“I’m not a morning person” is something we all say when being a Grade A bitch before midday, which is essentially every day pre-caffeine.
But something that can make you less of a monster and more of a together human, is what the world likes to call power prepping. It’s about preparing for your day the night before to increase productivity and produce better behaviour.
Obviously some extra shut-eye is always going to be a bonus, but you’ll also feel more prepared and less stressed for the day ahead if you’re not rushing out the door like your water just broke.
It’s all about thinking about tomorrow tonight, which in retrospect sounds like the total opposite to an inspirational fridge magnet, but will actually make you feel on top of your day like never before.
To join the clan who are getting it done roughly 12 hours before it actually needs to be done, read on.
SHOWER AT NIGHT
If you think you’re a morning shower-er because it wakes you up or whatever validation you’re going with – that can, and should, change.
Like most things in life, getting over the three-week hurdle will see the afternoon/night showering practice become routine, and the benefits are enough to make you all like, “Dayum, why didn’t I do this all my life?”
Besides not having to fight with roomies over a bathroom schedule, it will give you more Zzz time, which is apparently made easier after a nice warm shower.
“That rapid cooling after you get out of the shower or out of the bath tends to be a natural sleep inducer,” Christopher Winter, M.D., a fellow at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, told Greatist. “So it’s a nice way to fool your body into thinking it’s time to go to bed.”
Extra points if you blow dry and style your hair that night too.
Hannah Hearn, Founder of HHPR, tells P.TV, “I blow-dry and straighten my hair at night so that when I wake up it’s got that bed-hair look going on. This means that in the morning all I need to do is slip on some clothes and make-up and then I’m off. I prefer to spend my morning over a coffee at my local cafe and getting ahead of my work day, instead of in front of the mirror.”
CHARGE EVERYTHING
Everything you need to use tomorrow – charge it. It’s that simple. If your phone battery or otherwise is dead on the way to or during work, it will severely disrupt your day.
LAY OUT YOUR OUTFIT & MAKEUP
It’s an obvious one, but if your attire for the next day is not picked from head-to-toe it can seriously delay you in the AM.
Creating it in your head doesn’t count – because if just one item isn’t polished, ironed or clean when you pull it out of the wardrobe, you’ll either spend valuable minutes preparing, rethinking or restyling your outfit completely, taking you back to square one.
Jess Zalums, Publicist and Nutrition Coach at The Wellness Collective, tells P.TV, “I save time by organising as many of my outfits for the week as I can on a Sunday night and laying them in my spare room. I also match my shoes, accessories, even my underwear so there are no hard decisions needing to be made early in the morning.”
“I save about half an hour by being prepared with my wardrobe. Not having to make decisions like this in the morning means I have more time to do my morning goal-setting, affirmations and ride to work if I wish. These all contribute to being MUCH more productive at work, not to mention ensuring I’m not late from going through ten thousand outfit options!“
As we know, makeup is also a big component of your overall look everyday. There’s no point doing the hard yards of prepping your outfit, only to find that you’re down to your last drop of foundation when getting ready for work and create a massive stall in your process.
GET A HEAD START ON WORK
To relieve the stress and be able to sleep like a beautiful sloth, it’s worth getting ahead of your work day the night before.
We’re not suggesting that you call your boss at 10pm letting them know that a task has been completed, but you can save drafts in your email so they’re ready to go with the hit of a “send” the next morning.
PRE-MAKE YOUR MEALS & COFFEE
Making your lunch for the next day is an easy one that budgeters and healthy living people have been doing for yonks, but preparing your breakfast for the next day proves that you’re willing to go the extra mile.
Obviously this will only work for some types of breakfast, as we’re not really about soggy cereal or cold toast. Christina Hanna, Senior Producer for a gaming company and an Efficiency Expert, weighs out five days worth of oats for breakfast into ziplock bags for the week ahead.
She also fills her coffee machine with water, puts the coffee pod in and even has the mug and travel cup ready to go so that all she needs to do is press the button.
Another suggestion is having a coffee machine with a timer, so that the sweet smell of caffeine awaiting will encourage you to wake up and start your day.
MAKE A TO-DO LIST
If you can literally remember all the above and integrate into your daily routine seamlessly – than that’s great.
If it all seems a bit much, Creative Projects Manager Lucy Curtin has it sorted with daily to-do list on her phone, checking it incessantly to make sure she’s on top of everything she needs to be.
From exercise to emails that need to be sent and foods she should be eating, Lucy says it helps her feel “in control”, less stressed and much more productive every day by having it all planned out ahead of time.
Now that everything for your busy day ahead is in order, all you have to do is wakeup, makeup and get out that door.
Are you ready to win at this thing called life?
That’s the spirit.
