When it comes to work days, I am simply not a morning person. Don’t get me wrong – I love to wake up early on the weekends and whip up a delicious breakfast of bacon and egg sandwiches, or perhaps a batch of blueberry pancakes or baked french toast. And even though I love my job, the monotony of waking up every morning at the same (super-early) time just is not my thing. That’s why I will do (almost) anything to grab those five extra minutes of sleep in the morning! Read on to discover my five big tips for how I stay organized on a daily basis so I can wake up ready and refreshed each morning!
1. Straighten up before you head to bed.
I enjoy coming downstairs in the morning so much more when I know I’ll be walking into a clean space. I don’t mean you should be on your hands and knees scrubbing the wood floors every night, but tidy up. Put the pillows back in their rightful couch spots. Fold any blankets you used for TV time cuddling. Put away any hand washed dishes that are dry before you leave the kitchen, and most importantly, start the dishwasher!
2. Prep for tomorrow morning.
Evaluate your morning routine. What are the tasks you do each and every morning? For example, every morning I get dressed, let the dogs outside, feed the dogs, feed myself, and make up my travel mug of coffee. So I asked myself, “which of these things can I prepare for the night before?” Now, these are the tasks I do every night before I go to bed:
- Decide what I’m wearing to work the next day and pull all of the clothing, shoes, and accessories out from my closet that I will need.
- Fill the portafilter holder on my espresso machine with ground coffee and set out my coffee mug, spoon, and sugar so it is all ready for me to just turn on the machine and press a couple buttons in the morning.
- And every Sunday, my fiancé and I make breakfast burritos so our breakfast just takes 50-55 seconds to heat up in the microwave each morning!
3. Keep a daily to do list.
This sounds OCD, I know. But get in the habit of keeping a checklist of everything you need to do the next day. Include:
- Events that you have scheduled for the next day (appointments, meetings, etc.).
- Tasks that you need to get done (grocery shopping, mailing letters or packages, etc.).
- Some additional goals that would be really nice to get out of the way, but do not need to be done tomorrow (i.e. things that you can get out of the way if you have a little extra time, like clean out the coffee maker or straighten up the office).
- Don’t forget to check your calendar to make sure you don’t forget anything!
4. Tidy up your email inbox!
Get everything out of the way that you can the night before. Respond to any emails that need a response and delete anything that does not need to be there. Remember the old adage: why leave until tomorrow what you can do today?
5. Review the “plan” with your husband/fiancé/family as necessary.
I try to review everything that is planned for the next day before we go to bed. Does my fiancé need to take the dogs to daycare? Does he need to stop at Costco? Am I going to the post office tomorrow and therefore need him to give me anything he needs mailed tomorrow? Keeping him/her/them in the loop can make for a smoother day and can avoid any last minute confusions.
Bonus Tip
Sometimes it’s hard for me to unwind, especially at the end of a long, busy day. I like to keep a small notepad and a pen next to my bed. That way, just in case I wake up in the middle of the night and just can’t get back to sleep because I forgot to put “bananas” on the grocery list for tomorrow, I can jot down a quick note for myself, roll over, and head back to dream land!
Now it’s your turn: what are your best tips for staying organized every day? Let me know by commenting below!
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