What are your two nonnegotiables today?

If you follow me on IG or TikTok chances are you’ve heard me talk about 2NN or seen me post about it. You might’ve even seen “2NN” on my stories and thought what the hell is she talking about?

2NN is a practice I started doing off and on around 3 years ago, but have really focused on this year.

The backstory: I once did Lyndsey Chambers’ Three for Me Challenge. The idea of the challenge is that you’re going to do 3 things for yourself each day that bring you joy. The rules are that these 3 things can be things you do ONLY for yourself, not someone else & that they have to bring you joy WHILE you’re doing them.

Attending your kid’s soccer game, doesn’t count. If you love the feeling of having a clean kitchen, but you hate the process of cleaning the kitchen, doesn’t count.

I found the challenge its self to be really rewarding and acknowledging that I got to do 3 things for myself each day helped me feel fulfilled & like I was still my own human outside of being a mom. But when the challenge ended and I was implementing this practice on my own, I found that it was hard for me to do 3 things every day. I was left feeling really frustrated on the days that I didn’t accomplish 3 things. Which defeated the whole purpose of the practice.

BUT what I had noticed was that doing TWO things every day was almost always do-able. So I changed my goal to doing two things for myself every day, switched up the “rules” a little bit, & named it my 2NN (two nonnegotiables).

The rule that I tweaked slightly is that I allow spending time with my husband to count. Is watching TV with my husband ONLY for me? No, not really….but it definitely brings me joy to spend time with him. Is turning my phone off and actively playing with my kids ONLY for me? Again, not really, but it absolutely brings me joy. So I allow for those things to “count”.

Let this be your encouragement to starting doing things for yourself every day. If two things seems impossible right now, start with just one and work your way up.

Important note: part of making this practice successful is giving acknowledgement every day to what things you choose to do for yourself. That acknowledgement is incredible for your mindset as a Momma who’s currently feeling like she NEVER gets to do something unless it’s for her kids, husband, or job. How do you do that? Write it down. Tell someone. Share it on your social media.
I like to plan my 2NN the night before or very first thing morning of. I’ll put them on my todo list for the day, on my calendar, or I’ll share it on my IG stories. Then when I’ve done the thing, I’ll cross it off my list or post a picture to my stories, sometimes both.

Don’t overcomplicate this! The first step is sitting down and writing out a list of 10 small things that bring you joy. Store that in the notes app on your phone so you can add to it when you think of something. Here’s some ideas from my personal list to get you started:
-take a walk outside
-take a hot bath
-listen to an audio book
-call my friend on the phone
-watch TV with my husband
-watch TV alone
-enjoy a cup of tea on the front porch
-take a drive & turn the music up
-drop some good smelling essential oils in the floor of my hot shower

What will your 2NN be today or tomorrow? Share it with me in the comments!

Are you a Mom who feels like she could be healthier if you just had more time? Click here to download my “I don’t have time” toolkit where I give you 10 simple steps to create more time & space in your week.