day progresses and the sun sets, we're going to lose energy. And contrary to what your mind may be telling you, oh, you know, just play the video game, so relax or take a nap so you can have enough energy for the rest of the day. No, I promise you it doesn't work like that. When I go work out, I go start studying again. I feel rejuvenated. I feel motivated and inspired. And you never know when you're working out, you might solve that problem that you've been banging your head against the past day. Also, proper rest is important. I definitely can be a night owl, but I notice that if I go to bed before midnight, not only do I not need to get a full eight hours of sleep or beyond that, I feel a lot more refreshed the next day. It's weird. I can go to sleep at 1 a.m., get nine hours of sleep and be exhausted the next day. It's almost like the earlier I go to bed, the less sleep I need. The later I go to bed, the more sleep I need. But I do know I find myself more productive when I don't go to bed really beyond like 1 a.m. Also, a day of rest. This is something that is definitely overlooked in our culture where it's all about work, work, work. I definitely like to recognize the Sabbath because it's a part of my faith. I haven't been doing that consistently. I just started doing that because one thing I noticed for sure is that my weeks were starting to blur together. There wasn't ever really a clear end or start to a week. And that's a really unhealthy way to live and can really cause burnout. All right. So that concludes this video. I hope it was helpful. I love making these productivity videos. Be sure to give it a thumbs up if you liked it at all. It helps out with the algorithm. Comment down below some of your strategies to be more effective and productive, along with subscribing to the channel if you haven't already. I love for you all to become a part of this amazing community. I got some really cool videos coming down the pipeline. So make sure you hit that notification bell so you can know right away when I release a video. And as always, have a blessed rest of your week. I'll see you all soon. Peace. I'm way too far away to do the hand thing. You know, I'll just, I'll come over here.