Daily Ramblings – Motivation Monday – It’s All in the Preparation

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Do Nothing Day, Hobby, iPad, Monday, motivation, Netflix, Saturday, Sunday

I’ve addressed this before in my Motivation Monday writings, but wanted to bring this up again. Sundays are labeled my “do nothing day”. On Sunday, I literally do what I want, without a schedule and where I purposely do not do anything listed on my to-do list. I wanted one day to truly be “lazy”, feel no pressure, and just enjoy the day, regardless of what I end up doing, guilt-free.

What does my “do nothing day” look like? Typically, it involves sleeping in. And when I say sleep in, I mean it. I normally do not get out of bed until 11 am or 12 pm. Sometimes I’ll get up briefly for my iPad, and get right back into that warm bed and watch some Netflix. It really depends on my mood, and what I feel like.

I don’t remember where I got this idea from, but it has worked miracles for me. When I get up Monday, I’m raring to go. I would also like to note that my preparation for Monday occurs on Friday and Saturday, where I take a look at my upcoming week and figure out what I am going to be doing. This alleviates any pressure on me to do anything on my “do nothing day.”

So get your calendar straight, look at the things you have on your schedules, and get your clothes prepped. Then when you hit Monday, you are hitting it running. I hope some of you take up a “do nothing day”. It may not be as “hard-core” as mine, because you have certain responsibilities you can’t avoid (pets, children, etc.), but it is a really worthwhile venture.

Your “do nothing day” doesn’t have to be on Sunday, either. You can set it for a day that is easier. Perhaps, Saturday?

Well, that’s all I got for Monday. Have a great week, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Week of December 6, 2020

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2021, challenge, Goals, Planning, SMART acronym, spread your wings Sunday, Sunday

Weekly Challenge: This week’s challenge is to begin working on a rough draft of your yearly goals for 2021. As a reminder, assume you will experience random lockdowns throughout 2021, until the new vaccines are widespread. I read yesterday that vaccines, at least in the U.S., are going to be prioritized to medical personnel, and other front-line first-responders.

Also, as a reminder, use the S.M.A.R.T. acronym. S-specific, M-measurable, A-attainable, R-realistic, T-time bound. This will allow you to gauge your efforts and measure your results. Many of my friends who do not use this end up having difficulty seeing how they are doing or figuring out how to move forward because they are missing one of the key points of this acronym. Try it out.

Here’s an example. One of my goals for 2021 will be to read 60 books by December 31, 2021. This is an example of a SMART goal. It is specific (read 60 books); it is measurable (use the number 60); it is attainable (I read over 70 books this year); it is realistic (5 books in a month), which is easy for me, and it is time bound (by December 31, 2021).

Good luck!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Week of November 22, 2020

Tags

bath, Calm, Relax, Sauna, self-care, soothing, Spread Your Wings, steam bath, Sunday

Wow, the hits just keep on coming in 2020, right?

This week, we will again focus on achieving some calm. Your challenge this week is to take a long hot bath and soak for an hour, or go to a sauna/steam bath and do any session length you can tolerate. I usually last 10-15 minutes before I’m so hot, I have to get out. Both self-care treatments will lower your stress like you’ve never been before. If you take a bath, don’t forget some relaxing music, a glass of wine, tea, or your favorite beverage.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Week of September 20, 2020.

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change, Different, Simple, Spread Your Wings, Sunday, tech free hour, Weekly Challenge

Here we are again! It’s Sunday folks. I hope each of you are having a great weekend!

Weekly Challenge: This week’s challenge is a simple one. Take one hour away from all technology (cell phones, laptops, computers, etc.). In today’s overly technical world, this can be tough, but the key is to stay away from your mobile phone, laptop, or computer for just one hour. Evaluate how you feel at the end of the hour and drop a comment on how this impacted you.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Week of September 13, 2020.

Tags

Amazon Prime, Learning, Netflix, Spread Your Wings, Sunday, Weekly Challenge, YouTube

Happy Sunday!!

Weekly Challenge: This week’s challenge is to learn something new. You pick the topic; you choose how much you want to know. Widen your knowledge about something you’re curious about. You can achieve this challenge by reading a book or article, watching something on YouTube, or finding a good documentary on Netflix or Amazon Prime.

Happy learning!

Share in the comments about the topic you chose or what you learned.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Weekly Challenge

Tags

Challenges, family, Lockdown, Reading, Relaxation, Spread Your Wings, Sunday, Writing

Challenge: This week’s challenge involves some exploration. I’m going to offer another challenge below in case some of your lockdown conditions are just too hard to pull this off. The challenge is to take a walk in the woods, a beach, or a park. The challenge doesn’t require a certain distance, just that you go to one of these locations and take a stroll.

Challenge (alternate): Some of you live in areas where the lockdown is tough to overcome. One of my friends in Melbourne, Australia appears to be in an area that is suffering from a resurgence of the virus and is back under lockdown condition. This challenge is for you. This week, read about, look at pictures, or attend a virtual tour of one of your country’s or state’s national parks.

If you participate, tell me how you feel when you return from your little excursion.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Weekly Challenge Week of July 19, 2020.

Tags

Action Steps, Efficiency, Planning, Spread Your Wings, Sunday, Weekly Challenge

Weekly Challenge: This week, take the time to plan something. It doesn’t matter what project it is. It could be complex or simple. Take the time to really think through the action steps and map out how you will finish this task. (Hint: I think you’ll find that you will achieve what you are looking to do much more quickly by taking the time up front to think through what you are going to do to achieve your ends).

In the comments, tell me what project you tackled and how this process helped.

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Day Off

Tags

Chill out, Day Off, Do Nothing Day, Relax, self-care, Spread Your Wings, Sunday

Challenge: Take a day off. I mean it. You work hard. You are stressed out. Take a day off to do whatever you want to. Ignore your to-do list, ignore what you feel you have to do, and just do nothing. I do this every Sunday and it is so refreshing.

In the comments, tell me what you did. Did you go on an adventure? Did you relax with a good book and a beverage? Did you get a massage? What did you do on your “do nothing day”?

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Weekly Challenge July 5, 2020

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Challenge yourself, Do Nothing Day, Do Something Different, Expand Your Horizons, Explore, Investigate, Spread Your Wings, Sunday

Weekly Challenge: This week, read about one person in history that you admire and want to know more about.

I read about Rudyard Kipling, who was a Noble Laureat. Rudyard Kipling is the author of The Jungle Book, for those of you who know the multiple Disney films.

Have a great Sunday, folks!

Until next time…

Dave

Daily Ramblings – Spread Your Wings Sunday – Week of June 28, 2020.

Tags

Do Nothing Day, Explore, Have Fun, Open Your Mind, Relax, Spread Your Wings, Sunday

Weekly Challenge: This week, find one article on History, Art, Music, Poetry, or Spirituality and read it in its entirety. Pick a topic you have not read before, or you read very little of. Post the link to your article in the comments.

This is a great way to open your mind to other ideas. Have fun!

Until next time…

Dave