Make The Most Out Of Your Day

Yesterday was one of those rare days where I didn't have class or work. I had the day completely free to myself, to do whatever I wanted.

Those days are dangerous.

Last time I had a completely free day, I accidentally slept off and on all day. It sounds nice, but I just got a headache and my bones started to ache from laying in bed all day. I'm never doing that again.

Yesterday I decided I was going to be productive. But it's so hard to do something when there are no external forces making you do it. For me, at least. So how are you supposed to be productive? Here's what I do.

When you wake up, actually wake up.

Don't lay back down for any reason whatsoever. Your bed will still be there when you are done. Get up, drink some water, make some coffee if you need to, and eat breakfast.

Get ready for the day.

Don't stay in your pajamas. Shower, get dressed, do your hair and makeup (if applicable.) It'll make you feel more prepared. Plus, you won't want to get back into bed with clothes on, right? Actually, I do that a lot...ANYWAYS now you are ready to tackle your to-do list. Speaking of which...

Make a to-do list.

So now you're awake, you've had your coffee, and you're all dressed. You may have a general list of things that need to be done in your head, but write out a list.

It helps to have a visual and it can help you figure out in what order things need to be done. Make your list in descending order of importance. Get the most important things out of the way first, that way if you run out of time, whatever is left over can be pushed over to the next day.

Now get started.

Looking at your to-do list, you may be overwhelmed by all the tasks you need to get done. Just start with the first thing. Baby steps. Don't worry about any of the other things on your list except for the one thing you're supposed to be doing. Plus, checking a task off your list feels pretty good.

Reward yourself!

You've worked hard today, congrats! Time to relax. Take a bubble bath, curl up with a fuzzy blanket, and crack open a book. (That's what I would do, at least.)

IMPORTANT: Don't reward yourself until you've done all the things you need to finish. Breaks are acceptable, but be careful about breaks that are too long. You don't want to lose your momentum.

Also, there might be some tasks that you ran out of time for. That happens. Hopefully, the things at the end of your list are things that are not as important as the things on top of your list. Just move these items over to the next day.

Of course, not everybody has trouble with self-motivation like I do. It's honestly one of the hardest things I have to deal with. If you struggle like I do, hopefully some of these tips will help you!