How I ‘reset’ my life in 24 hours (as someone who never cooks or exercises)

Snapping back into a proper routine after a holiday has never come easily to me. So when I recently returned home to a chilly Sydney winter, I was naturally feeling a bit flat.

To get back on track, I turned to none other than author and podcast host Mel Robbins. Specifically, her 24-hour reset challenge.

I’ve always had a soft spot for her (mainly because she reminds me of my mum back in Perth), so I figured I’d give it a crack.

The idea is simple: complete five small tasks over one day to help clear your mind and make life feel a little less chaotic. Here’s how I went.

Do a brain dump

I regularly jot my to-do list into my notes app. The problem is I often end up staring at an even longer list and feeling even worse.

Mel’s version comes with one important rule: once you’ve written everything down, you can only choose one thing to tackle.

I settled on finally getting my BIAB manicure removed, which I’d been meaning to do for a while. Partly to save money, partly because after almost 10 years of salon appointments, I wanted to give my natural nails a break.

I can now proudly say I am in the process of slowly nursing my nails back to health. Tick.

Clear one small space

I’m generally a bit of a neat freak, though I did find myself walking past the full washing basket, secretly hoping my boyfriend would get to it before me – alas, it never happened.

Taking matters into my own hands, I put everything away, and it didn’t take nearly as long as I thought.

Move your body

I know you’re not supposed to say this, but I genuinely HATE exercise. So, I was relieved when Mel said it only had to be “intentional” movement.

I challenged myself to wake up at 7am and go for an hour-long walk. And I’ll be honest – I felt amazing after.

So good, in fact, that I’ve gone for a walk before work every day since. It turns out fresh air, sunshine, and getting your heart rate up really can make a difference. Who knew!

Make tomorrow easier

For this step, I decided to meal-prep lunches for the week using a new RecipeTin Eats recipe. And, as someone who detests cooking, I was pleasantly surprised by how simple this pesto pasta salad was.

Better still, I actually looked forward to eating it each day instead of having to decide what to get for lunch.

Claim one win

Before bed, Mel suggests writing down one thing you accomplished that day. Apparently, this rewires the brain for success and builds self-trust.  

I admittedly almost skipped this step because it felt a bit cringe, but ultimately, I wrote down my morning walk (I seriously felt so good after!).

The verdict

OK, if you’ve made it this far, here’s my verdict. After road-testing the Mel Robbins 24-hour reset challenge ... I genuinely felt great.

When I mentioned this challenge to a colleague, he dryly asked, “So you just had a normal weekend then?”

Did I wake up feeling like a brand-new person, or “reset”? No. However, I felt far less overwhelmed than I had the day before.

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I’m not sure how long I’ll stick to all these habits, though the daily walks are definitely here to stay (for now).

And if someone who can happily sleep in until 11am on a day off can get something out of this, there’s a good chance you can too.