Imagine if every day, you woke up with $86,400 in your bank account. However, you’re supposed to spend all this money in one day and can’t save it and forward it to the next day.
What would you use the money for?
This analogy comparing the number of seconds in a day to money really got me thinking. How do I spend the 86,400 seconds I get every day?
And today, I pose the same question to you. How do you spend your 86,400 seconds to make every day count?
Not sure how to answer this?
Today’s article will help you find answers to this. In today’s article, you’ll learn 21 secrets on how to make every day count.
Here’s what you’ll learn:
But before we get into it, let’s first learn what it means to make every day count.
What Does it Mean to Make Every Day Count?
On a surface level, making every day count means that we should aim to make the most out of every waking moment.
However, making every day count may have different meanings to different people. For some, it means ensuring your happy most of the time. To others, it may mean making a difference in the world, and for others, it may mean living life to the fullest.
However, making every day count doesn’t mean you have to do great things. As you’ll find out in the examples explained below, even doing general things could make your days worthwhile.
21 Secrets to Making Every Day Count
#1. Plan Your Day
One of the first steps to making every day count is planning your day. With a plan for your day, you’re able to create more balance in your life.
When you plan your day the night before, you wake up prepared for the day’s tasks. Planning also helps you prioritize your most important tasks; therefore, ensure you don’t waste time on activities that have minimal impact on your life.
It also becomes easier to manage your 86,400 seconds with a daily schedule since you know what to do at different times.
When it comes to planning your day, aim to plan your tasks the night before, then review your plan in the morning.
#2. Wake Up Early
With a plan of how you’ll spend your 86,400 seconds, the next step to ensuring you make the best out of your day is waking up early.
Waking up early means you have more time to do everything in your plan and make the best out of your day.
I belong to the 5 AM club. By waking at this time, I have more time to plan, meditate and have a small workout. However, you don’t have to wake up at 5 AM. Even waking up at 6 or 7 AM is enough to help you make the best out of your day.
#3. Express Gratitude
Some people fail to achieve their full potential because they always focusing on the things that go wrong in their lives.
This leads to these people living life in regrets, which robs them of the joy of life.
However, with gratitude, it all changes.
By appreciating the positives in your life, you become happier, less stressed, and likely to improve your overall well-being.
So, if you’re looking to make every day count, keep a gratitude journal where you note the things and people you’re thankful for.
#4. Make a Goal List
One of the most common habits that A-level athletes, top entrepreneurs, and high achievers in different fields have is setting goals.
Setting goals gives you an idea of your ideal life and helps you organize time and other resources to ensure you achieve your goals.
When making your goal list, first start with your long-term goals, then narrow down to more short-term goals.
To ensure your days don’t go to waste, make sure your daily goals somehow tie to your overall plan. With such goals, you’ll spend every day of your life working towards achieving your ideal life.
#5. Exercise
You can’t live your life to the fullest if you’re unhealthy.
This is where exercise comes in.
Exercising is one of the best ways to ensure improved health and vitality.
And it’s not only your health.
Studies have revealed that exercising helps boost your happiness levels, makes you calmer, and equips you with the mental fortitude to handle most of your daily stressors.
And with exercise, you can note results quickly, which helps to keep you motivated.
#6. Work on One Big Task
When planning your day, it’s essential to have one big task related to your current goals.
Every day, make sure you work and accomplish this big task. While it may be impossible to complete everything on your to-do list, make sure you at least work and complete your primary task of the day.
#7. Do Something you Enjoy
One of the most common deathbed regrets people have is spending most of their time doing things they didn’t love.
If you’re looking to make every day of your life count, make sure you do something you love and enjoy every day. This way, when you look back at your life, you won’t have such regrets.
#8. Do at Least One Thing That Scares You
Another common deathbed regret people have, is spending their whole life in their comfort zone. Just look around.
How many people do you know go to jobs they hate just because starting a business is too hard?
If you’re looking to make every day of your life count, aim to do at least one thing that scares you.
And it could be anything.
For some, it’s asking for a well-deserved raise; for others it’s gaining the confidence to share ideas, and for others, it’s finally implementing that business idea that’s been floating in their head.
#9. Have a Laugh
As the adage goes, “laughter is the best medicine.”
Laughing has been attributed to both physical and emotional benefits. Ensuring you laugh every day helps boost your immune system, diffuses feelings of anger, and helps trigger endorphin release, among other benefits.
So, if you’re looking to make everyday count, add some laughter to your days.
#10. Get Creative
It could be anything. If you’ve always wanted to paint, break out the watercolors and canvas. Have you always loved photography? Get a camera and start taking photos for fun. If you’ve always wanted to write, start a blog or get a journal where you write at least 200 words.
By being creative, you become better at solving problems, are more confident, and are likely to live a longer life due to increased feelings of negativity and stress.
#11. Start Saving for Something You’ve Always Wanted
What’s that you’ve always wanted but couldn’t afford?
Maybe it’s a holiday in another country. It could be the new PlayStation five. Or perhaps it’s the old-school sports car you’ve admired since you were a kid.
Saving for something you’ve always wanted and later buying it will result in feelings of accomplishment and joy, making every day you saved count.
#12. Learn Something New
One of the ways to make every day of your life count is by continuously improving yourself.
Make sure you learn something new every day. It could be a new word, a new high-income skill, or a new language. Just make sure you aim to learn something new every day.
You can enroll in an online course, watch a YouTube video, or read online articles to ensure you learn something new every day.
#13. Spend Time with People Who Bring Out the Best in You
I recently came across an online poll asking people if one can be lonely even when around people.
From the responses, it’s clear that being around people who don’t build or excite you could result in loneliness.
Don’t hang around negative people whose only job is to take away the life from your days.
Instead, spend time with people who bring the best in you. People who encourage you and help you to feel alive. With such people in your life, every day of your life will count.
#14. Spend Time by Yourself
Don’t spend every waking moment of your life trying to please others and end up unhappy.
This is why it’s essential to spend time by yourself.
Every day, aim to have a few minutes by yourself. This could be early in the morning or late at night. Use this time to meditate, write down frustrating thoughts, or think about the things you’re grateful for.
You can also decide to go on a solo trip to help you rediscover your passions.
By spending time with yourself, you understand yourself more, which results in you only doing things that add value to your life.
#15. Help someone
In our article on how to focus on the good, we explained how serving others could help you develop more positivity in your life.
Helping somebody in need results in amazing feelings. You could also make great friends in the process, which translates into better life quality.
So, if you’re looking for an easy way to make every day of your life count, join a charity organization, or start by offering your hand to someone in need.
Helping someone could also entail reaching out to a friend or family member experiencing a hard time and offering our help.
#16. Set a Thirty-Day Challenge
Self-improvement gurus propose that it takes 21 days of constant practice to instill a new habit.
This is where thirty-day challenges come in.
With thirty-day challenges, you get to instill new positive habits into your life every month. And it’s not only habits.
Thirty-day challenges are also significant for reconnecting or finding new passions and hobbies.
#17. Work on Your Passion and Mission
One of the most effective ways to make sure every day of your life counts is by working on your passions.
What’s that one thing you’ve always wanted to do?
While it may feel hard to follow your passion, you just need to start and never give up.
Not sure what your passion is?
Check out this video to learn more about how to find your mission and passion.
#18. Appreciate Beauty
Life is full of beautiful things.
However, the constant pressures of life result in us not noticing this beauty. But if you took the time, you’d see how much beauty there is in this world.
Whether it’s the beautiful flowers in your backyard garden, the inspiring playlist on your phone, the smiles of people around you, or the view of the sunrise or sunset, beauty is everywhere.
If you’re looking for ways to make your days count, take the time to walk around your neighborhood and appreciate the beauty.
#19. Play
“We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing” George Bernard Shaw
This quote is meant to encourage everyone to embrace their inner child. However, the pressures of adult life have resulted in most people losing their connection with their inner child.
But if you’re looking to make the days of your life count, create time to play.
Playing helps to reduce your stress levels, inspires creativity, and helps boost your imagination.
#20. Keep a Journal
What better way to make every day count than having a record of the important thoughts and events of every day in your life?
Keeping a journal allows you to record your life’s ideas, events, and other aspects that you may forget.
Journals are also great for recording goals and our progress. Reading your journals in the future could help you account for how you spent your time in the past.
#21. Rest Early and Effectively
Making every day count also means being able to rest effectively.
Aim to have at least 7-8 hours of sleep every day to ensure you rest effectively. Remember to take days off work to relax and prevent burnout.
Without the rest, you won’t enjoy your life. And what’s the point of living if you’re not enjoying it?
Bonus: Don’t Put Pressure on Making Each Day Count.
With all these tips on making every day count, you may feel a lot of pressure to achieve this.
This pressure may result in you stressing over small things like the traffic jam to work.
But don’t let this be the case.
Putting too much pressure on making each day count results in stress and anxiety, which takes away from what you’re looking to achieve.
Any Further Questions?
There you go.
Twenty-one secrets on how to make every day count.
Which of these tips will you include in your life? Do you know of any other tips to help make every day count?
Tell us in the comments below.
If you have any questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section below.
I’ll be sure to respond to any comment or question asked.
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