1. Clean Out Your Closet / Any Area of Your Life - Clutter and disorganization are the devil. Holding onto things you don’t need or use only takes up space that can be used for things you will love and inhibits your freedom. When your surroundings are messy and your items don’t have a home, you’ll waste a LOT of time looking for things, time that can be better spent not stressing over that search. If you haven’t gotten around to “spring cleaning”, now’s the time. If you “don’t have the time” at least take 10-15 minutes to go through your wardrobe and pull out things that you haven’t worn/don’t need and set it aside to give away or toss. On the other side if you find something you haven’t worn but “Love!” and “OMG! Totally forgot I had this!” place it up front in your closet and resolve to wear it at least once this month or out it goes! Taking a quick look through your closet every so often will refresh your memory about what you own and end up saving you money that you might have spend purchasing something really similar.
2. Try / Learn Something New - Are there things in your life that you used to enjoy and find pleasure in but no longer have the same excitement for? Contrary to what some commercials might tell you, it doesn’t mean you’re depressed. As humans, it’s natural for us to “get used to” / become desensitized a bit after a while. This is why it’s so important to learn new things whenever possible. It’ll give you something new to get excited about and give you a little space from the things you love so that you can revisit them from a fresh perspective. I recently came across a website called skillshare (not sponsored!) where for $10 a month you can take online classes in almost anything!
3. Check for Memberships & Trial Memberships You Don’t Use + Cancel Them - Speaking of monthly memberships, while there are some I love and want to be a part of forever, there have been a few that I have grown out of or was just trying out and have forgotten to cancel after the trial membership expired. These things are easy to forget and can easily add up. You’ll thank me later!
4. Start a Gratitude Journal - If you haven’t already, a gratitude journal is a simple way to change your whole attitude about life. As I always like to say, it’s not what you do but how you do it. Keeping an eye out for the good things and the beauty around you can improve the way you approach life. If you’re already keeping a gratitude journal, try this…
5. Write an On-Going Love Letter to Yourself - I did a video a year ago that SO many loved where I shared this crazy idea about keeping a journal dedicated to just loving yourself. It will feel really weird at first, we’re not really trained to speak so highly of ourselves, but this private practice can make a massive difference in your self-esteem!
6. Take Pictures with a REAL Camera (Cell Phones Don’t Count) – Remember that digital camera you spent hundreds of dollars on a few years ago, before you and your iPhone got into the most serious relationship of your life? You used to take pictures on that and wait to get home and upload them to your computer, resize them, and upload to Facebook or Myspace? It misses you. You should go out sometime and reconnect. Instead of spending ten minutes picking a filter after every photo you can *gasp* actually have a good time with your friends! Imagine that! Speaking of reconnecting…
7. Reconnect with an Old Friend / The Person You Mean to Hang Out with But Never Do - Pick up your phone (relax, I’m not going to tell you to call them!) and send them a text and make concrete plans to meet up.
8. Talk to a Friend on the Phone - Gosh, this reminds me of those simple wishes in the Sims 3. *Nostalgia* But did you know that these days you can click on someone’s name on your phone and after some ringing noises you can hear their voice on the other end?! It’s amazing what technology can do these days. Take advantage.
9. Write a Letter - There’s something really special about getting something in the mail. When was the last time you got something handwritten in the mail? If you don’t have a significant other, send something silly to a friend. Why not?
10. Do Something Nice for Someone - Admit it, we’re all pretty damn self-centered and often we’re never all that happy. Taking the focus off of our routines for a moment to do something to make someone else smile, even if they’re a complete stranger, can make you feel amazing. You can get back to being self-centered right after. And when in doubt, keep it simple. It’s the little things after all.
11. Do Something Selfish - Do something JUST BECAUSE IT’S WHAT YOU WANT TO DO. If you want to ignore the world for an hour, you have that right. Take a whole day if you want to. Really, when was the last time you did something that benefited no one but you? Go on with your bad self!
12. Make Something - Get crafty! There are so many DIY Tutorials online. I’m sure there’s at least one practical thing you can feel confident enough to make yourself that won’t even cost much. I once turned an old jean jacket into a vest. (Because I did #1 and got inspired!)
13. Take a Nap - Sometimes taking a little nap in the middle of the day can be more pleasurable than sleeping straight through the night. As the days get longer, you don’t have to worry about waking up to darkness at 4pm like you do during the winter. I hate that! I also read that even a power nap (10 minutes is the perfect time) can be enough to recharge your brain. Just don’t forget the alarm!
14. Take a Walk + Leave Your Phone at Home - It’ll feel like meditation. Just taking a walk on a nice day and soaking up the surroundings without being distracted by the little screen that you love so much is a very simple pleasure. It’ll feel really weird at first and you’ll probably reach for your phone a few times but it’ll be liberating, trust me! It wasn’t that long ago that we didn’t have these things and we got on just fine without them.
15. Read or Listen to Something - I once read somewhere that reading for 30 minutes a day can expose you to a million words a year. If you don’t like to read or don’t have time to read, try Audible! My friends there will let you download your first audio book of your choice for free if you go to audible.com/missjessica. (No, they’re not paying for this post!) Even reading well-written articles online is a great substitute.
16. Play! Do Something You Loved as a Kid! - That could be as simple as coloring, drawing, playing make-believe, playing a video game, going to the park, riding a bike, etc. Think back to what you loved doing as a kid and put yourself in that headspace for an hour. Invite someone to join you.
17. Try Something NEW / DIFFERENT with Your Hair - Try something simple like parting your hair differently, trying something new with your curling iron, or even adding a few little braids. Beachy Waves // Bubble Ponytail // Bohemian Braids
18. Make FUN a PRIORITY - So much of being an adult is spent being serious. Find ways to make things more enjoyable. If that means that you take a small dance break on a daily basis, it’s your life. After the law, there aren’t really any rules so why do we all act like there are?
19. Make a List of Goals / Just ONE Goal for the Month - We can all make a list of goals that would be long enough to make a lifetime supply of toilet paper out of! And yet everyone complains that they can’t seem to get anything done! Come up with one decent-sized goal for the month that you will focus on. Plan for that & set up consistent reminders so that you can keep on track.
20. Go Someplace NEW! - There’s a whole world out there! I’d even argue that there are MANY “worlds” out there. If you can afford to pack your bags (both financially and schedule-wise) and get away for a bit, by all means, do it! But even going to a new restaurant, coffee shop, part of town can be a nice adventure.
21. Try to Cook Something New - Bonus points if you’re with friends. Bonus points if you have a drink in the process, just be careful/do anything that involves a knife before the alcohol starts flowin’!
22. Walk Your Dog or Have an Impromptu Pet Photoshoot - They grow up so fast! And no one you will meet will ever have the same unconditional love for you as your pet does (immediate family members excluded). Plus, they’re cute and all your friends want to see them! Plus, whether you opt for the walk or the photoshoot, it’s likely that both will be great exercise.
23. Do Nothing for One Day - We’ve all had days where we plan to do so much and yet we end up accomplishing nothing. Those days feel like such a waste. But, if you decide ahead of time to do absolutely nothing of importance one day, you won’t feel so bad. In fact, it might feel great to just let go and let life happen for just 24 hours.
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