I try to make my routine as efficient as possible with “routine hacks.” I have a lot going on. A full-time job, exercising 5-6 days a week, working on this blog, maintaining a social life, and making time for family.

To do all this without running yourself into the ground takes some thought. Being proactive and planning is key.

Heres some tips & tricks I use that you can apply to your own life:

Routine

Create the infrastructure to your life. Having a relatively consistent wake up time, leaving the house time, lunch, and dinner really make doing the rest easier. It gives your brain a break from thinking, “ok what’s next?”

Pack & Prep

Before leaving to work in the morning, I pack my gym bag and prep my backpack. If I know there is a project I can make some cool content out of, I’ll bring my camera stabilizer, go pro kit, and tripod.

I always make sure to have the basics like my headphones, a power bank, a moleskin notebook and a few other necessities I can’t leave the house without. I carry these items in an EDC pack by Maxpedition. Peep the picture on Instagram to see what I’m talking about.

For my gym bag I’ll get the essentials for whatever yoga class I’m taking as well as a towel to shower with and clothes to change into, more on this later.

Food

I don’t meal prep. I have plenty of times in the past, but it doesn’t work for me. I get tired of the food. It gets stale. It’s not ideal. So I cook probably every other evening and put leftovers in the fridge to eat the following day. Sometimes I’ll supplement the leftovers with one or two cups of rice or a smoothie to make it more of a full meal but convenience is really the goal here.

Calendar

Pick a calendar and take it seriously. Respect it and use it. I use Google calendars, but use whatever floats your boat.

To do list

Again. Pick a to do list and take it seriously. Respect it and use it. I use an app called “gTasks Pro.” It integrates with Gmail and is “on the cloud.” I can create lists, sub lists, color coordinate them all and do all the other things type A people like myself love to do. Its great.

If paper is more your style, idk. Look for ideas on Pinterest, go to Target, use Amazon or something.

Transitions

This one is key. Minimize transition stress. When I go to yoga, I always shower after. That way I get into my car clean and ready to head home, eat something and give myself time to do other things.

I didn’t do this until a month ago and I’ve recommended it to a few friends.

Before I would go to the gym/yoga, drive home sweaty, get home, shower, eat something, and by that time I’m mentally/physically exhausted and just want to relax.

Getting everything I can done at each place I go to makes moving on to the next task easier.

TL; DR

Create somewhat of a routine, pack a bag, and do everything you can at each place you go to get the most out of your routine.