It’s quite easy to fall off of the productivity bandwagon, particularly when you’re working from home. One minute you’re 1000-words deep in your latest novel, the next minute you’re speed-eating Guylian in front of Netflix. Just me?
I’m pretty good at working from home (you can read my post about it here) but I have my off days. I’ve found that having a strong evening and morning routine can really make all the difference. Here’s my evening routine for maximum next-day productivity.
Take off your makeup
If I haven’t completely taken off my makeup (here are the products I use to take it off, if you’re interested) before bed, I’ll wake up with dry skin. If I’m working from home, I don’t tend to put too much makeup on, but that doesn’t mean I want to look hideous. If you keep your skin cleansed, toned and moisturised, your skin will be one less thing for you to worry about.
Aside from the benefits of waking up to a spongy, baby-soft face, I also find I sleep easier knowing that these disgusting things aren’t happening to my skin whilst I sleep.
Make your bed a nice place to be
I don’t do work or watch TV in bed. In fact, we don’t have a TV in our bedroom. I like our bedroom to be a sanctuary, it should be relaxing, clean and smell nice. Make sure you regularly change your sheets and invest in a bed and bedding that make you feel awesome.
We spend an awful lot of time in bed, so it’s worth investing in. Sleep is the most important thing we can do to be sure a productive day follows. I aim for 8 hours a night to ensure I get through the day without ever feeling sleepy. Struggling to sleep? Try spraying some This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray onto your pillow. It’ll lull you right off to sleep.
Turn off your phone, read a book
I’m sure it’s not news to you that the light from your phone wakes your body up. There’s a whole range of research into this very topic. Apple introduced Night Shift so we could cut down on blue light exposure. If you have to be on your phone within half an hour before you sleep, I’d recommend using that.
What I would really recommend, however, is putting your phone down at least half an hour before bed. Some experts recommend 90 minutes. You can read more about just how much blue light disrupts our sleep here. Instead, use your last waking moments reading a book or magazine; social media will still be there in the morning.
Meditate
I recently mentioned on my Instagram page that I’ve been meditating using Headspace. Meditation and mindfulness are not for everybody, but Headspace makes it as easy as possible for you to take some time out each day.
I’ve been meditating for 10 minutes each day and have seen huge improvements in my well-being. If you are the type of person to say ‘I don’t have time for that’ then you need to check yourself. If you genuinely don’t have 10 minutes you need to reevaluate your life balance, otherwise, you’re using lack of time as an excuse.
If you’ve never tried it before, give it a go. As I said, it’s not for everybody but it has become a key driver in my productivity, so it may just be the case with you, too.
