I wish I could say I do all of this at the same time and always accomplish everything. I feel slightly hypocritical for posting these ideas, but I have found them helpful, if I do them! I am working on it, but have not consistently done it all, but when I do get at least some of these done, I know that I am a lot more productive. I am really trying to implement them all slowly into a routine.
Start the Night Before
A productive day truly starts the night before!
- Have a plan. Write down 5-10 things you want to accomplish. Write down daily chores. You may not get to all of these things, but having a plan and goals is what we are going for. Tackle the most important ones first, then work down the list.
- Prepare what you can. Can you make lunches for work/school ahead of time? Can you lay out clothes? Pack backpacks or the diaper bag?
- Do the dishes. Coming down to a clean sink is so much better than coming down to a dirty one! When I come down to one filled with dirty dishes I feel as if I am already behind.
- Throw a load of laundry in the wash. I am on team laundry everyday (vs once a week laundry day). If I can throw a load in before bed, I can hang them out or start them in the dryer in the morning.
- Tidy up what you can. Picking up a even a few things can totally change a space.
- Plan to get 8 hours of sleep.
Hydrate
Hydration is key to focus and energy and a good night’s sleep, which leads to better days! For some tips on keeping hydrated, you can check out this post.
Shower and Dress
When I get dressed (besides sweat pants and a stained tshirt-something that I need to wear an apron over), and put on an apron, it changes my mind set. I wrote a post on this called Dressing for the Day.
Spend Time With The Lord
Spending time in the Word, prayer and worship helps to refocus and remember why you are doing what you are doing.
Taking off the old self, renewing our minds and committing our plans and work to the Lord is so important. (Ephesians 4:22-24, Romans 12:2, Proverbs 16:3, Colossians 3:23-24)
It is important to spend time with the Lord so that He can fill us. We cannot pour from an empty pitcher.
Let the Sunshine In
This isn’t possible all over the world, and it is kind of a downer on cloudy days, but if they house is filled with natural light, I feel much more motivated.
Diffuse Some Uplifting Oil
You can check out my post with 29 Mood and Energy Boosting Essential Oil Diffuser Blends here. (Please read the Essential Oil Safety Page if you have not done it already!)
Music & Podcasts
Put on some upbeat praise and worship music to help get you going and keep you focused.
I have only consistently listened to a few podcasts, but they are usually pretty good stuff.
As for music, I find that songs that pour into my spirit as I am pouring myself out are the best. I am trying to figure out how to share my worship music playlist, but for now, if you search Modern Worship on Google Play Music, you’ll get similar sounds.
Timers
I must admit, this is the last one I am implementing, I plan on working on it this week. I do not know why exactly I am so hesitant/resistant to the idea. Too many games of Perfection growing up? Maybe it seems silly? I do not know, but I am giving it a shot this week.
The plan is to set timers, for 10-15 minutes and work on one task/area for that time, taking a 15 minute break every hour to spend with the kids and rehydrating. I want to do this for a few hour each day until I get through everything.
Do you have any tips for more productive days? Is this something that you have struggled with? Which one of these will you incorporate into your routine to make your day more productive?
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Timeless Mama 
Great tips for being more productive!
My daughter told me about a tip she had read which basically says, the thing you are procrastinating about, just start doing it and before you know it, you’ll find it wasn’t as bad as you thought it would be and that it got done quicker too! 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
This is a great blog! The timers works great for me too! I need to work on the “night nefore” thing. Thank you for taking the time to share!
All of these tips are so great! I agree with all of them! I just got into podcasts, and I love listening to them while I fold laundry.
Thank you so much for linking up at Grace + Lace!
Sarah
http://mybowsandclothes.blogspot.com
Robbi…these are great tips for having a more productive day. I would even add exercise to boost energy and get the blood and oxygen flowing. Thank you for sharing at Monday’s Musings. 🙂
This is a great list. I totally agree with all of it! Especially getting dressed – it really does change your mindset. I’m going to try the timer thing. At the end of the day I can sometimes waffle between feeling guilty I didn’t get everything done and feeling guilty I didn’t spend enough time with my kid, and I think doing all of this will help eliminate that. Thank you so much!
Thanks for the refresher list, Robbi. I do most of these things but it is a good reminder. I haven’t tried diffusing oils yet, LOL, maybe that is the missing link!
Thanks for sharing at the Loft. We appreciate your input.
When I DON”T do the dishes the night before, I wake up and groan at the mess on the kitchen counter… a good reminder that an extra couple of minutes of work at the end of the day can really help start the next day with more joy. Thanks for this post! 😉
Great tips, I couldn’t agree more! I do most of these too, and the oils are a great addition!
Drinking enough water is so important. It takes me days to recover if I skip a day of drinking 64 ounces. I was using a timer for a while and I stopped. Thanks for the reminder.
i have been working on this lately as well<3 great tips… esp. the water! i am also really working on that!
I definitely think keeping hydrated helps to keep me more productive! I’m not sure if its because I’m hydrated or if it’s because I have to go to the restroom numerous times through out the day which means it gets me off my butt and moving Lol. Great post!