Summer Project Smarts (Healthy Living DIY)

It's summer! Yahoo! Time to get all those outdoor projects done. Or head to the beach. Or read a steamy novel. Or spend some extra time at the dog park with your best buddy. Or...

Wait a minute. All that stuff is way too much to think about. This calls for a nap!

Well before you doze off, consider this. What if this becomes the summer you master the art of working smarter, not harder. That you accomplish more with less effort. That you retire your "to do" list and kick back for some well-deserved R & R.

Sound good?

Great! Here are my Top 3 Tips for a Smart Summer:

1. Be particular. It's not necessary to accomplish absolutely everything on your project list this weekend. Create a manageable short-term goal. Choose the most pressing item or two from your "long term" list to target right now. Put everything else on the back burner. Looking at your weekend chore list should not stress you out!

2. Get it done. Once you identify your most pressing projects, get on them immediately. You might make a game of it: "if I get the lawn finished by noon, I get the rest of the afternoon off." Weather permitting, you'll be much more productive and satisfied if you do the chores first and then relax.

3. Nobody's perfect. And your project doesn't necessarily have to be done perfectly either. Sometimes it's just as good to take an honest pass at something and leave well enough alone. Other times, of course, quality matters. Use your best judgement. Just remember that the 1-hour version is often times just as good as the 3-hour version. After all, you'll get another crack at that lawn next week anyway!

Readers: What's your best super-effective strategy for working smart? We'd all like to know! Leave your comments below:

Elizabeth Eckert can help you explore how simple everyday choices create health — or undermine even the best of intentions. With a background that ranges from energy medicine to structural bodywork to developmental psychology, this "Stick-To-It Coach" has the experience to support you in creating the healthiest possible expression of — you!

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