If you are looking to change your life, sometimes it is less about a sudden big change. Little shifts or habits you incorporate in order to create more gradual, effective change can actually make a bigger impact. That impact stretches into your mental well-being, too!
‘Closing Shifts’
If you have worked in a restaurant before, you’ll recognize this term! The closing shift employees at a restaurant are responsible for making sure the entire restaurant is cleaned up and everything put away for the morning team the next day to come in and immediately be able to grab and get moving. The same can be done in your home. Every night before we wind down for bed, I make sure the dishes are clean and dishwasher running, the laundry is done, everything is cleared off the kitchen counters and put away for the day, toys and books are put back on their shelves, and overall the house is tidied up.
Meal Planning
I was listening to an episode of Jay Shetty’s podcast recently that was all about how to be present and focused. One of the topics he touched on was how only 2% of people can actually multitask and we all think we are in that 2%. I thought about that and how recently I got back into doing meal planning for myself and my family. I hate the feeling of being down to dinnertime and scrambling to figure out what we are having; are we making something, are we going out, what are we making, where are we going, etc. It creates even that little frustration in the moment. I wanted to remove that, so I just planned out the meals for the week on the Sunday beforehand. I wrote out the meals in my planner for the week and we stuck to them. The additional benefit I realized when Jay Shetty brought up this idea of multitasking was that the simple action of planning my meals for the week opened up free space in my mind for all of the other things I have to do in a day/week. I wasn’t trying to put in a grocery order or DoorDash within the last hour of my workday because I knew I had things ready to go already. Just that simple act of planning for a few minutes on the weekend left my brain open and available to focus where I needed it to.
Lay The Groundwork For Your Day
Whether you are working a 9-5, a stay-at-home parent, or anything in between, taking 5-10 minutes in the morning to think about and plan the day ahead can make a huge impact on how you mentally step into that day. I work from home and sometimes feel like my day gets going before I do. One practice I have integrated into my days is to spend 5-10 minutes every morning sitting still and planning out my day.
Writing everything down helps in so many ways. I can clearly map out my day as well as get things out of my brain that don’t need to take up rent there throughout my entire day. I make a list of the things I would like to get to within the day and know that if I don’t quite get to it, I have it noted to save for another day. I also jot down things I am thankful for and bigger goals I’m after to keep that focus within the smaller things I’ll do in the day. The little steps take you towards the bigger goal.
