You know I’ve had a lot of life changing things happen over the last month or so…today I want to tell you the changes I’ve made that have really helped to give me a better life and business.

1. Using My Fitness Pal regularly.

I tried it a few months ago…and it really helped! In my pride I thought, oh, it’s cool, I got this. Yea, after a few months of enjoying food and drink to excess, I don’t got this. Trying on clothes the other day really drove this point home! What I’ve loved about it this time around is how it’s helped motivate me to workout! When you log workouts, it gives you more calories to intake! I can also see how I’m doing and know when I can splurge. Like last night when we had decaf coffee with Irish cream on the deck in the moonlight!

2. Making sure I have a clean desk…and room.

When it looks likes this….

I get so little work done! I get distracted so much easier. Having only the thing(s) I’m working on out on the desk helps me keep focus and get the work done. I mean, look at this! Doesn’t it make you want to work?!

3. Asking “Will what I’m doing make me money?”

This one has been HUGE for me. It keeps me focused and only spending time on those things (answering emails, making phone calls, etc.) If I do those things first, I can focus more on the things that don’t necessarily bring in the money. For example, you want to make sure you have a clean, spell checked website…but if you’re spending 20 hours of your week re-doing things that are just “making it pretty” you’ve wasted your time. I am MOST guilty of this! Whew! The time I’ve spent updating my website. Shesh!

4. Finding a system to keep my tasks in my face.

There a million ways to list your tasks and ensure you accomplish them. There are apps, there are programs, you can write them down on a piece of paper and cross them off. I’ve struggled with this a bit, always trying to find the best (and most motivating!) way. I started one this week and I’m actually pretty excited about it!

I bought a new calendar this weekend…because I needed 2014….but also because I LOVE office supplies. Oh my gosh, back to school is my poison! I have to stay away from Target and their 1 cent notebooks! (Side note:, Bret did not have to buy a SINGLE notebook while he was in school because of my extensive notebook stash….though, I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing…)

Anyways, I found this great calendar with month breakdowns and weekly/daily breakdowns. 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. with 15 minute breakdowns. It’s enough to make an OCD person like me jump up and down! I filled out Monday on Sunday night….I was very detailed…even including things like showering and working out. Bret started student teaching on Monday, and I had plans of getting up with him around 6:30/7. When the alarm went off and I felt the pull to snooze (one of my BIGGEST struggles), I thought about my timeline for the day and thought, you know, I’m going to get up because this will put me ahead of schedule. It was a huge motivator for me.

I think it’s important to do this the night before, namely because I didn’t last night and I slept later than I should have (not TOO much though).

5. Moving my devotion location.

I used to do my devotions at my desk, in front of the computer. It worked for a while, it did. But it’s sooooo much easier to get distracted with the computer and all of its notifications right there in your face.

I’m now sitting on a couch in our room and it’s been great.

6. Using a devotion reading plan on my phone.

One of my friends shared a reading plan she started on YouVersion/bible.com and I was interested. I’m on day 11 out of 12 now and it’s been great! The app will do pop up reminders as well as show you only what you need to read that day. So, if you’re reading Psalm 119:30-34, it only shows those verses. It’s also easy to navigate through your readings. You can even adjust if you’ve fallen behind! Today SHOULD be day 15! While, I don’t recommend pushing it back and using that as an excuse…it doesn’t make you feel bad when you miss a day. Can I get an amen on yearly reading plans?!

7. Watching/listening to videos while on the treadmill.

Since I’ve been trying to be more diligent with working out AND learning about business, I’ve started to find videos totaling the amount of time I plan on working out, and watching them while I’m on the treadmill. I did that today and it was really great! lol, I think it’s more to distract me from the walking/running though. 😉 Ah well, two birds, one stone.

So what have you found to help you life a better life?