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It’s Sunday night and — groan, groan, groan — that means the weekend is coming to a close. Monday mornings are difficult. But you can make them a little more do-able. In fact, you can make most mornings more do-able if you do a few things to prepare the night before.
Here are some suggestions to help you make it back to the office in the a.m.
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Don’t stress
Your final thoughts before you head off to bed might be stressful ones. You have so much to do! This week is going to be crazy! That meeting is going to be awful! Don’t let these thoughts of the day ahead stress you out. And besides, being stressed makes it hard to prepare and difficult to sleep. Take a deep breath and know you’ll have it well in hand when you get to work in the morning.
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Set the timer on your coffee maker
If you’re one of those people who struggles before the first cup of java, invest in a coffee maker with a timer and set it the night before to start brewing five minutes before your alarm goes off. The sound of your clock plus the smell of coffee will help get you out of bed.
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Lay out your outfit
We can waste precious minutes standing in front of the closet, staring aimlessly. Instead, spend those moments the night before staring aimlessly at your wardrobe, pick an outfit, and get it all ironed up and ready for the morning. There are better things you could be doing to try and get out the door.
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Get the kids sorted as much as possible
Same thing goes for the kids. Try and get their clothes out, their snacks packed, and go over any homework assignments or special projects for a few minutes so there are no surprises when you’re trying to make it to school (or summer camp) on time. You don’t want to be rushed, and neither do your children.
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Spend a little quality time with your significant other
You’ll regret it if you don’t. It doesn’t mean you have to spend the whole evening together if you’re busy. That’s what date night, weekends and special dinners are for. But you should a little time catching up with each other, talking about the day or week ahead, how much you enjoyed something you did together, maybe just talking about something you saw online. If you don’t get a little quality time in, you’ll be preoccupied with it the next day.
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Read
A magazine or a book (maybe avoid the newspaper… except for the arts or style section) can be the final little getaway you need before tackling the next day. Read a little something about the latest beauty trend, or the updated sports scores, if you’re into that. Anything to get your mind off what lies ahead momentarily.
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Get a jump on work
You don’t like to bring work home with you, but sometimes taking 20 minutes in the evening to check a few emails or go through a little paperwork will save you 45 minutes the next day. Relieving some of the time pressures of the following day will make a little bit of homework worth it.
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Have some ice cream
Maybe that’s a personal vice, but the point is, indulge a little. End the evening with something that you truly enjoy — a sweet treat, a bath, your favorite show — so that you go to bed in good spirits. You raise your chances of waking up in good spirits as well.
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Get some sleep
Make sure you turn in to get some shut-eye. Starting the day off tired means you’ll end your day tired. And by Friday, you’ll be exhausted. Waking up sharp and refreshed makes the day seem more manageable.
