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I've never been a big fan of counting calories. In fact, in the past year, I have lost about 30 pounds without counting a single dietary digit. Sure, I know recording everything you put in your mouth can help peel off pounds, but I also know that obsessing over calories makes you more likely to eat lowfat, low-fiber foods that wouldn't satiate a starling.

Instead of crunching numbers, I munched on healthy food to become a weight loss success. If a food lover like me can do it, you can, too! Try these tips:

• Pick up produce. Have at least one fruit and veggie at every meal. On busy days when I know my lunch won't have a smidge of green in it, I have two fruits at breakfast; I toss berries or peaches into my nonfat Greek yogurt and sprinkle it with granola. I love asparagus, green pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, sprouts, endive and more. Fruits and veggies are high in fiber, which staves off hunger. Shoot for nine servings daily. It sounds like a lot, but if you don't have to be a rabbit to reach that goal. Eat a salad at lunch or dinner, and you're there.

• Snack smart. Add protein (such as a stick of lowfat string cheese or Parmesan) to your between-meal bites. Research suggests protein may enhance the effect of leptin, a hormone that reins in appetite. I love hummus and dip veggies into it instead of pita bread or crackers. Protein is also filling and can help curb cravings for chips, cookies and the like.

• Sip more water. Dieters who swapped sugary drinks for water lose weight, but those who gulped the most H20 peeled off the most pounds, according to a study at the meeting of Obesity Society in Boston. Don’t love agua? Try the flavored kind but check the label for sugar content (it should be below 8 grams per serving).

• Map out your meals. A little attention to portions can help you eat less and still stay satisfied. Start by using a salad dish (8 inches in diameter) and divide it into quarters to help keep helpings healthy. Half the plate should get veggies, top another quarter with lean protein (3 to 6 ounces of fish, chicken or tofu) and the last quarter with whole grains (1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice, sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta).

• Eat every meal. When you wait longer than five hours between bites, your body may release extra cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite. I call it "hangry." I get hungry and angry: My stomach starts to burn and my brain gets annoyed at every little thing. Then I eat whatever is in front of me, usually a cookie or other sweet, empty-calorie treat. I realize I'm putting out the "hangry" fires, but it is better not to get there in the first place!

For additional tips on eating healthy without hating it (and shedding pounds in the process), check out SELF's Eat Like Me blog, by Cristin Dillon, R.D.

Between memos flooding your Treo to bills delivered to your door, it's next to impossible to keep up with it all. To ensure I make all my monthly payments on time, I stash all my bills in an orange pouch loaded with stamps that I carry in my handbag. Twice a month I go through it and pay all the bills inside. As for electronic mail, I try to deal with the message immediately after I open it: I reply (when it's warranted), then I delete or file. That way, my inbox doesn't runneth over.

My practice of immediately responding works for thank-you notes, too. The moment I get a gift—even as I am opening it!—I start channeling my enthusiasm into a heartfelt greeting. It helps ensure it gets done, and I find I'm better able to share my true sentiments when I've just unwrapped a present.

When it comes to sending birthday cards, I've just adopted a tip from SELF reader Stephanie DuVall of Waterloo, Illinois, who says, "Whenever I have a slot of time to write birthday/anniversary/special-occasion cards, I do a bunch. I address and seal them, but in the stamp space, I write the date of the event. No more belated cards for me!" Genius!

How do you save time doing everyday tasks? Share your brilliant tips and get inspired by other readers' ideas by checking out Self.com's Make Time for You One-Month Makeover.

I've never been a big fan of counting calories. In fact, in the past year, I have lost about 30 pounds without counting a single dietary digit. Sure, I know recording everything you put in your mouth can help peel off pounds, but I also know that obsessing over calories makes you more likely to eat lowfat, low-fiber foods that wouldn't satiate a starling.

Instead of crunching numbers, I munched on healthy food to become a weight loss success. If a food lover like me can do it, you can, too! Try these tips:

• Pick up produce. Have at least one fruit and veggie at every meal. On busy days when I know my lunch won't have a smidge of green in it, I have two fruits at breakfast; I toss berries or peaches into my nonfat Greek yogurt and sprinkle it with granola. I love asparagus, green pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, sprouts, endive and more. Fruits and veggies are high in fiber, which staves off hunger. Shoot for nine servings daily. It sounds like a lot, but if you don't have to be a rabbit to reach that goal. Eat a salad at lunch or dinner, and you're there.

• Snack smart. Add protein (such as a stick of lowfat string cheese or Parmesan) to your between-meal bites. Research suggests protein may enhance the effect of leptin, a hormone that reins in appetite. I love hummus and dip veggies into it instead of pita bread or crackers. Protein is also filling and can help curb cravings for chips, cookies and the like.

• Sip more water. Dieters who swapped sugary drinks for water lose weight, but those who gulped the most H20 peeled off the most pounds, according to a study at the meeting of Obesity Society in Boston. Don’t love agua? Try the flavored kind but check the label for sugar content (it should be below 8 grams per serving).

• Map out your meals. A little attention to portions can help you eat less and still stay satisfied. Start by using a salad dish (8 inches in diameter) and divide it into quarters to help keep helpings healthy. Half the plate should get veggies, top another quarter with lean protein (3 to 6 ounces of fish, chicken or tofu) and the last quarter with whole grains (1/2 to 1 cup of brown rice, sweet potatoes or whole wheat pasta).

• Eat every meal. When you wait longer than five hours between bites, your body may release extra cortisol, a hormone that can increase appetite. I call it "hangry." I get hungry and angry: My stomach starts to burn and my brain gets annoyed at every little thing. Then I eat whatever is in front of me, usually a cookie or other sweet, empty-calorie treat. I realize I'm putting out the "hangry" fires, but it is better not to get there in the first place!

For additional tips on eating healthy without hating it (and shedding pounds in the process), check out SELF's Eat Like Me blog, by Cristin Dillon, R.D.

Today I'm sharing favorite ways to stoke my passion, creativity and determination -- my no-fail strategies for getting and staying inspired, no matter what my aim or what’s going on in my day.

One of my favorites: I’ve created a photo collage on my bulletin board at home of beautiful, triumphant, inspiring images of women meeting all kinds of physical challenges and looking gorgeous, strong and confident. I especially love old black-and-white fashion photographs, as well as Olympians and luscious beauty shots.

The mix is key. Right now, my all-time favorite picture comes from Triathlete Magazine -- it’s of a woman biking in the Kona Ironman in Hawaii, looking glowing, focused, in control and serenely beautiful, which is exactly what I aspire to be when I am at my physical best.

Try these two other tips for inspiring yourself to greater feats, whether of physical endurance or creativity:

1. Make a wonder list. Jot down 10 experiences that have made an impact on you, whether it’s taking a hot air balloon ride or a trip to a beautiful place, or listening to a favorite writer do a reading. “Focusing on something you find inspiring rather than pressuring yourself to [perform] helps your brain shift gears for those aha moments,” says Michael J. Gelb, author of Discover Your Genius (Harper Collins).

2. Get uncomfortable. When life becomes too routine, you may find that your thinking becomes routine, too. Break out of your rut by doing at least one thing differently each day -- advice that works when you’re exercising, too! Instead of having coffee at your desk, for instance, go to a coffee shop with a colleague or sit outside and exchange ideas. The more variety you seek out, the more inspired you’ll be.

Need more fodder for positivity and passion? Meet SELF’s 10 most inspiring women of 2008.

I’m a big believer in goals, but I’ve found that we often mess ourselves up by thinking that if only we had enough willpower, we could finally lose those last 5 pounds, or finally stick to an exercise routine, or finally do whatever it is we’ve been beating ourselves up for not doing.

The problem with willpower is that it’s all about deprivation. And when you deprive yourself, there’s bound to be a backlash like sabotaging your diet (hello, Ben and Jerry!), which ends up making us feel bad about ourselves and leads to yet more self destructive behavior and—you get the picture.

That’s why I focus on moving toward something positive. You should too by following these guidelines to feel more inspired and less overwhelmed, and accomplish what you set out to do.

• Set short-, medium- and long-term goals, then match your goal to your time frame. We’d all like to be 10 pounds thinner by tomorrow, but it makes more sense to set a doable challenge within a realistic time frame so you can actually be successful!
  
• Repeat this mantra, “all in good time,” if you’re feeling down on yourself for not getting to whatever it is you’ve vowed you’ll get to.
  
• Break your goal down into smaller steps, and before you know it, you’ll be back on track, not to mention feeling good about yourself again.
  
• Make sure your goals are viable by running them by a friend for a reality check. Consider this study: People who have realistic expectations (“I’d like to buy my first home within the next five years”) versus pie-in-the-sky dreams (“I’d like to get rich and retire by age 30”) tend to feel more content, according to research from the University of California in Los Angeles.

Whenever I need a little motivation, I make a conscious effort to channel someone who inspires me and whom I admire, whether it’s trying to mimic Michael Phelps’s amazing flip turns in the pool or emulating a gal pal of mine who seems to have gotten the whole career-kids-health–love-life balancing thing down.

One such amazing do-it-all, seize-the-day kind of woman is Jennifer Lopez. Besides Lopez and the amazing women we profile in our fifth annual list of Most Inspiring Women, I like to channel women I know from my everyday life.

I’m thinking, especially, of a cousin of mine, who is so generous of heart that she lifts me by her kindness every day. In fact, whenever I find myself getting irritated with someone, I often think of her wise words: “When someone says something that annoys you, take a breath and imagine that it is your best friend saying it to you. Would you be as irritated? Probably not.”

She has a good point. Sometimes, certain difficult people bug us not necessarily because of what they’ve said but because of who they are—we expect them to be annoying, no matter what they’re actually saying. By shifting my perspective, I’ve discovered that I can do a better job of taking someone’s words for what they usually are: well-meaning. Instead of getting irritated, I can then smile pleasantly and move on. (Thanks, cuz!)

You can use this technique for any area of your life. Want to increase your visibility at work? Think about what your most successful and respected colleague would do in different situations. As for me, I’m still trying to pull off a flip turn!

One thing I’m inspired by is women who give of themselves, whether it’s their time, money or expertise. I’m always aspiring to be more philanthropic—with good reason, apparently.

One of our favorite SELF psychology experts, Christopher Peterson, professor of psychology at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, confirms that giving to others will benefit you in spades: “Being philanthropic is beneficial for others, of course. But people who are kind and generous are happier by their own report.” And the more you give, the happier you’ll be.

To make sure I meet my goal of giving to others outside of my friends and family, I’ve come up with this system: Every month, when I pay the bills, I try to write one check to charity, even if it’s a small amount. That way, I don’t feel so bad about what I’ve spent on myself that month. (Plus, it almost makes bill paying pleasant.) This one tiny act, every month, makes me feel as if I’m doing something powerful. That’s inspiring!

Haven’t got extra money to spare at the end of every month? You can still give to others and reap the feel good benefits. Research suggests that doing good deeds as minor as holding an elevator door (C’mon! Are you really in that big a rush?) makes you feel more joyful. Even better, altruistic acts create a circle of virtue, so pass the karma on.

What do gold medalists Natalie Coughlin, Misty May-Treanor, Kerri Walsh and Michael Phelps have in common with the rest of us? No matter how hard these champions have trained, no matter how genetically well-endowed they are (and they are!), without mental strength, there’s no way any of them would have made it to the podium.

Controlling the way they think is their number one weapon—and it’s something the rest of us can do, too. When I need a bit of extra motivation and inspiration, say, when I’m about to go on live network television, I resort to a simple visualization trick used by many Olympians: I imagine myself doing whatever it is I’m about to do—public speaking or competing in a tough race—on my best day.

When you’re about to do something challenging, it’s easy to imagine all the bad stuff that can happen—forgetting your cues or making a gaffe—the list goes on. But I don’t let myself entertain the idea of disaster. My goal is to walk in prepared, and then relax and enjoy whatever it is I’m doing, knowing I’ve done everything I can do to be successful.

I visualize that success, then move toward it and savor it. And you know what? Usually the appearance or performance feels so good once I’m into it, I really stop worrying and start doing it well! Have a goal of your own? Check out SELF’s 4-week plan for a stronger, fitter you.

 spend most of my weekdays in New York City, surrounded by tall buildings and crowds. So when I get the chance to be out in nature, I feel both inspired and grounded at the same time.

Seeing blue sky and sunlight playing on water helps me reconnect with the natural world, reminding me that we are all part of a much larger planet and that life is both miraculous and ephemeral.

I like to think that my job (all our jobs!) as human beings involves making a positive impact on this planet, which to me means always trying to be a force for good. If that’s not inspiring, I don’t know what is.

If you can’t get out into nature on a regular basis, bring nature to you. A study from Harvard Medical School in Boston finds that fresh-cut blooms do more than brighten up a room; they also have a palpably brightening impact on your mood. Splurge on some fresh flowers today. And find other ways to make your life greener.

My desk at work is fairly neat—I’m not one to put piles and random Post-Its all over the place. But after reading about some new research we reported in SELF recently, I may change my ways, at least as far as those yellow stickies go.

Turns out that simply reading inspiring words, such as "strive", can motivate you subconsciously, spurring you to excel at whatever endeavor is at hand, the journal Psychological Science reports. So try jotting down a few emboldening terms (strive; achieve; dream; succeed) on sticky notes and keep them in sight throughout the day. Then start reaching for the stars.

Not near your desk? You can do virtually the same exercise in your head, according to Joseph Rembisz, a hypnotherapist in New York City. Whenever you need to cheer yourself up and keep your motivation high, try to replace downer thoughts with a more upbeat message. I like to say to myself: “Think how great I’ll feel when I’ve finished all this—then I actually get to tell all my pals I did it and go off and have fun!”