Read the responses to this week’s Write to Win prompt and choose the answer you like most using this form.
Parrot
People should take their meals seriously in today’s fast-paced world – especially breakfast. Breakfast is often considered the most important meal of the day, but people overlook its significance and some even skip it entirely before work.
Numerous studies have shown that skipping breakfast can increase the risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. It may also disrupt blood sugar stability and metabolism, place an additional burden on the gastrointestinal system, and lead to headaches and reduced concentration. To stay healthy and prevent these issues, we should treat eating our breakfast seriously.
We should not gobble our breakfast or skip it altogether, even if we are rushing to school or work. Instead, let’s make time to enjoy a healthy breakfast in a relaxed way. Doing so can boost our energy, improve focus and help us start the day on a positive note.
Seagull
One overlooked everyday activity is reviewing your personal to-do list or schedule for just a couple of minutes each morning. Doing this helps you understand what you need to do that day, which gives you a clear idea of what is coming and how to prepare for it.
For example, it’s a Saturday morning and you were given homework on Friday. So, you look at your schedule and quickly plan how long it will take to complete it. A lot of people do not do this and head on with their day, which can lead to them not being prepared for the next thing or rushing to do work at the last minute. It may also help you organise yourself and lessen your stress about what’s coming next.
In short, reviewing your personal schedule is a small step that can make a big difference in reducing stress, increasing organisation and helping you stay ahead instead of falling behind.
Hummingbird
An often overlooked daily activity is a simple, mindful walk.
In an age of optimised workouts and screen-dominated leisure, we have forgotten the profound value of moving through the world with no purpose other than to be in it. This is not about speed or distance, but presence. Leave the headphones behind, silence your phone and simply walk.
Feel the rhythm of your steps and your breath. Notice the texture of the path, the architecture you rush past daily, the changing light through the trees. This unhurried movement is a form of active meditation. It allows the cluttered mind to settle, often unlocking creative solutions and dissipating stress that more intense exercise can sometimes amplify.
By integrating just 20 minutes of this deliberate, sensory walk into your day, you invest in holistic well-being. It gently strengthens your body, improves circulation and grounds you firmly in the present moment. It is a free, accessible and deeply restorative practice – a reset button for the mind and a gentle gift to the body that we too often overwork in the pursuit of mere efficiency.
Kiwi
If you glance at passengers on the MTR or a bus, you may occasionally notice yourself surrounded by people wearing earpieces. Whether it's overhead headphones or AirPods, Bluetooth or wired, it seems like sound and music never stop blasting into their ears.
But how actively are they listening?
Often, one puts on earpieces to suppress clamour. What used to be the primary priority of headphones – playing tunes – has ironically become an alternative function.
In some cases, songs are not even being played; people are actually scrolling through media and short videos. Even though music can stimulate our minds and reduce stress levels and anxiety, individuals would rather feed on brain-rotting snackable content than enjoy a pleasant melody.
Instead of merely using earphones as a blockade, people should make a conscious effort to regain their attention and appreciation for the music itself. Taking the time to actively listen to and immerse oneself in a pleasant harmony can provide a much-needed mental refresh in the daily grind.
Owl
In my opinion, one overlooked everyday activity that people should spend more time on is sleeping. You may ask, how is sleeping overlooked?
We feel sleepy when we have not had enough sleep. We can feel our body’s warning signals when our sleeping hours drastically decrease. Our feelings and attention will not be as sharp when we sleep less, even by just one or two hours.
For instance, students are recommended to sleep for eight hours per day. However, most teens fail to manage their time efficiently and finish all their tasks while also securing eight hours of rest.
One popular solution is to use some of your designated sleep time for unfinished work. As the noticeable drawbacks from this minor sleep deprivation are insignificant, it is easy for people to rely on and stick to such a lifestyle.
But as time goes by, people who constantly sleep for one to two hours less than what they need will start to suffer from mental fatigue and things such as having a slower reaction time and being easily distracted.
By that stage, most are already too comfortable with the lifestyle to change it, leaving them in an unhealthy cycle. That is why I think people should spend more time sleeping.
