Happiness prescription
25
Apr

10 Things To Do Every Day: A Prescription For Happiness And Personal Organization

Sometimes life’s little tantrums make it hard to keep your cool. You get sick, you face one problem after another, your goals stall, your relationships struggle…

You can start to feel disorganized, frustrated, in a rut…

So what can you do to keep yourself afloat?

I suggest a daily checklist that will help you feel as though you’re hanging in there and doing okay.

Keep the checklist simple and achievable. It shouldn’t add to your sense of falling behind.

Here’s my personal checklist of things I aim to do every single day. I’m not perfect at doing everything every day, but simply having the checklist helps me focus on what I should do when I’m not sure what to do with myself.

Use mine, or create your own.

1. Make Your Bed

Don’t underestimate the sabotaging power of an unmade bed. It sends a negative message to your subconscious.

Make your bed daily and you’ll form a habit of doing it fast (mine takes me about 3 minutes).

It will mark the threshold into starting the day well, and offer a welcoming sanctuary when the day is over.

2. Deal With The Urgent

Every day, scan your emails, mail, noticeboard, phone messages, etc, for anything that demands prompt attention.

Stuff like school notices, renewals, and bills due for payment can become time-consuming or expensive problems later.

Avoid those problems by dealing with the urgent today.

3. Get Some Exercise

Take a gym class, go for a walk, lift tins of soup, lunge* around your house while on the phone – do anything that gets you moving.

And if you have a sedentary life, get as much micro-exercise as you can.

Stop making excuses (no one is listening) and just do it.

*Um no, not lounge – I said lunge.

4. Have Something To Look Forward To

Plan to do something that makes you happy every single day.

I can’t wait to get out of bed every morning because I love drinking coffee and doing the crossword. And I love reading in bed at night, so that’s a minor indulgence I have every day.

Your daily treats could be playing Angry Birds, taking a bath, making your favourite tea after dinner, listening to tunes – anything you enjoy and look forward to.

5. Eat Vegetables

They help you stay slim and healthy, so eat them!

If, like me, you self-medicate with junk food when you’re feeling down, getting some veggies every day can help you compensate.

Add salad or vegetables to your meals wherever you can.

6. Do Something Nice For Someone Else

This is a lovely habit to get into. Can you give someone a genuine compliment? Offer encouragement or compassion? Give a gift or do a favor?

The important thing here is to choose things you can do lovingly – don’t choose big or difficult gestures that feel like a burden.

If your good deeds come from love rather than obligation then both you and the other person will will great.

Find something nice to do every day.

7. Achieve Something Productive Or Meaningful

Can you make progress on an important project, take time with a loved one, take action toward a goal?

Something small that matters is better than something big that’s not truly important to you.

So forget busywork and instead focus on achieving something every day that gives you a sense of meaning and/or achievement.

8. Tidy Up At Night

Spending 10 minutes every night doing a quick tidy will make all the difference to the way you feel as you head to bed, and especially to the way you feel when you start the next day.

Keep it simple. Even if all you do is wash the dishes, toss toys in a toy bin and clothes in a basket, and use a hand-vac to scoop up the day’s crumbs, you’ll feel pretty pleased with yourself.

9. Feel Grateful

Happiness research has shown that counting your blessings boosts your happiness. So make it a ritual to reflect on the good things in your life every day.

Do it as you eat breakfast in the morning or while you brush your teeth at night – but make it a habit.

Got all your limbs? Have a nice house, good friends, or mad skills in ikebana? Lucky you!

10. Make A List For Tomorrow

Before you head to bed, make a quick list of things to do and remember tomorrow.

This will get them out of your head so you sleep better, feel organized, and have a map for the next day.

Make Your Checklist

Ready to start using your daily checklist? Write or type yours out and put it somewhere you’ll see it when you wake tomorrow.

Got good ideas for your personal happiness and personal organization prescription? Please share them!

Note: A version of this article originally appeared in my Get Organized newsletter.
Michele | Get Organized Gal

Michele is into writing, books, simplicity, love, TV, productivity, and staying thin in a world of chocolate.

35 thoughts on “10 Things To Do Every Day: A Prescription For Happiness And Personal Organization”

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