Hey, guys.

It's Chelsea and Mona from The Financial Diet, and this week's video is brought to you by Credit Repair. And this week, Mona and I wanted to talk about all of the ways you can use your weekend to not just be productive in the moment, but to start your week off in a way better way.

As you can see from the gloomy weather outside, as I'm filming this we are going into a weekend that is going to be largely rainy. And in many ways, that feels like a bit of a bummer, especially in this early springtime when all you want to do is go outside and have a picnic. But in some ways, it's actually very nice to have a weekend that's going to be largely rainy, because it means you can use it to do all of those productive things you tend to put off in favor of said picnic.

And I'm actually someone who's really learned to love those productive weekends. I usually go through my cleaning Excel spreadsheet, which I'll link you guys to in the description. And I also love to use the time to make little upgrades on my home, as you guys can see here or on my Instagram.

I'm pretty into redecorating my home, and that's actually one of the tasks I'm going to be doing this weekend on the rainy Saturday, using some leftover dark green paint from when I painted some of my kitchen cabinets to redo a cheap little bookshelf that I bought online and could stand to be cuter. But that just happens to be my taste because I love living in a home that feels like an extension of myself. But you might be someone who loves building things, or working on cars, or gardening-- something that living in New York I have no idea about.

And the point is to use your weekend for these productive and fulfilling activities instead of just letting them float by watching a show on Netflix you've already watched 17 times, instead of even opting to watch the new Netflix show. But all of that being said, these projects that can make your weekend feel so productive and fulfilling do not have to take that long. Yes, painting my bookshelves will be a couple-hour investment, but there's also some other little tasks I'm going to do that will take, frankly, 10 minutes or less, such as sorting my mail that's been building up on my dining room table.

So without further ado, and to plan a little bit in advance for this upcoming weekend, here are 20 tasks that take 10 minutes or less and are guaranteed to make your weekend way more productive. Number one is think of one home project you've been meaning to do but putting off. Now I'm not telling you to do it this coming weekend, because for most of us, that home project is likely to take more than 10 minutes.

For me, it's making a few light repairs in my bathroom. But take 10 minutes this weekend to pick a date for it on your calendar and actually put it there. That will give you time in advance to actually buy the materials needed to plan your day around it and maybe even plan something in the evening to treat yourself for finally accomplishing that task.

Sometimes, the difference between putting things off for years on end and actually doing them is giving them a place on your calendar, so take 10 minutes to do that this weekend. Number two is take inventory of all the cleaning slash day-to-day household projects like tissues, toilet paper, et cetera that you're running low on and put in an order for them on places like Amazon, Target, Brandless, et cetera. These are the perfect products to order in bulk online because they tend to be much less expensive that way, and because you're always guaranteed to go through them.

I'm someone who always forgets to buy sponges until I look at my sponge and feel completely revolted with myself and every choice I've ever made that has brought me to this disgusting sponge. So I've started ordering my sponges in bulk online, and I never have to deal with a fatalistic sponge again. Number three is empty your medicine cabinet, wipe down the shelves, remove anything that's empty, and of course, make a note to replace it, and then put everything back in a slightly more organized position.

Number four is go through all of your passwords. Make sure you're using something like a password organizing or protecting app, make sure there are solid passwords. And perhaps most importantly, make sure they're not all the exact same passwords, so if any one of your accounts gets hacked, literally all of them are hacked.

Number five is to go through your credit card and/or bank statements and highlight every recurring fee or subscription, and take at least a few seconds on each fee or subscription to decide if it's actually worth it, slash you're still using that item, slash you even know what it is. Number six, as a bit of an extension to that, is to sign up for an app like Trim that will go through your memberships and remove you from anything that's potentially wasting your money or not being used. Number seven is change out of your pajamas.

I am someone who is very guilty of spending entire weekend days-- yay, perhaps even entire weekends-- in my pajamas. And although it can be very comfortable and allow you to feel like your most disgusting realized self, it's not only completely likely to make you less productive in the home, it basically eliminates any chance you will leave the home to do things that you know you should probably be doing. Even if it's just a regular old jeans and a T-shirt situation, putting yourself in real clothes increases the likelihood that you're going to complete a few productive tasks.

Take the 10 minutes and put on something real. Number eight is give yourself a little home manicure with a polish that makes you feel very put together, or do a little face mask that's guaranteed to brighten up your complexion and leave you a little bit more moisturized. Weekends are always a perfect time to take those extra few minutes to do the beauty routines that always fall to the bottom of your list during the week and can leave you feeling so much better the whole week.

Number nine is to take at least five books off your shelf that you have never read, and are never going to read, and/or have read and will absolutely never read again. Those books should be donated to someone who actually will read them. Now obviously, in 10 minutes or less, you can't actually go and donate them, but put them in a neat little pile or in a bag by your door so that you can make sure to drop them off the next time you're on your way out of the house.

And alternatively, number 10 is to pick up one book on your shelf that you've been meeting to read but haven't gotten started with yet, and promised yourself to just give it 10 minutes. Making it such a limited amount of time will give you a much higher likelihood of actually starting the book, and you find, often, that once you've gotten through those first few pages, you're already hooked. You may find yourself continuing with that book for the entire afternoon.

But even if you don't continue it at that moment, the chances that you will actually finish the book instead of just walking by it on your shelf every day are infinitely increased. Plus, it will feel nice putting your brain to work reading for a little bit instead of just being like-- [MAKES ZOMBIE-LIKE FACE] --in front of your laptop. Number 11 is clear off all the junk that's cluttering either your fridge or your bulletin board.

That means old invitations for things, grocery lists you've already shopped for, to-do lists you already completed, also coupons that have expired, takeout menus you're not using, or business cards you never followed up on. Your fridge and/or bulletin board should be places of zen. Number 12 is throw out every single expired condiment on your refrigerator door.

I think we all know that that refrigerator door is sometimes a bit of a fraught place, containing mayonnaises and fish sauces and mustards that have been expired for literal years. And not only are you preventing the possibility of accidentally food poisoning yourself, you ensure that you're not going to one day be making a recipe that calls for, let's say, hoisin sauce, only to find that your hoisin has been expired for three years. Number 13 is wipe down all of the surfaces in your bathroom and give your toilet bowl a quick brushing.

It's generally a good thing to do to give your bathroom a nice wipe down every few days, particularly if you have someone who happens to be shaving at its sink. But it's always good to take a little time to do this on the weekend, and you'll find that the more you get used to doing this, the less the actual deep bathroom cleans seem to bother you, because going in there is never the hazard zone that it has to be if you never clean it. Number 14 is give all of your makeup brushes a good washing, or in some cases, a good throwing out.

I use the dry makeup brush spray on a very regular basis, but I try to clean them about once every other week and throw them away every few months. And some of you are going to yell at me in the comments and say, that's not enough, and I'm disgusting. Well, I love being disgusting, so joke's on you.

Number 15 is to create three meals to make through your upcoming week and to write out a grocery list based on those meals. Bonus points if you make them three meals that freeze wonderfully so that you can use them for leftovers for weeks or months to come. Number 16 is to break out that good old-fashioned white vinegar and give your coffee maker what is likely a much needed clean.

I use one of those old Italian style mocha pots. And to be perfectly honest, my coffee maker is so gross that it looks like it actually came out of post-war Italy. Number 17 is do some deep stretches.

You don't have to promise yourself you'll sign up for a gym, or go to a full-fledged yoga class, or even go on a run. Just commit to doing those really profound stretches for 10 minutes on a yoga mat, or even a towel in your room. You can use a nice YouTube video tutorial, or you can just use some that you happen to know, but even giving yourself the little extra jolt and blood flow of a good stretch will do wonders for your mood and posture and energy throughout the day.

Number 18 is write out your Monday to-do list. Obviously, for most of us, going back to work on Monday morning can be kind of overwhelming. So taking even just 10 minutes to write out a little to-do list, and maybe even quickly check your email or calendar to make sure that you've included everything, can make the day feel so much smoother and more manageable.

Part of the reason Mondays always feel so terrible is because we spend the entire weekend, and especially our entire Sunday, trying to ignore it and pretend it doesn't exist. But the more we use that weekend time to actually focus on how we can handle Monday better, the more it will feel like a smooth, effortless transition rather than running into a brick wall after playing on a playground for two days. Number 19 is journal for just 10 minutes.

That can be in an actual paper notebook, or on a notes app, or even on a blog. The point is to take 10 minutes to be very aware of and present in your own life, because not only does that make you so much more able to think about your emotions and your daily activities with much more clarity, it also allows you to experience more gratitude. The more we pay attention to what is happening around us and what we feel, the more we can really be in control of our own lives rather than just passively experiencing it.

And lastly, number 20 is to clean out your desk and/or desk drawers. The more the space that you work at at home is clean and organized, the more easily you will find it to be productive and motivated in that space. If your desk is just a dumping ground for papers, and wrappers, and old receipts, and everything you just want to forget about, the more it will feel like a place you want to avoid.

And especially if you're someone who's looking to maybe do a little side work, or get ahead in their career, or learn a new skill, you want every possible advantage you can give yourself when working at home. You want it to be a place where you feel just as motivated as when you're in the office or actually in class. And one of the best steps to getting there is making that space a place you truly want to be.

And if you are someone who's ever had trouble with your credit, one of the best things you can do this weekend in 10 minutes or less is check out Credit Repair. Basically, CreditRepair.com is your own personal mentor for repairing, building, and maintaining your credit. They help you build a customized strategy for improving your score, work directly with the credit bureaus to dispute any dings on your report, and teach you how to understand both your own score and the rating system.

If you feel like you're struggling to build or rebuild good credit and want someone to guide and advocate for you the whole way, check out CreditRepair.com at the link in our description to learn more. So as always, guys, thank you for watching. And don't forget to hit the Subscribe button and to come back every Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday for new and awesome videos.

Bye.