Do you find yourself battling a mid-day slump?
You’ve eaten lunch and have hours ahead of you before the dinner, baths, bedtime routine kicks in. Some days you’re weary and tired, others you may have energy but feel like there’s so much to tackle. So where do you begin?
We’ve talked about morning routines and evening routines and routines for success throughout the day.
Now let’s welcome the Mid-Day Routine.
Whether you work outside the home, stay home with your kids, or work from home, implementing a mid-day routine could be the key to your success.
Identify the areas which you struggle
Some days the morning seems so long. Other days the morning flies by.
Either way, you’ve finally made it to lunch (and hopefully naps), and you’ve got the whole afternoon ahead of you.
Do you find yourself low on energy at this point? Determine what areas you could switch up. What motivates you? A cup of tea or coffee? If possible, could you fit in a brief meditation or quick walk?
We’re trying to achieve an elusive balance of managing All. The. Things. And sometimes, our day is thrown off schedule. Rather than allowing the morning to permeate into the afternoon, merely identify your struggles and move forward. Set fresh goals and reaching a new perspective.
Adding in some self-care could change and set the tone. Shaking off anything that happened in the morning and re-setting for the afternoon and evening.
Set yourself up with a gameplan
Do you need to clean up the kitchen from lunch or tidy up your desk from a morning of meetings? Review what’s on your calendar for the afternoon.
Decide what small wins you could tackle first. Choose some quick tasks to take on. Then, set yourself up with a plan for the rest of the afternoon.
What are you hoping to accomplish before dinner? That depends on your situation. If you’re at work – what tasks or meetings are still ahead of you? Review your to-do list for the day and decide what is most feasible to take on. What is most important?
At home, perhaps you want to tidy up your house, finish some laundry, get dinner prepped, etc. For those of us that work from home, you may be trying to complete a project before your kids get home from school.
Decide what your goals are for the afternoon and set realistic expectations to complete them. Frequently, I’ll try to finish as many tasks as I can during the afternoon as I can so that once my kids are in bed, I can finally sit down and either relax or focus on work.
Allow yourself to change course and adjust
A meeting or project just got moved up on your list? A child didn’t nap and your afternoon plan was foiled? Make adjustments to your plan and move ahead. Having grace with ourselves is so important.
Maybe you can wear your baby while emptying the dishwasher or set your toddler up with a couple of puzzles while you finish folding laundry. Improvise and still work to accomplish your tasks.
We need to remind ourselves that even the best-laid plans may not always work out.
Making your afternoon a success will set the tone for the rest of the evening.
The mid-day routine is essential to how the rest of our day will play out.
What does your mid-day routine look like? If you don’t currently have a mid-day routine are you inspired to try one?
