Morning, evening, and/or daily routines are one of my (and I'm sure it's yours too) favorite things to watch on social media. It is so satisfying to watch someone complete a set of tasks that keep their homes cleaner, keep them more organized or just simply stay on top of their daily routines. We all desire to have that lifestyle, hence why it is so satisfying to watch. More often than not, we find ourselves just trying to stay afloat or just trying to make it through. Having set tasks (or accomplishments) outlined in a daily routine has really helped me feel accomplished each day and I promise you it is more satisfying to look back at those completed tasks than to watch them.
Here in this blog, I will outline 4 things to help create you a daily routine that helps you feel accomplished at the end of the day and stay on top of life.
1. Get Up Early and Have a Set Morning Routine
This probably sounds like I'm repeating myself (consider having a morning routine in your daily routine....), but hear me out. Our mornings are a small part of our daily routine but man do they impact the flow of our day. Everytime I get up late, rush through my makeup, change and get out the door, I feel like I am behind all day. You can't tell me you don't feel the same way.
Each morning I intentionally wake up, get out of bed, and do my set of morning tasks I have deemed important for me to have a good day, I have a good day! I am not saying get up at 3 AM, run a marathon, build a shelter before you get ready for work. Just a simple 6-8 tasks each morning that you can mentally check off your list and flow through to set you up for success.
Here is my morning routine:
- Wake-up at 5:45 AM
- Get out of bed by 5:55 AM
- Contacts, Brush my teeth, skincare
- Devotionals & Bible reading
- Make my bed and tidy the room (while skincare sets in, iykyk)
- Change into my clothes
- Makeup/Hair
- Make Coffee
- Out the door!
See! Nothing crazy. But intentionally taking the time to outline what I want more morning to look like with simple tasks, then following through, helps me start my day off feeling accomplished and put together.
2. Outline 3 Top Things to Accomplish at Work or Home
This is something I started doing recently and it honestly has helped me SO much. I am a Director of Sales and have a team of account managers, other sales reps, marketing, and others reporting to me. Working in a private business, I naturally wear many hats (as many people do nowadays).
It is so easy for me to get look at my never-ending to-do list, my forever increasing number of emails and get overwhelmed. And if you have a team like me, you probably get interrupted all day long with questions. The worst is when you are answering emails or questions (basically just putting out fires) all day because you are working hard but feel like you haven't gotten anything accomplished on your list. Kind of like a hamster on wheels or a car stuck in mud, you're spinning your wheels exhausting yourself, but you are in the same spot not moving forward. Trust me, I have had many days like this and this is why I started implementing this next tip.
At the beginning of each week, I will look at my little daunting to-do list and divy up three things I want to accomplish each day (Monday-Friday). Then each day, I try to get these things done first before I even look at my emails. Crossing those three things off my list each day is the best feeling ever.
If for some reason I can't get to all of those three things, I make myself find time sometime in the week to do it. I try to not let any of those tasks carry over into the next week. So I will often leave lighter and quicker tasks at the end of the week. Forcing myself to get those items done was harder at the beginning, but it gets easier and easier and you feel so much more accomplished each time you do it.
And this can easily be done for things at home too because more often than than not, things at home get put on the back-burner. I will try to put three things down to accomplish at work and one thing at home each night whether that is laundry, vacuuming, taking out the trash, etc. But pre-determining what task that will be - will make it much more satisfying than just loading on the work at night.
It doesn't necessarily have to be three things, it can be 1-2 each day. The goal of this tip is to take your daunting to-do list and make it management which is why it is the perfect habit to add to your daily routine.
3. Take Everything Home with You from Work and Out of Your Car
It is so easy to let things clutter up in your office/work space or in your cars. I used to have a million cups, jackets, random things pile up in my car. I intentionally have made it a habit to take everything out of my office and car each night and it makes it so much nicer for the next time you go into that space. James Clear talks in his book, "Atomic Habits" (which is the BEST read for creating daily routines and habits), about setting up the space to make the next habit easier. While getting in your car and going to work is not necessarily a habit, I believe the same concept applies of setting that location up for success.
Even though I start my day with my iced coffee and water with lemon, I seem to end the day with many more drinks (what I like to call my emotional support cups) and things all over my desk. I start by removing any cups that can be disposed, and tidy up all items on my desk. Even though my arms are usually full leaving and I seem to rush out the door - I always make sure I grab my coffee cup and water bottle to take home and clean for the next day. Out of my car, I always take my cups, bags, any mail that I grab, and any trash to dispose. While these are small tasks, I intentionally make these a personal rule for myself so I know I am staying organized.
4. The "Closing Shift"
Last but not least, the closing shift. I am sure some of you have seen this on Tiktok or Instagram reels ( I am pretty sure that is where I heard this concept). But it is the idea of having a set of cleaning/chores to complete to "close down" your kitchen or home, much like you would do in a restaurant kitchen, etc. It's again, the concept of setting up the next space. It is so much more pleasant to wake up in the morning and go to a clean and organized space than try to get ready and out the door in a mess. It's the perfect last part of your daily routine to help you go to bed feeling accomplished at the end of the day.
My closing shift looks like:
- All dishes in the dishwasher (dishwasher running)
- All items in kitchen gets put away
- Countertops wiped
- All living room blankets folded
- All pillows straightened
- Tidy any miscellaneous items
That's all I have in my list for now - but it is the perfect closing shift routine to have a tidy space. There is nothing better than going to bed with a clean kitchen and house!
Most of these tasks seem very simple and I'm sure the idea of a morning routine and the "Closing shift" seems kind of like "duh", but I have lived my life without those and have lived my life with them and I can tell you, I feel more organized, energized, on top of things, and set-up for success when I take initiative to do these small things. I also end each day feeling more accomplished instead of feeling like spinning on wheels in the same spot.
Adding these 4 things into your daily routine can help jumpstart you into a more positive mindset.
