Monday, 10/26/20: Talking about a 20 in 2020 list update and planning for the upcoming season

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter. Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday, a short story and a roundup of positive thoughts to get your week started.

Three Steps to a Happier Monday

Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.  

Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend? 

Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?

Step 3: What is my intention for this week? 

GRATITUDE: From my weekend, I am thankful for phone calls with my grandma, catching up with my mom on Sunday and time to relax and recharge

TODAY: I am most excited about the new book I am going to start after work (American Royals II: Majesty – need a fun, light read!). 

INTENTION: My intention this week is to take more written notes while working (hoping it helps me retain more information and focus on one thing at a time).

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Lesson of the Week: 20 in 2020 Update

With just a little over two months left in the year, I thought this week would be a good time for an update on the 20 in 2020 Lists.

Back in December of last year, I wrote about the idea of a 20 in 2020 List, or identifying 20 things to accomplish before the end of the year. Since the mid-year update in June, I’m happy to report that I’ve crossed off a few more things on my list. I’m also really glad I took the time to reference my list again because I was reminded of a few things I still want to accomplish this year. Hope the below inspires you to take another look at your 20 in 2020 list and I can’t believe that soon we’ll start thinking about our 21 in 2021 lists!

If you haven’t made a 20 in 2020 List yet, I don’t think it’s too late. I think you could absolutely make an abbreviated list of things (big and small) that you want to complete before the end of the year. I touch on this more in the “On The Radar” section below with an article from Gretchen Rubin, but with everything going on, something simple like a list of 5 things you want to do in November and 5 things you want to do in December may be the perfect tool to help you find some meaningful moments in the closing of this crazy year.

My 20 in 2020 List:

1. Subscribe to a magazine 
2. Participate in a running group: Making this complete because of my participation in the virtual relay marathon a few weeks ago!
3. Purchase a set of personalized stationery 
4. Plan some type of virtual get-together with college friends
5. Alternate a glass of water in between drinks when out: “When out” doesn’t really apply anymore, but I think I’m doing better at this!
6. Use the 1 Second Everyday app to record more memories
7. Start using a meat thermometer
8. Host something at my apartment (brunch, dinner, happy hour, etc.) 
9. Participate in a fantasy football league: Didn’t do this one this year. 🙁 
10. Do a quarterly cleanout/decluttering of my apartment: Done for three quarters – one more to go!
11. Read 20 books: Done! I’ve read 35 books so far this year. Top five nonfiction favorites include: Untamed, Becoming, I’m Still Here, Burning Bright and Off the Clock. Top five fiction favorites include: The Vanishing Half, The Boys Club, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Where the Crawdads Sing and The Selection Series.
12. Take a trip with my mom: Planned for early December!
13. Find a dermatologist
14. Replace my iPad case to have a working keyboard 
15. Finish sprucing up my website
16. Run a 5k race: Also counting the virtual relay marathon for this one.
17. Donate either time or money to a cause I am passionate about 
18. Get new bedding: Moving this to 2021’s list.
19. Master ONE recipe and declare it my “go-to dish”: Done! Pesto baked chicken – yum 😊
20. Write 52 Monday morning newsletters! On track!

How have you progressed and/or made updates in regards to your 20 in 2020 List? I would love to know. 🙂 

On My Monday Radar

Sometimes we just aren’t ready to jump into our Monday to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my radar:  

• Small Ways to Prepare for a Pandemic Winter Now. Last week’s cold and gray weather in Chicago was just a taste of what’s to come this winter. Additionally, with sunrise and sunset times getting later and earlier (respectively), this topic feels very relevant. The article has some great suggestions for small ways to prepare now for a pandemic winter. For example, since I’ll still be working remotely, the article made me think about the various ways I could enhance this virtual work experience. Maybe some additional lamps or lighting for when the sun starts to set earlier? Or a space heater to keep warm? Personally, I love my happy light lamp and know I will be pulling it out almost every morning. Thinking through these things and making a list now allows you to prepare in advance and sets you up to better enjoy working/living at home during this colder months. 
• Ideas For An Energizing  “Virtual Commute.”  Prior to today’s circumstances, the U.S. Census Bureau estimated that the average, one-way commute time was 26.1 minutes. For a full-time, 5-day-a-week job, those 26 minutes adds up to 4.35 hours a week, which is a substantial amount of time! But for those of us who are continuing to work at home, I’m willing to bet that, seven months in, those ~4 hours a week have been re-allocated to additional work time, household chores or family matters. I’m not saying I miss my daily commute, but I certainly do miss parts of it. I miss the subconscious signal of transition I received whenever I stepped onto the bus and having the meditative time to listen to a podcast or music before diving into my to-do list. If you feel similarly, this article has some good tips for how to create an energizing “commute,” even when you don’t actually have to commute anywhere.  
• Dealing with Uncertainty Around Upcoming Holidays. I really liked this post from Gretchen about how she’s coping with the uncertainty around the upcoming holidays. I think this is a topic many of us can relate to as all of our holiday seasons are likely going to look a bit different this year. Maybe you’ll find comfort in this article or maybe you’ll be inspired by reading some of the reminders Gretchen writes about. The article reminded me of when I chose a mantra for the summer. For me, picking a mantra proved to be a beneficial exercise to prioritize the time in front of me, be intentional about the memories I wanted to create and find ways to continue reaching for joy. I’m thinking it would be helpful to do something similar for the months of November and December.  
• Podcast Episode about Positive Mental Attitude and Other Kind Reminders. Last week was a bit rough for me and I found this podcast episode at the perfect time. Hearing licensed therapist Katheryn Defatta talk about how to cultivate PMA (Positive Mental Attitude) was just what I needed. Katheryn starts talking at around the 9:47 minute mark and I recommend bookmarking this episode for the next time you find yourself needing some encouragement! 

That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this! 

Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan

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