Tired of New Year New You social media posts? I am and it’s only because they don’t work. Just as diets won’t help you lose weight, if you don’t change the way you live your life, all the self-help lists in the world won’t help you improve your life.
TOO BUSY FOR ALL THAT NOISE
I don’t have to tell you that there are simply not enough hours in the day to have everything you need to care for. TikTok and Instagram influencers have these gorgeous homes and perfect hair and makeup, but you don’t see the behind-the-scenes stuff that makes their 2-minute videos look like peaches and cream in their worlds. We need real tips and tricks to take care of our real life. Here are some things that I started doing a couple of years ago that have really made a difference in the way my life works.
1. Make a daily list: Keep a daily list of the things you want to accomplish. Notice that I did not say ‘I have to achieve’. Not everything is going to be done and that is how things are. Put the date at the top of your list and whatever you miss, move it to the top of the list the next day.
2. Make a monthly list – There are some things that will take longer than it takes in a normal day. If you want to paint the kitchen, don’t try to spoil it in a weekend. Put ‘paint the inside of the glass cabinet’ on your monthly checklist and get it done. You are not Chip and Joanna Gaines and you do not have to meet a deadline. Take things slowly, and before you know it, your entire home has been spruced up.
3. Exercise – Ok, not like this. Don’t try to spend an hour and a half a day; it is unrealistic and will give up. Start with 15 minutes of cardiovascular exercise or weight lifting. Find a free exercise site on Insta, there are a million of them. Do one body part a day and work up to 30 minutes, then up to 45 minutes. Do not go crazy. You didn’t gain weight in a week, it’s not going to go away in a week.
4. make a menu – This changed my life completely. I used to go shopping and come home with nothing to eat. If you have a menu, you can make a shopping list and buy only what you need. Stick to the menu for 4 days and eat leftovers or some fast food the other 3 days. It’s about balance, not being a Food Network worthy chef. Nobody has time for that.
5. Leave your phone – I can lose myself on social media for hours and then wonder why nothing has been done. Set a task for 30 minutes and then reward yourself with 10 minutes of social media. Set an alarm and stick to it. It’s hard, but getting that reward at the end of a task makes you feel like you’ve really accomplished something.
Happy 2022!
LOOK: History of food from the year you were born
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