Practices To OptImize Your Day

Do you ever feel like you go through everyday sort of… well… the same? I can’t tell you how often I have gone through the same daily routine for days or months at a time. Most of the time I would end the day complaining about how I didn’t get enough done, how I didn’t do what I was “supposed to” or how I wasn’t focused enough. I am sure you can relate to this in some way.

Below are a few things that you and I can do everyday to optimize our days. These practices will help to give you more focus, connect you better to your day and plans, increase productivity and even help you destress.

Start the day with movement

This is the most important thing you can do for yourself each day. Working out has so many benefits that aren’t related to weight-loss. Exercise is something that you do for YOU. It is a self care practice that includes benefits such as mood boosting, confidence boosting, stress relief, improves cognitive function and more. I recommend making it a practice to get it done directly after waking and water intake (if you need to get it done before others wake, go to bed a little earlier and set your alarm a little earlier so you can get it in). Getting it done first thing in the morning will not only get it over with but it will start your day on a fresh note.

Begin a gratitude Or manifestation journal

Starting a self care journaling practice has so many benefits. I love the idea of a gratitude journal because it starts your day with listing out the things that make you happy and bring you joy. Having gratitude can have such a positive impact on your day and life. I love listing out 5 things I am grateful for each day. I also enjoy writing in a manifestation journal. I have been using this one and its effects are magical! Manifestation is the practice of envisioning what you want in life and attracting that into your physical life. Using a manifestation journal has helped to give me a clear vision of what I want to attract into my life which has helped boost my confidence throughout the day (in daily decisions I make, my mood, my plans, how I connect and speak to others, how I connect with my work, etc.).

Batch your tasks

This has been key for me. As a creator this one is super helpful. I am learning to batch my tasks each day (Mondays- blogging, Tuesdays- planning, Wednesdays- content creating, etc.). This idea can be used in a work setting as well as home life! A lot of us go through our routines fairly scattered. I cannot tell you how many times I start doing a ton of laundry only to leave it in the dryer for two days because I got distracted by cleaning the kitchen. Batching your tasks can be used in household chores, home organization, activities, etc. For example, I clean my kitchen and refridgerator the same day that I food shop. I like to make a list on Sundays of all of the things I need to get done during the week and then batch them together. This prevents me from starting a blog piece and getting distracted by a recipe being finished in the oven.

Self Care

Self care is something that a lot of us skip out on most days of the week. between work and taking care of everyone else, it is easy to forget about taking care of you! I love self care practices because it is something that you can change up daily and they can be so simple! Self care is something that can help destress, boost confidence, improve your relationship with yourself and more. I love practicing self care in the morning, however it is okay to practice at night instead. A few simple things you can do each morning for self care are:

-lighting a candle or palo santo
-meditation
-reading
-a facial mask
-body scrub
-doing your hair and makeup
-journaling
-working out
-calling a friend
-manicure or pedicure

I recommend setting aside time each day for a little self care.

Invest In a good planner

The middle of the year is a weird time to invest in a planner as most of them start in January. However this is a good time to start getting in the habit of using a planner. You can use a notebook to start or you can use an undated planner to begin. Here are a few things I put in my planner each day:
-workouts
-meals
-sleep
-water intake
-top task of the day (the thing I must get done)
-2 smaller tasks
-1 lighter task (for the “if I have time”)
-1 daily chore
-errands
-self care task
-appointments

I use this planner here!

Plan your meals ahead of time

We all need to eat throughout the day. The worst thing you can do in the morning is to try and figure out what is for breakfast and meal prep lunch all in the same time frame. It not only takes away time from your already busy morning, but it takes away the time you have for planning the day, self care and other things that can optimize your day. Instead, plan out your meal ideas at the beginning of the week (this doesn’t have to be a full meal prep, just a brain storming of ideas). If it helps, write it out so you don’t have to think about it during the week. I have seen clients write they weekly menus on a white board attached to the fridge (this way the whole family knows what is going on and there is no room for fuss!).
-Plan out the night before what you are having for breakfast the next day. Also don’t forget to check and make sure you have the ingredients.
-Use leftover dinners for lunches. We do this often! It saves so much time!
-If leftovers for lunch aren’t your thing, prep your lunch while you prep dinner. A lot of times you will be adding similar ingredients to your lunch as you are to dinner, so just do it all at once!
-Cook protein once and use it twice (or more!). I love to make a batch of quinoa, lentils and tofu and use it in my dinners and lunch salads.

I can’t wait to hear what you all think of this one! let me know your thoughts in the comments below!