Hey, guys.

It's Chelsea from The Financial Diet. And today's video is brought to you by FreshBooks.

So one thing that we love to focus on in this channel is things that you can do today, actionable, manageable things that have long-term payoff in both your financial and personal health. So we thought it would be fun to share with you guys just a big general master list of little things that you can do today that will make your overall life easier and, in our opinion, better. So without further ado, let's get into it, 22 things you can do today to make your life easier.

Number one, write down one thing that you've been avoiding for whatever reason. It could be a big thing or a little thing. But the point is you write it down on a Post-It Note or a little piece of paper, and you put it somewhere where you will see it every day.

I have a little spot in the corner of my bedroom mirror where I'll stick things that I'm forgetting to do. And almost every time, it makes me finally do it. Number two, call a friend or family member that you've been meaning to talk to, but putting off.

Knowing that you should call someone but not doing it makes you feel really guilty and also robs you of the nice experience of talking to them. So find a time during your day when you're doing some rote activity, like walking somewhere or doing the dishes or some basic chore, and make the call during that time. It kills two birds with one stone, and it also means that when that activity comes up, it'll ding in your mind, oh, right, I'm supposed to call my mom or whoever.

Number three, always make an extra portion of your dinner and put it away in a nice little package for your lunch or tomorrow's dinner. And make sure that when you're putting that extra meal away, you arrange it in a way that's appetizing and ready to go. We recommend getting those little Tupperwares with the separated compartments for different elements.

Number five, set tomorrow's outfit out just like when you were a little kid. Not only just setting out your outfit the night before mean that your morning feels smoother and more full of time, it also means it's one less thing to worry about-- not to mention that when you're picking something out in the early morning when you're half asleep, that's usually when you end up picking something that doesn't match or isn't ironed or that you don't even like. Picking your outfit out the night before ensures that you will look great in it and not waste time looking for it.

Number six, if you have a bunch of errands that you've been avoiding, group them all together and make a plan with a friend at the end of them. So let's say you have to do the post office, the grocery store, the dry cleaner, whatever. Group it all together, and have a fun plan with a friend at the end so that A, you don't feel like your whole day is dominated by these activities that you're avoiding.

And B, you're more motivated to get off your ass because you want to see your friend. Seven, find a safe and convenient way to organize your passwords. There are different programs that people like to use.

We'll link a couple in the description. But whatever you choose to do, even if it's literally writing it down on a piece of paper in your dresser drawer, make sure your passwords are accessible and secure. And if all of your passwords are the same, freaking change them right now because you are so vulnerable to a hack.

Number eight, make sure that your credit card information is not saved in your browser. And especially if you are into online shopping or impulse buying, the difference between having that information saved or having to walk over to your wallet and fish out your credit card information can be the difference between buying something and avoiding it because you don't really need it. The more mindlessly accessible your money is to you, the likelier you are to mindlessly spend it.

Number nine, set little alarms for yourself throughout the day, not just for when you wake up, but for all those little things you have a tendency to forget. Even something as simple as taking out the trash and recycling is often beneficial to be reminded of. Number 10, give yourself permission to say no to social events that are, A, not really your thing, and/or, B, going to lead you to spend money that you know you shouldn't.

Be honest and respectful and polite, but give yourself permission for not having the budget for it to be a legitimate reason to say no to something. You don't have to come up with an excuse for something you don't want to do or can't afford to do. Number 11, set dedicated email times throughout your day.

Studies show that people who interact with their email constantly throughout the day end up being way less productive than people who keep their email activity to a few distinct times throughout the day, maybe one in the morning, one in the afternoon, and one at end of day, whatever your schedule allows for. But make sure that you're not constantly chained to your inbox and feeling obligated to respond to the next thing that pops up. People will live if they have to wait a couple of hours.

And it's best overall if you just close your email program during the time you're not looking at it. Number 12, unless it will get you fired, turn off your work notifications during the weekend. Responding to emails at midnight on a weekday or on a Saturday morning is something that is a totally vicious cycle.

The more you do it, the more people realize that you will do it and the more they'll feel comfortable asking you to do it. We work with a lot of clients at TFD, and some are rigorous about it's the end of the day. I'm out of office.

Yet others will literally email us on a Sunday morning or at 2 o'clock at night. And some will even get a little testy if you're not available during those times. But the point is they did not create healthy boundaries either in their company habits or in their own.

Create yours. Number 13, go through your social media feeds and unfollow or mute if you absolutely have to every single person who brings up any kind of negative emotion when you see them. Whether it's regret or oh, this is an ex so and so or it's jealousy, you should not be using social media to feel badly about yourself.

Social media should be about staying in contact with the people that you care about or the people who make you better. If social media is a source of personal stress, your entire day is guaranteed to be a little bit worse. And you're not obligated to be Facebook friends with anyone-- just saying.

Number 14, get Evernote. It's like the Notes app on steroids, and it will improve your life vastly. Number 15, get a basic cork board.

And you can get them essentially anywhere. And use it to be a motivator in whatever you are trying to do at that time of your life. You can use it for anything from a series of reminders about work to a little inspiration board for the vacation you're trying to save for to reminders to call friends and family.

No matter what it is, you can use it how you need to and then change it when you're done. Here's mine. It's a calendar, an inspiration board, and lots of other things.

Plus, it has useful numbers for the different activities and hobbies I have. Number 16, challenge yourself to get rid of at least one third of your current wardrobe to either sell or donate. Chances are if you are taking an honest look at your wardrobe, you will be able to find at least 30% of the things that you own that you have not worn for at least a year and will honestly probably never wear again.

Give yourself permission to sartorially cleanse. And weirdly, the more compact your wardrobe is, the more you'll feel like you can find outfits in it because you won't constantly be wading through things that you don't even like. Number 17, assess, in an Excel sheet if you need to, the basic wardrobe items that you are missing from having the complete and professional-ready wardrobe that you need.

Start saving for them. Number 18, if you know you're not going to be able to do something on time or at all, let the person know as soon as you know because not only does it make it way worse to have to cancel or delay at the last minute, it also makes you feel like crap for the entire time between when you know you can't do it and when you say you can't do it. Number 19, get a basic yoga mat, keep it in your room, and start doing stretches every single morning.

Challenge yourself to increase your flexibility, to improve your breathing and posture, and also just to not go straight from scrolling through Twitter on your phone and feeling anxious to running through your morning routine and getting ready. Bring a little peace to your mornings, and the whole day will feel way better. Number 20, go to meetup.com and find at least one activity or hobby in your area that, A, doesn't involve alcohol and, B, is something that you're actually interested in.

You will meet new people, potentially learn a new skill, and also start filling your week with things that are enriching rather than totally about letting off steam. Number 21, when you're done for the day, close your laptop. Turn off your notifications.

And if you're really ready for the expert mode, turn your phone to Airplane mode. Even if you can only commit to it for a month, challenging yourself to associate the end of the day with moving away from your digital and often professional life is a huge kind of rehab. We are way more chained to our phones and our laptops than we'd like to admit, totally myself included.

The more distance we can create between our peaceful home selves and our go, go, go, digitally obsessed, constantly tethered to technology selves, the better. Technology obviously isn't a bad thing. I'm talking to you on YouTube.

But it shouldn't dominate our entire lives. Number 22, challenge yourself to find one thing to cut back on at least one day a week. For me, for example, it's I don't drink coffee on weekends-- usually.

It's a Saturday. I had to film two videos today. But either way, I have usually, usually slipped into the habit of not drinking coffee on weekends because it helps me not feel addicted to it throughout the week.

Whatever it is for you, make sure that you are not associating these day-to-day habits with I need it to function. Creating at least one pause in your week for whatever habit it is helps that become a reality. Start doing the little things that make your life feel easier, smoother, and more under your control.

As always, thank you for watching. And don't forget to hit the Subscribe button and to come back every Tuesday for new and awesome videos. Bye.

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