11 Things You Need To Stop Putting Off If You Want The Bullshit Out Of Your Life

By Mark DeNicola

Whether or not you consider yourself a serial procrastinator, we all have things that have populated our ‘To Do’ list for far too long. And no, I’m not talking about the little things that you keep putting off –like cleaning your bathroom –I’m talking about the heavy hitters.

The major decisions, mental shifts, and actions we all know we want to take, but for one reason or another, we keep putting off.

Despite all being unique, there are certain big things that we can all benefit from doing. Here are 10 that I, and several of my friends, have all made a point of incorporating over the past little while and are more than happy with the impact they’ve had on our lives and overall well-being.

1. Simplifying Our Living Space

Whether you live in a tiny apartment, on a massive estate, or you still find yourself confined to a bedroom in your parents’ house, we all have more than we need. From clothes we’ll never wear again, to useless “chachkies”, to DVDs that Netflix has rendered pretty well valueless, we all have things we could easily get rid of. So rather than letting them continue to clutter your space, sell them online or donate them to make yourself even less weighed down by “things”.

2. Monitoring Your Spending

By design, credit cards have made spending beyond our means easier than sifting through our Facebook news feed for 10 minutes. Even if you’ve managed to stay out of debt, there are always areas for improvement. Start by reviewing your spending over the past few months. You’ll likely be surprised by at least an element of your spending habits –a common one is money spent eating out –and will enjoy reaping the benefits of being more mindful ASAP.

3. Cutting The Comparison

Thanks to social media, comparing ourselves to hundreds (if not thousands) of people has never been easier. And while we may occasionally find ourselves inspired by the accomplishments of others, let’s be honest, most of the time we end up feeling shitty about ourselves. Choose to focus on your experience and taking action on the ways you’d like to improve it, rather than giving any more of your attention to what someone else is or isn’t doing.

4. Taking Care Of Our Bodies Like We Actually Want To Be Here For A While

I’m not going to tell you what you should and shouldn’t be consuming, or how you should or shouldn’t be working out, but I am going to tell you to think long-term when it comes to your health. As fun as it can be to say, “today I’m going to treat myself”, it’s amazing how quickly that spirals into a regular occurrence. If you actually want to be here for a while, make sure the way you treat your body matches with that desire.

5. Doing Instead of Just Watching

Netflix is awesome, I know. Live sports are amazing, I know. But you know what’s better than both? Actually doing something. I certainly don’t mean to condemn watching movies, TV shows, or sports all together, but I do suggest ensuring you have a healthy balance between doing and watching. Save tipping the scales in favor of watching for when the first option becomes physically difficult to do (which if you take #4 to heart, shouldn’t be for a very long time).

6. Being Grateful For Who & What You Have

While I’m sure we can all list dozens of things we wish were different in our lives, when is the last time you listed those that you are grateful for? There is nothing I personally have found more powerful in shifting a mood and changing your view of life than regular heartfelt gratitude. Whether it’s something as broad as being grateful to be alive, or something as specific as loving the way your dog looks at you in the morning, we all have plenty to appreciate.

7. Owning Up Rather Than Blaming

Blaming certainly seems easier, and to many of us it comes quite naturally, but what good does it actually do? Even if you get away with shifting the blame to something outside of you, does it genuinely feel good inside? Cement yourself into the driver seat of your own existence by owning up to everything you are responsible for and breaking the habit of always looking for a scapegoat.

8. Limiting Our Time On Social Media

What the hell are we even doing on it half the time? We may start with checking our notifications and messages, but how do we so smoothly transition that into minutes (if not hours) of useless scrolling through a bunch of things that really have little to no value. Again, I’m not suggesting going cold turkey from social media, but I am recommending that we limit our time on it, especially first thing in the morning and last thing at night. You’ll be amazed by how much more free time you have.

9. Setting Goals With Immediately Actionable Steps

You may have 63 goals and 7 vision boards, but what good are these goals without actionable steps? It’s nice to know where you’d like to get, but it’s far better to layout how you plan to get there. Get your head out of the clouds and start doing whatever it is that you can do now to bring the clouds down to reality.

10. Not Giving A St About Celebrities**

Honestly, who cares? They are other human beings that managed to get a job doing something that puts them in the limelight. They don’t know or care about you, so why do you keep giving them so much of your time? Choose to enjoy what they create and not get caught up in everything else pop culture seems to care that they do.

11. Cutting Certain People Out of Your Life

Whether it’s a lingering ex or an old high school buddy, we all have certain people that we know are not healthy for us to be around. It’s not that there is anything inherently wrong with them, or superior about you, it’s just that the mix doesn’t fit well anymore. It may feel like it, but you aren’t doing them a favor keeping them around half-heartedly. Either embrace the relationship or cut them off.