Do you ever notice that it gets harder to make decisions toward the end of the day? You are too tried to figure out what to have for dinner or what to watch on TV. That is because we all have a finite amount of decisions that we can make on any given day. Knowing that helps us prioritize.
We can cut out a lot of decision making by implementing habits and routines. That way, we save time for the important stuff. It also frees brain space for more creative and productive thinking. Routines are a great tool that simplifies our lives and cut out a lot of our daily stress.
Chances are you already have a morning routine. You get up, you shower, get dressed, check email and fix some breakfast before heading to school. Let’s expand on that. If you prepare your clothes for the week, you don’t even have to think about what to wear. You just grab a pair of pants and a shirt, or a skirt, tights, and sweater and off you go.
Implement some routines into your work day wherever possible. Meal planning helps you figure out what meals to fix and eat. A cleaning schedule makes sure you stay on track with your household chores without you having to spend any valuable decision-making skills in the process.
Wrap your day up with a bedtime routine that not only helps when you are too tired to make smart choices, it also helps you fall asleep more easily.
Start by doing a few chores that make the next morning easier. Making sure the kitchen is clean and your clothes are in order and your breakfast, lunch, and snacks are packed are great examples. Come up with a few calming things that help you slow down and get ready for sleep. Read a book, meditate or wind down with a cup of herbal tea.
Sit down with a pen and piece of paper and think about what parts of your day and week you can turn into routines. Write down and create daily to-do lists for yourself until you’ve established these new habits and routines.
Spending a little bit of time creating routines and habits will make your day run a lot smoother. You might just find yourself less stressed and get more done during your productive hours. And that is a beautiful thing. It allows you to save plenty of decision making for the fun stuff like figuring out what park to go to, what family movie to watch or what board game to play.
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