Healthy Living DIY

1. Find something you like. In any situation, there's inevitably something you like. Focus on that. I once heard a story about a woman visiting her friend who virtually jumped up from the supper table to clean her kitchen.

"I don't get it!" the woman said. "What could possibly excite you so much about washing up that big stack of greasy dishes?"

"I'm not washing greasy dishes," her friend replied. "I'm sparkling up the kitchen!"

The friend loved a sparkling clean kitchen. Presumably, she also enjoyed having food to serve for her friends and making them comfortable in her home. A sometimes-dreaded chore became easy because the friend stayed focused on what she liked.

2. Give it a time. Sometimes it's helpful to assign your task a specific time. The friend from our story above apparently paired her task with another enjoyable activity -- eating the meal. In her case, the time for cleaning up the kitchen was immediately after a meal.

Another way to do the same thing is to allocate a particular clock time. For instance, a person might decide that "8:00 am on the 15th of the month" is the perfect day and time to reconcile a bank statement. Or "Tuesday at 7:00 pm," just for this week, might be the perfect time to target for a phone call to check in on grandma. (Hint: write it in your calendar.)

Warning: Avoid the temptation, "I'll do it this week, one night after work." Way too much wiggle room! You'll be yourself up to feel bad, which is exactly NOT what we're after!

3. Sieze the moment. Let's say you've identified a high-priority task, like cleaning up that pile of mail that's accumulated on your desk at work. It's really clear that this particular task is next the moment a spot of time frees up. In this case, your priority is the key. Watch for an opportunity. A meeting cancels, for example. Then sieze it!

4. Break it down and move it forward. You don't necessarily have to accomplish the entire task in one sitting. Let's say you've got three kinds of fresh vegetables to be chopped for snacking. If you only have a few minutes to spare, wash and peel them all, then return them to the fridge until you have that next few minutes to cut them up.

5. Set a timer. When all else fails and you just don't have the energy to face the drudgery, set a timer. You can sort mail for 15 minutes, can't you? Of course you can. Likewise with getting on the exercise bike, shoveling the walk, weeding the garden, or anything of that nature.

Remember, you're going to feel so much better afterward. Take a mental "snapshot" of the finished event so you can remind yourself how nice it looks / good it feels the next time.

Wellness Coaching offers a great support structure for getting yourself from where you are now to your intended result. Groups begin September 15, January 15, and May 15. It's not too early to start thinking about your next project!