8 EASY STEPS FOR BETTER TIME MANAGEMENT

Everyone has a different work style, shift, or environment, but there are ways to tweak your time management so that you can get going and be more productive in your day..

What are You Wearing Tomorrow?

A great time management tip is picking out the clothes you want to wear the night before. I know some people try on several different leggings, shorts, shoes, and shirts before finally walking out the door an hour later. You might still be a little groggy and sleepy, so just make it easy on yourself and have an outfit picked out and set aside. It seems easier for men, we don’t really care what we’re wearing, especially to the gym. A worn out tank top, some faded shorts, mismatched socks, and we’re ready to go.

A lot of the women I’ve seen lately like to have the new fashionable scrunchy leggings with the matching sports bra, a hoodie that matches the water bottle, and a leopard print bag with three pairs of shoes. All of which were picked out after trying on four other sets of clothes that just didn’t feel right. I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, it’s good to have options I guess. I just prefer to keep things simple for me. But as long as its all done the night before and ready in the morning you’re still on the right track.

This goes for the kids too. Pick out their clothes the night before and set them aside so you don’t have to do it early the next day. It also teaches them to do the same thing and after a while they will start doing it on their own. Its a good way to teach them a little time management while they’re young and hopefully it will carry on to adulthood. Maybe….

Don’t Hit Your Snooze Button!

And don’t start browsing through your phone. This is the biggest killer of time in the mornings! If you followed the tips in my previous blog post [8 Tips to Control Your Social Media Fixation] your Social Media Notifications should be turned off and the Apps should be hidden in a folder that is not on your home screen. If you must, check for important texts or missed calls from family or work and that’s it.

Maybe its just me, but my alarm tone kind of sets the mood in the morning. I can’t have one of those annoyingly loud sirens or the old school alarm clock tones. Those just jar me awake and then I instantly feel stressed and angry. To me it’s the same feeling as if I just woke up an hour late for something important.

Yes it sounds cheesy, but I have a rotation of soft wake up alarms like crickets, pouring rain, and different songs I like. (I know some of you will probably fall back asleep to those sounds) Once I get tired of one, I move on to the next.

Side note: You may not want to choose your one FAVORITE song to wake up to, because hearing that every day might ruin it for you, so pick several.

But once I turn my alarm off I get straight up and get moving so I don’t get sleepy again. Just jump out of bed, you’ll be better off and you won’t end up rushing anywhere because you curled up in bed for another 45 minutes.

Make Your Bed!

This may not seem like a time management tip but once you get up, immediately make your bed. If your bed is made you are less likely to get back in it. If you jump back under the covers and realize how warm and comfortable it is you might get stuck there and never make it out the door. And making your bed in the morning is the first step to having a productive day. You’ve been awake for less than 3 minutes and have already accomplished something. Just keep it going throughout the day.

Your Morning Boost

If you have an automatic coffee maker, set it for the same time that you wake up. Nothing is more awesome in the morning than walking to the kitchen and your cup is already full and waiting for you. Everyone is all into the Keurig, so of course we got one and haven’t been disappointed. But there are so many better options out there that I’ve recently been exploring. (Blog Post Coming Soon…)

A new trend that has been popping alot more and more is Mushroom Coffee. Containing a blend of Coffee, Cocoa, and Medicinal Mushrooms, its said to boost your immune system, increase energy and focus, reduce inflammation, relieve stress, and a ton of other health benefits. I haven’t tried it myself yet, but once I do I will post up my report.

If you prefer something with a little more kick in the morning, mix your Preworkout drink the night before and put it in the refrigerator. Check the label on the brand you prefer. Most will be fine up to 12 hours after mixing.

If I’m going straight to the gym I usually prefer Preworkout in the morning over coffee. Coffee and deadlifts isn’t a good idea…

Check out some of the Best Preworkout Supplements here.

If you followed a good time management schedule you should have plenty of time to eat before heading out the door. But in case you don’t, this is another thing that you can prepare the night before. An easy favorite of mine is either sliced green apples or a sliced banana with Nutella or Crunchy Peanut Butter on top. They’re quick and simple without a big mess. Just slice them up, add your topping, then put it in the fridge. The next morning all you have to do is open the container and eat.

Pretty much any fruit can be pre sliced and topped with Nutella which is awesome. Or you can blend up a fruit smoothie, add a little protein powder, and place it in the fridge so its ready to grab on the way out the door in the morning.

Get Your Sh!t Together

To take a little more stress out of your morning routine, start putting everything you need to take with you when leaving the house in ONE SPOT, and make it the same spot everyday. Car keys, purse, wallet, sunglasses, phone, headphones etc. This will keep you from having to search through different drawers, bags, countertops, desks, and the shorts you wore yesterday. This is just good everyday practice. Its just convenient to always have everything together because you never know when you might have to leave the house in a hurry.

And this brings us to….

TRY to Avoid Rushing Out of the House.

It’s just stressful and you’ll always forget to grab something, Unless you had everything in one spot like I stated above…..

Usually when someone’s in a hurry, they’re thinking about where they’re going, if they’re going to be late, traffic, or something other than what’s going on in front of them. Its just hard to focus and it’s unnecessary stress and anxiety. That’s why I try to do everything I possibly can to have whatever I need all together. All that stress and anxiety follows you into your car, you start driving a little reckless and you end up in a fender bender. Now you’re even more late.

Time Management starting the night before, as soon as you wake up, and throughout your morning will alleviate all the stress, anxiety, rushing around, and help you focus better so that you have a productive day instead of having your car towed to the repair shop and being late for whatever it was you didn’t properly plan for.

But of course its unavoidable sometimes. You can use all the time management hacks in the world, but at some point at no fault of your own, you’re going to end up in a hurry.

One time I left in a hurry for an afternoon workout and was on the way down the stairs to our lobby, but had that weird feeling I was forgetting something. I had my bag, my Preworkout, my headphones, and my phone, so I figured it was nothing. I was on the last step at the bottom and realized I wasn’t wearing shorts. I had to run back up, hoping I wouldn’t run into anyone, put my shorts on and run back downstairs. Needless to say, ever since then I visually check myself in the mirror before I go anywhere.

8 Time Management Tips

Hopefully these small tips will help get you going in the morning. A few of these came from mistakes that I’ve learned from, so you shouldn’t have to.

1. Set your alarm tone so that you wake up to something peaceful or relaxing. You’ll feel better getting up.
2. Don’t hit your snooze, and don’t get sucked into your Social Media.
3. Once you get up, immediately make your bed. Your first accomplishment of the day.
4. Lay out tomorrow’s clothes just before you go to bed. That way you don’t have to figure it out in the morning.
5. Have your coffee maker, preworkout drink, or snack ready the night before.
6. Have ONE designated place where you put important items that you need whenever you leave the house.
7. Make sure your gym bag/work bag/ diaper bag has everything in it is ready to go before you are.
8. Follow a routine every morning so that you have it down to a timed science. If something throws you off your routine you may end up outside in your underwear.