Close your eyes, sit comfortably, and relax. Play some soft music and grab your favourite kombucha (or another drink of your choice). Smile. And think what would you do if you had more time?
What would you be able to do, create, be, or have if you could have a little bit more time in your day? What could you achieve? How would it feel if you were accomplished at the end of the day?
You may argue that it is only daydreaming, but it is possible to get the most out of your day. Follow those seven ways and you will soon feel energized, creative, fulfilled, and looking forward to your next day.
1. Start the Day Right
Your morning decides what type of day you will have. If you feel stressed and rushed in the morning, this feeling will follow you for the rest of the day. If you wake up with energy, positivity, and calmness, your day will reflect that.
If you want to get the most out of your day you need to start your day right. You need a morning routine. I don’t think there is anything more powerful than setting yourself up for the day.
If you don’t have a morning routine, it is time to create one. I swear by my morning routine.
I used to feel stressed, overwhelmed, and depressed when I woke up. So, I carried those feelings into my morning and my day. Trust me, you can’t take on the world when you feel like that.
To get the most out of your morning routine, combine activities that address your body and mind. The aim is to create physical as well as mental energy.
My morning routine starts with drinking water and doing some form of exercise. Either I walk, do yoga, or follow a short workout to stretch and pump my physical energy up. And to put my mind in a positive state I do either meditation, breathwork, gratitude, visualization, or incantations.
Don’t be discouraged, you don’t need to do all of it! And you certainly don’t need a lot of time to reap the rewards of a morning routine. Start with ten minutes if that is all you’ve got.
I’m a strong believer that it is better to do something for five minutes, than not do anything. Start small and build it up to what produces the best results for you.
2. Set Goals
Let’s face it, our lives are jampacked with work, family duties, household chores, social obligations, economic or health worries, and the list goes on. The constant demand for your limited time can make you feel like you can never catch your breath.
That is why the only way to feel like you are moving forward is by setting goals. There is science in setting goals. But when it is done right you will be surprised how easy it is to hit your goal.
I set annual, quarterly, monthly, weekly, and daily goals. It may seem like a lot, but it is not. All goes are connected. Neuroscience teaches us that we need to have a bigger dream and a smaller one to keep the momentum going.
If you are reluctant to set goals, I really would like to encourage you to give it another try.
Goals are like signposts. They tell you where to go. Otherwise, you will always feel like you don’t know what to do or what should happen next.
Think about it, you wouldn’t go on holiday without picking a destination first, would you?
So, let goals direct you out of the stress and overwhelm so you can get the most out of your day.
3. Manage Distractions
The main reason you may not get the most out of your day is distractions. There are so many shiny objects competing for your attention, that it is no wonder you feel overwhelmed.
You may juggle many plates in the air and feel like there is always someone wanting something from you. Or you jump from one task to another only to realize that none of them are finished.
This is a common scenario. In a world with all the pings and notification pop-ups, staying focused is a challenge. To feel more in control of your time, day, and sometimes sanity, you need to learn to manage distractions.
First of all, you need to recognise what distractions interfere with your work. Maybe you are working on a project and you are being interrupted all the time. Is it your phone, emails, or people?
Or is it your internal environment? You are obsessing over your morning conversation with your spouse, what to cook for dinner, or how you are going to save up for your kid’s college.
Both internal and external distractions will drain your energy. To get the most out of any task you do, you need to fully be focused on it. The concept of being present in the moment is how you feel more alive and how you get things done.
Create clear boundaries, so others know you are in full work mode and won’t be available. Put your phone and inbox on silent and look at it only during your break.
Practice mindfulness to give your mind a break and watch how your productivity skyrockets.
But before we start, are you part of my community? Join my newsletter to get the latest action steps on how to eat a healthy plant-based diet, de-stress, manage your time better, prioritize yourself, and anything in between so that you INCREASE your energy, SAVE time and INVEST well in your wellness!
4. Do Stacking
I used to be a big fan of multitasking until I learned that multitasking consumes a lot of energy. Unfortunately, research shows that energy usage outperforms the results you get from multitasking.
So, it is not in our best interest to do too many things at once.
Old habits die hard so, so on occasions, I still multitask. However, I am trying to move away from it and do more stacking instead.
The concept of stacking comes from habit stacking – this is when you build one habit on top of another. You can use the same idea to get the most out of your day.
Stacking is best used when your brain doesn’t consume a lot of power. So, for example, when you are waiting in a queue you can catch up on your reading. Or when you are on hold, you can plan your weekly menu, pay bills, or schedule some tasks.
I often use stacking when doing household chores. I may catch up on some shows or watch a webinar when I fold washing. I also often stretch my body when I talk, cook, or do the dishes.
This way I’m maximizing my time and getting boring tasks out of the way. At the same time leaving pockets of time for the things I truly love to do.
5. Eat Healthily
To work on an important project, play with your kids, cook a healthy dinner, or absorb new information you need energy. Anything and everything you do needs energy. And when you run on empty, you will struggle to get the most out of your day.
One way to have mental and physical energy is by eating healthily.
There is a lot of discussion on what it means to eat healthily. It can be overwhelming to follow it. That is why you need to consider not only what to eat but also how to eat.
Mostly because digestion uses a lot of energy. So, does obsessing about being hungry all the time.
The best way to ensure you provide what your body needs is by a balanced diet. By eating all the food groups, you can be certain you deliver all the vital nutrients.
Remember that some foods are energy drains, and consuming them will make you feel sleepy, sloppy, or lethargic. You want to use foods that will boost your energy and give you the strength to go after your daily goals.
Staying hydrated is another way you ensure you have the energy to get the most out of your day. So, keep on drinking water throughout the day.
6. Exercise
Eating healthily is one way to boost your energy, and exercising is another. Exercising improves your cardiovascular health, gets your bones and muscles stronger, and delivers fresh oxygen into your body.
Getting plenty of oxygen is important. When there is fresh oxygen delivered to your brain, you fight brain fog, fatigue, and sleepiness. You think logically, are more creative, and as a result more productive.
But above all, exercising releases endorphins, dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. They are all called happy hormones because they improve your overall well-being. In addition, endorphins are our natural painkillers and help to relieve stress.
Exercising is one of the best stress management techniques you can use. During the stress response, called the fight-or-flight-or-freeze response, your biochemistry changes. Your body starts producing the stress hormone adrenaline.
At first, adrenaline will get you into action. However, as it wears off you will feel depleted, tired, and headachy. To change your biochemistry and come to homeostasis you need to move your body.
The more you exercise, the more energy you will have. And with that energy, you can get the most out of your day.
7. Be Grateful
I am an action-oriented person, and I am obsessed with looking for ways to maximise my time. After all, time is the only resource that cannot be bought, or multiplied. Time is precious.
And when we talk about getting the most out of our day, we look for ways to squeeze as much from each hour as we can. That is why time management is such a hot topic.
However, we can’t talk about feeling accomplished if we fill out every minute of our day with work. Regardless of whether we work to build our careers or do nonremuneration work.
You need to pause for a moment and be grateful for what you have done, how far you have come, and what is good in your life now. You may be obsessed about your future and achieving big goals, but getting the most out of your day requires stepping back.
Research shows that the feeling of gratefulness elevates our mood. It is the basic principle of focusing on what is positive in your life. Being thankful for whom you have in your life, for the joy and love and happiness.
When you feel grateful, your parasympathetic nervous system is activated. It means you can’t feel stressed when you feel grateful.
How to Make Your Day Better
There are days when it seems impossible to feel like you got anything done in the day. However, you can get the most out of your day if you shift your focus.
Start your day with a morning routine that prepares you for the day ahead. Set your daily goals, so you know what needs to be completed. Eliminate distractions and do stacking to maximise your time.
Create mental and physical energy by eating healthily and exercising. And to truly feel accomplished at the end of the day, be grateful for the good you have in life.
Join my newsletter to get the latest action steps on how to eat a healthy plant-based diet, de-stress, manage your time better, prioritize yourself, and anything in between so that you INCREASE your energy, SAVE time, and INVEST well in your wellness!
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