TOP 10: Simple tasks to make you feel GREAT in 30 mins

Little things like paying that outstanding bill, getting that paperwork done, organising your desk can make a great difference to the way you feel. Here are 10 things you can do right away and feel great about yourself!

How often do you start your Mondays or any other day for that matter feeling really terrible looking at a long week looming ahead of you? Worse, how often do you go to bed feeling the same way? Surely not everyone can have a good day every day.

Think of it, very often it isn't the big tasks that bother you -- you know you'll get to the end of them eventually -- it's the smaller, insignificant ones that really keep nudging you.

This is perhaps just the beginning of your problems. Fear not, here are 10 really simple things you can do to feel better about yourself.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

How often do you keep those monthly bills for the end of the month or the day before the last date? The beginning of the month is perhaps the best time to write off all those cheques, pay off the telephone company, the electricity bills, your mobile and internet charges and your staff. Besides having struck off half your month's to-do list, you'd probably have a far better idea of just how much you have to spend for the rest of the month.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

A cluttered desk can (in fact does) affect the way your co-workers look at you. According to a recent survey conducted by the staffing firm Adecco, 57 per cent people admit that they judge their colleagues by their desks.

Apart from this however, a messy desk can demoralise you in subtle ways. Imagine walking up to a computer screen littered with Post-Its or a pile of papers and files greeting you on an otherwise bright day!

Believe us the messiest desks take no more than 30 minutes to clean. All you need to do is set that time aside and get the task done. Walk up to your desk the next morning and you'll know exactly what we mean.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

The funny thing about the tasks we procrastinate over are those that take very little time. Like filling out a form, writing out an email, couriering a letter or photocopying those documents you've been carrying with you for weeks on end! Think of it? How long does it take to do any of -- or even all -- these tasks? 15 minutes? 20? 30 at best? What's stopping you? Go right ahead and you'll have yet another check mark on your list.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

Few things make you feel better than doing something noble. Fix up an appointment to donate blood in your nearest blood bank. If you're not sure, log on to websites such as indianblooddonors.com and register yourself. The next time someone's in need of blood, you'll get a call. Commit to donating an organ; chances are you won't need it when you're dead anyway. If you have a little money to spare, write a check to an NGO of your choice.

How often have you wondered how to can take really good pictures with your digital camera? Or learn to be a better writer or swim faster or make that perfect omelette? Select a topic you really, really want to know about and spend 20 minutes reading about it. Who knows where your search will lead you to!

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

In our fast-paced life, we often tend to forget the ones we really love. Parents, grandparents, siblings are hardly ever called up, let alone visited. Call up your loved ones; tell them how much they mean to you and hear them out. Believe us nothing will thrill your parents more than hearing your voice. Unless of course you owe them money, in which case you could well pay them and check that off the list too!

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

A heavy meal can put you back by at least a few days on your gym schedule. Take a walk after your meal. Or if it's too sunny, make sure you step out and take a stroll in the park nearby and unwind rather than rushing right back home.

Since we're at it, we may as well tell you that you don't need more than 20 minutes to get a really intensive workout. Hit your office gym, get a really good stretch, run on the treadmill, do pilates or yoga or anything you fancy and you'll be feeling great in no time at all. Take it easy though and ensure you're doing it under supervision, lest you end up with a gym injury.

Everyone has a weekend plan. Schedule yours for Wednesday. It could be a movie or a night out with friends or simply a quiet dinner date. Why Wednesday? When you have something to look forward to in the middle of the week, your Monday (and your week) doesn't feel that long and tiring.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh

A ship is safe in harbour, but that's not what ships are for' goes the famous saying. Get out of your comfort zone, do something you always wanted to do but never could never get yourself around to doing. Volunteer for that assignment you were hesitating to take up at work. Or walk up to that cutie who's been making your heart to pit-a-pat and ask them out for coffee. Who knows where this little task will lead to? Leave the harbour and sail into the sea.

Illustration: Uttam Ghosh