Remember last Monday morning? When you were bumbling around
your bedroom getting ready for the day and trying to forget the rest of the
coming week. It seems there is always one common thought between every girl on these
mornings: I wish I had gotten more sleep.
Well ladies, I cannot tell you a few magical tips to make
this go away. It seems the only 100 percent effective way to feel better on
Monday morning is to go to bed early Sunday night.
We all understand it gets difficult. Between last minute
projects, exercise, and taking a well-deserved mental break, the weekend flies
by. It is suddenly Sunday night and the to do list has yet to be done. It seems
as though the short time we have during the weekend not only forces us to do
our work late, but also to rev our engines and exert our last bits of energy to
get the work done.
Instead of focusing on the seemingly impossible goal of making
Sunday night more productive, let’s start making our weekends a better
experience. This way, when Sunday night rolls around we’re ready for bed early.
There is no one sure-fire method for getting things done.
Some do well under pressure. Others take their time making sure every detail of
one task is finished before moving on to the next. The important thing is to recognize
what works best for you.
Now, this does not mean that if you work well under pressure
Sunday nights are the time to get started. Instead, make an earlier deadline
for yourself, this way you are forced to finish whatever it is before Sunday
night. Motivators I’ve found to be effective are social plans. Most people do
not leave to go out until the late evening. If you can tell yourself you have
to finish whatever it is that will keep you up Sunday, before getting ready to go
out, you’ll likely be motivated to sit down and get it done. Even if you do not
finish the project, you’ve at least made progress.
If you are like me, pressure is more stressful than
motivating. However, a schedule just might give you the kick you need. At first
it seems backwards to relieve stress by scheduling more things into your
planner. Which is why I suggest you do not write this down—weird I know.
Instead, making a mental note as you go throughout your Friday and Saturday.
You and I both know that there have got to be a few gaps. Pick a block of
time—I suggest at least one solid hour—where you know that you have absolutely
nothing else planned. If you tell yourself ahead of time that that block of
time is reserved to get something done, you’re brain registers that you’re
busy. Then when you get invited to get fro-yo your brain’s first thought will
be that you are already booked and you will reschedule social plans instead of
homework plans.
The key is to find what works best for you and employ
those tactics early on. Remember ladies; sleep is one of the body’s most
necessary fuels.
