Make the most of your time: productive habits for every time of day

So, my son is a freshman in high school and is turning 15 years old this week! I honestly cannot believe 15 years has passed since I first became a mom. The phrase, “the days are long but the years are short” feels so real. This got me thinking about how strange the concept of time really is, leading me to journal about the “illusory nature” of time. (Totally nerdy, I know). That said, it seems we experience every minute that passes differently depending on what we are doing. This brought to mind a few things I have learned about time as I experience it-

• The more you have to do, the quicker time seems to pass.
• On the other hand, a task will take as long as the time you set aside to complete it.
• And, obviously, time passes quickly when we do something enjoyable, and it drags when we are doing something we dislike.

When it comes to time, there is one thing that I try to avoid: wasted time. I know myself pretty well. When I procrastinate or get distracted by something fun but totally unproductive, I set myself up for time regret. Time slips through my fingers, and there is no way to get it back. I usually end up angry with myself and wasting more time being frustrated. It’s completely unproductive.

Over the past several years, I’ve changed my approach to time management during the week (weekends are a whole other story). First, I do not believe you need to fill every hour of every day with productive activities. But, I find that when I am intentional about my time, I have more peace of mind and regret less. So, how do you become more intentional about time? I have found the best way is to combine prioritizing tasks, doing the most important and hardest things first, with scheduling time for yourself.

In order to be more intentional with my time and remain productive, managing our family, working a full-time job and a part-time job part of the year, I started reading about different ways others manage their time. What I found is that some of the most successful people have similar routines that improve every day productivity, and I incorporated them into my weekday routines. You have heard of some of them, but I put them in practice and found that they actually help. I highly recommend incorporating a few of these into your schedule to see how they work for you.

Here is some of what I have learned that I try to do each weekday both before and after work:

Morning-

• Wake up 1 hour earlier than others in your home– When I read Rachel Hollis’s Girl, Stop Apologizing, I was so proud of myself for already having incorporated this routine! (Also, if you haven’t read this book and could use some goal-planning motivation, I highly recommend it.) It sounds painful, but I get up at 5AM and find this extra hour let’s me do most of what I recommend below.
• Make your bed. It’s not some perfectionist habit, but one that cuts down on dust allergens and makes for an inviting space at bedtime. If there is one room to keep tidy and pretty, it should be your bedroom.
• Meditate. I ask Alexa (on my Amazon Echo) or use other apps to find guided meditations. Just 5 minutes of being quiet, breathing deeply, and practicing mindfulness helps.
• Move. Before my plantar fasciitis, I would run or stationary cycle. Now I do yoga or some other workout. No matter my physical condition, I have always made time to move in the morning. It will give your sleepy body energy.
• Shower or at least wash your face. Bathing and washing up will also get your blood flowing and help wake you up.
• Read. Try a page from a devotional or other daily inspiration book.
• Journal. Write “morning pages” (from The Artist’s Way) or something simpler- just get your thoughts down- ideas, dreams you had, anxieties you’re confronting- whatever brings you peace.
• Write goals and gratitudes. Another Rachel Hollis hack- write 5 or more things you’re grateful for, list out your goals everyday, and set an intention about the one goal you will take a step toward achieving. I use my Stalogy notebook for this and my journaling.
• Plan. Check your planner and plan out your to dos for the day, even if it’s on scratch paper or a post-it list pad.
• Laundry. Wash one load per day. Everyone says to do this but I didn’t take it to heart until I followed the Flylady method years ago. Although I no longer keep up the full FlyLady routine, this is the one habit I have stuck with on weekdays.
• Eat. For me, breakfast is optional. I was borderline insulin-resistant a few years ago, and one way I reversed this condition (in addition to eating a more paleo-friendly diet) was to practice intermittent fasting. Most days of the week, I don’t eat breakfast. I fast until 12 PM and do not eat after 7PM. A doctor had me do this, so I don’t recommend it unless it’s prescribed by a physician. Otherwise, eat a healthy breakfast.
• Hydrate. This is not optional. Every day, whether I eat breakfast or not, I drink water and have green tea. It’s even more important than eating breakfast, in my opinion.
• Dinner. I know it’s the morning, but it’s not too early to think about dinner. Be sure you’ve got dinner planned before leaving the house. Check- are foods defrosted? Ingredients in the crockpot? Reservations made? 😉 Anything to make coming home a joy rather than more work.

After-work or school–

• Change clothes. Get into something comfy but not necessarily clothes that say it’s time to sleep.
• Laundry. Put your laundry in the dryer and be ready to fold and put it away before you go to bed.
• One chore. Do a quick chore that you would otherwise have to do on the weekend. (Listen to music, fold laundry while watching Netflix- anything to reward you for getting chores done that will free up your weekend). Less weekend chores = more enjoyable weekends!
• Paperwork. To avoid paperwork pileups, deal with it a little every day. Use a paper shredder to shred anything you don’t need and at least organize the paperwork you need to process later into categories (To file; To pay; Kid binders, etc).
• Dinner. Thanks to your morning routine, it should be easy to get dinner ready, ordered, or reheated.
• Ask for help. Unless you live alone, have your family help- they can bring in lunchboxes to be emptied, set the table, clean up after dinner, load the dishwasher, or do one of those weekend chores.

Before Bed-

• Set up for the next day. Set up bags, purses, backpacks, lunches, and anything you’ll need the next day. Use post-it notes on mirrors or in your car for reminders. Leave things in your car that can safely wait for you, if needed, and check your planner!
• Charge you devices– there is nothing worse than waking up to find your phone has 7% battery left. Charge it overnight and preferably away from where you sleep so it doesn’t disturb your rest.
• Lay out the next day’s clothes. This is a huge time saver for your morning routine. Check the weather and your planner to help pick out what you should wear.
• Put on comfy PJs– now’s the time to signal your body that it’s time to sleep.
• Clean and moisturize. Leaving on makeup or even just the day’s grime is no good for your skin. I’m currently loving a combination of Garnier micellar water to remove eye makeup and grandma’s old standby- Ponds cold cream cleanser to remove the rest of my makeup. (Of course, brush your teeth and floss. This goes without saying, right?)
• Turn off screens at least an hour before your bedtime. No cheating on this one- the blue light from screens destroys your body’s natural melatonin, so turning off the gadgets tells your body that its time to get the sleep hormone flowing.
• Dim the lights– like you would to signal to a baby it’s time for bed.
• Read. Yay for Kindles! Most e-readers don’t produce the same blue light that keeps you awake, but of course good old paper books are just as good. Anything to settle your mind, hopefully with some positive content.
• Journal. You can write about anything, but I find I enjoy it more when I use notebooks with pretty paper like the ones from Papaya art.
• Gratitude. Even if you did this in the morning, reflect on your day and write out what you’re grateful for. As I noted in a prior post, I do this twice a day to keep things in perspective.
• Pray and/or meditate. Having that spiritual connection is so important to feel grounded on days that often feel like barely controlled chaos.
• Early bedtime. I admit this is the hardest one for me to follow, but on the nights I can swing it I definitely try. Being sleep deprived is a guaranteed way to have an unproductive day.

Trying to incorporate all of these at once would definitely be too much, but some of them are real time savers, so I recommend at least trying a few. Just remember that the point is not to schedule and control every minute of the day. Be intentional about how you spend your time so you can create pockets of free time that bring joy instead of guilt.

I’m always looking for other productivity habits and hacks. Leave a comment with habits that works for you.

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