THE HAPPINESS PROJECT
A To-Do List That Will Make You Happy
I’m trying out a new way to find happiness amid all the day’s chores
To-do lists. Ugh!
If you’re like me, the older you get (I’m almost 80), the harder it is to complete all the tasks in any day’s to-do list. It’s no longer enough just to sit down at end-of-day and write …
- Yoga
- Vacuum
- Give the dogs a bath
- Write something
- Read 10 Medium stories
- Where are my gardening gloves?
… and then spring out of bed (spring? You gotta be kiddin’) the next morning and get right to it.
In fact, my “it” today, which I promised myself last night to “get right to,” is so far no more than a couch, a cup of coffee, two dusty dogs vying for my lap, and some TV news and social media.
Scrolling through Facebook, I came across something that might help me get off the couch. “Gratitude” and “happiness” were in the title, and the text began:
Instead of saying “I have to” start your day with “I get to.”
I’m rewriting my to-do list now:
- I’m 79 and grateful I can still do YOGA today.
- I get to VACUUM today and I’ll be happy to have a clean house.
- I’ve always been grateful for dogs. Gotta GIVE DOGS A BATH today.
- WRITE SOMETHING today and feel proud of myself and grateful for no Alzheimer’s yet. Proud of myself is happy. No Alzheimer’s yet is definitely something to be grateful for.
- READ 10 MEDIUM STORIES ‘cause I promised myself 10 reads for every write. Keeping promises is happy.
- Darn it, I’ll sure be grateful to finally scratch WHERE ARE MY GARDENING GLOVES? off my list.
There. Happiness and gratitude in a to-do list. And I’ve done one thing on the list already.
More on happiness from Katharine Valentino:
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