10 Tips for Fighting a Lazy Day

We’ve all been there. (Photo: Flickr/Anni)

Everyone has lazy days, and days where it seems as though nothing gets done. It isn’t a big deal to have these days occasionally, but there are several ways to combat the temptation to have an unusually unproductive day.

For those times when I seem to be spinning my wheels, I keep a list of things that I can do every day, even when I have no extra time, money, or energy to spare. I sometimes forget to write in my one-sentence journal and I don’t always make it to the gym, but I do try to make sure I hit all these items.

That way, even if I feel like I had a day when I got nothing accomplished, I can comfort myself, as I climb into my smooth, tidy bed, “Well, at least I went for a walk. I ate an apple. I hugged my daughters.”

Every day, I…

1. Make my bed.

2. Wear sunscreen (well, most days).

3. Wear my seat belt.

4. Jump up and down a few times.

5. Pick up one object that’s in the wrong place and put it away.

6. Go for a 10-minute walk outside.

7. Eat a fruit or vegetable.

8. Put my keys away in the same place.

9. Touch everyone in my apartment with affection.

10. Pause to enjoy a lovely smell.

Bonus: 11. Go to sleep as soon as I’m sleepy, if I possibly can.

How about you? Are there things that you try to do every day, even when it seems impossible to get anything done?

Gretchen Rubin is the author of the blockbuster New York Times bestsellers, Better Than Before, The Happiness Project, and Happier at Home. On her weekly podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin, she discusses good habits and happiness with her sister Elizabeth Craft. She writes about happiness and habit-formation at gretchenrubin.com. Follow her on Twitter, @gretchenrubin, or on Facebook at facebook.com/GretchenRubin.

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