How to Make Every Day a Good Day: Find Your Bare Minimum
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A simple daily habit to boost your confidence, make time for yourself, and feel good about your day.
Do you know what it takes for you to say, “Today was a good day” before you get to sleep?
A few years ago, my longest-standing friend gave me The Big Five for Life by John Strelecky. The main concept of this book has stayed with me ever since and inspired me to rethink how I approach my days.
It’s also what inspired my morning today – and ultimately, this blog post.
Because here’s the thing: You don’t have to accomplish a hundred things to have a good day. You just need to make room for at least ONE thing that matters to YOU.
What if, instead of constantly chasing bigger goals and ticking things off your to-do list, you started collecting good days? One little moment at a time. One thing that makes you feel good. One small reminder that life isn’t just about everything you want to achieve, but also about enjoying the time you have right now.
And especially if you’re a creative woman trying to make a living from your art, I bet you don’t need another thing on your to-do list. I know you already have enough of those!
What you might need instead is a reminder that your own happiness deserves a place on that list, too. Creativity doesn’t always have to be productive. Doing something just because you enjoy it is reason enough, and you don’t have to earn your downtime.
That’s where your bare minimum comes in.
Your Bare Minimum: Define What Makes a Good Day
Let’s start with a simple question: What’s the bare minimum you want to achieve or experience to call it a good day?
And if you’re wondering: Your bare minimum shouldn’t have to do anything with daily chores or work. In fact, I’d recommend NOT choosing to deal with the laundry or tackling that pile of paperwork. No dreadful tasks allowed.
Rather, choose something you always WANT to do but keep telling yourself you “don’t have the time for”. Well, it’s time to make time for it! Your bare minimum is not about doing the least. It’s about identifying what matters most to you.
Depending on your circumstances, your bare minimum could be one of those:
- Journaling for a few minutes.
- 3–5 minutes of meditation.
- Dancing to one favourite song (because sometimes that’s all you need!).
- Doing some yoga.
- Enjoying a coffee from your favourite mug while doing nothing but looking out of the window and daydreaming.
- Starting or continuing that creative project you’re so excited about.
- Going for a walk.
- Reading 5–10 pages of a book you’ve been meaning to finish.
- Listening to your favourite podcast without multitasking.
- Making yourself a proper breakfast instead of grabbing something on the go.
- Putting on an outfit that makes you feel good, even if you’re staying home.
See? It doesn’t have to be anything spectacular, productive, or Instagram-worthy.
It could be something as simple as enjoying your morning coffee in peace. Or finally picking up that paintbrush you’ve been meaning to use for months.
Your bare minimum isn’t another productivity goal. It’s a promise to yourself.
Keep It Simple. Keep It Yours.
Now, before you get too excited and start creating a list of 15 things you want to squeeze into your day, let’s establish a few ground rules.
Because there’s a little trap here: We start with something that’s supposed to make us feel good, and before we know it, we’ve turned it into yet another thing we HAVE to do. Let’s avoid that.
A few things to keep in mind:
1. No dreadful tasks.
I know I’ve mentioned this already, but it deserves repeating. Your bare minimum isn’t about getting through your to-do list. It’s about doing something for yourself. Save the laundry for another time.
2. No phone calls, messages or other social interactions.
This is just about YOU! No checking in with others, no answering messages, no feeling obliged to be available. Give yourself a little time to focus on YOU.
3. Don’t overload yourself.
It’s absolutely okay to choose just ONE tiny thing. The one thing that would still allow you to count the day as a success if you achieved it.
You’re free to add to it and build your own little bare-minimum stack whenever you have the time and energy. For starters, it’s totally fine to just have that ONE thing that makes you feel like you showed up for yourself.
4. No perfectionism.
If you planned to journal for 15 minutes but only managed three, it still counts. You don’t have to do it perfectly. You just have to show up.
5. No comparison with others.
Your bare minimum doesn’t need to look impressive to anyone else. It doesn’t matter if someone else’s daily routine includes an hour of yoga, a green smoothie and a 10-kilometre run before 7 AM. This is YOUR thing. Remember, the only person you should compare yourself to is yesterday’s version of yourself.
6. No guilt.
Some days, things simply don’t work out. Maybe you’re exhausted, under the weather or dealing with something unexpected. If you genuinely cannot do your bare minimum one day, you haven’t failed. Just pick it up again tomorrow.
7. Don’t think your one thing is too silly or that it’s too late to start.
It’s never too silly. It’s never too late. Please don’t believe every thought your brain tells you. You can always start. I’m in my early forties now, and I’ve only started focusing on my bare minimum (journaling & Yoga) a few years ago. It makes such a difference, that’s why I’m here, sharing this idea with you.
The Magic of the Morning
Here’s another little trick:
You know how something unexpected during the day can throw you completely off track, right?
I’m talking about technical issues that take much longer to solve than expected, a client suddenly needing something urgently, a project taking at least three times longer than anticipated, an unexpected phone call that turns into an hour-long conversation or household chores that somehow multiply overnight.
And sometimes, it’s not even something specific. You simply wake up already feeling overwhelmed or not quite like yourself.
Life happens. And as much as we’d love to have full control over our days, we don’t.
So, to increase your chances of still being able to call it a good day, I’d suggest doing your bare minimum first thing in the morning – the earlier, the better.
That way, no matter how ridiculously awkward, chaotic or unexpected the rest of your day turns out to be, you’ve already done the one thing that matters most to you.
Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to become a morning person or squeeze another elaborate routine into your already busy mornings. Find a moment that works for you. The idea is simply to try to do your bare minimum before the demands of the day take over.
Here’s another little bonus:
Once you’ve ticked off your bare minimum (yes, feel free to actually check it off somewhere – there’s something incredibly satisfying about that little tick!), you’ve already created a small win for yourself. Now try and keep that momentum going.
Starting your day by doing something that matters to YOU can give you a lovely boost of confidence and motivation – and might even make you more productive throughout the rest of the day.
So, what's YOUR bare minimum?
You don’t need to change your entire life overnight. You don’t need to have everything figured out, either. Who does, actually, haha.
You just need to start making yourself a priority in small ways because the present is where you actually live your life. Your future goals and dreams matter, of course, but don’t postpone enjoying your life until you’ve achieved them.
Remember: You don’t have to accomplish a hundred things to have a good day. You just need to make room for at least ONE thing that matters to YOU.
So, what’s the one thing that would make you feel like you had a good day, simply because you made time for it before putting your head on the pillow tonight? Feel free to add a comment below. I’d love to hear about it!
Here’s to making every day count. 
