3 Things That Will Revolutionize Your Day

     Time. It's so short. And so long. So brief. So infinite.

     There are 24 hours in a day. 60 minutes to an hour. 60 seconds to a minute.

     But you knew that. And I'm not here to tell you something you already know.

     Lots of high schoolers (and adults) struggle with managing their time. They work late into the night on homework because they wasted two hours on Pinterest before dinner. I'm guilty of not managing my own time well as much as the next girl (or guy.)

     But I have found three things have revolutionized my day compared to the average American's. These are sleep, habits, and healthy food.

     Sleep (or the lack of it) greatly affects how anyone operates during the day. Doctors recommend eight hours of sleep. I personally think that if you're used to...say, five hours of sleep a night, try to get up to eight.

     Five hours sounds like so little to me. That's what I get at sleepovers! (From about 3 am-8 am.)

     Beauty sleep is important for your all-round health, your skin, and your digestive system.

     Americans need to get more sleep! 10 pm-7 am are the prime hours your body NEEDS to be asleep. To get to sleep easily (without the hours of wakefulness I used to have) don't eat or have any screen time during the hour or two before bed. Especially sugar and caffeine! No sugar or caffeine after 8 pm!

     This will help you be more awake when you're awake and more asleep when you're asleep.

 

     Secondly, habits. Your daily rituals (some of which you don't even realize you have) will either help you or keep you from being productive during the day.

     If you get on your phone or computer first thing in the morning, you're likely to waste about an hour scrolling through things that aren't even important.

     But the first two hours of your day are the most important! They're the ones you can be most productive during (especially after a good night's rest). Even if you're not a morning person, put down your phone and get moving in the morning. Do some school work, go exercise, or clean your house so it's ready for the day.

     Daily habits of brushing your teeth or drinking eight glasses of water or journaling about your day will help you to 1. get those things done faithfully and 2. leave space for other things as you get better and better about establishing these rhythms.

     Finally, good (good for you) food and lots of water will keep you alert, energetic, and healthy. Don't have a bowl of fruit loops or donuts for breakfast. They will get your body and mind off to a bad start. Don't grab a bag of potato chips or bowl of ice cream for your snack. They'll mess with your digestive system, immune system, and all the other wonderful things God built into your body.

     Don't do it! Drinking lots of water (NOT COKE) will help you to quench those cravings. Often we eat when we are really thirsty. Water is the best possible thing in the world for us. All of America is so dehydrated. Never stop drinking water. In fact, go get a glass or bottle of it right now. Just reading about it is probably making you thirsty.

     Those are my three tips. The three things that set me and others apart from the people who say "tired" or "bored" or "stressed" whenever someone asks how they're doing. Those are lethargic, beaten-down answers. Let's rise above them. Join me.

     (P.S. If you're as excited about this as I am and want me to come help you sleep better, form good habits, eat better, etc, I would love to help you out. Email me. Subscribers can just hit reply to this email.)

~Madeline