Tips and Tricks to Starting the Day Effectively

Starting your day on the right foot can be very beneficial to your well-being and work life. By incorporating many small tasks, you are setting the tone for the day. Listed below are a few ways to modify your daily routine:

The night before
Planning the next day’s activities grounds you to be present in the moment and sets the tone for what you plan to accomplish the next day. By determining your objectives and identifying essential tasks in advance, you are alleviating pressure and stress that may creep up on you.

1. Prepping your outfit

Laying out your clothing the night before helps to alleviate the stress and rush of putting together a well thought out outfit. We have all been there where the morning does not go as planned (waking up later than usual, kids are taking longer to get ready!) and you leave the house in a rush with a stained shirt or wrinkled blouse. Planning your outfit helps reduce the chance of imperfections in your outfit and gives you those extra few minutes in the morning for yourself or your family.

2. Pack your lunch

Similarly to prepping your outfit, packing your lunch keeps you on track of eating healthy and consciously. By planning and packing your meals in advance, you eliminate the need to rush out the door and grab some takeout along the way. Consider batch cooking, which means on the day before your work week begins, cook enough food to last for your workweek.

3. Write out your daily to-do list

Spend a few minutes every night, writing out the 3 to 5 tasks that are most important for you to accomplish the next day. By ranking them in order of priority (first being the most pressing), you can provide a clear direction of items you need to tackle. Once completed, you can cross the items off the list, which cultivates a sense of accomplishment. 

4. Clearing your head

Clearing your head before bed will allow you to have a restful sleep. Consider incorporating light reading or meditation, which will help to slow you down. It is best to eliminate watching TV or being on your phone at least two hours before bed as screens emit blue light that suppresses the release of melatonin in our brains and leads to lower sleep quality.

5. Tidy up

Waking up to a house in disarray can be very demotivating. Tidying up for about 5 to 10 minutes each evening can set the tone for the next morning.

The morning of 

The way you start your day grounds you and ensures that you stay focused on what matters the most. By mastering a morning routine that you are vested in, you can achieve your highest level of productivity.

1. Rise early

Rising early gives you time to focus on important tasks while the world is asleep. There are fewer interruptions, which helps to increase your productivity. Choosing to get up early can set the tone for the day and motivate you to accomplish more than what you expect of yourself, before heading into work.

2. Make your bed

Small tasks, such as making your bed, can have huge benefits, as it subconsciously tells your body that you have accomplished the first task of the day and encourages you to continue in this direction and achieve the next.

3. Exercise

Exercising increases blood flow, strengthens your body and releases endorphins. By choosing to spend time on your practice, you set the tone for the day and what you plan to accomplish. Selfishly use this time to focus on bettering yourself, whether that is physically or mentally.

4. Recite affirmations

Simple affirmations can set the tone for your day. By visualizing what is important to you, you can focus on what matters. Affirmations allow you to believe that you can accomplish a specific task and enable you to take action. Simple affirmations that you could use are: 

     •  I will do great things today.

     •  I can do this.

     •  I have the power to make change.

     •  I will accomplish [task]

5. Stay unplugged

Like your evening routine of minimizing phone usage before bed, the same should be done when you wake up. By choosing to check your phone immediately after waking up, you are doing a disservice to yourself. The purpose of setting your plan the night before is to have extra time in the morning for self-improvement. When you start your day by reviewing messages and work e-mails, you are choosing to put work ahead of your health and well-being.