How to revamp your daily schedule

Published Jan 16, 2017

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If your daily routine were a college assignment and you submitted it to your professor, chances are it would come back with a whole lot of red ink. That is to say, you’re probably making a ton of mistakes every day that can sabotage your productivity and happiness. The good news is, you can’t get an “F” in life.

In fact, once you read the list below, you’ll have every opportunity to revamp your daily schedule and make at least some of the changes we recommend.

6.30am Hitting the snooze button: There’s nothing quite so delightful as a few more minutes of sleep in between alarms.

But as sleep expert Timothy Morgenthaler told Business Insider’s Jessica Orwig, “Most sleep specialists think that snooze alarms are not a good idea.”

If you fall back into a deep sleep after you hit the snooze button, you’re entering a sleep cycle you definitely won’t be able to finish. So you’ll likely wake up groggy.

7am: Checking e-mails as soon as you wake up

If you sleep near your phone, it’s easy to roll over and start mindlessly scrolling through your inbox. Don’t do it. As Julie Morgenstern, the author of the book Never Check E-mail in the Morning, told The Huffington Post, if you start your morning this way, “you’ll never recover”.

7.45am Drinking coffee while getting ready for work

If you think you can’t function until you’ve downed a cup of joe, think again. Your body naturally produces higher amounts of the stress hormone cortisol, which regulates energy, between 8am and 9am. So for most people, the best time to drink coffee is after 9.30am.

8am Not eating breakfast

Business Insider’s Rachel Gillett spoke with registered dietitian Lisa DeFazio, who told her that your first meal of the day jump-starts your metabolism and replenishes blood-sugar levels, so you can focus and be productive for the rest of the day.

9.45am. Showing up to work late

A study cited by The Huffington Post found that bosses tend to see employees who come in later as less conscientious and give them lower performance ratings – even if those employees leave later, too.

9.50am. Doing your easiest tasks first

Research is mixed on whether willpower and self-control decrease as the day goes on. But even if you believe that you can summon your mental energy at will, it makes sense to tackle your most difficult tasks first thing, as you never know what demands will pop up.

11am Trying to empty your inbox

Everyone’s got a different e-mail personality. If you’re the kind that needs a completely empty inbox to feel calm and organised, we get it.

But time-management expert Laura Vanderkam writes in 
I Know How She Does It:“You will never reach the bottom of your inbox. Better to realise that anything you haven’t gotten to after a week or so will have either gone away or been thrust back upon you.”

12.30pm. Eating lunch at your desk

First of all, it can be gross.

Second of all, research suggests that taking time to prepare and eat meals with your co-workers can facilitate team bonding.

And third of all, taking any kind of break can be highly restorative and boost your productivity later on.

1.30pm Listening to music while working

Business Insider previously spoke with neuroscientist and musician Daniel Levitin, who cited a growing body of research suggesting that, in almost every case, your performance on intellectual tasks suffers considerably when you listen to music. 5.30pm. Skipping the gym

You’ve had a harrowing day at work and all you want to do is change into pyjamas, order a takeaway and maybe watch some Netflix.

But if you can sneak in a workout beforehand, your body and mind will thank you.

8.30pm Eating dinner too late

As Rebecca Harrington reported for Tech Insider, eating too late can affect your sleep quality and your ability to maintain a healthy weight.

It’s generally best to stop eating about three hours before bedtime.

9.00pm Spending hours on social media every night

Research suggests that “passive” Facebook use – perusing other people’s updates without posting anything or messaging anyone – can put us in a sour mood.

11.00pm. Checking your e-mail before bed

Using any kind of digital technology in the hours right before bed can hurt your sleep quality. – The Independent

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