MORNING
Wake up – no snooze button.
I prefer a gentle song or melody to ease out of sleep.
Others prefer something loud, blaring, and annoying.
Either way, try to keep your phone out of arm’s reach so you have to get up to turn it off.
Embrace that pretty much every single person is tired when they get out of bed.
Even us “early risers” struggle in the morning.
This is natural. Be kind to yourself.
Understand that it will take a little while to fully wake up.
Use the bathroom. Shower. Start the coffee.
Whatever is your morning routine, allow yourself 20-30 minutes before you’re feeling “with it.”
Morning exercise – a good idea, whether it’s your main workout for the day, or just 5-10 minutes of stretching and calisthenics (bodyweight exercises).
Movement of any kind in the morning is a great way to start waking up the body and mind, and may even play a role in helping your natural sleep and wake patterns.
Just get the blood flowing, move your joints to loosen up, and take some nice, deep breaths.
Breakfast – this is hit or miss…and IT DEPENDS.
Everyone is different here.
I like to workout in a “fasted” state – my only fuel is usually some tea, caffeine and fish oil. After a good morning workout is when I’ll have some breakfast.
Two options typically: scrambled eggs and chicken, or fruit and a protein shake.
Always strive to get protein in at your first meal (every meal would really be a good idea…but let’s start somewhere).
Carbs should be natural – fruits and veggies, skipping the cereals, muffins, bagels etc.
Careful with oatmeal too. But I digress…
Have a plan for breakfast in the morning.
If you need a little something before working out, we usually recommend starting with half a serving of fruit. This should digest rather easily while still fueling your workout.
Stick to one or two go-to meals like I mentioned above.
Remove the mental energy needed to make decisions as much as possible. This both simplifies life, and reserves that energy and will-power for later in the day when you’ll probably need it more.
WORK
Make lists.
Prioritize what’s important and urgent.
Think about your tasks like you would exercises in the gym.
There’s probably 5 or 6 things that would prove to give you the most bang-for-your-buck.
Remove the other stuff, or set aside a small chunk of time once per week for the less important, little things.
SHUT YOUR PHONE OFF
You will get so much more done, and more done in a shorter amount of time without distractions.
And no one is immune to the call of the notification lights and buzzing.
Turn these off on both your phone and your computer.
Determine when you’ll check email, text messages and social media.
Some studies have found adults will check their email/social media 45 times per day on average.
(insert shocked face emoji here)
And don’t try to tell me you’re a whiz at multi-tasking.
You’re switching from one thing to another, and back again.
Write everything out on a list or in a journal.
“Don’t trust your memory!”
Jim Rohn
“On the paper, off the mind,” said the late Dr. Ed Cole.
Make your list, and get after it – one item at a time.
LUNCH
Just a quick tip here – pack your lunch and/or eat at home.
I’m guessing you’ll save roughly 500 calories per meal over eating out each day, and save yourself close to $150 monthly.
Health and wealth.
Win-win.
EVENING
Plan your meals out for the week ahead.
Shop using your own menu.
Fix what’s on your menu for that night.
There will be a rare instance when you must deviate.
However, sticking to your meal plan will save that mental energy we talked about – especially after a long day – as well as help keep you healthy and fit, because you won’t be eating as much fried, processed food or drinking as much pop as you would if at a restaurant.
Keep things simple.
Remember, life is so much more than what you have to eat.
BEDTIME
This is where you “win” the next day.
Ideally, shutdown electronics about an hour before you’d like to go to bed. 30 minutes at least.
Develop your own bedtime routine.
Maybe you clean the kiddos, tuck them in, brush your teeth, and then read for 15 minutes.
Find what you need to do and make your routine specific to you.
I like to fill a water bottle and have it in the fridge for the next morning. I’ll then set out clothes for the next day, so there’s no wasted mental or physical energy in the morning.
The phone gets plugged in and Kobe gets carried in to Bryn’s room 🙂
A little light reading and/or chatting with Heather, and then light’s out as Kilo finds a comfy place under the covers with me.
This all might seem like a lot, but I’d say it’s just a bunch of small tips and habits I’ve experimented with and found to be useful for a productive and (hopefully) less stressful day.
Start by planning and preparing for the day ahead, the night before.
Whether it’s setting out clothes, filling water bottles, or writing out your to-do/priority list (an extra tip to help you slow down the mind and get to sleep better), the next morning is always easier when you’ve done these things ahead of time.
Get up and get after it.
You won’t be going 100 miles per hour as soon as your feet hit the ground, but you’ll be moving forward – and that might be all we’re looking for.
Schedule your exercise, no matter what time of day best fits your calendar and energy levels.
Plan ahead for things like meals and snacks too.
Remove decisions wherever you can by planning ahead and limiting your options.
This is the beauty of developing good, healthy habits.
Brian Tracy says it well, “Good habits are hard to develop, but easy to live with. Bad habits are easy to develop, but hard to live with.”
You ultimately get to make the choice.
Slow down a little bit.
Think things through.
Plan.
Act.
Now, let’s get to it!