Be your best self.

The Every Day List

The Every Day List
Carly Jacobs

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Us humans don’t always know what’s good for us. Truthfully we probably do know but our brains like to sabotage us sometimes. I know sometimes my brain is all ‘Let’s drink 5 pints of beer on a Tuesday afternoon. TASTY FACE!‘. Then I end up drunk at the pub,  yelling at a stranger about my theories of feminism on Game of Thrones at 11pm on a weeknight. I know what works for my body but my brain likes to hijack my self control sometimes. So a few years ago I wrote a list of things that I need to do every single day in order to feel good and function as a relatively stable adult. I’m pretty sure Oprah made me do it. Writing my non-negotiable daily tasks in list form means that my brain can’t pretend like these tasks don’t exist. I have the list written in my calender and I actually mark them off every day. It seems silly to have ‘wind down in the evening’ on my list but if I don’t acknowlege it and write it down, I always forget. The list keeps me accountable. Here’s my top five things I need to do every day to stay healthy in my body and my mind. 

The Every Day List

Exercise

I do ‘proper’ exercise every week day. I usually alternate between Barre Body classes and 5km runs on my treadmill but I just do not function unless I move my butt. On weekends or on particularly busy days I simply make sure I’ve done at least 10,000 steps with my FitBit One. If I don’t exercise every day, I don’t sleep well, I’m cranky and my mind isn’t as focussed or clear. Having this on my list acts as an excellent reminder when I can’t figure out why I’m tossing and turning in bed and I realise I’ve only done about 4000 steps and I skipped my Barre class.

Do something silly

Laughing is so good for your mental wellbeing and not enough people conscientiously try to bring joy and laughter to their day. It could be something as simple as sending a cute puppy picture to my friend or making a funny face at a kid on the tram. I’m also partial to flashing my bum at Mr Smaggle several times a day. A good giggle can be so refreshing. 

Take a proper lunch break

Most people experience some kind of energy crash in the afternoon and it’s usually because they didn’t take the time to have a proper break. I work from home so I always make sure to eat away from my computer. I’ll watch an episode of a funny show or read a few chapters of my book. It always refreshes me and no matter how much I think that I don’t have time to have a break, I waste far more time by not having a break because I just get useless in the afternoon without one. 

Eat something green

I like to think I’m a consistently healthy eater but if I get really busy, I’ll often go a whole day without eating anything green. I try to sneak a few handfuls of spinach in at every meal. It makes me feel a lot less gluggy at the end of the day. Having this written on my list reminds me to order a salad for lunch instead of pumpkin soup.

Wind down in the evening

This is a new one for me and something that I took away from my Luxury Retreats Bali detox last week. I’ve implemented the rule that I go screen free at 9pm on weeknights and then I read before going to sleep instead of watching YouTube clips on my phone. Actual books, not my kindle. It makes for a more restful sleep and I’m able to totally switch off and prepare for it. 

What every day tasks are essential to your health and wellbeing? Do you have an Every Day List? What’s on it?

14 Comments

  1. Rowena 10 years ago

    Do you write your list out daily for the next day? I have a list but overlook it often because it is always there! My main one is a morning stretch ????

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      No I have the list in a rolling event in my calendar. I just tick them off everyday and they automatically get loaded to my next day!

  2. Vicki | Style On V 10 years ago

    I love your wind down tip the best. Something I should do often. is to read instead of surfing the net on my iPad or iPhone.

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      It’s made such a big differnece. I’ve only been doing it for 2 weeks but it’s made massive improvements to my rest and also waking hours.

  3. Christie 10 years ago

    Ooh I like this! I’m a crazy list person, this is a great idea to remember to take time for yourself, whilst still feeling accomplished by ticking things off the list 🙂 I should take note of going screen free by 9pm, thats something to work towards!

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      It’s actually brilliant and a lot easier than it sounds. Getting up at 6am or 5.30 also helps otherwise I’m not tired. I generally go screen free at 9pm, potter around for a bit and organise some things for the next day and then I’m in bed with a book by 9.30 and asleep by 10. It’s been a game changer.

  4. emmabovary 10 years ago

    Loving this list- though the 9pm cut off isn’t for me. I do really need to get back into reading though, I’ve been finding it really hard to get stuck into a book I keep picking them up and losing interest really fast.

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      I didn’t think the 9pm cut off would work for me either but I’m finding it’s making a huge difference to my general energy and wellness. It makes getting up at 6am for the gym SO MUCH easier and I’m sleeping heaps better as well.

  5. BlondieInk 10 years ago

    I’ve found winding down is key to how good of a nights sleep I get!

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      Totally! I’ve been fastidious about it since I got back and it’s worked absolute wonders.

  6. I need this list tattooed on my forearm. So simple yet so brilliant. Thanks for sharing it with us hun. x

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      No worries at all! I actually enter my tasks in my calender and just tick them off every day!

  7. Erika 10 years ago

    Yep. It’s stuck on my dressing table mirror. I’ve even got the really important ones in bold type: 10 breaths (slow, deep and mindful), pacing, sleep, timeout and acceptance. You should be able to tell that I’m a stress bunny!

    After that, there’s a list of things I try to do regularly. Daily ones include:
    – no more than 2 coffees
    – at least 2 tall glasses of water or herbal tea
    – short walk (even if it’s just up the road and back)
    – hand cream (super dry skin here)
    – sit outside for at least 5 minutes
    – 5 minute meditation (see also the 10 breaths)
    – stretch
    – cuddle spouse
    – laugh at dogs
    – at least 30 minutes with a book, uninterrupted. If I get interrupted, the clock goes back to zero 🙂

    • Author
      Smaggle 10 years ago

      Oh awesome! Breathing is SO important! I love the 30 minutes book rule although with the no interruptions I could very easily be there all say! 🙂

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