Reaching For Clock

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It’s easy for life to get busy quickly and for mornings to become a race counting down from the second the alarm goes off to make it out the door on time. The rush of mornings can set your entire day off. What about nighttime? You get home from work, have to cook dinner, clean the house, and before you know it it’s midnight and you finally get in bed only to struggle falling asleep thinking about
doing it all over again the next day. With the constant responsibilities to keep up with throughout the day, it is hard to have any time for yourself or feel truly productive and organized. However, productivity coaches suggest that having a morning and nighttime routine can change the game.

Having a routine to start and end the day can increase productivity, improve organization, and decrease the overwhelming feeling of stress caused by daily life. Setting aside a short amount of time to be consistent with a routine can give us a great opportunity of success and confidence to start the day in the best way possible and end the day feeling like you have achieved your goals.

What should my morning routine look like?

Morning routines look different for everyone. The purpose is to allow yourself time to enjoy your morning and benefit physically and emotionally by following a routine.

  1. Set a reasonable time to wake up and don’t press the snooze button! Start your morning with movement or meditation instead of scrolling through social media.
  2. Fuel your body. Breakfast is truly the most important meal of the day, so it is crucial to start your day off right with a healthy and hearty meal.
  3. Make your bed. Studies have shown that making your bed every day increases productivity, develops good habits, and sets your day off with a feeling of accomplishment which inspires you to keep productivity up all day long!

How about a nighttime routine?

After a long day of work the last thing most people want to do is more routine but having a nighttime routine can be super easy and offers incredible benefits to your sleeping patterns and energy for the next day.

  1. Set a time for the workday to end. Whether it is 5 pm or 10 pm allow yourself a cut off time for work mode to turn off and sleep mode to begin. This will help transition the mind into becoming more relaxed and help prepare it for sleep.
  2. Make a plan for tomorrow. Make a list of everything you need to get done the next day or any work you didn’t get done that day so once you get in bed you already have it all written down and don’t spend time overthinking all night about all the tasks that need to get done.
  3. Stay away from screen time once you get in bed. Keep your bed a place of rest and only rest so when you get into bed and cozy up your body is primed to know it is time for bed. You will fall asleep easier and faster.

These few simple steps will transform your productivity levels and help you stay organized for days filled with confidence and success!

Written by Emily Pawloski with contribution from www.verywellmind.com and www.lifehack.org