Have you ever woke up from a blissful sleep? Feeling as if you’ve slept on a cloud. Wonder what the day has in store only to go back to the great sleep you just had. I usually have broken sleep throughout the night and wake up about 3-4 times during my 7-hour sleep. That’s when I wake up feeling drained.
Today, I woke up with the curtains omitting the brightness coming from the morning sun and as I opened my eyeballs, I felt so rested and wondered if I was having my usual broken sleep and this was one of them but I realized that I had nothing planned today. That alone made me feel relieved and probably why I was able to sleep so peacefully.
During the week, I make it a point to wake up, regardless of how my night went, by the time my husband comes home from work. He works the grave shift so that means when I go to bed, he’s headed to work. Like clockwork, I wake up when he’s home so I can spend time with him before he has to rest for his shift. While I don’t regret making this adjustment to my schedule, I find myself feeling sluggish and having a headache since I didn’t have the peaceful sleep I deserved.
I confirmed that preparing certain things the night before helps in having a good day. Here’s how I make that happen:
Prepping my coffee
Yup! Prepping my coffee for the morning gets me in go mode as soon as I wake up. We all need something to look forward to and for me, that’s coffee in the morning. Something about the hot goodness calms me and prepares me for the day.
The night before, I rinse the coffee pot and fill the reservoir with filtered water as I clean and add a new serving of coffee grounds into the coffee maker. All I need to do in the morning while in slumber is plug that baby in and I’m good to go!
This enables me to not have to think in the morning as I’m still waking up.
Reviewing my schedule
I review my daily schedule and things to do the night before. I prioritize my tasks into what needs to be done first to get me closer to my goal. Some things need to be done on a daily such as laundry, dishes, and picking up around the house but that goes without saying.
Some say that doing hard tasks first is superior to tackling the simpler tasks since we have the most energy in the beginning. According to an article by Brian Tracy, if you have to eat two frogs, eat the ugliest one first. In Mr. Tracy’s example, he uses the word frog to resemble a task. Although he is not wrong, I prefer to “eat the frog” later in the day as my mornings are usually busier than the rest of my day.
By handling the mindless, robotic tasks first, I get more off my plate while pursuing my other responsibilities. Everyone is different so I suggest deciding where in your schedule can you dedicate your attention to accomplishing the bigger tasks.
Take time to show gratitude
Most of us are quick to complain about how life isn’t fair or that we have so much stress in our life. Now although this may be true, we need to start incorporating appreciation and gratitude to humble ourselves. I always have to remind myself that there are people in much worse situations than I am so I should appreciate the life I have now. We all go through that self-pity party occasionally but if you can stop and think for a second that there is always someone with less money or in weaker health or who just lost their job, maybe we can learn to be thankful for the misfortunes in our life.
I’m not saying that the hardships in our lives should go unnoticed but what I am saying is that without those hardships, we wouldn’t know how to cope. I try to look for the positive in most situations since complaining and dwelling on it gets me nowhere but miserable. The art of coping makes us stronger and to be stronger prepares us for the reality of life. An article by Forbes states that there are 7 scientifically-proven benefits of gratitude which I find fascinating and have adopted this method. One important way I show gratitude is by writing in my gratitude journal.
As a mother of children with special needs, there’s a lot that goes through my mind, and sometimes, no one to talk to. By journaling and expressing my thoughts in words, not only do I feel better but I can appreciate what I do have and what I can control.
Choose my outfit
There are several factors before deciding the outfit of choice:
Weather
Plans
Comfort level
By checking the weather, I know the thickness of the clothing I should wear. I never had this problem on an island since we all wore cool pieces as the climate was usually hot and humid. Since moving to the United States, I factor this first before anything.
Since I work from home, my uniform consists of leggings and a hoodie but should I have plans to go out that day, I usually opt for jeans, a camisole, and a blazer.
Depending on the time of the month, if I’m feeling extra bloated, I tend to grab a loose shift dress since I don’t have to worry about sucking in my tummy or a muffin top. Facts people! These are vital!
10-minute power clean
There is nothing I hate more than waking up to a messy house. By doing a 10-minute power clean before going to bed, I can establish a routine to ensure my morning goes smoothly. Washing the dishes, wiping down the counters, and sweeping crumbs under the kitchen table are the main things I focus on. This usually is done when my kids have gone to bed so I know if one of them woke up during the night.
If I were behind schedule and didn’t get through the laundry, this would be the time, I’d separate the clothes into piles and distribute them into my kid's bedrooms for them to tackle when they wake up.
By having a set routine the night before, I am prepared for whatever comes my way. I don’t aim for perfection since there is no such thing but I do expect my days to be structured. Within that structure, I plan on unexpected situations since it’s better to be prepared than not.