Article by Christian Nanz and Make The Days Count Contributor Judy Mosley

One of the things I am still learning is how to make my days better by allowing myself to do things that bring pleasure to others and to me.  I am also learning how simple little things like making my bed can help me feel productive all day long!  They don’t need to be major undertakings.  It’s interesting that small things bring large doses of happiness or satisfaction.

For example, when I get up on the morning, I like to take my dog for a walk around the neighborhood. He loves going for a walk (and he expects it!), and yet I believe I appreciate the walk a much as he does!  It is my time to relax, be thankful for another day and enjoy.

Of course this is not an exhaustive list.  There are many things that are simple, inexpensive, and easy to do that can add to your day in an incredibly satisfying way.  Perhaps this will spark you to try some of the things on our list or to add to it with ideas of your own.

1. Smile

2. Take a walk

3. Make your bed

4. Give someone a flower

5. Send someone a card - just because

6. Write a hand-written note to someone you love

7. Color a page in a coloring book

8. Journal about your day

9. Make a funny face

10. Sing in the car - with passion

11. Tell someone you appreciate them

12. Walk away from an impulse buy

13. Hug a child

14. Before bed, write down the top 5 things that you must do the next day

15. Get rid of three things that you no longer use; donate them to charity 

16. Save your leftovers and take them to work instead of buying lunch

17. Take 5 minutes and pray about your day

18. Eat one of your favorite foods - slowly

19. Get up 30 minutes early

20. Forgive someone

21. Give yourself grace

22. Forgive yourself

23. Focus on one task - refuse to multi-task

24. Cut up a credit card

25. Learn a new word and use it at least five times

26. Before bed, pick up loose clutter

27. Trust your instincts

28. When you are wrong, admit it.

29. Tell the truth

30. Give something away - no strings attached.

31. Keep a pen with you at all times

32. Give someone a kiss on the cheek

33. Pet an animal

34. Start reading a book you can’t put down

35. Jump in a puddle

36. Let go of one lie you have believed about yourself

37. Finish one small project before bed

38. Make a list of 5 things that you are grateful for

39. Be kind to the cashier, no matter how they treat you

40. Take deep breaths

41. Stretch when you wake up

42. Go to the library

43. Set one only time to check your email daily; focus on everything else

44. Say “no” to that one more thing

45. Play with your kids

46. Look your spouse in the eyes

47. Learn a new fact and share it

48. Try a new recipe

49. Sit quietly for 5 minutes

50. Wiggle your ears

51. List 5 good things you want to do in the next year

52. Try to do a headstand

53. Laugh really hard with somebody

54. Avoid gossip

55. Turn off the TV

56. Cry it out

57. Refuse to freak out

58. Allow yourself to be happy

59. Look for the good in the moment

60. Be thankful for what you have already received

61. Plan an outing to look forward to within the next week

62. Eat your veggies

63. Tell someone you admire them and why

64. Give a stranger a compliment

65. Pray for someone who has hurt you

66. Put 10 dollars in savings

67. Look at the stars

68. Call your parents and tell them you love them

69. Listen when your teen speaks

70. Let someone go ahead of you in line

71. Wear your favorite outfit

72. Write down what you want to remember later

73. Listen to NPR

74. Turn off the nightly news

75. Buy a plant and keep it in your work space

76. Remember that what’s on the surface is not always the whole story

77. Eat dark chocolate

78. Look at a world map

79. Make yourself a homemade breakfast

80. Shop for your next outfit at Goodwill

81. Keep your head when you get angry

82. Release what you cannot control

83. Don’t take everything personally

84. Laugh at yourself

85. Vent to someone that get’s it

86. Exercise for at least 10 minutes

87. Let your no be no and your yes be yes

88. Touch your children

89. Let go of unhealthy relationships

90. Describe on paper an adventure you would like to go on

91. Eat by candle light

92. Eat dessert first

93. Dance to your favorite song

94. Unplug what you’re not using

95. Trade books with someone with different tastes than yours

96. Do one load of laundry a day

97. Go to bed one hour earlier

98. Find a new habit to replace an old-unhealthy one

99. Listen to an audio book in the car

100. Say a prayer for someone else 

 

“Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. Life would undergo a change of appearance because we ourselves had undergone a change of attitude.” -Katherine Mansfield

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