When you start your day doing the things you love, you set yourself up for a happier and more productive day. This means you may have more of yourself to give when in your work environment and can offer higher quality work. When you end your day doing the things you love, you not only have something to look forward to throughout the day, but you finish off the day feeling content.

For me, this means starting my day by doing my skincare, making my bed, and either journaling or working on this blog. I feel refreshed after applying my skincare and have peace of mind after my bed is made. Journaling and working on this blog lets me run free to explore the nooks and crannies of what’s been on my mind. At night, it means briefly tidying up my room, packing my bag for the next day, laying out my clothes, and reading for 15-30 minutes. I am a fairly organized person and reducing the chaos that builds up over the day before I call it a night means I feel more at peace.

Whenever I go through this routine, I feel a lot of satisfaction and fulfillment, and proud that it’s only 8-9 AM. Although this may change when I start working a full-time job, for the time being, I love setting up my mornings to start exactly the way I’d like them to.

The two biggest obstacles you may encounter are finding the time and setting boundaries. In a busy world, getting to your ideal mornings and evenings means changing your priorities so you can focus on yourself. This may mean sleeping and waking up 1-hr earlier so you can work on your personal hobbies and/or projects. This may mean firmly telling your friends and family that you can’t make it out to dinner so you can stay at home and cook to your heart’s content. When you make the time to take care of your needs and wants, you become happier overall and more present in your day-to-day engagements.

For the moment, think about and write down some of your favorite activities – whether it be working in your vegetable garden, reading a book, or going for a run. Find out where you’d like to fit them into your morning or evening and the adjustments you’ll need to make to your current routines/schedules. By identifying the obstacles you’re likely to run into before starting, you’re better equipped to handle these problems when they come up.

Hope this helps!