An October reflection on protecting your health, your time, and your peace of mind
Your health is not one more thing on your list. It is the list. Protect it like everything else depends on it — because it does.
I want to be real with you for a moment.
This past spring, I came down with what I thought was a cold. It turned out to be something more — a virus, a flu, something that took hold and didn’t let go. From about mid-May through July, I had a cough that simply would not quit. It slowed me down in ways I wasn’t expecting, and it reminded me of something I know but sometimes need to relearn: you cannot pour from an empty cup, and you cannot run on a body you haven’t taken care of.
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and that makes this the perfect time to talk about something bigger than mammograms — though we’ll absolutely start there. This month, I want to share eight ways to organize your life around your health, because when your health suffers, everything else does too.
These aren’t eight more things to add to your to-do list. They’re eight shifts in how you think about and protect what matters most.
Step 1: Schedule Your Exams — All of Them
It’s October. Have you scheduled your mammogram? I have mine every October, and if you follow me on social media, you’ll see me in the gown. I show up and I show out, because early detection saves lives.
But I’m not just talking about mammograms. I mean all of your annual exams. Life gets busy — I know, because you’ve told me, and I’ve lived it. But we need to stay on top of these things so that if something is there, it gets caught early. Put a recurring notice in your calendar, or use the patient portal reminders your doctor’s office likely already has set up. Let the system work for you.
Step 2: Stay Hydrated
I have water near me everywhere I go — in my work area, by the bed, all over the house. Hydration isn’t glamorous advice, but it works.
And it doesn’t have to be plain water. I love my tea — lemon and honey, ginger, turmeric. This past summer, on those East Coast days when the temperature hit over 100 degrees, I started making a simple lemonade and instead of ice, I’d drop in frozen fruit. A little refresher, a little flavor, and I was staying hydrated without even thinking about it. There are apps for tracking water intake now, and water bottles that tell you how much you’ve consumed. Use whatever works for you — just drink the water.
Step 3: Eat Right for Your Goals
What eating right looks like will be different for every one of us, and your doctor or healthcare provider is your best guide. But here’s what I’d add: don’t just tell your doctor what you’ve been eating. Tell them what you’re working toward. Share your goals.
For me, the goal was clear: both of my parents had high blood pressure and hypertension, and I was determined not to follow that path. That decision shapes the choices I make every day. Now, I’m not going to pretend I never eat a salty potato chip or that I turn down fried chicken at someone’s house. I don’t. But I’ve learned to satisfy the craving without going overboard. I buy the small bag of chips, not the big one. I use a smaller plate. A former podcast guest, Heike Yates, said it best: you don’t have to do without — just put smaller portions on a smaller plate. Simple. Sustainable.
Step 4: Move Your Body
Exercise doesn’t have to look the same for everyone. For some people it’s running, the gym, or Pilates. For others, it’s a walk around the block or a few squats at home. What matters is that you’re moving — because movement helps us not just physically, but mentally too.
My motivator is simple: I want to walk up a flight of steps without aches and pains. I want to keep enjoying my walks for years to come. When you connect your exercise habit to a long-term vision of your life — not just a number on a scale — it becomes much easier to stay consistent. Think about what you want your body to be able to do, and let that be your why.
Step 5: Take 15 Minutes to Pre-Plan
This is where we start to talk about time, because time and health are more connected than we often realize. Mental clutter is a health issue. Carrying tomorrow’s chaos into tonight’s rest is a health issue.
At the end of your workday — or before you go to bed — take just 15 minutes to do a brain dump. Write down what you want to focus on tomorrow. Lay out what you’re going to wear. Know where your keys are. This small act prevents that frantic morning energy and gives you a slower, more intentional start to the day.
Pre-planning saves you an hour of chaos the next day.
Step 6: Plan Your Week
We plan vacations down to the last detail — what we’ll wear, what we’ll do, what we’ll spend. Why don’t we bring that same intention to our regular weeks?
At the start of each week, take a few minutes to look at what’s ahead. What are your deadlines? What do the kids need? What appointments are on the calendar? When you can see the week as a whole, you can manage your energy, not just your time. And energy, as I’ve come to understand, is health. When I was a full-time caregiver, I had to make peace with putting the business on pause. That was the right decision for that season. Knowing your priorities means being able to say no when it matters — and yes when you have the space for it.
Step 7: Get a Mentor
We are managing and balancing so much — careers, families, businesses, caregiving, health, transitions. Sometimes we need someone who has walked a similar path to help us see our own more clearly.
I love my meetings with my mentors. We laugh, we share, and more often than not, they’re helping me see gifts and possibilities in myself that I might be too cautious to claim. My mentors have encouraged me professionally and personally — one of them even told me to start putting lemon in my water years ago, and it helped. Another told me to eat spinach when I had a persistent cough. These women have poured into me in ways that go well beyond business advice. Find your people. Let them pour into you.
Step 8: Make Time for Fun
This one is non-negotiable, and it’s the one we most often sacrifice first. We have to plan for fun, because our lives are full and it won’t just happen on its own.
Every month or so, I connect with a friend and we go to the library — we look at exhibits, we go for lunch, and that’s it. No cameras, no checking emails, no multitasking. Just being present and enjoying life. Recently I spent a day helping my best friend shop for a family event she was hosting. We weren’t doing anything elaborate. We were just together, laughing and eating and making the most of a few hours. That is medicine too.
Fun doesn’t have to be a retreat or a grand event. Sometimes it’s just two people, a few hours, and a good meal.
So here’s your list — the real list:
Schedule your exams. Stay hydrated. Eat right for your goals. Move your body. Pre-plan your days. Plan your weeks. Get a mentor. Make time for fun.
You don’t have to tackle all eight at once. Pick one. Start there. And then let me know in the comments — which one are you going to focus on this month, or which one has already transformed the way you live?
Your health is the list. Everything else follows.Ready to reset — your space, your schedule, and your life? Let’s start with a Life Reset Session.
Book Your Life Reset Session → janetmtaylor.trafft.com
Janet M. Taylor is a professional life organizer, life strategist, and speaker. She is the founder of Totally Organized, LLC and host of the podcast Got Clutter? Get Organized! She helps women navigate life transitions with clarity, intention, and a lot less clutter.
