You know those things that you really want to do, but just can’t seem to find the time? Things like starting to eat healthier, getting into a regular exercise routine, losing weight, spending more time with your husband, setting up your office, de-cluttering a room, or starting a creative project.

Or anything you really want to do that just doesn’t fit into your day-to-day routine.

Yeah, me too. Those things cause a lot of frustration in my life. I really want to do them, but just can’t seem to find the time. So I’ve been trying out a new strategy recently, and wanted to share it with you.

Here’s the idea – every day you make time to do one thing that you really want to do, something that will improve your life, health or marriage. It needs to be something that will make a difference and make things better for you in some way. It doesn’t have to be a big thing, but it needs to be an important thing – something you really want to do.

Once you decide, you write it down – on your planner, calendar or phone – a place where you’ll see it during the day and remember to prioritize it and do it. Writing it down is critical to making it happen!

I call this the Do One Thing – DOT – Method, and the thing you decide to do is your DOT for the day.

Normally, your DOT shouldn’t be something on your regular to-do list. It’s not the routine stuff like “take snacks to soccer” or “pick up clothes at the cleaners.” Instead, it’s one thing that will make a difference for you – something that will help you get healthier, feel saner, strengthen your marriage, or move forward on a goal or dream.

And it should be something that fits the day. For example, on a hectic Tuesday when you have to work all day and the kids have soccer, dance and homework after school, it should be something that takes 15-30 minutes, not two hours. But on a weekend day, holiday, or day off work, it might be something that takes an hour, or even two. Each DOT needs to fit your life, but also expand your life a little bit.

And the beauty of it is, over time you connect the DOTs (see what I did there – lol!) and end up accomplishing something that you really wanted to do, but didn’t think you had the time or energy to do.

Your DOTs can be anything you really want to do – anything that’s important to you and will make a difference in your life.

Just to give you an idea, my DOTs this week included “Do strength exercises for 30 minutes,” “Get at least 7.5 hours sleep,” and “Work for 1 hour on (a specific writing project).”Amazingly, every time I’ve decided on and written down a DOT at the beginning of the day, I’ve been able to get it done.

I know that won’t always be the case, but I also know that not setting one of  those things as a priority for the day almost guarantees that I won’t accomplish it.

We’re starting a new school year and a new season – which means it’s the perfect time to make a positive change in your life.

So my encouragement to you for this week is to decide on a DOT every morning and prioritize accomplishing it that day. Make each one something that’s important to you, something that will make a difference in your life. And see what happens.

After you give it a try, I’d love to hear how it worked for you.

You can accomplish those things by connecting the DOTS. It may be slow, it may take time, but you can make progress and actually get those things done, by doing one thing, every day,  that helps you get those things done.