Tweak Your Morning Routine To Turn Off Your Brain, Remember Everything, and Start Your Day Right!

Do you forget things in the morning sometimes? Forget to shave? Forget mascara or another piece of your makeup routine? Leave that important paper you needed? Forget your computer? Forget to take your pills? Ever stood at the front door racking your brain before you leave thinking, “What am I forgetting?”
After all of that, do you find you’re starting your day already feeling a little mentally drained?

I used to do this frequently. I used to be mentally tired even as I started my day. I thought it was lack of sleep, but it turns out, a simple adjustment changed all that. I remember distinctly the morning I was inspired to make these changes, I was almost to work and realized I’d forgotten my work laptop at home. I had to go all the way back for it. It cost me an extra hour in travel time, and I was stressed, anxious, and mentally drained. I decided “This needs to stop. What do I need to do to make my mornings seamless, and never let this happen again.”

I decided to implement some of the visual management tactics I use at work in LEAN Six Sigma, and combine them with the concept of a checklist, inspired by a book that was a productivity game changer for me, Checklist Manifesto.

So what changed?

The Concept: Set up your morning so you don’t really need to turn on your brain until your day starts.

1) Set everything out the night before.

You may have heard this before, but do you do it? I hadn’t been. What will I wear? The shoes, accessories, all of it. What do I need to remember to bring tomorrow? Do I need to pack a lunch? Gym stuff? I now don’t go to bed without looking at tomorrow’s calendar, packing my bag, and prepping for my day completely, so I don’t have to think about it in the morning.

2) Reorganize everything in your shower, in the order you use It.

The book Checklist Manifesto emphasizes that you can’t count on your brain to remember everything every time. “We can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist.” I implemented this idea in my bathroom, visually in my shower. I lined it all up, in the order I need it, so that when I’m in the shower, I just go down the line: soap, tooth brush, shampoo, conditioner, shaving cream, all of it! I don’t think in the shower anymore, it’s almost a meditative time. It’s so much more refreshing.

Doing this also meant I needed to get duplicates of a couple of products so now I never need to bring things in and out of the shower, it’s all always there, ready to go.

For you, if space in the shower is tight, you may need to coordinate this with the person you share the shower with. They may try it with you?!

3) Reorganize everything in your bathroom cabinet/Counter so it’s all in the order you use it.

Same thing I did in the shower, I did it with the rest of your bathroom. Yep, all of it, deodorant, face stuff, everything. Ladies, I’m definitely envisioning this working great with your make-up too (though I don’t know anything about that lol). For me there’s two main times I do stuff in the bathroom, morning and evening, I call each of these groups of products my morning routine, and my evening routine. Now I don’t have to think about it, I can just go right down the line.

Also, the products in my evening routine are different from my morning routine, and they’re in a different order, so I keep them separate. There’s a couple of products that apply to both routines, so I bought 2 of those products (or in one case separated it into 2 containers), and keep one with each routine. I have to remember to grab anything else outside these routines.

I’ve also found for this to be most effective, it’s needs to be lined up, without any other products there too. This means I had to move other products that aren’t used daily, and store them somewhere else. I didn’t want to have to think about where to stop, the whole purpose of this is to do it without thinking, letting my mind be able to freely wander while doing these routines.

4) Other Checklists: Lunch, Kid’s Stuff, Day Of the Week Checklist Next To The Door?

Is there more for you to remember? Write it all down. Keep these checklists wherever you’ll check them regularly every time you need them. For some people that may be electronic on their phone, but for most people it may be better to mount it on the door you leave from. You can print a google doc, use a white board, piece of paper and a pencil, whatever is good, just put it up right where you’ll see it. You can always add to it later as things come to you, because these lists will likely change over time. When you leave, run down the list!

Lunch - Did you pack it? What are you going to eat that’s healthy? Will you get it from somewhere? Thinking ahead paves the way for the preparation of healthier food. Thus, a more vigorous you. If you don’t think ahead, you’ll end up grabbing something and the odds are it may not be quite as nourishing.

Kids stuff - I’ve heard from parents there are a lot of things to remember for the kids in the morning too. Write it down for them, and do this with them when you leave. Lunches? Money? Stuff for practice after school? Go through it with your kids before you both leave.

Day of the week stuff - Does the trash go out on a certain morning? Recycling? Carpool on certain days? Write it all down on the door too. It’s your last check before you leave. Now you won’t have to remember it because it’s all right there.

By preparing the night before, using the visual organization tricks in the bathroom, and the other checklists before I leave, I’ve gotten to enjoy getting lost in thought with my mornings, and I’ve ended up more relaxed throughout the day. Plus, it cut down the decision-making for the day. Thus, less decision fatigue, now I start my day fresh!

Will you give this a shot? Let me know if/how it works for you?

Interested in a good rabbit hole on decision fatigue?
As I made these changes in my routines and really felt the difference, I started looking into the concept of decision fatigue. I’d heard of it, and I was curious if much research had been done on this topic. I found they often reference a study about judges being less likely to grant parole after mental/decision fatigue sets in. John Tierney talked about it in a New York Times Magazine article – Do You Suffer from Decision Fatigue. Also, according to a Business Insider article, even the past president of the United States, Barack Obama, prevents decision fatigue by wearing the same things every day – grey or blue suits.

If it’s not on your screen, keep decision fatigue in mind! I’ll keep you posted if I find out even more ways it can affect your mornings!

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I’m Brian. At age 4, I was diagnosed with insulin dependent (type 1) diabetes and told that my life was going to be 10-20 years shorter than everyone else. Time is precious. I created Productivity Gladiator because I saw what a difference it made to share small and specific actions you can take right now, right away, to achieve better work life balance, be more productive, and live your best life right now, today, not wait until retirement. I want you to start doing the things you WANT to do, not get stuck only chasing what you NEED to do. If any of this resonates with you, I hope you’ll subscribe, and if you’re so inclined, send me a note. It brings me joy sharing Productivity Gladiator with you.

What Will You Have Accomplished During This Corona Virus Break?

This pandemic has caused the closure of businesses and events, resulting in people being forced to stop working or do it from home. Are you one of those affected? With all this time on your hands, what are you doing with it?

Looking back on this Corona Virus break, will you be proud of what you did?

Did you just sit around? Watch a lot of shows? Mindlessly play video games? Or did you accomplish something you can be proud of? It’s still YOUR time, and YOU still get to choose how you spend it. Don’t let this time be a waste. You have so many opportunities right now!

Here’s some free ideas. You can start right now…

• Find a new hobby. Since we’re all on home quarantine, this might be a good chance for you to try new indoor hobbies.

• Read a book. Or, read lifehack blogs for productivity and self-development.

• Exercise and do your meditation. According to a New York Times article, “Yoga is for everyone”. Here’s a guide for Yoga beginners. Or try a virtual workout.

• Learn a new recipe.

• Finally educate yourself on healthy eating.

• Enroll yourself for music or dance lessons. Or maybe just learn some new dance steps from watching Youtube Videos.

• Check out e-books and audiobooks virtually from your public library, university library, or organization using the Libby app. Apple Books has hundreds of e-books that you can read for free, so does Google Play, the Kindle App, Comixology, and many others. .

Benjamin Franklin once said, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest.”

• Gain deeper knowledge about certain topics or truly master a new skill. There are short courses that you can take online:

  • Add a new certification to your resume.

  • This Social Media Marketing program through Coursera

  • This Business Blogging course by Hubspot Academy if you’re into business.

  • Better your communication skills with Alison’s course on Communication Skills: Persuasion and Motivation,

  • Conquer your fear of public speaking as you take Udemy’s online course about it.

What if your next career could start right now?

If you’re interested in working, you can start your side career right now. Amazon, Walmart, and others are hiring by the thousands. Plus, there are many virtual jobs that could match your skills, like working as a Virtual Assistant, Graphic Designer, Content Writer, Project Manager and more. The internet is filled with websites where you can register and search in their pool of freelance jobs. Some of these websites include Upwork, Fiverr, Guru, Mechanical Turk, and the list goes on. What are you waiting for? Start building up that portfolio and try something new!

NOTE: Don’t get sucked into social media.

I’ve written in the past about hacks to avoid social media, and apps to keep off of it. Please don’t spend this time falling into this bad habit!

be proud of what you do with this time.

The universe may have given you this gift of some extra time or a break from your routine. Take advantage of it. Try something new. Learn something new. Spend more time with your loved ones even if it’s virtual. Don't let your memories from this quarantine period be just boredom, isolation, playing video games or just watching shows!

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Subscribe if you don’t already! Get these nuggets of knowledge in your email automatically so you don’t have to go looking for them!

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I’m Brian. At age 4, I was diagnosed with insulin dependent (type 1) diabetes and told that I was going to have a harder life that was likely 10-20 years shorter than normal. I’ve lived my best life every day since then, because you only get one chance to live it. I created Productivity Gladiator because I saw what a difference it made to share small and specific actions you can take right now, right away, to achieve better work life balance, be more productive, and live your best life right now, today, not wait until retirement. I want you to start doing the things you WANT to do, not get stuck chasing what you NEED to do. If any of this resonates with you, send me a note. It brings me joy to share this passion with you.

Ideas To Improve Your Commute

Commuting! It’s one of the most common examples people mention as something they “waste time” doing. You’re also often not compensated for that time, so it’s your “free time” you’re spending. Do you feel like you spend it wisely?

According to Lifehack, researchers found that each minute spent on commuting is identified with a 0.0257-minute exercise time reduction, a 0.0387-minute food preparation time reduction, and a 0.2205-minute sleep time reduction. In simple terms it means the longer the commute, the higher the likelihood:
1) you won’t exercise as often or as intensely as you should,
2) you’ll grab quicker/unhealthier food instead of preparing something healthy or making smart choices, and
3) you won’t sleep as much as you should or need.

Also, your time spent commuting has value. It’s your free time, your “personal time”. If you’ve lost track of exactly what the value of your personal time is worth, jump back and read my blog post, Your Time Has a Specific ‘$/hr’ value. Plug your personal numbers into the calculators for an estimate the actual value of your time. How much is your commute “costing” you in time?

Eliminating your commute isn’t an option. How could you improve it? Make it more productive? Here are a bunch of ideas for you to consider:

• Commuters that walked, cycled, or took Commuter Rail had slightly higher satisfaction scores about their commute in this article at citylab.com. Could you vary your method of commute?

• Could you work from home? Avoid the commute some of the time?

  If you can work from home, even 1 day per week, you’ll get that free time back for that day. How would you use that extra time?

• Consistency is more important than amount of time according to that same article above. These are the situations often where riding trains causes more satisfaction than driving. If you know it will consistently take 45 minutes door to door every commute with a 5 min variation, survey participants were much more satisfied with that, and experienced less frustration and stress than a different commuting option that might only take 35 minutes on a good day, but could go up to an hour with no consistency (a 25 minute variation). It’s unpredictability that frustrates people the most.

• Include a stop along the way. Stop to work out. Grab some coffee. Go for a walk in the park to decompress before you get home. Doesn’t have to be a long stop, something quick that you feel makes you a better person.

• Change your clothes. Or even just your shoes. Are you one of those people who doesn’t really feel home or relaxed until you get out of those work clothes? Why don’t you go ahead and get comfortable? It may relax you, and put you in a better mood.

• Options where you don’t have to drive. Trains, busses, rideshare services like uber/lyft, and carpooling are often a way for you to be productive while you're on the way to/from work. In addition to lessening your carbon footprint and saving gas money, these options may also opens up time to actually do activities which may help you feel the time is more productive or bring you joy. Ideas like:

  • Read a book. There’s a bunch of reading you’ve been meaning to do. Do some of that!

  • Listen to audiobooks & podcasts.
    Hot tip: listen at 2x-3x speed, as fast as is comfortable for you. Your brain can handle 3x speed, try working up to it!

  • Catch up on the news.

  • Reply to emails.

  • Learn a language. (through language podcasts, or an app like Duolingo on your phone),

  • Catch up with friends. You could even try commuting with one.

  • Discover different music you’ll love. Popular apps which are free/ad-supported like Pandora and Spotify have playlists to help you find new songs you’ll potentially love.

  • Keep a journal.

  • Write down daily appreciations. Every commute, write down 5 things you’re grateful for or appreciate. Help change your mindset to a positive one.

Unless you can eliminate your commute, take some steps to make it better. It’s your time you’re spending after all. Improve the way you choose to spend it!

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Subscribe if you don’t already! Get these nuggets of knowledge in your email automatically so you don’t have to go looking for them!

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I’m Brian. At age 4, I was diagnosed with insulin dependent (type 1) diabetes and told that I was going to have a harder life that was likely 10-20 years shorter than normal. I’ve lived my best life every day since then, because you only get one chance to live it. I created Productivity Gladiator because I saw what a difference it made to share small and specific actions you can take right now, right away, to achieve better work life balance, be more productive, and live your best life right now, today, not wait until retirement. It brings me joy to share this passion with you.