Five ways for a happier life according to Kelly Weekers | kek mama

Kelly gives you a nudge in the right direction.

Lifehack #1 – wake up call

As tempting as it may be, taking your phone to bed is not ideal for a good night’s sleep: mobiles make you uneasy with all the apps, notifications, sounds and the light. That’s why a tip from Kelly: ‘Look how you want to use your phone. Maybe not after 20:00 in the evening? Maybe you want to ban him from the bedroom? Or put it on airplane mode, like I always do? It is advisable to have a routine for yourself and to make agreements about it with yourself, so that you have control over your phone and your phone not over you. Decide for yourself how you want to use your phone and how much time you want to spend on it every day and stick to that.’

Lifehack #2 – energy guzzlers and givers

Open your calendar and take a look at the things you’ve been doing in your work and private life this past week – from the moment you wake up to the moment you go to bed. You will classify all these activities under the heading energy giver or energy guzzler. For example ‘sports’. Maybe you hate sports and find it a total energy guzzler. Maybe you like sports and it costs you physical energy, but it gives you a lot of mental energy. Then it is an energy giver. Think of that appointment with your in-laws, that outing with your children, a party with friends, cleaning your house, your work, that Netflix evening, your night’s rest: everything you do gets a place on the list of energy giver or energy guzzler. Where exactly do you stay with the 24 hours in your day and the 168 hours in your week and is there a certain balance in that?

Read also
‘I love my children, but I like to have time for myself’ >

Lifehack #3 – Five Year Plan

Sounds logical, but is not often thought of: write down where you want to be in five years. What do you want to have achieved in five years’ time, both professionally and personally? Kelly: ‘For each target, write down what is the most important step you have to take for this, because if you don’t have a target, you can’t hit the mark. And once you know where you want to be within the next five years, you can start working towards that goal.’

Lifehack #4 – alone for a while

It’s always nice to be alone once in a while, and not just those few minutes a day on the toilet. Being away, whether it’s for a long time or just a few days, disconnects you from everything, so that when you get home you look at your own life with a clear view, says Kelly. ‘Holidays. Trip. Weekend away or overnight. Give it a name. All alone. Two days, two weeks, two months… Make room in your agenda, find a nice destination and plan.’ And no, you don’t have to feel guilty about that.

Lifehack #5 – weekly planning

Kelly invariably makes a weekly schedule every Sunday evening. ‘What needs to be done this week, what business obligations are on the agenda, what private appointments do I have planned? By clearly mapping out what my week looks like, I don’t have to worry about that in the coming days.’ According to the writer, it is important that you also schedule time for unexpected situations: from an assignment you absolutely do not want to say no to, to a sick child. Kelly: ‘Create time blocks in your agenda, in which you distinguish between work, private obligations such as family visits or sports and leave room for that unexpected situation or spontaneous activities. Have you reserved a block and something happens that forces you to adjust your agenda? No stress. Take a few minutes and adjust your weekly schedule. Due to the flexible, empty spaces in the agenda, there is always room to move.’

Curious about the rest of the book? You order it here for € 20,99. This article previously appeared on Kekmama.nl

More Kek Mama? Subscribe now and take advantage of great offers!