1. Make your bed
At the risk of sounding like your mom, please make your bed. Not only will it feel good to
get into a made bed at night, but it’ s important for the success of your day. Making your
bed first thing every morning means one small win before you even have a cup of coffee,
which subconsciously will motivate you to achieve thousands of small wins throughout
the day (and you know what they say about small wins: they lead to big ones). Plus,
research has found that it’ s the easiest and most common daily habit you can do to
boost happiness.
2. Organize to-do lists based on life goals
Making a to-do list is no revolutionary hack, but how are you setting priorities when you
review what must be done every day? Before making your next to-do list, ask yourself
where you want to be in 5-10 years. Everything on your to-do list should be taking a step
towards achieving these goals. For example, strategize business growth, spend 30
minutes taking an online class, or schedule recovery and mobility coaching if you are
recovering from an injury and your goal is to be more active. In other words, to-do lists of
even the simplest tasks could have a long-term perspective.
Making your to-do list with goals in mind will show you where you should be spending
time and where you can be spending less time. Of course, you ’ ll always have to do the
mundane house chores or tedious tasks, but figure out where you can outsource these
items, and prioritize what will get you closer to your goals first thing so you make sure to
get it done (yes, that means a workout or the brainstorm meeting you ’ ve been putting
off).
3. Eat more leafy greens
Getting healthier is not always a dramatic transformation. In fact, it’ s typically a series of
small habits and minor additions to your diet that snowball into a healthier lifestyle that’ s all-around better for you. Don ’ t focus on cutting out food groups or limiting what you
can and cannot eat (that can lead to bingeing or an unhealthy relationship with food).
Instead, focus on adding leafy greens to at least two meals a day. Add spinach to an
omelet, throw kale in a pasta sauce, and order a side salad when you ’ re eating out.
4. Give yourself deadlines
You know from college all-nighters and projects at work that if there’ s a deadline you
must meet, you find a way to get it done. What makes an assignment our bosses give us
or a paper for “ Shakespeare 101 ” different from a personal goal is that we don ’ t
usually have a deadline to motivate us to accomplish it by a certain time. No matter how
small or specific (like replacing your old couch, making friends with a co-worker,
establishing an emergency fund, or running three miles), give yourself a specific and
realistic deadline.
If you ’ re still having trouble sticking to goals because you know your deadlines are “
flexible” when you ’ re the one setting them, sign up for a marathon, announce the
launch of your side project or business with a release date, or let a friend or family
member know your deadline so they hold you accountable.
5. Instead of taking a social media break, get up and move
You know it, you love it, you depend on it: the momentary pause from uninterrupted work
to take a quick scroll through social media. At this point, opening Instagram might feel like
second nature when you just finished one task and need a refresh before moving on to
the next. But instead of scrolling through Instagram, checking Snapchat, or refreshing
TikTok, get up and move your body to refresh yourself in between work tasks. A few
jumping jacks, a mini dance party, a yoga flow, or just some stretches are enough to
energize your body, reset your mind, and will help you focus better for the rest of the day.
6. Read more
I ’ m the queen of excuses when it comes to reading more often. “ I ’ m too tired, ” “
I don ’ t have time, ” and “ How am I expected to do anything else in my free timewhen the newest season of Ozark just dropped!? ” are excuses I use on a regular basis.
But reading is not only enjoyable; it’ s good for you. Whether it’ s winding down before
bed, taking a break in the afternoon, or as the ritual that you look forward to when
starting your day, fit in some more time to read. As for what to read…. start with inspiring
books, books to educate yourself, or enjoyable books that should be on your summer
reading list.
7. Tidy up your space before bed
I know, I know: the last thing you want to do at the end of a long day is clean (the horror!).
But dishes in the sink or laundry piled on the chair (we all have that one chair), can
prevent us from feeling fully relaxed while going to bed at night or might make us more
stressed starting the next day. Clutter in your space can translate into clutter in your mind, so dedicate five extra minutes before bed to run the dishwasher, wipe off kitchen
counters, and declutter any papers or laundry that has piled up in the bedroom. A less
cluttered bedroom can help you sleep at night, while a clean kitchen can make you
happier the next morning.
8. Say “ no” when you mean no
How often do you avoid saying “ no” when you want to? Do you find yourself doing
favors for others when you ’ re already stretched too thin? Do you pick up work for
coworkers when you ’ re too busy, say yes to plans you ’ re not excited about, or hang
out with friends to avoid FOMO (even though you want a chill night in)? One of the most
powerful things you can do for yourself is to say what you mean and be true to what you
need. Master the art of saying “ no. ” Say, “ I ’ d love to help you, but I can ’ t give
the time and effort to this task that it deserves, ” and “ I need a night by myself tonight,
but let’ s get coffee this weekend, ” whenever you feel the need to please.
9. Mute (or unfollow) most social media accounts
You may be the sum of the five people you spend your time with, but you ’ re also the
sum of the five people you consume on Instagram. Unfollow or mute all the accounts that
do not make you feel inspired, happy, or confident, and then crowd out the accounts that
aren ’ t serving you with accounts that inspire you. Follow other people whose careers
you admire and find accounts that will bring you positivity whenever you are tempted to
scroll.
Also, rethink whether the bloggers, celebs, and brands you follow are providing you with
inspiring content, or if their posts just make you feel bad about where you are in life.
Likewise, it’ s time to mute or unfollow that frenemy you had in high school or your
sorority sister’ s ex-boyfriend ’ s cousin whom you met a few times. Instead of watching
other people’ s lives, go live your own.
10. Get more sleep
Easier said than done, right? But don ’ t worry, even though it might feel like getting
more sleep is impossible, it’ s a habit just like anything else. Detox your sleep routine,
try some of the great sleep aid products that are so prevalent now, and stop looking at
your damn phone to fit in a little more (quality) beauty sleep. You can also try getting to
bed just five minutes earlier than the night before until you wake up feeling refreshed and
energized instead of zombie-like. Also, let’ s all stop hitting the snooze button, OK? It’ s only confusing the body, and if you ’ re going to sleep early enough (curse you, Netflix!), you should be waking up naturally and easily. Too little sleep leads to poor decision-
making during the day and is the quickest way to drift away from our goals.
11. Limit your decision making
We make a lot of decisions every single day, even just within the first few minutes of
waking up: whether to hit snooze, what to wear (which can be approximately 100 different
decisions), when to turn on the coffee pot, to be or not to be (that is the question –
especially when you didn ’ t get enough sleep last night). The little decisions add up to
be overwhelming. Decision fatigue is a real thing, and it’ s why we opt for pizza delivery
instead of cooking at the end of a long day or foregoing the workout altogether if we must
think about which time slot works best.
To keep up with healthy habits, limit decision-making as much as possible and reduce
decision fatigue. Meal prep all your lunches, sign up for workout classes in advance (or
put a workout in your calendar so you can ’ t skip it), and try a go-to outfit formula so you
don ’ t have to think about what to wear. The purpose of forming habits is so you don ’ t have to think about whether to wake up earlier, go to bed sooner, or do the dishes after
dinner; you do it because there’ s no option not to.
For support in staying consistent with your health goals, whether it's recovery and mobility
coaching or other wellness needs, we're just a phone call away.
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