During the Anti-Procrastination Challenge, I listened to people share about what they value in their lives.
Feeling better. Doing work that lights them up and makes them feel proud. Connecting with others. Having way more unscheduled, rejuvenating downtime. Being seen as an expert. Making the money they know they’re capable of. Taking care of themselves. Traveling. Being generous.
Most of us have a tendency to think that these things will happen someday in the future, when we have time.
But they can happen today.
Here are guidelines for using this list:
Guidelines:
- First, think about what’s important to you these days. It will make it infinitely easier to then know which of the below options you want to experiment with.
- Some of these require more time, more energy, or more money. Which of these three things do you already have and which do you want?
- If something piques your interest, consider it and investigate it fully before dismissing it. You might be surprised by how affordable many things are. If it is outside your budget: First, question whether you might be able to generate that money in your business and/or find a more affordable option.
Business
- Join Half-Finished to Done, LIVE (
I had to)
- Raise your prices
- Schedule one deep work session per day, to do your most important work
- Contact every former client and ask if they need your help again
- Contact every former client and ask if they have one person they could refer you to (considering adding a fun little incentive for them)
- Schedule a weekly in person or virtual coworking session with a friend
- Write a pitch to your email list
- Choose a different spot to work in each week
- Get away from your computer more by using the Otter app (voice transcription)
- Put together an FAQ page with the questions you’re always being asked
- Put up an auto-responder with FAQs and common next steps that someone can take
- Only post repurposed content for a week+
- Choose one skill set to spend 8 weeks learning, bootcamp-style
- Host your own personal working retreat
- Fire a client that’s hard for you to work with
Life maintenance
- Hire a college student to run errands for you
- Hire a TaskRabbit to do a task you’ve been avoiding at home
- Simplify meal time: Buy pre-chopped ingredients ($), get a meal delivery service ($$), hire a college student to cook meals for you ($$$), hire a personal chef ($$$$)*
- Get Instacart delivery
- Schedule a fun cleaning day (with your favorite music or podcasts)
Self-care + well-being
- Turn off your phone for 1 hour at a time, several times per day
- Turn off most or all of the push notifications on your phone
- Sit in a park
- Book a spa day
- Get a monthly or weekly massage (at home)
- Hire a personal stylist, enroll in a style course, or buy the book Style Statement
- Go in a flotation device
- Hire a personal trainer
- Forgive someone—or choose to stay angry with them, if you need to
- Write a letter of forgiveness or anger to Past You
- Call someone and have a hard conversation
- Ask your partner for more logistical and emotional support
- Have a convo with your partner to discuss an unmade decision that’s weighing you down
- Take a week+ off of drinking
- Start writing for 5+ minutes per day
- Sit in silence for 5+ minutes per day
- Dance around your house (alone, with your partner, or with your kids)
- Try a new recipe
Fun, leisure, + hobbies
- Put a dream vacation on your calendar now
- Take a boat ride
- Take a class (wine + design, macaron making, cooking, pole dancing, etc)
- Do a staycation (at home or at a hotel)
- Do a Zumba class
- Join a book club
- Hire a language tutor
- Plan a solo or couple date night
- Join an intramural sports league
- Find a Daybreaker event in your city
Community
- Volunteer
- Donate monthly to a cause that matters to you
- Mentor someone
- Meet people on Bumble BFF
- Join a Meetup
- Take a gift to your neighbor
If you want to put yourself in an environment that prioritizes living in accordance with your values, I invite you to join my program, Half-Finished to Done, LIVE.
We focus on your business projects, but you’ll see the ripple effects of this work show up in all areas of your life.