10 Things To Do Today For An Easier Tomorrow

Let’s be honest. We all can improve on life. As adults, we have a million things thrown at us on a daily basis. Just when we think we have a handle on things something else pops up and we’re back to square one. I can have a really great week where things seem to be running smoothly only to realize I forgot something really important on my list.

Like calling my own sister on her birthday. Yes, I did this. Two weeks ago. How horrible of me! Sorry again, Kimberly.

Although I don’t have the magical answer to being on top of everything in your life 100%, I can offer you some tricks and tips I use to help me in this neverending battle we call ADULTHOOD. Try getting yourself in the habit of doing these 10 things every evening in preparation for a smoother day tomorrow 🙂

Here are 10 Things To Do Today For An Easier Tomorrow

1.  Check your mail/Bring in your garbage cans

Preparing for the next day starts before you even walk in the house. Once you get out of your car, make sure to check your mail and bring in any garbage cans. Also, check your front door for any larger packages. What if someone were sending you a million dollar check? More likely, someone is sending you a bill to pay but bills are important and need to be paid on time. Don’t miss a deadline because you simply neglected to get your mail.

2.  Don’t Sit

When you walk in the door after a long day of work all you want to do is throw your stuff down and sit. Am I right? You’re driving in the car and all you can think about is getting home quickly so you can relax on the couch and watch some TV. Although that sounds amazing, and I admittedly do it on occasion, this is the biggest sabotager of your evening. The minute you put your pretty little butt on that couch is the minute your productivity level goes down the drain. Listen, I get it. Who wants to come home and continue to work after you put in a full day already? Not me. But news flash: You’re an adult and have responsibilities. Just because you avoid what needs to get done doesn’t mean it just disappears. Instead, it just tags on to everything else you already have and your “To Do List” becomes unmanageable. Do yourself a favor and don’t sit when you walk in the door. That’s my tough love here ❤️

3.  Clean out your bags, backpacks, and lunchboxes

Once you’ve made it inside your house you’ll want to clean out your bags and lunchboxes from the day. Take the time to look through your mail and any other important paperwork. We have a basket in our kitchen where we put all our bills that need to be paid and any important papers we want to keep. I recommend you have a similar area in your house so that everyone knows where important papers go and they aren’t scattered all the place. If you have children, go through their work from the day and look for their homework. A good routine would be to have your child sit in the kitchen or any area close to where you will be, and have them do their homework. Having them close by will allow you to monitor them and provide help if needed. Getting them to do their homework now frees you from having to fight with them later about getting it done 🙂

4.  Start on Dinner

Now is the perfect time to start on dinner. You’ve gone through all your important papers from the day, and if you have children, they are settled and working on their homework. You should already have your meal for the evening picked out. Here’s a tip: I like to pull out any frozen meat for tomorrow’s dinner now so it’s ready to go for the next day. Weeknight meals should be easy. Making pasta from scratch on a Monday night is a sure way to wear yourself out quickly. Try something simple like this recipe for the Easiest Bolognese Sauce, Ever! You throw everything into one pot and let it work its magic. While dinner is cooking you can start preparing for tomorrow.

5.  Check your calendar/To-Do List for tomorrow

Before you start preparing for tomorrow you’ll need to know what’s on your calendar or To-Do list for the upcoming day. Maybe your child has a field trip and they need their lunch in a brown paper bag. Or you have an important meeting that you need to dress up for. These are all things you want to know ahead of time so you aren’t frazzled in the morning when you realize you have all this going on and no time to get it done. My suggestion is to have a family calendar that houses EVERYONE’S activities in one place. In the world of technology, you can easily do this online or on your phone and share it amongst your family. Our family likes to have a physical calendar to write on. We used to have a dry erase board that I would use to display all our activities and important dates. When we moved, I didn’t put it back up because I couldn’t find a good place to house it. No excuse! Maybe if I had that up I wouldn’t have forgotten my sister’s birthday! Obviously, I’m still working on number five.

6. Make lunches

I used to make lunches in the morning before we left for work and school. On a regular day, when everything was perfect, I would be able to get lunches prepared with no problem. Every once in a while, on those mornings when your alarm doesn’t go off or you hit snooze too many times, this extra task added unneeded stress to my mornings. I started making lunches in the evenings and not only did I feel less stressed in the morning, but I also got a few extra minutes to sleep as an added bonus! While dinner is cooking, I work on making my lunches for the next day. I need to be in the kitchen anyway so it’s like killing two birds with one stone. Genius, right?

7. Clean all dishes and wipe down your kitchen

I know many people who clean their dishes from dinner in the morning. They say they like to let the dishes soak overnight so it’s easier to get them clean. I am sure this is true but I’m not too sure I want to wake up to have to clean a sink full of dishes every morning. Plus, living in Florida I worry about the bugs I will get from doing this. I always make sure my dishes are cleaned and my countertops and stove are wiped down each evening before I go upstairs. In my house, since I cook the meals, Patrick does the dishes. This is also an easy chore to give to kids to teach responsibility.   You’ll feel so much better waking up to a clean kitchen.

8. Put away your junk pile

In step number three we unpacked our bags and backpacks from the day and organized all our important papers and mail. I’m sure you’re wondering what we do with the things that aren’t important anymore. I’m talking things like a book your child brought in for show and tell or your earrings you took off when you walked in the house because they were killing you. The correct answer is not to leave it on the counter, or the table, or wherever else you leave your piles of things that need to go back to their proper home when “you get to it”. That my friend is a sure way to have a cluttered and disorganized home. Here’s what we do. We make a pile next to our important paper basket and before we go into our rooms for the evening we take our things with us and put them away where they belong. The pile is in the kitchen which is the last room we are in before heading upstairs. I suggest putting your pile in a place that you have to walk by before going to bed so it triggers you to grab it and put it away.

9. Pull out clothes for tomorrow

Pulling out your clothes for the next day gives you one less thing to worry about in the morning. If something needs to be ironed you can do it then or allow yourself the time to do it in the morning. It’s also a smart idea to pull out your child’s clothes too. With an outfit already in place, your child can dress themselves in the morning which gives them a feeling of independence.

10. Sleep well

It’s recommended that a healthy adult sleep 7 – 9 hours a night. Easier said than done, I know. Have you ever caught yourself looking at the clock and then counting how many hours of sleep you’ll get if you go to sleep at that exact moment? I do this all the time. I’ve learned that I need to go to bed between 10 pm and 11 pm to get a good night’s rest before my alarm goes off at 6 am. When I don’t get my sleep, the next day is miserable for me.  The better rested you are the more productive you can be! Sleep does a body good.

And there you have it. My list of 10 Things To Do Today For An Easier Tomorrow. Like many, I struggle some days to hit everything on this list. When I do hit all ten, my days are considerably better and I feel much more in control of my life. Try a few of these out and see what you think. I’d love to hear about your tips and tricks for making your everyday lives easier in the comment section below.

What happens when you wake up in the morning? Come see My Habits for an Organized Morning!