I’d like to start doing three things each night before bed to improve the following day. 

First – Prep the coffee machine. Until recently, we used a french press for our morning brew and it was simple. Add water, steep the grounds, pour cups of motivation, and rinse. Now we have a machine that could be programmed to have me a cup at 7:30 am each day if I would set it up. I have yet to do that so in the meantime, I’ve started adding water, a new filter, and grounds for the next morning. So when I’m ready to go when I push the brew button. Easy peasy but a life changer. 

Second – Read more before bed. I had a great routine of reading before bed for nearly a year. It was a great way to end the day and begin resting. I would usually read a cookbook, a self-help-style book, or a history/adventure book. Something that was engaging yet easy to read. Anything complex would get my overactive mind moving back toward my phone and the mindless searching and scrolling. Reading at night helps me rest up better than staring at my phone as a fall asleep. 

Currently, I have a list of four books I’m planning to read this month:

• The Nordic guide to living 10 years longer – Dr Bertil Marklund 
• A Portrait of British Cheese: A Celebration of Artistry, Regionality, and Recipes –
  Angus D Birditt
• Winning Without losing – Martin Bjergegaard
• Open Design Now: Why Design Cannot Remain Exclusive – Bas Van Abel 

I suppose here is my commitment to myself and to you. I’ll read 30 min a night before bed for all of March. I’ll follow up on April 1st. 

Third and lastly, plan my day ahead. I hate task lists with all my being. They annoy my free-spirited nature but make or break the following day’s productivity. I need to use my task list on my phone better as a companion to my calendar to better plan my life out. 

My partner is a master of this but me, a serial procrastinator, I do just that… Procrastinate my planning and have less productive days than I would like to. The value here is knowing what needs to be done and being able to do it one task at a time. Knowing myself I’ll do the easy tasks first then move to the more difficult ones as late in the day as possible. I ought to fix that. 

So here goes nothing, three simple tasks that are going to help me have a better day tomorrow. Here’s to a month of coffee prep, planning, and reading before bed to make my next day better. 

Till next time. 

Casey