What were those big goals that you had for yourself at the start of the pandemic?
I know I had a bunch… they or may not have fallen away over the course of this year, but I’m ready to bring them back!
Remember all those plans you made to update your house, to clean, to organize your life?
I spent a lot of time this year in front of the television. I know I’ve actually watched too much, because now I feel compelled to do other things. I know! You can actually get burned out on TV?! Who would’ve thought?!
But since I can’t seem to find that next show to binge, I’m actually finally checking things off that to do list I’ve had lying around for what feels like a century!
First up was organizing my pantry, and when I was done, it felt like a true miracle. And not only was my closet clean, I felt great because I accomplished something!
Whether you have a list of your own or you need some ideas, you can do it too, and here are some easy ways to get started.
Find that stashed cash
Do you ever put your hand in your pocket and come out with some cash? It’s the best sort of day when that happens! Why not find that extra money and put it in the bank!
Go through that coin jar, I know you have one, the bank will give you free coin slips, you just count it all and take it to the bank. I do it about once a year, and last year I had about $80 in change! That’s so much Pizza!
Look in those old purses. Sometimes I throw some change or cash into my purse if I’m carrying too much and can’t get my wallet out, or a friend gives you a dollar or something, take a look! Maybe you’ll find that lip-gloss you’ve been missing!
Look through your wallet. Do you have gift cards? Have you used them? Make a plan to use them or give them to friends who will! Maybe you can even have a fun gift card exchange!
Get rid of that Junk – Mail and in your home
I recently discovered Thred Up and I am ALL ABOUT IT. Not only can I mail in all the clothes I’ve been purging during COVID, but you make money! I found Thred Up when my usual place in my neighborhood that I take to donate clothes was closed during COVID. Thred Up will send you a tag and bag, you just stuff it full of clothes, drop it off at USPS and done!
Go through your rooms, one at a time. Don’t try to take on everything at once. And in your room, say you’ll start with one wall. That wall might include the closet, it might just be a wall. Make over that wall how you want it and then move on to the next, that way it feels more manageable.
Go through your inbox. Unsubscribe to everything that is not relevant to you! Get that junk out of your life. Take 5 minutes to unsubscribe to emails every day.
Find that Extra Space on Your Phone
Delete those unused apps. Go through your phone and delete the apps you no longer use. You don’t need them cluttering up your phone.
Delete text message chains. You’d be surprised how much storage these take up, think about all those photos and links you sent!
Delete the video downloads on your phone. Unless you’re travelling, you don’t need to download that Netflix or ITunes content. Make sure you’re not storing more than you need to!
Exercise More
This is the constant refrain, and is still so hard to accomplish. Why not try finding a work out buddy, so you both encourage each other to get moving.
Try something new! Take that class you always wanted, Soul Cycle or that Aerial Yoga class, get yourself to remember how good it feels to work out and you’ll be inspired to do it more.
Try classes at home. Whether you’re using YouTube or the Peloton App, try exercising right from your living room, there’s no excuse not to, and you might find a style of movement that you really love.
Find a Therapist
This is the best thing I ever did, seriously. Sometimes you need to talk to someone who doesn’t know you and help you reframe your thoughts.
There are all kinds of ways to find a therapist. You can first try finding one through your insurance, call them and see how you can talk to someone!
If you’re not ready to dive head in and talk to someone, you can download the app Headspace, Calm, or check out Jubilance’s Meditations (PUT A LINK TO MEDITATIONS) to find stress relieving and anxiety targeted meditation practices.
There are also all kinds of online therapy, your insurance might have a plan, or you can use Talkspace. They match you with a virtual therapist. I actually love talking on the phone with my therapist, she’s a little old lady who doesn’t know how to zoom and we chat on her landline. It’s perfect for me because she isn’t looking at me, and I can just lie on the ground in pajamas in my house!
Read That Book on your Nightstand
How long has that book been there? Really. I have a book that’s been there for maybe four years… I’m not proud of it, but there are so many other books to read!
Either read the book or put it away. Don’t kid yourself. If you don’t want to read it, don’t do it!
Find a new book! There are all kinds of great books that came out in the past year, check out our blog on the best romance novels and best feminist novels (ALICE ADD LINK TO THESE).
Get a recommendation from a friend for a book they might be embarrassed that they love. I’ve asked all of my friends this question, and it gave great results! All of the books were silly, some were romances, some were children’s books, but they were all joyful and fun to read! Especially in this time of COVID, you don’t want to read Tolstoy or Faulkner (the book that’s been sitting by my bed…) give yourself a break!
Organize your Recipes
We’ve all been cooking so much this year; why not make a cookbook of all those recipes you’ve love.
Take out all those loose papers that you’ve ripped out of magazines and organize them digitally.
Why not try making a digital library? You can use Google Drive to help you organize by Ingredient type and type of meal.
Or if having a hard copy is more of your thing, print out those recipes and have Staples or a printer place bind them for you!
Make sure to also go through those cookbooks. You probably don’t use all of them, purge the ones you don’t need, or just save a couple of recipes digitally.
Learn a New Skill
What have you been hankering to learn? Is it a new language? How about a musical instrument? Or do you want to sharpen up some professional life skills? You can find all kinds of classes online now!
There are free ones available on Apple University as well as YouTube, or you could pay for classes on all kinds of platforms.
All you need to know is what you want to learn, and voila, there’s a class for you.
Update your Resume
This is the to do task that is always at the bottom of my list, but it’s so important!
Think about what you’ve been up to this year and how to talk about it on your resume! Did you transfer your team online? Did you start a new routine? Are you a master of gardening now? What have you done that shows you pushed harder this year?
Whatever you do to check those ticks on the to do list, we hope these ideas made it all a little easier. And if you don’t end up doing any of these ideas now, be sure to keep them handy, so whenever you get a moment, you can turn to this checklist.
