When you have some downtime, it’s only natural to start feeling a bit bored and unmotivated and when I am feeling like this, I am generally faced with three options. The first, lay on the couch and channel surf. The second open a bottle of pinot gris and start chugging. Or the third somehow find the motivation to get off my butt and do something with the day. Surprisingly, using the below three steps, I more often than not am able to motivate myself and end up achieving something. And ultimately, I then celebrate my achievement with a glass of pinot gris. Happy that I both got something done for the day and happy that I lasted until after 3pm for my first glass.
Write a To Do List
My first step is to list out things I need to do today. I include everything – brushing my teeth, having a shower and any jobs I need to do. A to do list helps you visually see everything that needs to be done in your day and gives you a sense of achievement as you start ticking jobs off one by one. Another potential benefit – according to a Baylor University study, writing a to do list may aide in falling asleep at night (1). The study advised that writing down tasks that need to be done may help off-load anxiety of thinking about what needs to be done at night. Whilst they advised further study is required to strengthen results – it can’t hurt, right?
Spare 30 Minutes to a Pamper Sesh
Grab a face mask, a magazine and pour yourself a cup of tea. Finish the last ten minutes with mindfulness meditation and feel revitalised and refreshed. Make this time about you and just relax. If you don’t have a mask at home why not make one? I have used the Marie Claire avocado and cocoa mask and really enjoyed it – see the recipe here (2).
Pick a Cupboard and Clean It
Nothing gives me greater satisfaction then resolving a cluttered cupboard that has somehow ended up being the “shove and hide things” cupboard. There is plenty of research out there that demonstrates a link towards positivity and decluttering but for me – it’s about being able to access things easily and quickly. The removal of chaos. And reducing the amount of dust that gets collected by items I no longer use. It is nice to sit back with a glass of pinot gris and look at the sense of organisation decluttering achieves.
- (1) Baylor University. Can writing your ‘to-do’s’ help you to doze? Baylor study suggests jotting down tasks may speed the trip to dreamland. Eureka Alert. 11 Jan 2018. https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-01/bu-cwy011118.php
- (2) Rodriguez, B and Keong, L. 8 Easy DIY Face Masks for Bright, Glowing Skin. Maire Claire. March 2020. https://www.marieclaire.com/beauty/how-to/a2830/best-homemade-face-masks/