1. Have bad thoughts. “I believe in the power of negative thinking. I am not one of those self-help gurus who wants you to be happy and joyful by imagining this thin, tidy, rich version of you that you’re aspiring toward. No. Look at yourself in the mirror right now and look at all of the things that are wrong, get angry about them and then do something about them. I find that much more motivating than aspirational thinking.”

2. Set mini-goals. “If you want to make a big change, break it down into small, manageable chunks. This works whether you’re renovating your house or trying to clean your dorm room. Set mini-goals that you’re more likely to get accomplished on any given day. You’ll feel better about yourself, and you’re making progress toward the whole, and then one day you’ll turn around and be like, ‘Oh my entire house has been remodelled.’”

3. Set a “fuck budget” and stick to it. “You have to be very careful about your time, energy and money and whom or what you spend it on. That’s what I call setting a ‘fuck budget.’ You only have so many fucks to give, and I think it’s actually very good to be selfish. I think you need to look out for number one in order to make sure that you are calm and happy, not overwhelmed and overburdened, and you’re not overdrawn on your bank account.”

 

This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of ELLE Canada.