BRINGING MORE EASE INTO YOUR WEEK EVERY THURSDAY
Recognizing the things you did, even when they never made your to-do list.
Hi from a Korean spa! I’ve felt extremely depleted of energy lately ☹ So I just knew I needed a bit of a slowdown. Typically at a Korean spa you stay pretty much all day but I could only give myself a couple of hours before I had to get going (I know even a couple hours is a luxury for some people!). It was just the reset I needed that day though. A Korean scrub plus time in a salt room to support my body’s detoxification — yes please. I need more of this 🤲
Hi Friend,
Have you ever looked at your to-do list at the end of the workday and realized you didn't get through everything you wanted to? Maybe you felt a little defeated, like you weren't productive enough or could have done just a little bit more.
I have been there time and time again. When I catch myself thinking about everything left to do (there's always more, isn't there?), it helps to make an “I did it” list instead.
There are the things on my to-do list that did get done. But there are also the things that never made the list at all — and sometimes those are just as important, if not more so, than the boxes I didn't check.
Earlier today, I carved out an hour for some adult-ing and life admin, which included lots of hold time with customer service. 🫠 It wasn't on my to-do list, but I can't even tell you how much relief it brought me. Those little tasks had been looming in the back of my mind, and now that they're done, I feel so much lighter. So yes, I did it!
Even the smallest actions can bring a big sigh of relief and yet they're so easy to overlook when we're focused on what we haven't done.
Not everything that matters makes it onto the to-do list.
So if your list still feels long today, at the end of your day, take a moment to look at what did happen. What did you do, handle, or make space for that deserves some recognition?
Here's to giving ourselves credit for the things we did…even the ones that never made the list. 🤗
xo, Rachel
KNOW
Small wins can make a difference.
Researchers Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer looked at nearly 12,000 work diary entries from 238 people on creative teams. They found that progress on meaningful work was a common feature of people’s best days—and that progress was often made up of small steps, not big breakthroughs. The research focused on work, not life admin, but it’s a gentle reminder that the little things we do can matter more than we think.
BEGIN
Make an “I did it” list.
Take two minutes at the end of your day and ask: “What did I do today that deserves a little credit?” Jot down a few things, big or small. Maybe you finally ran that errand you’ve been meaning to, made a phone call, showed up for someone, or gave yourself two minutes to rest. If it never made your official “to-do” list, it still has value and counts. 💛
MY PICK
But first, coffee.
Conventional coffee is often grown with heavy pesticide use; it’s something I never really thought about until my nutritionist shared that with me. So, now at home, I exclusively drink organic coffee that has been third-party tested for pesticides and toxins. This is one of the brands I use and love!
I may earn a small commission when you shop through my links, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support!
CURRENTLY
A few little finds on my radar
Watching
Speaking of toxins, Dr. Jaclyn Tolentino shares the toxins she removed from her life after she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
Learning
A new study came out that shows that using an air filter/purifier in your bedroom can stabilize blood sugar. “This cleaner air was linked to a nearly 8 percent drop in daily blood sugar swings and smaller morning sugar surges after breakfast”. Seems like an easy win if you struggle with balancing your glucose levels!
Connecting
Want to chit-chat with a group of health-conscious, like-minded women over a virtual coffee hang? I’m hosting a virtual meet and greet with the women over at Livelong on Tuesday, December 1 at 10:30am CT. We talk about life, aging, longevity — all the health-related things we’re all going through.
REFLECT
“For the great doesn’t happen through impulse alone, and is a succession of little things that are brought together.”
— Vincent van Gogh
What’s one thing you did this week that made your life feel a little lighter, and how can you give yourself credit for it before moving on to the next thing?
Want to share? Just reply to this email. I’d love to hear from you 🤍
PASS IT ON
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