Ready to take a bet with us?

We at Weekly Menu are willing to bet that there is at least one aspect of your life that you would like to improve. Maybe you'd like to:

• Get in shape;
• Grow professionally;
• Travel more;
• Reduce stress;
• Learn a new language;
• ... and much more!

To achieve one of these goals, we often already know what we should do:

• To get in shape → exercise regularly;
• To grow professionally → take refresher courses;
• To travel more → organize your next trip (where and when);
• To reduce stress → take time for yourself and meditate;
• To learn a new language → enroll in a course.

The problem is that knowing what you need to do it's not enough. If that were all it took, we would all already be the best versions of ourselves. But guess what? This is not the case.

Why is it so hard to get started?

I'll tell you about S., a friend of ours, who already knew the importance and benefits of meal planning, but the mere thought of having to organize an entire week discouraged her.

And it's not just S.'s problem: how many times have we given up on making a delicious but complex recipe because the time it would take in the kitchen seemed too long? Or how many times have we put off enrolling in the gym because we would have had to get a medical certificate, clothing, ... The examples are endless.

Are we lazy?

Maybe, but we're not here to judge you! In fact, we're here to give you a solution. As you know, we like to talk about well-being, not guilt ;)

The solution may be simpler than you think. Silvia, co-founder of Weekly Menu, suggested that S. start by planning just one day at a time. It doesn't matter if it's today, tomorrow, or a week from now. If planning 7 days seems like too much, why not start with a small step?

S. took on the challenge and found that planning one day was doable and rewarding. She felt the satisfaction of having accomplished something that had previously seemed like a difficult task and enjoyed having dedicated time to something that improved her well-being. She even shared it with us!

What we have described is nothing more than an incremental approach: start by setting yourself a smaller, more easily achievable goal than what you want to achieve in the long term. It is an effective method for overcoming the fear of the new and the tendency to procrastinate.

You can apply this technique to all the goals we mentioned:

• Want to get in shape? Start with a short workout (even 5 minutes is enough).
• Want to grow professionally? Read an industry article every week.
• Want to travel more? Use social media to discover a nice destination.
• Want to reduce stress? Take 1 minute a day to close your eyes and take some deep breaths.
• Want to learn a new language? Use technology to encourage yourself to practice for a couple of minutes a day.

From Alessandro: on Duolingo I'm almost at 300 consecutive days with Spanish now!

Remember, the first step is always the hardest, but once you take it, everything becomes easier. If you'd like, you can share with us your next goal and the small action you'll take to achieve it!