Challenge Update: Yesterday I took some time to plan my week and get it all in my planner, which I have been neglecting to do. Knowing I had a plan made both getting up and staying awake better. It is motivating to have goals but you need more; you need to have a course set for yourself to reach those goals.

Improve Your Life: Take a few minutes each night to review your day and, in a planner or journal, make a simple plan for the next day. It doesn't (and shouldn't be) complicated or dictated by the half-hour, but it helps to have a short to-do list and an order in which to do things.

Be Open-Minded: Most people don't schedule their off-time, such as evening and weekends, with priorities or to-do lists. Some of us don't even really schedule social events; we just wait and see what comes up at the last minute. It's important to relax, but why not plan for things you want to do rather than waiting to see if something you enjoy will spontaneously happen? Try it some night this week or next weekend: plan a specific time for something you want to do, whether it be personal or a family event or a social outing, or just something you want to do at home that keeps getting pushed aside by the more "important" things.