Life Vitamins

Everybody needs a way to stay healthy in their life, not only physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. In that vein, most of us know that a good way to help stay physically healthier is to take a vitamin every day.

But did you know that a great way to help you stay emotionally and mentally healthier is to do a Task A Day?

It’s like a vitamin for your daily life. By staying on top of the tasks of your life you are taking care of your mental and emotional health. If you neglect things in your life, no different than when you neglect your physical health, you will find that you are emotionally unhealthy as well.

Just like your vitamins, in order to have a healthy emotional and mental life it’s important to signal your brain and your emotions that you are in control and you are taking action. “Life Vitamins” help you feel good about yourself, and about what you accomplish. They give you a sense of mastery over your life, a sense of moving toward something instead of being bogged down.

Think about several relatively small tasks that you’d like to have off your To-Do list -- call somebody, return something, arrange for something, finish something, pick up something, catch up on something. You get the idea.

The key is to keep it small enough to accomplish with a relatively small outlay of energy -- like that daily One-A-Day. However, you can put in a step to a larger task if you’d like. For example, if “clean out closet”, is languishing in can’t-get-it-done-land, try putting “go through shoes” on the list instead. Or even “go through dress shoes” if you’re Imelda Marcos. That’s a 10 minute project instead of a half day project.

Now that you’ve got the concept, write out the first 10 things you can think of that you’d like to get off your mind, and that would take you 15 minutes or less to accomplish.

And Yes, it’s important to write them out. This does several things: (1) Takes it out of the “I wish” category, and puts it in the “I am” category; (2) Gets it off your mind and onto something concrete; (3) Starts the ACTION phase, sending a signal to your brain that this is to be taken care of, not just worried about.

Now focus on one a day for the next 10 days. With a little prep, a phone call can often be made in the car on the way to work. Or an errand can be run at lunch. Remember to keep it to tasks that are 15 minutes or less to accomplish, or break up larger ones into bite-size pieces.

Make a commitment. Create a new habit. Change your perspective to see the tasks as your Daily Life Vitamin -- essential to helping you feel happier, more efficient, and make your life much more comfortable. n