Have a Productive Morning! 5 Things to do Before 9 AM

Jump start your day the right way Lovelies!

The sun is shining and it’s going to be a beautiful morning. Don’t you wish this positive attitude would carryover every day, you have to wake up wayyy to early? Unfortunately, it never does. Have you ever looked at the clock and wondered where the day went? How it is already close to pick up time for the kids or closing time at work and you haven’t accomplished anything you planned to do today?

Here are a few tips to help your days become more productive.

Exercise – Even though you will dread getting out of bed just to work out, you will feel much better afterwards. Here is the good part – you do not need to travel to the gym. If you are unable to give the thirty – sixty minutes for your cardio, its ok. Save the time for after work. Try waking up ten minutes before your alarm clock is set to go off and begin the day with stretching, a few push-ups and jogging in place. Google online for five to six minute quick warm up work outs. It will help wake your body up and prep you for the day.

Eat your Breakfast – Another common “to do” we often try to avoid in the early am. For us, a coffee is enough for the stomach and we’re making a quick dash for the door. With our time being so precious, having a full nutritious meal is next to impossible on a work day. However, so that our stomachs are satisfied enough to keep our bodies functioning properly, try eating a cereal bar, muffin, bagel, or anything that is quick to make and can be eaten on the go.

My To Do List (for the day) – Download an app on your phone where you can quickly make note of all the things you need to do today. I use an app called Wunderlist which I love. It allows me to quickly jot down all my tasks, enter extra descriptions and deadlines (dates/times) within seconds. Planning out your day is the quickest way to get things done in an efficient manner, without overlooking anything.

Stop…the Last Minute Rush – There are a lot of things we tend to do in the wee hour of the morning, that we could do at night. For example: picking out our work clothes, printing that document you need for a morning meeting, searching for the missing purse you want to wear tomorrow but can’t find. Quit putting things off for the next day and do it when you have the spare time at night. You will find yourself much more relaxed and calm when you have extra minutes to spare in the mornings.

Prepare yourself – Mentally prepare yourself for the day you are about to face. Whether you are going to your dream job or your “make ends meet” job – you have to go. Prep yourself. This day is going to happen whether you enjoy it or not. So why spend your time fighting it and wishing the day was over. Embrace the day and the happenings to come and it can make a world of a difference.

Tips –

The night before:

When working a full time job there clearly is not enough time in the day, especially if you have children and/or other activities/ventures you’re working on. Here are a few things to do at night that will help cut down on your morning preparation.

•  Pick out all outfits the night before
• Prep your breakfast
• Pack lunches

*Stayed tuned for the upcoming blog post about things to do once you get to work.

xoxo,

Missy B. Salick

Busy Moms, Finding the Time to . . .

Are you tired of seeing those books and articles by stay-at-home moms or moms who work from home? I know I am. I have no quarrel with either/or but let’s be serious. They both have a lot more free time than the average mom who has to wake up at seven, drop off the kids at school or day care, and be at work by nine. To be fair, I’m sure they have “plenty on their plate” to handle during the day. However, having the luxury to do it in your home around your own schedule makes it that much easier to “manage your time”.

Let’s be frank, when you are a working mother there already isn’t enough time in the day, yet alone time to start a business, network, do research, etc. Your precious time is already divided into drop off, pickups, travel time to and from work, grocery shopping, children’s activities, laundry, and the list can go on and on. If I am a working mother, when the heck am I supposed to find the time to start and run a successful business? I get asked this question at least twice a week. Even more so now that everyone has learned I wrote a book. “When did you ever find the time?” they ask.

First, I’m sure you’re wondering what my schedule is. Is it as crazy as yours or as relaxed as a stay-at-home mom’s? Well, I can tell you now it’s a hot mess. My days are juggled between my job, my children, getting fit, starting and trying to run a publishing business, with the goal of making it a success, promoting my first novel, and the many surprises that life decides to throw at me that day or week. This is how I know there is never enough time for a woman to do what she has to do and then take care of herself. Fortunately, I have been able to have off two days a week to help my hubs by playing a bigger role in pickup and drop-off since he had his accident. While this is a temporary solution, I had to be thankful for the “extra time” I would get, right? Wrong! It seems with the “extra time” comes more chores and responsibilities. I don’t know what happened, but now I’m busier than before.

However, when I wrote and completed my book I was working full-time five days a week and taking care of my two children. To be honest: during the writing phase I rarely sat at the computer to write. Most of the time the writing was done on my phone, during train rides, at lunch breaks, and on road trips with the kids. I found the time to write, even if it was a page a day or a chapter a week.

You have to find the time to put yourself that much closer to your dreams. Then and now I have lost major sleep time. I have learned to operate on about half of the required amount that is needed. “Yes, my name is Missy and I am a coffee addict.”  Looking back, I see writing was somewhat the easy part. You can write anywhere. Now the hardest part is getting out there to promote. Between wearing all the many hats that I do, the “me” time that has turned into “Claiming Jeremiah time” is slim to none. Trying to find the time to get out there and sell, sell, sell, promote, promote, promote, and network, network, network is almost impossible. If you were looking for solutions, you came to the wrong place. This was merely me venting about how I can possibly buy extra time for myself at this point. Bottom line: the question we have to ask ourselves is “How bad do we want it? How much are we willing to sacrifice?”

Right now it’s 11:20 p.m. on a Saturday night and I still have sixty minutes of workout time to get through, my nineteen-month-old keeps jumping out of her crib, I have yet to eat dinner, and I still have to answer emails from my lovely supporters reaching out to me. Looks like another long night ahead.

Signing off,

Missy