Improve Your Mood
A week of Planning
Do you catch yourself day in and day out rushing to do things during the week?
Feeling tired at the end of the day to only realize you haven’t accomplished much?
There is a solution. It is planning out the week ahead. That’s all it takes to make your week go smoother, and get things done at the end of the day. Benjamin Franklin said “If you fail to plan, then you’re planning to fail”. Planning is the key to having a structured system. This ensures for things to go accordingly. I am not saying that there won’t be days where things will not be getting done as planned, but you will have less things on the to do list. I will go over some steps to take in order to achieve this.
Pick a day of the week to begin planning. For those who have a Monday through Friday work schedule, Sunday is the most popular day picked. For those who do not have the traditional work schedule pick any day that you feel is a best fit for you. Preferably, picking a day that is before the start of your consecutive work day is best. Once you have decided on a day, it’s time for the next step.
Planning for the week ahead. It has been proven that if you use any method of tracking your time you will be able to see where your time is going and how to better use your time. You will achieve more and keep track of what you are doing once you create a tracking system. Personally, I like to write in a Planner, but there are many methods you can use. Some use electronic methods. Whichever your preference is make sure to pick one that you will be able to access frequently throughout the day. As you will be updating and looking at it constantly.
Planning is only half of the battle. The other half is making sure your mindset is stress free to allow positivity and productivity to flow. Effective ways to fuel the mind for a clear head are:
Journaling is an effective way to clear the mind. Declutter all that negative chatter inside the mind and dump it in our journal. Just as the planning you can choose to do this on paper or electronic. Again, it does not matter which one you pick, the preference is what you feel comfortable with. Make sure to plan this on a time where it's either the start of your day or the end of the day. These times have had higher success rates. You can schedule 15-30 minutes a day in your planner to devote that time for this.
Exercising is another great way to release stress and clear the mind. There are many different forms of exercising and at any level you feel comfortable with. You can decide how many times a day you would like to go and how long you are willing to commit. It can be any form of exercise. You can decide to go to the gym. Take an exercise class like, dance, yoga, or Zumba. Working out at home is another way if it’s hard for you to get out of the house at the scheduled time. Jogging outside your block is another way to get a sweat in. Exercising releases endorphins which are those that feel good hormones, helping with your mood.
Meal prepping is another area that is helpful for your overall health, but also in making weekly meals quick and effortless for the week. You can prepare breakfast, lunch, and dinners for the week or until the work week is done. The idea is to eat healthier and make it easy to do during the busy week.
Lastly, Rest is the most important part of this process. Rest is essential for you to function effectively. Getting the recommended time of rest of 7-9 hours a night is essential for your health and mood. With enough rest you feel refreshed and alert there for ensuring you are able to work and think clearly throughout the day.