What would you do with an extra 24 hours?
You’ve got the opportunity this year.
Every four years you get that extra day in February, tacked on before we turn the page to March.
How might you spend it? What could you do to give yourself a little leap as we leap towards spring?
We’ve got some suggestions to give you that LEAP ahead in your career, health, home, and happiness.
Take a look at and tackle any (or all!) of these 29 things you could do on this day, the 29th of February:
- Update your LinkedIn profile with a headshot and dynamic eye-catching headline…
- Make your LinkedIn profile come to life with an “About” section that tells the story of not just what you do, but the value you bring…
- Organize your taxes if you haven’t done so already…
- Schedule a coffee or lunch date with the friend you haven’t yet seen this year…
- Thank a colleague for work they did that went unrecognized…
- Research spring/summer vacation destinations and admire the pretty pictures…
- Write a handwritten letter to an old friend or mentor, expressing gratitude for what they meant to you…
- Write a list of all your positive attributes. Share your list with a friend who does the same. Add to and complete each other’s lists…
- Forgive someone who has not yet apologized to you…
- Take some vitamin D, B-complex or Calcium chews. While you’re at it, say something nice about your body…
- Reorganize titles on your bookshelf or in your Kindle, identifying which book you’ll read next…
- Make a list of what you want MORE of in your life. Plan to add one thing to your life each week in March…
- Tell someone you love them…
- Clean out your fridge, chopping veggies to eat and discarding that jar of jelly that has been in there since 2016…
- Outline goals for March and prioritize your top 3…
- Pick one drawer to organize. (Do this each day in March and by spring you’ll already be done with your cleaning)…
- Start a gratitude list. Add to it daily…
- Go for a walk…
- Sit in silence for 10 minutes. Ignore the monkeys in your brain and breathe through their dancing antics. When the time is up, congratulate yourself for practicing the practice of meditation…
- Make a list of Things to No Longer Give a Sh*t About…
- Play for 10 minutes, uninterrupted, with your dog, your cat, your canary, your nephew or entirely by yourself with an ’80s soundtrack in the background…
- Make a list of random things you love (mine includes white cars, tiger-striped tabby cats, dirty martinis and blue hydrangea)…
- Plank for as long as you can hold it. Vow to add 5 seconds each day in March…
- Look through a scrapbook or old photo album with rose-colored glasses and acknowledge you need to appreciate the moments more as they happen…
- Delete 100 emails or 100 photos on your phone…
- Get rid of unused apps and cancel subscriptions you don’t need…
- Read a Commander-in-She humor article…
- Ask yourself what’s holding you back from living a life you truly love…
- Or just get back in bed with a cup of coffee. After all, tomorrow is another day, even if it is the first of March
If you want to make the leap into spring, use your extra Leap Year day and make the most of the 24 hours!
The Storytelling Strategist provides communications and leadership training for individuals and teams. Founder Valerie Gordon is a 10-time Emmy-winning television producer who shares the power of strategic storytelling with high-achievers looking to build successful next chapters.