7 Simple Ways to Make Every Day Better (and a Giveaway!)

Happy Monday-after-a-holiday-weekend! Happy first Monday of April! Happy my-cousin-Mason’s-birthday! 

Also – surprise! – happy JORD wooden watch giveaway day! 

Okay, I’ll stop now. But I’m actually really excited, because I’m obsessed with these unique watches, and I think you will be, too. Scroll to the bottom for the link to enter!

So. I tried to leave you on a happy note with my post two Fridays ago, despite some very sad friend news, but I was still a bit of a mess last week. Hence, no blogging, lots of time talking with my friends, and as much rest as I could manage. But now I’m back, if a little late, to tell you about all the things I do to make all my days better, even if they aren’t exactly good. The perfect Monday post, yeah?

Drink more water

I almost used the construction with periods between every word for emphasis there, because I actually kind of believe people would be less crabby if they were properly hydrated. Maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I feel extra tired, foggy, hangry, and headachy when I don’t drink enough. 

Unplug

You know I love social media as much as the next person, yeah? I get my news from Twitter, my foodie inspiration from Instagram, and my workout motivation from blogs. I love being in Facebook groups and I prefer Messenger over text. And except when my inbox has 200 emails from lists I thought I had unsubscribed from, I don’t usually feel the overwhelm people talk about with technology.

Still, is there a bigger time-suck on the planet? If I click on Instagram before I fall asleep, it’s probably going to be another 45 minutes until I click off my screen. If I sit down to write a blog post and end up on Twitter, there goes an hour of productivity.

I try to avoid social media until after my morning workout and while I’m winding down for bed, but that doesn’t solve the problem of scrolling when I’m trying to be productive during the day.

That’s one of the reasons I’ve been looking more and more at watches lately – because I am 100% the person who has said I can’t give up my phone because I won’t know what time it is all the time. Plus, let’s be honest, I also often pick up my phone to check the time and end up doing something else and, well, not checking the time. You can’t do that with a watch (don’t get me started on the Apple Watch – but JORD does have stunning Apple Watch bands).

I had at least one nice watch as a kid, but I wore it about three times because I wasn’t used to wearing bracelets and it felt weird. 

So, I’ve been casually looking at watches every time I go into a department store for who knows how long, never pulling the trigger. When JORD reached out to talk about collaborating, it was basically perfect timing.

See, JORD makes beautiful, unique watches out of wood. They come in all shapes and sizes for men and women, tons of different wood and face combinations, and you can get them engraved. They dress up or down really easily, and I’m pretty much in love with mine.

It’s the kind of thing that gets you a compliment from someone whenever you wear it. And if you’re me, it’s the kind of thing that lets you take 20 minutes off of your phone without flipping out because you don’t know what time it is. You know, the important things.

Go outside

Assuming there’s not a literal hurricane happening where you are, going outside is never a bad idea. Your annoyance at your coworker feels super small when you leave the building and remember there’s a whole big world out there. You also have a good chance of seeing a happy dog outside, and that usually brightens my day.

Bonus points if you unplug while you’re outside.

Tell (yourself) a story

I’ve never been terribly impatient in traffic, but I definitely used to get agitated at the little car that didn’t get into the proper lane until the absolute last minute, cutting me off. Several months ago, I realized that it would get under my skin and make me enjoy the rest of my drive a whole lot less than I usually would (I love driving), and spent the rest of the drive home asking myself what I could do to avoid all that frustration.

So now, I tell myself a story whenever something annoying happens. If someone zooms in front of me to get onto the highway when there was plenty of opportunity to do it before, I think that maybe he was distracted because of a difficult project at work or a sick family member. It wasn’t a personal attack. If someone walks straight into me at Target because she’s staring at her phone, I decide that she is a single mom who works too many hours a week trying to coordinate care for her young kids after her babysitter bailed at the last minute. And so on.

These things are probably not true, but that doesn’t matter. Whether they’re true or not, everyone has something going on that you can’t see – and you forgive people for your own sanity, not theirs.

Tell yourself a story - and 6 other ways to have a better day from @EllenSlater. #fitfluential #chasejoy Share on X

Start your day on a positive note

I start my day without social media, and with some music, meditation, and movement. Also, if you watch my Instagram stories, you’ve probably seen my Affirmators (you can get them on Amazon).

I think my mom got them for me early in college, and I used them sporadically then. Now, I use them daily. I draw a card and read it first thing in the morning. Sometimes, I end up using the card as an excuse to do something. A few weeks ago, my card was about engagement, and a neighbor reached out to our neighborhood forum asking for a favor. I was like, “Well, better engage with my community,” and I helped her out. Sometimes, they give me a positive idea to center my day around, and others just give me a little pep talk and a smile.

This card I drew a few weeks ago (and also a couple days ago) gave me the idea to do the whole storytelling thing I mentioned above.

This is personal to you and takes some experimentation, but whether you take five minutes or fifty, doing something that makes you feel good first thing in the morning, before you rush around for other people, makes every day better to me.

Vacuum

I don’t think I could hate vacuuming more, so it might seem ridiculous that it’s on my list of how to improve your day, but do you know how put-together and clean things look when you vacuum? Maybe your equivalent of “vacuum” is “straighten up your counters” or “organize your fridge” (I should really do those things, too…). The point: if you want to have a good day, being in a clean space is a major help.

Wear things you love…

…That aren’t pajamas. I love pajamas and they’re perfect for the end of a long any day (or beginning of a lazy morning), but being that I stick around home a lot these days, one of the best things I can do is get dressed in my favorite clothes, do my makeup, and put on my watch and jewelry. I’m kind of like instant noodles, but instead of noodles I’m a human and instead of adding water (is that what you do to instant noodles?) you add clothes. I’m sorry. I don’t know what I’m talking about either.

But I do know what I’m talking about here, so read carefully!

If you’d like one of the lovely watches from JORD, you can:

1.) Use code myuncommoneveryday for instant $25 off and free sizing.

 

2.) Enter the giveaway here for $100 gift card.

The giveaway ends next Sunday, April 8, and I’ll definitely remind you of it plenty both here and on Instagram until then! P.S. Mine is the Cassia Series in Walnut & Vintage Rose.

I want to win this #giveaway from @woodwatches_com and @EllenSlater! Share on X

Your turn:

What’s a habit you have that makes your days better?

Are you good about unplugging?

Full disclosure: I was sent a JORD watch in exchange for this giveaway promotion. I only post about companies and products I truly adore, and I’m lucky enough that some of them compensate me in some way; JORD has been lovely to work with and I cannot say enough good things about my watch. I do not receive a commission for any watches you buy through these links and codes – I just want to share the good stuff with you. Thank you (as always) for your love and support.