“I feel so scattered with my day.” Have you ever said something like this? Ya, so have we – a LOT, in our past. It felt like the day owned us and we were just moving from one thing to the next, hoping it would all work out, but it left us feeling rushed, exhausted, and like we did so much, yet accomplished nothing. Not to mention these pieced together days would often lead to snacking on junk food, or not eating until dinner, which both lead to more poor choices come dinner time.
Where To Start
So how do we start being more organized with our day? How do we plan things out, accomplish more, and not feel so overwhelmed? It starts with one simple thing. Your bedtime. If you can get your bedtime down to be 1. 80-90% consistent, and 2. A time that allows you to get enough sleep for you (7-9 hours on average), then that will have a ripple effect into the following day.
Does this sound too simple? It should! These things are simple, yet we tend to try to overcomplicate things. We often think it has to be hard and complicated to be successful or productive. We are here to tell you it doesn’t. Trust us!
So try this. Think about what your ideal wake up time is to get your day started with plenty of space to have a non-rushed morning, maybe a short workout and some breakfast, and enough time to shower and get out the door or ready for the day without running around frantically.
Then – count back 8 hours (at least), and that will be your in bed, trying to fall asleep time. That means lights and TV out, sound machine on or earplugs in, and eyes closed. That is your goal bedtime. We want to hit that 6/7 nights, plus or minus 20 minutes on either side. If you struggle with waking up in the middle of the night, there are some other things to work on to improve the quality of your sleep.
Prime The Body
From there, we want to establish a bedtime routine that will prime your body and brain for bed. Because if you’re anything like how we used to be, you often get to bed, and your body or mind is restless. Our top tips for a winddown routine are these:
- Dedicate at least 30-60 minutes for this time
- Minimize all bright lights (use orange tinted blue light blocking glasses and dim lights)
- Find something that is relaxing for YOU – avoid high action books or TV, work emails, reading the news, social media, and exercise
THIS is where it can become challenging for many of us – think all the house chores, getting the kids to bed, and finally some time for you to chill. These things often get stretched too long, which leads to the late bedtime. So, think about how you can be efficient and intentional in your evening, post dinner. For us, we like to put less on our plate or “to-do” list, so we don’t feel like there is a lot to do. We also find that when we want to “veg out” for longer (another episode or additional scrolling), that can be traced back to a day where you didn’t have much relaxation time to down regulate.
Last Tip
So our last tip would be to seek for little snippets in your day to down regulate so you don’t feel the urge to veg out or watch 2 hours of TV at the end of the night. Try 2 5-10 minute walks in your day. Or simply getting outside to exercise or enjoy a meal. Have a random conversation with a coworker or phone a friend.
Once we have a consistent bedtime routine, it sets our day up for success, we are less rushed, make better decisions, have more regulated blood sugar which leads to more balanced hormones and less cravings. AND, we learn how to set boundaries and can start building our ideal day, one step at a time, feeling in control rather than by flying by the seat of your pants.
If you still struggle with these recommendations and feel like you just can’t get a handle on it, we can help guide you more. Book a connection call with us to see if we are a good fit for each other. It’s free, you have nothing to lose!
