Hello February, Goodbye articles about resolutions, diets, positive thinking and making yourself a better person. No longer do you have to read blogs about how to improve yourself as a person and you’re emotionally prepared for all the Valentine’s Day content February has to throw at you instead.
Well surprise bitch. You may have quit your resolutions until 2018 but here at SBP we haven’t given up on you and your goals just yet. February is the month you’re not battling the post Christmas blues, you’ve FINALLY been paid, you’re no longer living of a diet of noodles and hope and best of all, it’s only 28 days long – it’s the perfect month for a personal challenge.
So for the next four weeks follow our guide and each day do one tiny little task that will improve your life and sometimes the lives of those around you.
1. Sort Your Phone Out
Let’s start off with a nice easy one eh? You spend half your day with your phone glued to your hand so you may as well make sure it’s organised. Delete some unused apps so maybe Apple will finally stop claiming your storage is almost full, get ones you actually need and sort things out into folders. If you’re prone to getting drunk & smashing your screen then finally get round to getting yourself a screen protector and save yourself the heartache of having to wake up to a smashed screen next time you take it too far at Happy Hour.
2. Groundhog Day
According to Google, 2nd February is Groundhog Day so use this as an excuse to finally get round to completing a task that you’ve been putting off for ages. Perhaps you’ve been meaning to finally switch energy suppliers for cheaper bills (boring but worth it) or maybe it’s something as simple deleting all your unread spam emails – whatever it is, finally cross something off your To Do List that’s been lingering there, day after day.
3. Update Your CV
Having your CV up to date is like carrying a spare tyre around in your car – you only appreciate it when you really need it. Even if you’re totally happy in your current job, or self-employed, make sure to add your accomplishments and skills to your LinkedIn page and remind yourself how far you’ve progressed in your career.
4. World Cancer Day
It’s World Cancer Day so you know what girls, book your smear test if you’ve been avoiding it. It’s not exactly a pleasant experience but it doesn’t hurt (although it’s a bit uncomfortable) and the nurse or doctor carrying out the exam has probably seen thousands of woos so there’s no reason to be embarrassed. Do you know what is a lot less pleasant than a smear? Dealing with cervical cancer. Also take the chance to properly examine your boobs for signs of breast cancer. If you’re not sure how to do so, have a look on the Coppafeel site.
5. Read or Watch Something New
Don’t just go on what Netflix suggests for you based on what you normally watch – opt for something totallty different to what you’d usually opt for when it comes to starting a new show or reading a book. You never know, you might discover a brand new favourite genre.
6. Set Up a New Email Account for Competitions & Junk
Is there anything more annoying than having to give your email address to a company when trying to connect to the WIFI in a bar and being spammed with offers until the end of eternity, no matter how many times you unsubscribe? Set up a separate email account specifically for things you don’t want clogging up your primary account. Bonus: An extra email address often means an extra free trial with many things 😉
7. Send a Card to a Friend Day
How much does a stamp and a little postcard cost? Not much. So spend a couple of quid on sending a cute note to your grandparents or a friend to remind them how much you love them. Whatsapps and emails are great but sometimes you want something to pin on your fridge.
8. Sort Your Wardrobe Out
Give Future You a gift by sorting your clothes out and reducing the chance of standing in front of your wardrobe before a night out, screaming that you have nothing to wear.
If you haven’t worn it for over a year, either dump it, donate it or Depop it.
Put out of season clothes in a vacuum bag and store them away to free up space.
Plan some work outfits and make a mental note of them so you can save valuable minutes when you’re running late in a morning.
Make a list of the pieces you need to invest in, such as a classic black dress, tailored trousers, the perfect fit jeans, and start working towards finally nailing that capsule wardrobe thing.
9. Work Out
No, you don’t need to head to the gym and sweat on the cross trainer for an hour – it apparently takes just 7 minutes of exercise a day to drastically improve your mood. Search YouTube for a quick workout, like this one, or, if you really can’t face getting sweaty, do some stretches at least first thing in the morning.
10. Clean Up Your Act
When was the last time you cleaned your make up brushes? Be honest now. If you can’t remember exactly when then it’s been far too long. Get yourself a Brush Egg for a couple of quid and make this hard task a million times easier for yourself. While you’re cleaning your tools, also chuck away anything that is likely to make beauty bloggers gasp with disgust. That lipstick that’s been sat at the bottom of your bag? Chuck. The mascara that has completely dried over and makes your eyelashes look like tarantulas legs? Lash. Clean face, clean mind. Kinda. While you’re there, get yourself a good skincare routine.
11. Write a Letter You’ll Never Send
Maybe it’s to an ex that wronged you so much that they’re still getting headspace, or perhaps it’s a massive FUCK YOU rant to a teacher that still pisses you off years on; whoever it’s to, get all the hate and negative feelings out of your mind and onto paper. When you’re done, read it back then burn it. Carefully, of course.
12. Make Up a Dance Routine In Your Room Like a Kid
Remember when your biggest problem as a kid was fighting about which Spice Girl you got to be when making up dance routines with your mates? Take a break from boring adult reality and waste half an hour making up a dance to a pop song, either alone or with your mates. You’ll feel stupid at first, dancing around your bedroom sober to Little Mix, but you’ll be in a boss mood afterwards and think of all the extra calories burnt.
13. Have a Luxury Bath
Mondays can suck so finish the day relaxing in the tub with a Lush bath bomb, a playlist of your favourite songs and a good book. If you’re feeling really decadent, treat yourself to fresh bedding and PJs for when you emerge from the bath hours later looking like a prune.
14. Valentine’s Day
Roses are red, Violets are blue, find a blood donation centre near you. Your fella may be just your type but there may be someone out there who is also your type; your blood type. Blood donations are needed to make sure that there is enough supplies of all blood groups and blood types to treat all types of conditions. By giving blood, every donor helps provide life-saving products whenever and wherever they are needed. If that’s not enough convincing for you, they usually give away free biscuits while you’re donating. Also take a couple of seconds to register to become an organ donor– giving someone your literal heart rather than a metaphorical one is possibly the most loving thing you can ever do…
15. Get Up Early and Have Your Favourite Breakfast Before Work
When was the last time you had a mea,l before getting to the office, that wasn’t just a bit of toast you shoved down your throat whilst walking out the door? People who harp on about breakfast being the most important meal of the day say it for a reason – it helps you start the day right. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier than normal and give yourself a brekkie you normally reserve for the weekend. Stuck for inspiration? Check these recipe ideas out.
16. Make a List of Things And People Stuff That Makes You Happy
When you feel down or sorry for yourself, you’ll be able to look at it and remind yourself that things aren’t so bad. Spend some time making it look pretty, even laminate it if you want to go full Monica Geller.
17. Train Your Brain
Whether you throw it all the way back to the 80’s and try crack a Rubix Cube, rob a Sudoku book off your ma or embrace the fact we live in 2017 and download an app, give between your ears a bit of a work out and lose yourself in a puzzle for half an hour.
18. Try a New Food or Drink
Does everyone know your exact order at the bar before you even open your mouth? End up eating the same kind of dish at every restaurant you go to? If you’ve found yourself becoming a bit predictable then pledge today to expand your taste bud’s horizons. Add something to your salad, order something you don’t even understand off the specials board or even just switch up your fizzy drink from Diet Coke (It is Diet Coke, isn’t it? See, told you that you’d got predictable). You never know, you may even find a new favourite.
19. Stay Blessed
Start a Gratitude Journal. At the end of each day, take 10 minutes to jot down three things, or people, that have made the last 24 hours special. If it’s been a rubbish day, then 3 things that have made it less shit than it could have been.
20. President’s Day
Unfollow the @POTUS and @realdonaldtrump account on Twitter. The man has an ego and is deffo the kind of person who obsesses over his Twitter followers. Plus, it’s bad enough he’s President for the next 4 years without having to see his ridiculous Tweets.
21. Make Your Bed
Before you go to work today, make your bed. When you get home, knackered, you’ll be grateful to your morning self as that bed will feel all the more comfortable when you climb in, freshly made.
22. Sort Your Diary Out
Set aside half an hour to organise your diary and update your diary. Make a note of all your appointments, jot down important addresses and phone numbers and if you want to go all out, learn the beauty of bullet journaling. Make a note of your finances, what day certain direct debits comes out – basically, get your shit together. If you still haven’t got yourself a diary (what!), there are the last few 2017 Scouse Bird ones left if you’re quick.
23. Make Playlists
Ensure your Spotify has a killer playlist for every occasion; for songs you want to hear while getting ready for a nightout to a complimation to act as a soundtrack for when you have a hangover so bad you’re considering calling an ambulance.
24. Recreate Your Favourite Restaurant Meal
Who says you have to eat out? Learn how to make your all time favourite meal from a restaurant at home. It might even taste even better costing a fraction of the price and getting to eat it in your PJs.
25. Do a Good Deed
Buy a homeless person a meal, let people out of you in traffic, donate to a stranger’s Just Giving page – whatever it is, do a little good in the world today.
26. Sort Out Your Old Photos
No one ever bothers printing out photos anymore – send off to get your photos printed and put them in frames. Treasure your memories rather than accidentally losing your phone and losing all the photos.
27. Make An Effort For Work
Get up half an hour earlier than you normally would and put a little extra effort into getting ready for work. Perhaps style your hair rather than just throwing it up in a messy bun, or wear your best ‘work outfit’. When you dress to impress your mood you usually spend the day feeling more confident and happier. Or maybe you’ll be pissed off that you missed out on an extra half an hour’s sleep – you won’t know unless you try.
28. Meditate
After 28 days of smashing life, it’s the perfect time to be at one and all that and start learning how to meditate. Make the most of a free Headspace app trial and at the end of the day, take ten minutes to free your mind and wind down.
XOXO
