Check out this post for 5 ways to take control of your day. Create ease in your day, get things done and stop playing catch-up. Simple changes to your daily routine for maximum impact to help you control your day instead of your day controlling you!
WHEN YOUR DAYS RUN AWAY FROM YOU
A few years ago, I would be hitting the snooze button several times over each morning. I didn’t want to get out of bed and face the day so I tried to put the day off instead. Delay having to get up, get dressed and get out.
The longer I hid under the bed cover, the less time I had to get ready. That meant less time to plan what I was going to wear, less time to shower, less time to eat my breakfast, pack my bag and less time to get into work.
Less time to do all of this generally meant I had to make compromises.
- I had a shower but didn’t wash my hair.
- I got dressed but hardly looked ‘put together’.
- I ate breakfast but it was standing up whilst I was packing my bag, not sitting down and chewing properly.
- I drove to work, but I was so intent on getting there before start time that I was concentrating more on not being late than on making sure I’d packed everything I needed. So, I would forget my sandwiches or my book to read at lunch time.
- I’d arrive at work stressed out, grumpy and feeling far from productive, efficient and professional.
The evenings weren’t much better. After a day at work, I’d arrive home tired, hungry and ready to flump down in front of the TV. Instead I’d find that there were no ingredients to make dinner and dirty clothes still in a pile to wash. By the time I’d sorted all this, I’d need wine to relax me ready for bed.
And all that was before the kids came along and took things to a whole new level…
Then came night-time feeds, loads more washing, more meals to conjure up and more bags to pack. I didn’t just have work to get to but school and after-school clubs and a whole host of yet more things to fill my day and my brain.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR DAY?
So, fast forward to now with my simplified life and my days look totally different.
They’re still filled with a challenging mix of work, kids and busy family life but there’s some big differences!
My days now have structure and routine. Not rigid because that suffocates the fun and stifles the spontaneity that I need and enjoy so much.
But my days have a flow that everyone in our family knows, understands and follows. It makes a difference to how I approach the start of my day, what happens in the middle and how we all feel at the end of it.
I am now in control of my day. We have fun, we get stuff done, we deal with daily ups and downs and a few chaotic, unplanned events along the way! Routine won’t stop those emergencies happening but routines do make it easier to get back on track when things go a bit pear-shaped.
5 WAYS TO TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR DAY
Here are some ideas and 5 ways to take control of your day. Small changes with BIG impact!
1. Create a supportive morning routine
Set yourself up with a morning routine that really serves you. How you start your day sets the tone for how you react to and approach what happens during it.
Give yourself plenty of time to ease into the day and be prepared in both body and mind.
Stop hitting the snooze button, make a plan for how you use this precious time and do things that will support you for the day ahead. Stop feeling like you’re playing catch-up by getting up too late, stressing because you run out of time and beginning your day, grumpy and irritable.
“The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day.” (Henry Ward Beecher)
Create a positive start for a positive mindset and day with a morning routine that’s flexible, consistent and really works for you. Try these morning routine ideas for some help creating your own special morning time routine.
2. Create a calming evening routine
The evening marks the finale for your day. You can get a head-start on the morning tomorrow, put your home to bed for the night with a quick tidy, get your kids and yourself ready for a peaceful night sleep.
However challenging your day has been, a consistent, calm and peaceful evening routine will encourage your body and mind to slow down. That’s exactly what you need to be ready for the morning, without needing to hit that snooze button!
Read more about creating an evening routine and how to declutter your bedroom for a peaceful night’s sleep.
3. Be strategic with your To Do list
A To Do list is very helpful in getting crystal clear on what you need to do and when. A visible list of your main To Do’s for the day, whether that’s written on a piece of paper, your notebook or in the notes on your phone, will give you a visual list to work through, tick off and track your progress.
Without a To Do list, you might be storing those tasks, errands and things to remember in your busy brain where they might be forgotten about!
But, more than that, a visual list helps you be strategic. If you include too many things to do in a day, you run the risk of not getting them done. You might not know where to start, procrastinate, or even prioritise the wrong things.
Before you go to bed, take a few minutes to create your To Do list for the morning. Keep it simple and strategic. Refer to it the next day and tick things off when you’ve done them.
Stay in control of your day by making intentional choices about exactly what you need to do that day and what can wait until tomorrow.
Read more about writing a great To Do list.
4. Create wiggle room
Wiggle room is my very favourite term for giving yourself some margin and flexibility in your day. We all have busy days with meetings, appointments, the school run, errands and general day-to-day things like cooking dinner, walking the dog, overseeing homework and housework.
If you need to, you can actually fit quite a lot into one of those busy days if you’re organised, but the key to making it feel manageable and not overwhelming is to create a To Do list (see the point above) and give yourself some wiggle room.
Instead of back-to-back meetings, create a little time in between in case the meeting runs late or you need a cup of coffee in between to re-fuel. If you’re doing the school run and need to pop to the shops beforehand, leave home 10-15 minutes early so you’re not rushing.
When we overbook and double-book ourselves this can be stressful, even if things go according to plan. What happens, for example, when you get stuck in a traffic jam, or you forget your purse and have to go home to get it, or you miss a slide on your presentation and need to create another one.
Give yourself wiggle room so you are in control of your day, instead of feeling like you’re lurching and playing catch-up from one thing to the other.
5. Schedule your priorities
Scheduling your priorities is more than just creating a To Do list. It’s about taking a longer-term and aerial view of your days and your life and how and where you spend your time and energy.
Busy life has a habit of pushing and pulling us in every direction. We get caught up in the hustle and bustle and doing ‘all the things’ that we sometimes forget to question why we’re doing them. Is it because we feel we should? We don’t want to let people down? We don’t want to miss out?
A fulfilling life is meant to be busy, right? Wrong.
A fulfilling life is only fulfilling if it’s filled with things that mean something to you. Otherwise it’s just a filled life.
Taking control of your day is so much easier when you have a clear idea of what you’d like to fill them with. There will usually always be work, commitments, errands and appointments but what else do you want to have in your days? What’s important to you and how can you make time and space for that in your schedule?
For more about scheduling your priorities, pop your details in the box below for a free printable.
CONCLUSION
As the author Annie Dillard says ‘How you spend your days is, of course, how you spend your life’. Make sure you’re spending your days in the best way possible. Take control of them before they take control of you! These 5 tips will help you structure your day, get things done and get you in the right mindset for whatever the day throws at you!
Now see if you can take control of your day!
RESOURCES TO HELP YOU BE MORE PRODUCTIVE
Apart from knocking things of your To Do list and clearing space in your schedule, you can be less busy by being more productive. Here are some resources on productivity and time management you might like:
- 15 ways to be more productive – Get more done in less time
- How to be less busy – Tips on doing less and gaining more
- Things that waste time during the day
- 18 signs you are too busy – And what to do about it
- How to be more organised
Antonia Colins is the creator of Balance Through Simplicity, a website helping busy people declutter their home and life and live more intentionally. She has over 20 years of personal and professional experience in juggling work and family life and supporting individuals to remain independent and enjoy their home more. In her spare time, you can find Antonia walking, reading or planning her next travel adventure! She lives in the UK with her husband and teenage kids. Get your free Declutter Starter Kit.