The benefits of getting ready for the day will do so many good things for your life.
But the thing to remember is that however your day looks now, it likely won’t be the same in 6 months. Life is forever changing and we have to change with it. Being open to spotting when something isn’t flowing well in your daily routine and looking for a way to make it better will help you far more than trying to fight it and forcing your current routine to work.
Let your body tell you what you need. Sometimes you need to tweak things even if it’s just for a week.
You may need to take extra time for yourself (if possible) to think things through or do something at a different time of the day.
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What Is Getting Ready For The Day
This could be two different things. It could mean prepping for the day or doing your morning routine.
But the most common intention of getting ready for the day is doing things ahead of time that will make your life easier or keep you mentally at peace for the day.
As we work through getting ready for the day here in this post I will share both things with you. How to prep for the day ahead of time but also the things that make you feel good about your day.
Have Your Minimum Viable “Getting Ready For The Day” Routine
This might come as a shock to you (I’m Joking) but not all days are going to go the same. Someone may wake up puking, you may have an appointment to be at, or some sort of catastrophe you have to deal with first thing.
Here is the beauty of a routine or getting ready for the day. It doesn’t matter the time of day you do them. It works the same whether it’s 6:30 AM or 11 AM.
So if something happens and you get started later than you planned have in mind what are the MUSTS for your day.
For me, it would get boiled down to my morning devotions with my coffee and a shower.
If the day blows up in your face figure out what is the minimum you have to do and just do that. Then the next day you just go back to the usual routine. Don’t beat yourself up for it just get back on track and keep moving.
Why is it important to get ready for the day?
Taking a vacation where you do whatever you please is ok for a few days.
Buuut, doing it too often will slow you down both mentally and physically, lowering your self-esteem. This is huge for women especially.
My grandmother used to put her shoes on every morning even if she never left the house. It gave her just the get-up and go she needed to take on the day.
If you take the time to make yourself feel good to YOU and do the things that help you feel confident and ready to take on the day, there will be a massive change in your mood and even what you get done. It may be a simple beauty routine or taking the time to do your hair in a way that makes you feel like a woman.
Now I know what you might be thinking… “I don’t have time to deal with all of that”.
Trust me, your life, farm, and business won’t fall apart because you take a little time to get yourself right every morning. Personally, I think your life, family, and business will be better for it because your mood will be better and you will make better decisions because of it.
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Getting ready for the day makes you more productive.
When you feel confident and ready to take on what the day brings you are naturally going to get more done. But here’s the other catch… You have to want it.
If you don’t want to get more done each day then you won’t. You have to want to get more don’t each day despite how you feel.
Personally, I am at least 3x more productive on the days when I am ready to go with a plan in mind and I have a list of things I set out to do for the day. Do I get all of them done? Not always, but I got a lot further than if I didn’t try.
Getting Ready For The Day Helps You Feel Empowered
Do what makes you feel beautiful and ready to take on the world. Sure this might sound a bit dramatic but life is hard. You have to be fully energized and ready to go when hard things bring you down.
Shower, put make-up on, do your hair, paint your nails, or anything else that makes you feel accomplished.
For me personally, I like to have a shower with my hair washed and dried every single day. Nothing fancy but enough to make me feel like a human.
You might be thinking what is the point of giving time to your appearance before you start your day? Sure, you might not be seen by anyone that day. But YOU know how you looked for the day and that will affect what you think of yourself.
It will affect how you feel about yourself. I promise you that.
If You Take Care Of Yourself You Are Stronger When You Take Care Of Other People
When you don’t feel good about yourself or like you are struggling to keep up with the day that is going to cause you to feel resentment towards whatever is taking away from your ability to get prepared and feel confident.
I am going to be a little vulnerable with you here. When I didn’t take the time to do the things I needed to do to feel ready for the day I would feel resentful towards my son.
But when I created a plan or watched for the right times when I could do things during the day that made me feel good my mood changed. I was less resentful, less stressed, and more productive because of it. I’ll Get to how you can do this later in the post.
Figure Out Your Natural Flow When It Comes To Getting Ready For The Day
It is so important that you learn to work with how you naturally do things. If you are dragging your feet or feel like you have to push yourself to do something, you won’t stick to it. AND getting that task done will take you five times longer than it should.
For example, when I first wake up I need some productivity juice. Ie coffee. And my body needs some time to get moving.
- For me starting the day looks like coming down starts and getting warm water for the babies bottle, starting water on the stove in my cast iron teapot for coffee. ( I use a french press.)
- Heading back upstarts to feed the baby with one hand and comment on other creators’ content on IG through voice-to-text while he is eating.
- Then I head back downstairs and let the dogs out and make my coffee while the baby plays for a little while and I do my morning devotions and plan the day with God.
- Then I do any writing I can while the baby gets his early morning nap.
- Then when he wakes up I get a shower while he is strapped into his rollaround seat watching Leave it to Beaver…
Here is what I want you to see. I could get a shower and make coffee while he is asleep. But if I did that I would lose the quiet time to write that I so desperately need in order to focus.
But it doesn’t kill him to watch a clean show while I get a shower. So that gives me the time I need to get everything done.
You probably won’t get it perfect the first time and eventually what is working now won’t work forever. You’ll have to switch it up. And that’s ok. The key is paying attention when you hit a snag and something feels out of wack. Your body will let you know if something isn’t working.
As you hear ideas, tips, and tricks, here on the blog or elsewhere. Just try them. Don’t feel obligated to stick with them if it doesn’t feel natural to you.
Getting ready for the day isn’t like working out. It shouldn’t be hard.
Getting Ready For The Day Could Start The Night Before
Now, this entirely depends on you, your personality, and how much time you have in the morning. I only prep for the coming day if we have to get up early or be somewhere before 11 am. Because you never know with a baby how things will go exactly. So the more chances of something going wrong you can mitigate the better.
If you have to get up early and leave for work in an hour then yes I would absolutely prep the night before. There is so much beauty in not rushing your mornings that allows for you to not have a stress-filled day.
Here are some things you could do the night before to help you get ready for the next day.
- Have your bags ready – If you need a laptop, books, clothes, or anything bagged up have it by the door and ready to go. Or even in the car.
- Lay your clothes out – This one might sound a little old. But it is so helpful. We spend a lot of time thinking about this and if you can be mulling it over the night before or while you are in the shower. DO IT. Set the clothes on the chair, nightstand, or if you hang your clothes like I do. Bring them to the front of the closet.
- Make your lunch – This will save you SO much money instead of eating out and time.
- Shower – Now personally I can’t do this. I hate nighttime showers. But that might help you if your time is limited.
You don’t have to do things the night before but it could help. Just think of things that don’t matter when they are pre-done or how long they are setting. Like premaking eggs and toast. Yeah no…
Get Up At A Set Time Every Morning
This one used to be hard for us but my husband and I are natural night owls. So wanting to stay up late is a bad habit that we had to fight every day until we trained our brains that we have to head to bed and sleep at a certain time.
Your body will learn what time to wake up eventually but setting an alarm is a must. Even if you have to set a few (cough, cough, which is what my husband does so I have learned to live with it) to help you wake up.
As a stay-at-home wife, mom, and business owner who sets her own rules. I could go right back to bed after my husband goes to work. But… I don’t because that is not helpful to my routine or my body.
You don’t have to get up that early. There is no correlation between getting up early and being successful in your day. It’s simply creating a routine where you get to work (whatever that looks like for you) and start taking action that makes all the difference.
So choose a time that fits best with your routine and natural flow. That way you are not randomly waking up at all hours of the day causing your body to be confused and work more slowly.
Morning Routines Are Not Spisific To The Minute.
A routine is simply the order in which you do something. It has nothing to do with the time in which you do it. So if you wake up late, you still do the same thing every morning regardless of the “start time”.
Ideas For Things To Have In Your Morning Routine When You First Get Up To Get Ready For The Day
When you are picking the things that you are going to do to help you get ready for the day I want you to know WHY you are doing it. Don’t just do it because I said so or because it seems like a good idea but you don’t know what result you are looking for because of doing that thing.
IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: Don’t create such a crazy routine that you cant remember all 22 steps AND if you have big goals to do don’t create one that takes 4 hrs of your day to complete. Reaching goals and building a good life takes action. Not prepping to do the action.
Drink A Glass of Water
If you are a coffee drinker then most of us go for the coffee. But before you drink your first cup of coffee, consider drinking one cup of water before you take in anything else. It is amazing how refreshing this is and even wakes you up better than the coffee. Yes, I said it.
I am not saying you need to give up your coffee. I love it just as much as the next person. My point is to start flushing your system with something your body needs.
Devotion/Journaling/Mental Rest
If you are a person of faith then you should have dedicated time to do your morning devotions. It doesn’t mean it has to happen at 6:45-7:15 or you are a failure if those times are off. It simply means that you give time in your morning for that.
This is one thing people often skip when the morning is busy or life gets crazy but let me encourage you to make this time something you don’t skip no matter what. As tempting as it is.
When I fall off the bandwagon my days are not as happy and I feel out of sorts and like everything is in chaos. But let me tell you that if you take the time to start the day off with God and be grateful for things. You will be able to handle anything that comes your way with grace and yes, even joy.
Pro Tip
One thing I have found that helps me stay focused while doing my morning devotions is having a notepad right beside me for anything that pops into my mind. I can write the things down while not having to try and remember them while doing my devotions. If you try and hold them in your head you are not going to take in the message or have the breakthrough you would have if your mental power is clogged up.
Pro Tip: One thing I have found that helps me stay focused while doing my morning devotions is having a notepad right beside me for anything that pops into my mind. I can write the things down while not having to try and remember them while doing my devotions. If you try and hold them in your head you are not going to take in the message or have the breakthrough you would have if your mental power is clogged up.
Get Dressed For The Day
This is a point I feel so strongly about and I give a little tough love on this point.
Get out of your pajamas, leggings, or loungewear.
Put on clothes that you would not be embarrassed to be seen in by someone who does not live inside your house. And if you are ok going to the store in what was sold as night clothes. Get some self-respect and find some pants that take your appearance up a notch.
Don’t stay in clothes that don’t give you the motivation to get work done. There is so much power in feeling good about yourself and the way you look even if no one else is around.
Like I said before. Feel good for YOU!
I have even stopped wearing slippers all day in the winter even though I was dressed because I was still feeling not as productive as when I had on my slip-on shoes.
Being dressed and presentable will give you so much motivation and “get up and go”.
Eat Breakfast
This might sound so basic and maybe it is. But giving your body the energy it needs to get through the day will give you the brainpower to keep going without slowing down.
Your brain needs good food to operate. If you are managing your weight you don’t have to eat a lot. Just something to get your mind going. I love to have two tablespoons of peanut butter in the morning as if it were a protein bar. There is 7 grams of protein and about 190 calories in that amount. Perfect for adding a little pep in your step.
Plan Your Day With Intention So You Are Ready For What Comes
I know this can seem like a waste of time especially if your day-to-day is unpredictable, but trust me… If you have a plan for the day (even a simple one) you will get way more done and feel more accomplished than if you just go about your day willie-nilly.
Yes, mommas even you. You probably won’t be able to stick to an hour-by-hour schedule but you can choose the important tasks that need to get done that day.
Having this plan enables you to adjust as the day goes off the rails BECAUSE you know what is most important. When I first became a mom I let the planning go because I thought there was no way I could keep to a schedule so why bother?
The trick is not worrying so much about the hour in which things get done. But the importance of the tasks and which ones need to be done first and which ones can wait.
Dump Everything Out First
Start with a brain dump of anything that you have swirling around in your mind. Your brain was meant for coming up with ideas. Not holding them. So clear out the mental filing cabinet to help you stay more aware and are able to make good decisions even faster.
Use Something To Plan Your Task List
Whether it is a simple list written out on a piece of scrap paper or you have a strategic plan in your beautiful paper planner or a digital tool. Use something to get your daily plan out on paper DO NOT keep it in your head.
If you have nothing to guide you through the day and look back on it will be much easier to avoid the things you should be doing. AND simply get distracted.
This is a planner I love to use (and it’s affordable) because it focuses on your top three goals or tasks for the day. It also gives you the hourly markers for your day so you can time block your tasks. Check it out here.
When To Plan Your Day
Honestly, it depends on what will give you the most mental peace.
Having a short planning session in your morning routine will help you know which task to do next as you go throughout your day.
If you own your own business or work from home taking a few minutes to assess the tasks that should get done the following day is a great way to help you close all the mental tabs in your mind and allow you to be present with your family at night.
Pay attention to what works for your mental peace and how your brain works.
How To Plan Your Day
The mindset in which you approach this is key. there are literally thousands of systems and methods you could use to plan your day. The best way to choose the ‘HOW’ is to look at your day and ask yourself “What will work for me”? Don’t approach it with the sense of “Well there is no way I can be structured so planning isn’t going to work for me.”
Planning your day will look different for everyone. Some people will be able to schedule everything down to the minute at the beginning of the day and others won’t. And that’s ok.
When you have young kids time blocking looks more like ballparking the tasks. If the kiddos nap mid-morning then you have your list of tasks for when that happens. STILL keeping that list of tasks in order of importance.
In different seasons of your life, you might have to change how you do things. Just be ok with it and stay open to when you start to feel stuck or like your planning system isn’t working it’s time to make a change.
How To Organize Your Tasks
To decide which tasks you should focus on each day, write out everything you can come up with that you need to get done. You can even use your brain-dumping list you wrote earlier.
Take your task list and put them in order of importance. This is one reason why I like to use a tool like trello or ClickUp. These tools have an easy-to-use system that allows you to drag and drop items on a list. That way you don’t have to re-write each task.
Be Careful When Choosing What Is Important…
Now, this can be tricky because some tasks might seem important but are not the things that will actually get you closer to your goals.
Whether you are a homesteader, momma, wife, or business owner you need to put the things that are income generating, important to the survival of your home, maintain the “four walls” of your home, or are important to everyones health first.
Important Tasks Treosh Example:
An example would be for a blogger to choose to update an old post over engaging on Instagram. Both are important. But one will be more likely to bring long-term results and income.
But if your income is built from sponsorships and posting then maybe posting on IG is more important for you. That is where you have to really know your goals and take the time to think about the ROI on your time.
Here is a much less extreme example… If we are talking about your home and you need to get your garden planted this week and you also have a pile of laundry to get done. Laundry does seem important but today is the only day that there is no rain. Then today is the day you are getting the garden in.
Make sense?
Getting ready for the day will make a huge difference. I challenge you to get ready every day for a week and see the difference it will make.