Getting out of bed in the morning stinks. A lucky few have the ability to pop off the pillow and hit the ground running, but for the rest of us, waking up in the morning might take a little coercing by the alarm clock. The truth is, we all have to get up and get moving, whether it’s for work or school or anything else. People have been getting up to “face the day” for centuries, so we have no excuse–especially since most of us don’t have to wake up to milk a cow. So how can we get up, get moving, and get the most out of the day?
I heard a saying once, “Today only comes once in a lifetime.” And it’s true.
Today is unique–you will never have it again. I tried to keep this in mind when I was at college trying to cram a double-major into four years. If I didn’t learn effective time-management, I would have flunked.
Below, I’ve shared some of my favorite tips to help you maximize your time:
1. Day Planning
This is one of the most effective self-discipline tools you could ever use. Before you go to bed each night, keep a pen and paper by your nightstand and use it to plan out your day tomorrow. Write out your daily schedule and try to fit in the various tasks you need/want to get done. Prioritize your tasks with the ABCD formula: an “A” is extremely important and must be accomplished (ie: an important business call). Then a “B” task would be a bit less important, but still worth your time (ie: responding to emails, working on the garden).
Keep categorizing with the thought in mind that you probably won’t be able to get to all of your tasks the next day (“C “and “D” tasks), but that’s okay. Get the important stuff done within the time paremeters, and you might be surprised how much time you have left over to perform a “D” task (ie: watch a tv show/movie; read a book; go to the park).
A good day planner might look like this:
- 6:00-7:30AM – Breakfast, devotion, shower and get ready
- 7:30-4:00PM – Work (Business call*A, Emails *B, design project *C)
- 4:00-5:00PM – Workout*A
- 5:00-10:00PM – Shower, dinner (Practice piano *A, read a chapter of a book *B, pick up garden supplies *C, watch TV show *D)
2. Go to bed earlier or take a melatonnin (or both)
Scientific research has revealed that getting more sleep benefits the body in many ways. But lets be honest with ourselves, how many of us are actually getting the required 8 hours of sleep that doctors suggest? Not many. Going to bed earlier can be a tough task, especially if you have inadvertantly programmed your body to stay up way past 10 o’clock. One way to correct this? Turn off the lights and the television.
Here’s a brief history lesson for you: back in the old days, people worked from sunrise to sunset. They got sleepy because 1) they worked really hard, and 2) it got dark. When the lights go out, the body naturally produces melatonin, a naturally occurring chemical produced by humans to aid in the sleep-wake cycle. Research has shown that as humans age, the natural production of melatonnin decreases.
Melatonnin is suppressed by the presence of blue light (Check out this Harvard article on blue light.) In the past, humans were only exposed to sunlight and the artificial (yellow) light of fires and incandescant lightbulbs. Today, humans in developed countries spend most of their time under the glow of blue light (new lightbulbs, LEDs, television screens, tablets, etc). Staying up to watch television or read a book on your tablet doesn’t help you fall asleep–it’s doing the opposite!
You can counteract the effects of blue light by doing the following:
- Buy a melatonin supplement (usually under $10 for a bottle) and take a capsule before getting ready for bed.
- Turn off the television, the computer, the phone, the tablet, the e-reader.
- Listen to music, an audiobook, or read a book by “yellow” light (low-watt incandescant lightbulb, firelight)
3. Be Consistent
Be consistent with your maximization plan. What’s the point of making a day planner if you aren’t going to use it tomorrow? What’s the point going to bed earlier if you aren’t going to bother carrying it over to the next day, and the day after that, and beyond? You won’t see results if you don’t stay consistent. Check my other blog post on “How to be Consistent.”
There are many more ways to maximize your day, but these three are king. Nothing beats a good plan, a good sleep, and a good knack for self-discipline. Now, go get the most out of your day!
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