How To Improve Your Week

Today I’m sharing with you how to improve your week, these tips don’t take much time at all but will have a great impact on how you feel. Therefore if you feel like you’re in a bit of a rut, if you’re lacking motivation and things just aren’t going to plan, then this post is for you!

Before we get started, I just want to mention that we tend to filter our life around what we say is true, therefore if you say you’re having a bad week then you will subconsciously look for reasons why you’re having a bad week and ignore all the reasons which don’t prove this to be true. Therefore you don’t notice all the good things happening and instead, you create more evidence that you’re having a day week. Of course, some weeks are worse than others, but everything is open to interpretation, and it’s all down to your thoughts. After all, your thoughts create your feelings and your feelings create your actions.

10 ways to improve your week

Do a brain dump

Sometimes our mind becomes overrun with thoughts and things we need to do. By getting all of your thoughts out of your mind and onto paper you can give yourself a clear understanding of what you need to focus on and what areas of your life are causing you the most stress. The idea when doing a brain dump is to write down all the thoughts taking up space in your mind and weighing you down. It can be the smallest thing such as booking a dentist appointment, a book you’ve been meaning to read, or maybe a fallout with someone who is still taking up space in your mind. Doing a brain dump is such an easy but powerful way to get some head space, reduce stress and get some clarity on what your next steps should be.

Do a weekly review

Doing a weekly review is the perfect exercise to do on a Sunday to end the week. When doing a weekly review ask yourself questions such as:

• What went well?
• What didn’t go as planned?
• What did I achieve?
• What did I not do that I wanted to?
• What improvements can I make for the following week?

Clean and declutter your space

Improve your week by cleaning and decluttering your space. When your environment is clean and clutter-free your life and your mind will feel a lot less messy as well. I recommend reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying* by Marie Kondo, her book will help you to transform your home into a clutter-free space using the KonMari method.

Write morning pages

Improve your week by starting every day with morning pages. If you haven’t heard of morning pages before, they are basically three pages of writing done every morning. The idea is to allow your pages to be messy as you write down anything and everything which you’re feeling and thinking. Doing this allows your mind to become a lot clearer and for you to be much more focused. When writing morning pages, don’t think too much about what to write, there’s no right or wrong here, just let your mind flow as you put pen to paper.

Exercise

Sometimes I really don’t feel like working out, whether it be a the gym, going swimming or going for a run outside, but after I force myself to get out of the house and take care of my body I always feel great afterwards. Exercise can massively improve your weekly as it allows you to reset your mind, and take care of your body and during your workout, you will release endorphins which will make you feel happier.

Make the most out of your commute

If you have a long commute to work it can feel like you’re wasting your time. For two years my commute to work took one hour and 30  minutes each way. That’s three hours of travelling every day. To improve your week and make the most out of your commute, do something productive and entertaining during your commute. If you get the train to work, you can listen to podcasts, read a book, watch a programme, and review your planner. Rather than mindlessly scrolling through social media with a lack of signal! If you drive to work, you are limited to what you can do, but instead of listening to the radio every day, listen to podcasts or audiobooks.

Here are some of my favourite podcasts:

• The Lavendaire Lifestyle with Aileen
• Life Coach School Podcast with Brooke Castill
• The Lively Show with Jess Lively
• The Perfectionism Project with Sam Laura Brown
• Mindful Productivity with Sarah Steckler
• The Tim Ferriss Show with Tim Ferriss

Prepare your meals

Meal prepping is a great way to improve your week. First, you need to plan your meals, this can include your breakfast, lunch, dinner and even healthy snacks. Once the meal plan is prepped for the week, add any items you don’t have to your shopping list. Depending on how you like to cook, you can use your meal plan to prepare meals in advance by batch cooking or simply chopping your vegetables to save you time later in the week.

Have some me time

Everyone needs some me time, and when you’re feeling burned out that’s when you know you are due a self-care date or just an hour of my time. Pick a time when you can schedule in your me time, and make sure you won’t be interrupted during this time. Once you have found a time you need to treat this activity as non-negotiable, the same way you would treat work or school. Decide what you are going to do with your me time. Maybe pamper yourself, watch your favourite film, go shopping or maybe get a massage? Sometimes we can overwork ourselves and spread ourselves too thin making us feel overwhelmed and stressed. That’s why it’s so important to make time for self-care in your life to give yourself the love that you deserve.

Plan something exciting

Improve your week by planning something exciting! It could be something big, something small, something soon or something in six months’ time. But by planning something exciting you will instantly improve your week because you are doing something nice for yourself. I have just booked myself a long weekend away for two months time, but the good news is I don’t need to pay for the accommodation until I arrive, therefore I have time to save and two months to look forward to my trip!

Make an effort

Improve your week by dressing up and making a little more effort. The way you dress and present yourself can make a huge difference in how you feel, you don’t need to splash out on a new outfit, but small changes can make you feel a million dollars and improve your week!

I hope you’ve found these tips helpful! Let me know in the comments below what you’re favourite way to improve your week is.

Laura x