How do you make a difference in the world? How is the world a better place today because you are in it?

This week, make the time and the effort to make a positive change. It might be as simple as being friendly to a grumpy sales clerk, or paying for the car behind you at a toll gate. It might be volunteering, or picking up some litter, or letting someone in line move in front of you.

You’ll be surprised at how good that small expenditure of time and energy will make you feel.

Did you have fun last week? Do you have plans for having fun this week?

Fun doesn’t always just come along, although it can. Often, you have to help it out a bit. So this week, schedule in some time for fun — and plan for it. What’s just plain fun to do? Make it happen!

One of the other little pleasures of life that gets scheduled out of our busy days is daydreaming.

When is the last time you just stared off into space and imagined stuff? Dreamed about things? Took a little mental voyage someplace else?

Without dreams, how do we know what we want to do or where we want to go? This week, pencil some daydreaming time into your planner. Aim for a minimum of ten minutes a day.

So often, time management systems focus on getting as much done as possible as quickly as possible. But that doesn’t lead to happiness, or success, or even accomplishing anything of importance. And often what happens is that in our efforts to get as much done as possible, we don’t leave time to do the things that make our lives worthwhile.

When is the last time you stopped to watch a sunset? Noticed a bird in a tree? Appreciated the aroma wafting from a bakery? Savored a piece of creamy dark chocolate?

As you plan out your week this week, schedule in some time each day to stop and enjoy life. Make it at least as important as completing that report, sending that email, making that phone call. After all, what are you working for? What are you living for?