As much as I love talking about and writing about self care, let’s face it:  sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.  Your kitchen needs to get cleaned, your bills need to be paid, your groceries need to be bought.  Sometimes, the list feels endless and you wonder “how will I have time to get everything done today let alone have time to take care of myself?”  

I feel ya, Besties.  Ideally, we’d have time for a nice, long bubble bath or read at least a chapter of a good book every day.  But that can seem nearly impossible when we’ve got stuff to do.  Yet at the end of a long day, putting in hours upon hours of takin’ care of business, it’s not cool to feel like you spent zero minutes on yourself.

So what’s a busy Bestie to do?

First, stop stressing about what you have to do and take action.   Once you are all organized and you have a plan for how to kick your to-do list’s bootie, you get going.  But before that, you assign a reward for yourself for each task you complete.  It may sound juvenile, or like a waste of time, but trust me it’s not.  What you are doing is instantly adding fun to your day (as opposed to simply dreading everything not-so-fun you have to do) and motivating yourself to GET ER DONE.

I don’t know about you, but sometimes motivation is a problem for me, especially if a task isn’t urgent.  Your Self Care Bestie can be kiiiiind of a procrastinator sometimes, and although I like to think I’m a pretty awesome procrastinator, it really isn’t ideal for, you know…not feeling stressed and disorganized all the time.  So trust me, I’m writing this for me as much as for you.  You may already know what would motivate you best, or serve as the best reward for you.  It might be a Trader Joe’s sea salt caramel every. single. time. Ain’t nothining wrong with that.  But if you’re craving a little variety in your reward/motivation system, here are a list of 25 ways to treat yoself for a job well done.

1.  Order yourself a subscription box.  Birchbox is only $10 a month, but I also love Fab Fit Fun and Popsugar Must Have.  There’s nothing like getting a fun surprise in the mail!

2.  Watch your fave movie.  Even if your to-do list is prohibitively long to watch it today, schedule a time to watch in the future.

3.  Listen to a song you love.  Music is not only an awesome mood-changer, but it is also a wonderful motivator!

4.  Browse through a magazine or catalog you love.  If you’re worried about falling down a rabbit hole and not getting back on task, set a ten minute timer for this.

5.  Connect with a friend.  Again, this doesn’t have to take all day – a simple 10 minute call or FaceTime will suffice.

6.  Watch a short video that will make you laugh.  Whether it’s a YouTube video or an old SNL clip, giving yourself a quick break to laugh will make any task seem more bearable.

7.  Make someone laugh.  Take a quick break to be silly or funny.  Your to-do list is probably not more important than sharing a smile with your people.

8.  Have a delicious snack.  Whatever sounds good to you, go for it.  YOLO, Besties.

9.  Step outside for a breath of fresh air.  It will rejuvenate you for your remaining tasks.

10.  Light your fave candle.  Enjoying a scent you love can bring a ton of pleasure to your day.

11.  NAP.  Schedule it in.  Or go to bed early when you’re all done.  But remember, rest is your friend.

12.  Have a healthy snack.  Sometimes delicious and healthy are the same thing.  Sometimes they’re not.  Balance, Besties…balance.

13.  Do something fun with your hair or makeup.  Just because you’re busy doesn’t mean you can’t look fly.  Just sayin’.

14.  Spritz on your fave perfume.  Again, scent is powerful and can be a major reward to your brain.

15.  Read for a bit.  You may not have time for a whole chapter, but give yourself at least a 10 minute break to get lost in a good book.

16.  Add something to your bucket list.  You may not be checking something off today, but thinking about what you might like to add can be fun, too.

17.  Make a gratitude list.  Better yet, fill out this fun gratitude printable. 

18.   Look at something that makes you happy.  It could be an old card or letter, your kid’s faces, or a picture of a Hawaiian beach.  This is a quick and easy way to brighten your day.

19.  Plan a time to go to the movies.  Or to do another fun activity.  I just love popcorn going to the movies.

20.  Do a random act of kindness or a good deed.  There’s no better reward than making the world a better place.

21.  Look up an encouraging quote to motivate and inspire you.  Check out my quote board on Pinterest for starters!

22.  Watch an episode of your fave TV show.  For me, it would be Friends aka 22 minutes of pure bliss.

23.  Do a bit of journaling.  It does a soul good.

24.  Have a cup of coffee or tea out of a fun mug.  Fun mugs are the best.  So are coffee and tea.