My To-Do Lists to Stay Motivated

Do You Write To-Do Lists?

What is so great about writing out to-do lists? In times like these, it is so important to have some kind of plan to stay positive and give yourself a fighting chance to overcome stress and anxiety.  Last week, I shared 25 Ways to Survive Stressful Times to help give you ideas on what to do while stuck at home. I have so many different ideas on how to spend my time since I had to shut down my massage therapy office. I miss working on my clients and the feeling of satisfaction when I can provide one hour of stress and pain relief for them.

When I am not working on my blog or coaching business, I like to still keep myself busy and work on my personal growth. One of my passions is to learn new things and find exciting hobbies to keep me busy.  For example, I create to-do lists to keep my mind organized so I can remember everything I want to do.

Each day brings new challenges whether it’s helping the kids with their homework, cleaning up after their messes, finding ways to keep them busy, and getting used to the new “normal” of this extra time together.

As an introvert, I need more alone time than the average person to recharge and be able to cope with the stressors of each day. So, every day I try to focus on how I can be a better “bonus” mom and partner so that we can all live in harmony. Some days it is truly exhausting! However, I try to remember the positive and that we are all healthy and blessed with a nice home to live in and have love in our hearts and wonderful friends and family.

Insights on my Daily To-Do List

Each day I wake up and read devotionals from my 2 favorite books that my mom gave me, Jesus Calling and Joyce Meyer’s Starting Your Day Right. Doing this gives me the strength to face the new day with the armor of God.  It helps me set the mood of the day and helps lower the anxiety that is always simmering.  I am not a morning person at all so I need some extra time before I leave the bedroom to get my head right before interacting with anyone else.

Once I feel ok to start my day, I usually eat breakfast within an hour of waking up. I have been trying to stick to a regular schedule of eating so I don’t go off track and binge. Additionally, I always try to work out in the morning to get it over with.  Structure works well for me!

After my morning routine, I check my e-mails and then scroll through my business social media accounts.  I have been trying to spread caring and hopeful messages each day on my social media.  Then I check my website for any new comments on my posts so I can interact with the people who follow me.

Being a business owner, you really always have to stay connected a large part of the day to stay in touch with clients and followers.  I don’t mind doing this because I love connecting with old and new friends!

How I Stay Motivated

Making time to work out and cook healthy meals is also an important part of my day. I try to get work projects done before dinner and then have the rest of the night to spend time with family and unwind.

In the last few weeks of being home, I have had extra time to sort out what needs to be worked on and any other projects that have been held up in the wings. It is important for me to feel somewhat productive each day and I like to be able to check stuff off my list!  Here’s some stuff that I do to keep my mind busy and feel productive to ward off anxious thoughts from creeping in.

My Business To-Do List

• Develop new online group and DIY coaching programs
• Learn about Google Analytics to grow my e-mail list
• Take a class on SEO for my website
• Update my old blog posts and optimize for SEO
• Research new topics for my blog and conduct interviews with health professionals
• Update my business books and expenses
• Finish my taxes
• Stay in touch with my massage therapy clients during the shutdown
• Clean up my business social media accounts
• Create a media kit for my blogging business on Canva
• Use PicMonkey to create photos for my blog
• Take a Pinterest class on how to build my following
• Clean up my shared drive folders and organize my files
• Take the 10K Traffic Challenge course to grow my blog following
• Update my website content and try out new themes

My Personal To-Do List

• Clean the house over and over again!
• Organize the kitchen cabinets
• Shop for healthy food and some treats too!
• Bring food over to the food pantry
• Clean out my car
• Find a new personal growth class to take
• Read more books. I am currently reading a very inspirational book Tim Tebow’s- This is the Day
• Keep up with laundry
• Sort through vacation photos and do something with them!
• Take off pictures from my phone and upload to the computer
• Make a new recipe every few days
• Keep posting positive messages daily on social media accounts
• Help kids with homework
• Stay active every single day and sweat out any toxins
• Go outside every day for fresh air
• Watch some new Netflix shows – excited for the new season of Ozark!
• Watch Mass on Facebook live every Sunday morning
• Listen to one guided meditation daily
• Play more board games with the kids
• Learn about gardening and photography
• Check-in with family and friends. My college friends have been doing a Zoom “happy hour” every week and it is so nice to see their faces and vent!
• Last but not least- spend quality time with my family and always eat at least dinner together so we can chat. Relationships will surely be tested during this forced time together but praying that it will bring us all closer and stronger!

Write Out Your Goals

Have you been putting something off until a later time to work on?

Now is a great time to start working on your goals. Why not use this time and make progress on becoming a better version of yourself. You may not be a fan of writing to-do lists and that is ok! I am just sharing what helps me. What may help is looking at each of those 5 Aspects of Whole Health that I have shared in older posts– Physical, Emotional, Nutritional, Environmental, and Spiritual™©.

Take a look at how you can improve your life from that perspective and I promise you will come up with lots to keep you busy.  What are some things you have been doing at home that have helped you pass the time? Work on your to-do list today!  Whatever it is, I hope you are all staying safe and healthy. This too will pass 🙂

xoxo

Jill DeMasi is a Lifestyle Blogger, Licensed Massage Therapist, and a Certified Wellness Coach with a passion for helping others manage stress, chronic pain, and anxiety. Learn more about her journey and wellness practice that offers natural solutions to stress at www.AtTheHeartofWellness.com.

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