Do you ever think OMG how is it August already? Well don’t fear, it’s time to organize your life like never before. It’s just that time of year. The following tips will help you feel calmer, minimize your stress, and have you feeling like you’ve got everything together.
First, get prepared the night before. This could be anything from laying out your outfit for work and packing a lunch for the day. Even remembering to put your keys in an obvious place – anything that will help prevent you from running around the house in the morning! This small change will help reduce your morning stress tenfold, and honestly feels like you’re starting your day on a much happier note.
The next tip is to use a visible calendar so you have a clear vision of your schedule. This can be an electronic calendar if you’d like – I now use Google Calendar. It allow you to colour code and send you reminders, if that’s something you feel would be helpful. However if you prefer a paper calendar to actually write everything down, that’s cool too. There are also whiteboard calendars, desk calendars..the options are endless.
Having a calendar to keep track of appointments, to-dos, plus things that may pop up during the week helps clear it out of your mind. Once you have it out of your mind, you create some mental space for yourself. Rather than feeling like there aren’t enough hours in the day, you will feel focused and in control of your days.
Another easy habit to add into your routine is to tidy things up each day. This can be putting your gym bag away right when you get home rather than tossing it on the floor. Or going through the mail right away rather than allowing it to pile up for a week. Maybe not leaving all of your shoes in the lounge like I do if I’m not conscious of it. Just try to do anything that you can do right away to keep your space tidy. Having a tidy living space will help your mental clarity, and also keep your stress levels down.
The last tip is to prepare your meals in advance, especially when it comes to lunch and dinners. It can be easy when you’re out and about to just grab fast food, but if you plan ahead you can stick to your health and fitness goals. Yes, even on your busiest days. The best way to do this is to pre-pack your meals either the night before, or do a big cook up every couple of days. Still don’t have time? Order your food. My favourites are fit foods for you and mash foods. Look them up and give them a go.
Try these tips as you go head first into August and your schedule gets a bit hectic. You’ve got this.