Priorit-I-zing:
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again (maybe only until I’m married with kids), but make yourself a priority and create a routine that allows for the time you deserve. Routines create efficiency and leave you feeling more accomplished, whereas not having a plan of action can cause you to feel unprepared and end up costing time and money; e.g. not preparing your lunch the night before. Whatever your priorities, create a routine to make it work.
My priorities:
Working out: Up until recently, I’ve always worked out in the evening. This worked great as long as everything went as planned during the day. But how often does that happen? There’s always going to be days when unforeseen events arise, whether traffic delays, needing to stay late at work, friends wanting to go out for drinks, or even just being exhausted. Breaking a sweat first thing in the morning gets me out of bed and puts me in a positive mood. It boosts my endorphins, allows me to clear my head, and makes me feel good about myself. Also, I’m able to finish and shower before David wakes up, which allows us to enjoy breakfast together. Ok, so maybe I’m rushing and yelling for him to get out of my way, but we DO have more time to cook, eat dinner and watch Food Network together after work which has been nice.
Eating Healthy: I prep breakfast and lunch at night for the following day which allows me to make healthy choices. I suggest making break-fast a priority of yours as well. Your body has been fasting since dinner the night before so it’s important to refuel and get your metabolism running again as quickly as possible. The longer you wait, the more hungry you are and the less likely you will be to make smart decisions. Remember to start with a large glass of water!
Practicing good hygiene: I hope this goes without saying but if not, please make your hygiene a priority for the sake of everyone else. Ladies, you don’t have to wash, dry and style your hair every day. In fact, STOP! Invest in some dry shampoo and get on with your day. I always wondered why my hair wasn’t growing but the answer is obvious when you’re torching it every day.
Getting enough sleep: I don’t know how I did it, but I survived up through college on around 6.5 hours of sleep per night…max. Of course I was constantly exhausted, stayed up late to finish homework and woke up early. I now aim for at least 7 hours, preferably 7.5. Sometimes that means skipping my morning workout, maybe or maybe not doing it after work instead. The way I see it, I’m not doing myself any favors by losing sleep in order to workout. It’s better to get a good nights’ rest than start your day exhausted before it has begun.
Reading: On my lunch break and commute to and from work I like to read or listen to podcasts. I’ve been on a self-help kick for awhile now and have a huge list of books I’ve been wanting to read. Just to think of all the time I’ve wasted by not giving books a chance in the past.
Writing: Switching to morning workouts allowed me to free up my nights to work on my blog. This is something I’ve been wanting to do for awhile now but only recently put in the time and effort needed to make it happen.
Because these are all so important to me, I make them a priority all week, month, and year long. Find a plan of action that works for you and do your best to stick to it consistently. It may take time and tweaking, but will eventually become second nature.
-Mallory
