I’ve been fortune enough to have met a lot of successful people, and I love to talk to them about the habits that have made them successful. One thing I’ve noticed many have in common is that they often prepare the day before for the day ahead, so that when tomorrow comes, they can hit the ground running. So here are 5 ways you can take on that good habit for yourself.
Choose Your Outfit
Always set out your outfit the night before! When you think about it, why would you pick your outfit when you’re at your most groggy? Before you’ve had a cup of coffee? Possibly in the dark, so as to not disturb your sleeping partner? Think about what you’ll wear the night before, to ensure that how you present yourself to the world is exactly how you’d like it to be. Bonus: No last-minute surprises that the blouse you have your heart set on still needs to be ironed.
Pre-Bed Tidying
Give yourself 5 minutes at the end of each day to do a quick pick-up. You’re not cleaning here, just picking things up that are out of place and putting them where they belong. This way, you won’t wake up to chaos.
Meal Prep
I have breakfast smoothies, so the night before, I wash and cut all the fruit and put it in a plastic bag in the fridge. I also make my lunch—you’d better believe I’m not going to be risking a sauce drip on my nice work outfit. That also means you can clean up after several meals at once—efficient and smart!
Take An Inventory
Gather everything you need to take with you, and put it by the door. Hang it on the doorknob, even! That way, you literally have to touch it on the way out. You won’t be able to forget it.
Declutter Daily
It’s a great habit to find one thing—even better, a category of things!—that you can purge every day. I have a dentist appointment coming up, so I’m bringing a stack of old magazines (with my home address snipped off).
COMMENT QUESTION: What do you do to prepare for the next day?
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Love your ideas and they make sense…
Great ideas! I like to review my appointment the night before to get my mind ready for the following day. JS
I cook in advance. Working 12 hr days means my time at the end of the day is limited. I would have 3 days worth of meals ready to just take out of the fridge and pack my lunch the night before. My clothes are out and ready for the next day, my kitchen is neat and tidy before I go to bed, and I take my coffee with me in a big to-go mug. I reward myself by allowing myself to have my coffee when I am at my desk and ready to start my day. Only then do I get to have my first slurp, then I start my day at work. Days off are similar. The bed is always made first, off to the shower and then out to the kitchen to make the coffee. It just works better for me to do this!
Lunch, clothes, coffee, breakfast, shoes, rain coat or jacket, umbrella, laundry sorted to start when I get home