There are times in life where it feels like there are not enough hours in the day.
The to-do list keeps growing, and the days seem to get shorter and shorter.
Between starting my blog, and working full time, there have been many days where I have felt like I was drowning, overwhelmed, and just plain exhausted.
Life goes on, and our obligations do not seem to go anywhere, alas, we must keep moving. Because of this, I had to figure out more ways to allow myself the time I needed to be more productive.
I have had to become very creative and find ways to balance all of my life obligations. Because of this need to find balance, I am sharing with you the eight things I do before 8 am to feel more productive each day.
Eight Things To Do Before 8 am
First things first. If you are not a morning person, you are going to have to shift your way of thinking to make this work.
I am sort of a morning person. I say sort of because, in an ideal world, I’d wake up every day at 8 am and start my day. Unfortunately, I don’t live in an ideal world; I live in the real world, where my days start at 5 am. Yep, you read it, 5 am. You can read more about my struggle to become a morning person here.
Finding the Balance
I knew that at some point something would have to give, and I was not willing to sacrifice my blog to make things work.
What I learned is that I needed to set aside a little bit of extra time in the mornings to set myself up for the day.
I was quickly reaching a breaking point, so I had to figure out what I could do to make things work.
You can also read some of my tips about balancing work and life here as well.
How To Organize Your Day With These Eight Things to do Before 8 am
Drink Water
When I wake up in the morning, I am extremely thirsty. The first thing I do is drink a full glass of water. Because I am waking up so early at 5 am, I feel like it helps me to wake up faster.
Instead of starting my morning with coffee, I like to give my body a natural boost to get my day started. Once I complete my initial eight things before 8 am, I can move on to my much-needed cup of coffee.
Exercise
I have switched back to working out in the mornings, and while it sucks to wake up super early and leave my home, it has helped me out so much. When I work out in the morning, I feel great because I have my whole evening to get things done after work.
Working out in the morning also helps me to feel more energized throughout the day. I sit pretty much all the time. I drive an hour plus to work each way, sit at a desk all day, drive back home, and then work on my blog in my home office. That’s a lot of sitting for a girl who likes to have a round tush, LOL.
Morning workouts have enabled me to stay in shape and feel more balanced throughout my days.
Read more benefits of working out in the mornings here.
Morning Stretching
I do not go to the gym every morning before work, but I try to go 2 – 3 times per week during the week. I have also started doing a quick 10-minute yoga routine to help awaken my body.
Even on the days that I go to the gym, I end my workout with the stretches in the 10-minute morning yoga routine. I have found for the past week of doing yoga, I feel more centered, and my body feels less tense.
Stress can sometimes settle in certain areas of your body, so stretching out each day can be super beneficial.
Laundry
I really dislike doing laundry. It is one of the least desirable chores around the house to me. To make it more bearable, I have started to throw a load of laundry into the washer before I head out for the gym.
By the time I make it home from the gym, the clothes are ready to be put into the dryer. And finally, when I am back home in the evenings, I can quickly fold/put away the laundry.
This simple life hack has made it so much easier for me because instead of spending my Saturday morning doing laundry, I am freed up to do other things.
Learn Something
I like to listen to podcasts in the morning as I am getting ready. I feel like it is a great way to get my mind going and thinking about the day ahead.
With podcasts, you learn something new each time you listen to one. I like Ted Talks, and also blogging related podcasts like Annie Spano’s podcast.
Sometimes a little extra motivation is needed to make it through the days and everything that life can throw our way.
Empty the Dishwasher
I run the dishwasher at night and empty it in the morning before I head out for work. Keeping the dishwasher empty eliminates any excuses for piling the sink up with dishes.
This is especially helpful for those who may have younger children. It is much easier to toss things in the dishwasher than it is to pile the sink full of dishes and then clean them and put them in the dishwasher.
These little steps can help to make the craziest days seem a little bit saner.
Check Your To – Do List
I like to keep a running list on my phone of things that I need to do. Since I always have my phone with me, it is very easy to grab my phone and edit or add to my to-do list when I need to.
Also, if you are anything like me, sometimes you have an idea in your mind, get to the office, and then the idea is gone.
By adding things to your to-do list, you can guarantee that you won’t forget what you need to do.
Another scheduling tool that helps me is adding my to-do’s directly to my calendar on my phone. The calendar gives me a reminder which helps me stay on top of my ever-growing list.
Being as organized as I possibly can has been helpful during this time of trying to balance working full time with blogging on the side.
Know What’s for Dinner
Meal planning is an essential part of staying organized. When you know what you are going to make for dinner, you waste less time standing in front of the pantry trying to figure out dinner.
Meal planning is especially helpful if you cook meals with meat because you can take out whatever you need to unthaw in the morning, and it will be ready for you to begin cooking when you get home from work.
Why Doing These Eight Things Before 8 am Help
Getting these eight things done before 8 am have been a huge help to my life. Nothing is perfect, but sometimes we must create our own versions of perfect.
I am not going to lie; there are days when my alarm goes off, and I say f it, roll over and get more sleep. What I have realized though, is the days that I get the few extra moments of sleep, things feel way off for me.
My routine has been in practice for the last several months, and my lifestyle has slowly become dependent on me operating in this way.
Because getting up so early five days in a row can take its toll, I do allow myself time to sleep in a little bit on the weekend. My body is so used to the early wake ups now that sleeping in for me now means waking up at 8 am, which is still early.
I hope this 8 before 8 helps you become more productive and organized!
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