The secret to daily success starts the night before. That is why it is SO important to have
Mindful Night Routine
It's having a proper plan so we can be mindful how we spend time!
Have you ever gotten to the end of your day and feel like you did not accomplish anything? Most of the time you can't even remember what you did all day, but you know you were busy. I know, me too! It's rather disheartening to be so tired and have not much crossed off the to do list!
Well, I don't have the secret to get kids to lay down for a nap or for cleaning up spilled goldfish crackers. Nor do I have magic transportation to deliver kids to friends houses, school, dance class, or sports. (I wish) But I do know of a way to be more mindful of how we spend our time and that is planning!
That planning doesn't start in the morning. Oh no, the best time to plan for the day is the night before. So how does one plan for the next day?
Start with your calendar
Google calendar is my favorite. Our family syncs it between all of our phones. I also print out a paper copy that goes on the fridge every month. It doesn't really matter what kind of calendar you use, just make sure that all schedules and activities go on one!
Make a to do list with all appointments and activities
What time do you work? What appointments do you have? What are on your kids' schedules?
When will you work out? What chores do you need to do? What is for dinner? What are you doing to take care of yourself?
In your planner, or wherever you choose to keep track of your day to day tasks, plan out how you will spend your day. Be mindful of what you need to get done, and where you or anyone else in your house needs to be. Do not forget to make time for yourself. It's totally worth it to get up a bit earlier
to get a work out in and/or some quiet time. Of course you need to be flexible for parenting and other pop-up considerations.
Do prep work
Set out work out clothes, daily outfit and clothes for kids, if they're young. Set out meat to thaw for dinner. Make sure lunch bags and back packs are ready. After doing as much as you can to prep for the next day, you can focus on closing the current day!
Write down a win list
We have a tendency to only notice the long list of things we didn't didn't do. We can feel so ineffective if we concentrate on that.
Keep a win list.
In your journal or the notepad on your phone, write all of the unseen things done all day. I know there is a ton of things that you and I do every day that go unnoticed. At the end of the day, it's satisfying to spend time in reflection, thinking of all the ways we made a difference! Because playing a game of UNO and sleeping on clean sheets do make a difference!
Write down what you're grateful for
I have spoken of this many times in the past and that is because gratitude is powerful! As the saying goes, there is always something to be grateful for! The more energy and focus we give to all of the things we already have, the more we will feel good about it!
Park your phone and other electronics for the night
An important part of having a good day is getting a good night's rest. It's hard to get good rest with your phone/Ipad/TV keeping you up all night. Put them away for the night and give your brain a chance to relax from the assault of information always coming in.
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I can say from experience, that any amount of time spent prepping for the next day will be totally worth it. Use a Mindful Night Routine to get the most out of your day
