It’s almost Halloween which means it’s time for my favorite tradition.

Eat candy corn until I feel sick. Vow never to do it again. Repeat next year.

Who can resist high fructose corn syrup that tastes like wax!?!

If you, too, have regretted your sugar hangover and are looking for alternatives, or it’s just Q4 insanity and you need a break that doesn’t break the bank or the schedule…

Here are 10 ways to give yourself a little treat this week — no sugar, money, or days off required!

1. Remove one thing from your to-do list.

Not everything needs to get done.

Speaking from experience, there’s likely several things can be delegated, are no longer a priority, or just won’t get done so might as well accept it now and…ENJOY THE FREEDOM!!

2. Cancel a meeting.

Or excuse yourself from it.

(Are you the bottleneck?? Asking for a friend.)

Use that extra time to do a meeting audit or explore ways to have fewer meetings in the future!

3. Read fiction.

I’ve spoken to many founders and execs who LOVE reading fiction. (Me too!)

Business books are great but sometimes your brain needs a break.

Fiction books I can vouch for:

• City Spies by James Ponti - read with my kids, family friendly

• The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles - rated book of the year by, like, everyone

• Crescent City Series by Sarah J. Maas - romantasy all the way!

• Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman - mysteries with hilarious characters

• Once A Runner by John L. Parker Jr. - a running nerd must read

If you genuinely love Dante’s Inferno, awesome. But don’t force yourself to read books that you “should.” It’s a treat, people!

4. Make a “Pump Up” folder.

Step One: Create “Pump Up” label in Gmail
Step Two: Go back and tag all the positive messages you’ve received
Step Three: Keep adding the tag as you get great feedback
Step Four: Reread these emails on a hard day!

Happy customers, thank yous from employees, a webinar attendee explaining why they loved your advice…you’ll have more than you think!

5. Take a 15 minute nap.

A small afternoon nap is a big productivity boost AND feels so luxurious.

It is hard to step away, but unwrapping 20 Tootsie Rolls takes about 15 minutes also! 😂

6. Ask ChatGPT to remind you of your wins!

It’s hard to see progress when you’re in the weeds. Plus, every high-achieving person has imposter syndrome.

Upload your company weekly update (or your Pump Up emails!), add wins as they happen, or make a list of your accomplishments.

Then have your own AI superfan repeat it back!

• “Can you summarize my experience in the most awesome way possible?”

• “How much progress have we made since last month? Last year?”

• “What is something amazing about me that I may not even realize?”

When you hear it from someone else, even a robot, it hits different.

7. Change up the meeting location.

Turn a Zoom into a call so you can walk outside while talking.

Do your meeting at the nail salon, golf course, park, new coffee spot, friend’s office, your back porch, whatever seems like a treat!

8. Switch Witch, grown up version.

Our kids leave out their candy and magically the Switch Witch has exchanged it for toys in the morning!

Why not swap sugar for that amazing thing-you’ve-had-your-eye-on-but-couldn’t-quite-justify? Treat yourself!

(Note: you’ll need to be your own SwitchWitch. I’m not coming to your house with gifts wrapped in spider webs, okay?)

9. Do a “No Meeting” day.

Block the calendar, move your meetings. If it’s not this week, plan ahead and DEFEND THAT DAY.

Give yourself the unbridled joy of having a full day of deep work, inbox backlog, strategic projects, or whatever else needs uninterrupted flow time.

P.S. I love this as a company-wide practice. 1 day/wk of no internal meetings. Huge productivity boost for everyone.

10. Get lunch at your fave restaurant.

Order in or use the time to catch up with someone you like but haven’t seen in a while!

Bonus: if your guest is a work contact, the lunch is a business expense. 😉

What’s your favorite non-sugar treat? What’s your favorite sugar-filled treat?? What other ways do you treat yourself? Other low-cost, founder-friendly ideas??