Watching this reminded us about how precious life really is and why it’s important to make the most of each and every day. It’s never too late to change direction and it’s never too late to become the person you want to be.
Here are our top five tips for living life to the full… no excuses, no explanations, no regrets!
Wow, half way through Making Time already! Can you believe what you’ve achieved in the last two weeks? We hope you’re as proud of yourself as we are of you. You’re doing so well! Keep making time and you’ll never look back.
Your Day 16 Making Time challenge:
For 16 minutes… phone a friend you haven’t spoken to lately
“We all want to be happy, but we often mistake a rush of excitement for happiness. Well-being is more of a sense of contentment, peacefulness, and connection with a place and people.” – Anna Black in ‘Living in the moment’
When we were young, we didn’t really need to work too hard at our friendships. We’d spend hours playing at school, hanging out at college or socialising at university. But as we get older and work, family life and other commitments demand so much of our time, it’s not as simple. We have to invest time and energy in our friendships and we have to value and nurture them if we want to keep them alive.
Luckily these days, you don’t have to meet up with people in person to say hello or catch up. Mobile phones make it easy for us to talk to anyone at anytime, wherever they are in the world.
So be a good friend today and call someone who matters to you. Let them know how much they mean to you and remind them that you’re always there to support them, to listen to them if they need to talk, and to help if you’re able to. Or just to have a laugh together. As the title of that famous Beatles song goes: “I get by with a little help from my friends”.
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New to Making Time? Start at the beginning anytime here.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” – Nelson Mandela
Your Day 15 Making Time challenge:
For 15 minutes… do that thing on your to-do list that you have been avoiding
We all have a niggling little job that we’ve been putting off for weeks or months. Cleaning the oven, sorting out the wardrobe, paying those bills, hanging the mirror, replying to that difficult email… it’s so easy to make a simple task seem bigger than it is by just putting it off.
That feeling of having something ‘hanging over you’ is stressful especially when it’s on top of an ever-increasing list of jobs to-do. It also takes far longer than it should because you keep on thinking about it. Setting time aside to make this task a priority will clear your mind of emotional clutter and leave you feeling positive and energised.
So today we’re asking you to ‘just do it!’. Spend just 15 minutes doing whatever it is that’s been bugging you and see how much lighter you feel.
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New to Making Time? Start at the beginning anytime here.
Today’s challenge comes with the feel-good factor and we think you’re going to like it! This is very different from writing a postcard or letter to someone close to you. This is about sending a note (perhaps an email) to someone you admire. It could be someone famous, someone at the top of their game in a particular field, or simply someone you have noticed who is doing something really important.
Your Day 14 Making Time challenge:
For 14 minutes… send a note to someone you admire, telling them why their work is important in the world
Life is fleeting and we should never take people who have touched our lives in some way for granted. Telling someone that you admire or appreciate them and their work is a random act of loving kindness. It takes little effort on your part – just 14minutes of your time – yet it will bring them so much joy. Your words could maketheir day, their month, their year – their life! Spend those 14 minutes crafting an email or note explaining just why you admire them so much.
The more nice things we do for others the bigger positive ripple effect we create. What better way to restore people’s faith in the love and compassion of the human spirit?
Whose work do you admire? Whose heart would you like to you touch with a few thoughtful words? Today’s the day to drop them a line and let them know how they’ve touched, inspired or motivated you or remind them of why their work is so important. You’ll make their day, and make your own too.
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New to Making Time? Start at the beginning anytime here.
“Every action you take today, no matter how little … give it weight. Put some space around it. Start it intentionally, with the intention to be mindful, to inhabit that action fully, to notice with all your senses the entire moment. When the action is done, don’t just rush to the next one, but take half a second to appreciate what you just experienced. Then move to the next with equal weight and space. If you don’t start treating this next action like it’s just as important as what’s coming later, you might never.” – Leo Babauta, on the ZenHabits blog
Our Day 13 Making Time challenge:
For 13 minutes… eat your lunch outside
When was the last time you took a lunch break at work? Not of those eat-at-your-desk-while-
It’s scientifically proven that our brains need regular breaks from the computer. So this lunchtime, for 13 minutes, venture into the great outdoors and experience the benefits of some well-earned time out…
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New to Making Time? Start at the beginning anytime here.
“To send a letter is a good way to go somewhere without moving anything but your heart.” – Phyllis Theroux
Your Day 12 Making Time challenge:
For 12 minutes… write a letter saying sorry, thank you, or simply, hello
Earlier on in Making Time we challenged you to write a postcard, which is fun but that is the easy option. Today we want to challenge you to go one step further and spend a few extra minutes writing a letter.
It’s always a lovely surprise to receive a handwritten letter through the post. It warms your heart to think that someone cares about you enough to take time out of their busy day to put pen to paper and write a few words, much less find your address, a stamp and a mailbox. That really is love!
Who would you like to surprise with a lovely letter today? Who have you been meaning to write to for ages? What would you like to say to them? Forget fancy stationery (unless, like us, you have a penchant for paper!) – just use whatever you have to hand and start writing. It really is the thought that counts.
How wonderful to know that by taking just 12 little minutes out of your day you’ll turn someone’s day from ordinary to extraordinary! And it’s an interesting exercise to see what your brain chooses to write about…
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New to Making Time? Start at the beginning anytime here.
Your Day 11 Making Time challenge:
For 11 minutes… Give yourself a mini massage
“We judge ourselves remorselessly, making unreasonable demands on ourselves and offering no quarter when we fall short. We would never treat someone we cared about in this way. Offering kindness toward ourselves is an invaluable practice and one that cannot be done too often.”
– Anna Black in ‘Living in the moment’
We can all benefit from a bit of TLC from time to time so today we’re inviting you to take time to give yourself some. After all YOU are the most important person in your life. Take good care of yourself and you’ll feel happier, healthier and in a far better state of mind to take care of everyone who depends on you.
Massage is a great way to relax and unwind and there’s no need to waste time or money at the local beauty salon when you can do-it-yourself at home!
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New to Making Time? Start at the beginning anytime here.
“Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success.” – Paul J. Meyer
Work, family life, household chores and never-ending ‘to-do’ lists… when life gets busy it can be quicker and easier to text, tweet, telephone or do none at all. But when was the last time you took time out to have a good old-fashioned face-to-face conversation?
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“Fill your paper with the breathings of your own heart.” — William Wordsworth
Are you ready to get those creative juices flowing? Here we go…
Your Day 9 Making Time challenge: For 9 minutes… write/collage in a journal
Psychologists have proved that journaling is good for you. Spending just five minutes a day writing down your thoughts or expressing them creatively can boost your immune system, lower your blood pressure, help you sleep better, increase your memory function and improve your wellbeing by more than 10%.
Today take nine minutes to write or collage in a page of your journal.
For the full prompt, plus a daily time-saving tip and other inspiration into your inbox, sign up for the full Making Time series (a 31-day free challenge to make more time for the things you love). Follow us on Twitter, Pinterest and Facebook for more thought-provoking inspiration!