One Day At A Time

Can you imagine how much you could achieve over the course of a year if you completed just one task each day, based on a daily theme? I started this practice at the beginning of 2020, I have (mostly) stuck with it, and I consider it to be a life-changing process that allows me to focus on a different area of my life each day of the week. As an example, on Mondays I complete one task based on my finances and at the end of the year – after 52 Mondays – I have done 52 different things to move my finances in a good direction. Read on to discover my daily themes and some of the things I do each day.

Set-up Sunday

The dreaded Monday morning alarm clock is less of a shock to the system when we dedicate some time on Sunday to prepare for the chaos of the coming week.  One of my favorite proverbs demonstrates the importance of this action: “A Sunday well spent brings a week of content”.  The success of your week depends on how well you prepare for it and I find that my week goes much smoother when I have set aside time on Sunday to get organized.  Here are some ideas to get you started:

• It is all too easy to order take-out or resort to fast food when faced with the “what’s for dinner” dilemma after a long day.  Grocery shopping and meal prepping on Sundays allow for cheaper and healthier meal options.
• A good night’s sleep on Sunday helps me hit the ground running on Monday, so I try to resist the temptation of staying up late and squeezing the last few drops out of the weekend.
• Coordinate the upcoming week’family activity schedules.  Discuss the appointments, “drop offs” and “pickups” ahead of time to avoid a last minute scramble. 
• Make a weekly to do list on a Sunday for the random tasks such as scheduling doctor appointments, oil changes or buying a birthday present for a party the following weekend. 
• Non-perishable items can be organized for the Monday through Friday lunch boxes to lessen daily work.
• Catch up on the laundry so there is no need for a midnight load when something is needed urgently. 

Money Monday

In order to be truly healthy, we must monitor our physical, emotional, spiritual, mental and financial health, and we will focus on financial health on Mondays as an important aspect of our overall health.  There are several small, but impactful, tasks we can complete in a short time to improve our financial health. 

• Consider balancing your check book or checking your credit card statement to make sure there aren’t any lingering automatic drafts for subscriptions or memberships you no longer use. 
• Review your beneficiaries to ensure they are still appropriate as relationships change over time, or even take steps to make a will. 
• Call the cable company and lower your monthly bill – maybe you really don’t need that premium package with the extra 200 channels and six receivers. 
• I pack my lunch most work days, because I am a self-proclaimed cheapskate, but doing so just one day a week can lead to a huge amount of savings over the course of a year when you consider the average price of a fast food meal is now around $7.00 ($7.00 x 52 = $364). 
• Take this a step further and have a total “no spend” day: make coffee at home instead of driving through Starbucks; pack your lunch; skip the store on the way home and shop for dinner in your freezer or pantry; and avoid amazon when you get home in the evening.
• Contact a financial advisor to review your long-term goals (I can help you find one in your area).

Trash Tuesday

Tuesday is the day to simplify and de-clutter an area of your life.  From the obvious to the obscure, we can spend a few minutes improving our mental health today by eliminating the waste that bogs us down.

• Pick one room and remove one bag of trash – unworn clothes in the dresser and closet, out-of-date food in the kitchen pantry and freezer, expired medicines and unused make-up in the bathroom (don’t forget to donate all appropriate items).
• Tackle the dreaded junk drawer or Tupperware cupboard – there is bound to be enough in these areas to fill a trash bag.
• If you’re like me, your car is a dumping ground for empty soda cans, snack wrappers and other trash.  There may or may not have been a donation bag in my trunk for the last three months. 
• Make an effort on Tuesdays to clean out your in-box.  I receive countless junk emails each day that I need to unsubscribe to, but never seem to make the time. 
• Purge your social media accounts – do you really need to know what your best friend’s cousin’s mother-in-law is having for dinner tonight, or what grades your ex-neighbor’s brother’s bratty kid scored on his 3^rd grade report card?
• I spend way more time than I care to admit watching trash TV.  Although it’s a pleasant way to unwind after a harrowing day, I dare say I could achieve the same results by reading a book and gain the added benefits of broadening my mind rather than numbing it. 
• Focus on your thoughts and trash the negative ones.  Begin the habit of allowing positive affirmations to replace any negativity that crosses our minds.

Workout Wednesday

Ideally, we should engage in physical activity multiple times per week, but many people insist they don’t have time to exercise.  I get it – life is busy.  What if we chose just one day each week to find the time to be active – is it possible we might actually enjoy it enough to commit to doing more? 

• In just five minutes you can complete 50-second rounds of five different exercises with 10 seconds of rest in between (consider push-ups, squats, sit-ups, burpees and a plank to really get the blood pumping).
• Spend ten minutes stretching out your muscle groups.
• My company encourages staff to get up and walk around the office at 3pm every Wednesday – this is more effective than caffeine at beating the hump day slump.
• Choose the stairs rather than the elevator on Wednesdays. 
• I love to walk, but rarely take the time these days.  Did you know that just 30 minutes of walking on a regular basis can alleviate depression, limit chronic disease, improve blood pressure, lower risk of heart disease and keep weight in check?   There are so many options for this FREE exercise: you can walk in place; on a treadmill; outside; and even in a mall on the rainy days (don’t laugh – I’ve done it – just don’t take your wallet with you or you may be tempted to shop).

Thankful Thursday

“There is always, always something to be thankful for”, author unknown.  This is so very true.  Even on our darkest days, we can find something we appreciate.  When my step-father lost his battle with cancer, we were grateful that he had been able marry my mum during his last days.  During a particularly bleak day of raising a challenging teenage boy, I was reminded by a friend that her son didn’t live long enough to drive her crazy during the teenage years.  It is also true that when we focus on the things we have, we focus less on the things we don’t have. 

• Today, let’s be thankful for our health.  Even those in poor health may have the ability to see and hear.
• We should be thankful for our family, friends and the people who add meaning to our lives. 
• Unlike many, I am blessed to live in a warm (or cool – depending on the season) home with running water, food in the pantry and clothes in the closet.
• I am grateful for a job that pays the bills, and allows me to contribute to society.
• Spend time to appreciate the fact that you were given another chance at life when you woke up this morning.  You can make a difference to your own life and to others’ today.  You can love and be loved today.  You can create more memories today.

Feel-good Friday

Today’s world can be a dark place for many people who are struggling to put one foot in front of the other and keep going.  We don’t always know which of the people surrounding us are having a bad day, week or month.  This is just one of the countless reasons to be kind every single day to every single person in every single circumstance.  I propose making a special effort on Friday’s to perform a random act of kindness to make someone else feel good.  Complete strangers or dear friends alike can benefit from your kindness and the best news is that you will also feel good.  The term “helpers high” refers to the warm fuzzy feelings you get after helping someone and these feelings can actually improve the state of our physical, mental and emotional health.

• Pay a compliment, hold a door, smile or greet a stranger warmly.  You can allow someone to go ahead of you in a grocery store line or a line of traffic.  Kindness does not have to be costly.
• I love the feel-good stories about people “paying it forward” in fast food lines.  I recently heard about a lady whose order was prepaid by the person in front of her and, when she offered to pay for the order behind her, she was surprised to learn this had been happening for two hours.  Kindness is contagious!
• Donate your time, money or skills to any number of good causes – from your local animal or homeless shelters to nursing homes and fire stations.
• Send a note to thank someone you appreciate.
• Take snacks to work and watch your colleagues smile – I have found that nothing spreads faster in an office than news of free food. 

Spoil yourself Saturday

We sometimes forget to be kind to ourselves and we often don’t make the time to take care of ourselves.  Just as airplane oxygen masks should be applied to ourselves first in order to help others, we are able to spread more kindness when we are in happy.  It is so important that we slow down and recharge our batteries on a regular basis, but this simple act is easy to forget as we rush through life.  Taking even a small amount of time for self-care can produce huge impacts on our health and happiness.

• Spend some time today doing exactly what YOU want, rather than doing what everyone else wants.
• Read a book and lose yourself in a fantasy world where your worries don’t exist.
• Take a nap and wake up refreshed ready to face whatever life has in store for you.
• Go shopping for something you WANT rather than something you NEED (within reason, of course).
• Indulge in a warm bubble bath, a quiet coffee alone or “that” TV show that you don’t admit to watching in public.

What will you do to “be happy, healthy and kind” today?