Conagra Brands sponsored this post, but the opinions are my own.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve gotten significantly more busy (or at least it seems that way). In fact, almost all my friends agree that time moves so fast when you’re a millennial. Between work, relationships, friendships, trying to stay healthy, family and if you’re like me a side hustle (hello blog!), there aren’t enough hours in the week.
After returning from Europe, celebrating Thanksgiving in Chattanooga and driving across the state of Tennessee all within a matter of hours, it’s needless to say I was exhausted. I decided it was time to reevaluate.
While there is no way I can cut out trips to Memphis and I’m not looking to cut out my fun getaways with Babe, the holidays have my weekends jam packed and work + blogging is 24/7, the only solution I saw was prioritizing my time, working smarter not harder and making use of weekdays just as much as I make use of weekends!
After spending almost a whole month testing my theory, I have found 5 Easy Ways to Have a More Positive & Productive Work Week.
1. Utilizing the Weekend. I know weekends are the time when we’re supposed to kick back and relax but if you take an hour or two out of each day to be productive, it will make your week so much easier. Use a little time on Saturday to catch up on laundry, straighten up around the house or do one chore you hate doing during the week. On Sunday, hit the grocery store and prep for the week ahead. I like to stock up on easy meals that are healthy, quick and tasty. One of my favorite things to grab recently is Marie Callender’s Delights. There are so many options that take less than 5 minutes to heat up – yet are delicious and filling (more on this below!).
2. Tackle Your Morning. Waking up on Mondays is the hardest part of my week. I’ve found though whatever I do on Monday morning sets the tone for my whole week. As much as I would love to sleep in during the weekend, I try not to sleep later than 8 am. This helps me keep my sleep schedule and that 6 am alarm on Monday morning isn’t too scary.
3. Just Do It. Once my alarm does go off Monday morning, I like to do a few things to make sure I don’t fall back asleep. I immediately turn on my lamps, the bright light helps me wake up. I also like to check any texts I received while I was asleep. I diffuse my ‘Motivate’ essential oil and go grab a cup of coffee. I let myself have about 5-10 minutes to scroll through social media, answer any quick emails, open Snapchats or just read the news while drinking my coffee. Then I head upstairs for a workout. Usually I alternate between my treadmill or an online workout. Even if I don’t want to workout, I make myself at least walk on the treadmill or do a few burpees. Once I get start, I find myself motivated to finish the whole workout.
4. Make the Most of Your Evenings. Since so much of my job is done from home, I often have a hard time ‘turning off’. I don’t think it’s fair to RJ to be working from my phone or computer all night so I have to make the most of my evenings. Ever since I found Marie Callender’s Delights, I’m able to cook us a quality meal in a matter of minutes. I eat lunch really early so I’m usually hungry around 5 pm. I can stick mine in the microwave and 5 minutes later I can be eating! Nights that I know I have a lot of work, I’ll eat this while RJ is getting home, getting showered, etc. I can prepare and eat this while I wrap up work and then devote my full attention to him once he’s out. The best part is we can each pick our own entree and side, and be full and happy for under $10. When I know I’m eating something of quality, I feel better about myself and
have a more positive week + the fact it’s so easy to make means I’m more productive!
5. Treat Yourself! Finally, you need to treat yourself. I read somewhere that allowing yourself small treats is so much better than no treats at all. If you never allow your body to have what it’s craving, you’ll end up splurging on something huge and horrible later. I love buying a Marie Callender’s Loaf Cake because you can slice just as much as needed. It’s so delicious and flavorful, you won’t feel like you missed out on dessert. I’m obsessed with the Double Chocolate flavor. We love to add some Reddi-wip and crushed peppermints, such little effort makes us feel like we’re baking in a bakery in Paris! Enjoying dessert together after a long day is the perfect treat.
What ways do you make the most of your week? I feel like as millennials we are constantly wishing our life away (or at least I am). So instead of wishing it was the weekend, I want to make the most of everyday! I don’t know many better ways to make the most of your day than with a warm, delicious, quality and inexpensive meal?! #OhYesPlz
If you want to try Marie Callender’s New Delights and Loaf Cakes (Which I HIGHLY suggest you do, I almost couldn’t even wait to shoot it because I wanted to eat it all immediately.), you can use this link to receive $0.50 off one of these Marie Callender Products. For more easy dinners like this be sure to check out MoreFoodYouLove.com
Thanks for stopping by! I hope just like that yummy chocolate cake, that these tips help to make your week a lil’ better. 🙂
