Part of being successful is taking obstacles out of the way. Removing barriers can be an excellent gift that frees us to do more of what we love. For me it isn’t always doing the fun activity it’s making space in my day for the fun activity. It’s easy to get lost in emails or random trains of thought. The best way I have found to do the things that truly fulfill me is to make it easier. 

Set a Timer

If I have to organize emails or answer notes – I set a timer. I give myself 10 or 20 minutes to resolve and organize. This keeps me from getting sucked into an hour of unsubscribing and following up on emails from a month ago. Chances are I never needed that promotional email anyway.

Tandem Task

I want to take a multi-vitamin to help supplement my diet but I never remember to take it. I placed it in the cupboard next to my eye makeup remover. Every day I reach for the cleanser I see the vitamin and remember to take it. It’s a simple trick that keeps me healthy and adds no additional steps to my routine. It’s easy because it is attached to something I’m doing already.

Schedule the Time

I have found that if I don’t specifically allocate time to an activity the day gets away from me. Therefore, if I want to run to salon for a pedicure I set an appointment reminder. When it’s on the calendar it feels official. A task might get bumped if the day gets busy. But if I have it on my agenda I simply move the reminder to another day instead of cancelling it entirely. We all need to plan our joy.

Set It and Forget It

One of the ways I make sure our family eats well is by preparing meals in large quantities and freezing them for later. Instead of relying on take out for a quick meal fix I prepare a large meal on Sunday and freeze the extras. This gift to future me assures that later in the month we will have delicious foods ready. This works like a dream when we’re in the midst of team practices and family activities. 

If possible, I also like to prepare meals that slow cook all day. The crock pot is a lifesaver that helps me to have a delicious dinner ready without falling back on freezer pizzas. You can check out some of my favorite recipes on Pinterest.

These are some of the tools I use to create opportunities for success in my day. I hope they serve you. They’re all relatively simple quick fixes that I have found make my life a lot easier and help me to spend more time doing what brings me joy. Let me know if you apply any of these steps and how they change the way your routine works! I hope it is all for the better!