Is the monotony of your daily routine wearing you down? Try these very simple ideas for a couple of weeks and see what happens...

1. Set your favourite radio station as your alarm.  I would personally recommend Radio 1 for an enthusiastic and motivational start to your day, or Classic FM for a more leisurely awakening.  To be honest, anything is better than incessant beeping.
2. Introduce something to your breakfast routine.  Instead of staring blankly out of the window with your bowl of cornflakes, why not read the newspaper, the chapter of a book, or write a ‘to do’ list for the day?  You may find that this takes your mind off anything you’re not really looking forward to doing in the day ahead.
3. Try to make sure you always have something to look forward to and pin it somewhere obvious, like your mirror.  Even if it’s simply watching a film or going out for a drink with a friend, it might help you stay motivated through the more mundane tasks.
4. Listen to music or the radio when you’re doing things you find boring, such as washing-up or cleaning.  I find that this takes my mind off things and makes it a lot more enjoyable!
5. Think of something you could do on a regular basis to treat yourself.  It could be as simple as buying a coffee on the way home from work every Tuesday, having a takeaway every Friday night, or having a relaxing bubble bath each weekend. Or, if you do these things anyway, choose something different, like making a monthly trip to the cinema/theatre.  Maybe if there’s a day in the week you find particularly stressful, treat yourself at the end of it.
6. Try to be more aware of ‘simple pleasures’.  It might sound silly, but once you start appreciating little things like the smell of cut grass, the comfort of a cup of tea, or the colour of the sky, your mind-set could become more positive.
7. Do small but caring things for other people, such as making them a cup of tea, or even just sending them a nice text out of the blue.  Not only will this make a difference to their day, it will probably make you feel good too.
8. Be observant of what’s going on around you.  Say you’re on your way to work, or doing the shopping, try to notice the people who pass and the conversations they are having.  Something someone says might make you smile, or you might pick up on things you would usually ignore.
9. Give yourself an achievable goal for each week and pin it up somewhere visible. This might seem unrealistic, but having even the smallest of goals might stop weeks rushing by, unnoticed and unaccounted for.  It could also help give you a small sense of achievement, even when other parts of your life are difficult.
10. If possible, make the place where you spend a lot of your time (the office/ car/ kitchen/ desk/ workshop) reflect you in some way.  Just personalising it with a colourful coaster or an ornament might make you feel more in control of your work-space and remind you to stay productive.