This post is sponsored by Walmart. All opinions are my own!
These are ten simple things that I do daily or weekly that help my life run smoothly and keep me feeling happy and balanced.
Trying to make your life happier? Here are some things that work for me.
We’re all striving for that feeling of a balanced, healthy, and happy life, right?
Although I certainly have hard days, and some days are more balanced than others, I’ve found that these ten things keep me feeling balanced, happy, and keep my life running smoothly.
The key for me is repetition and consistency, and all of these ten things are simple life adjustments that are easy to turn into habits and keep you on track.
1. Get up before the rest of my family
Although I wouldn’t really consider myself a “morning person,” and I hate getting up when it’s dark outside, I love getting up early and getting things done before anyone else is awake. It’s amazing how productive you can be when the house is quiet and there’s no distractions.
I wake up between 5:30 and 6:00 am every morning and get my workout and my scripture study in before I have to wake up my kids for school at 6:50 am.
Of course, everyone’s family’s schedules are different, and if you’re in a phase of life where you have babies who don’t sleep through the night, get every bit of sleep you can. But if you’re able, try getting up a bit before the rest of your family and get a few things done. It makes my day so much more productive!
2. Don’t press snooze
I stopped pressing snooze a few years ago after realizing that it always made me feel worse when I woke up. Five or ten more minutes doesn’t make much of a difference in your sleep, and I think it’s so much worse to have your alarm go off TWICE — once is plenty for me.
I usually lay in bed for about 20 seconds, waking myself up, and then I jump out of bed as quickly as possible so I’m not tempted to go back to sleep,
Also, I use my Apple Watch as my alarm, and I love the gentle nudge it gives me as an alarm, rather than a blaring alarm sound. Try it!
3. Order groceries every week
I think there’s nothing that keeps me feeling balanced more than ordering my groceries every week. It helps me have healthy food in the house so I make myself and my kids a balanced breakfast and lunch, and it motivates me to cook dinner every night, rather than eating out or eating cereal for dinner.
Every Sunday I make a dinner menu for the week (you can see all my weekly menus HERE), make a list of things I need, and then order my groceries to be delivered on Monday. It takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish and I don’t have to leave my house.
I used to use Walmart pickup, but last month I finally signed up for Walmart+ (it’s less than $100 for the whole year) and now I have my groceries delivered every week. It saves me so much time — I just jump on Walmart’s app or site, order what I need (I always make better choices when I’m not wandering through the aisles grabbing random things that catch my attention!), and they delivery my order directly to my house for free with orders over $35+ (restrictions apply).
Walmart+ also gives you other benefits, like Walmart+ free shipping, no order minimum on items from Walmart.com (excludes oversized, freight, and Marketplace items), you get member prices on gas, and also receive access to their mobile scan & go feature on their app that lets you scan and pay for items through the Walmart app when you’re in-store. It makes your checkout process super quick and contactless!
Try the free 15-day trial for Walmart+ right here — seriously, it’s a game changer, and will help keep you on track this year!
4. Eat the same thing for lunch everyday
As a business owner and mom, I’m making tons of decisions every day. So I really like limiting the rest of my decisions to avoid major decision fatigue. One of the ways I do this is with my lunch (also the reason I make a weekly dinner menu — I hate deciding at 5 pm everyday what we should eat for dinner!). I eat the same thing every day for lunch for months at a time, and then eventually I get bored and switch it to something new and stick to that for a few months.
Right now, I eat this veggie and chicken sausage mix with yellow squash, zucchini, chicken sausage, and feta cheese. It’s easy to throw together, healthy, and I make a big batch so it lasts for a few lunches in a row. (Also so easy cause I order my groceries through Walmart+ so I never have an excuse not to make it!)
Over the summer, I ate THIS SALAD for lunch almost every day.
If you’re the kind of person who doesn’t mind eating the same thing every day, find a recipe you like and just stick with it. It makes your day run so much more smoothly when you don’t have to think about meal time!
5. Exercise for 30 minutes minimum
There is literally nothing that makes my life feel more balanced than exercising every day. Like I mentioned above, I get up about an hour before my kids and exercise then.
I usually can only fit in about 30-40 minutes (either a quick run or a weight training session), but honestly that’s all I need to feel energized and clear headed.
I usually listen to a podcast or an audiobook while I exercise, and I love that I can exercise my brain and my body at the same time!
6. Time block my day for maximum productivity
I learned this really awesome method of productivity last year and it is honestly life changing. I wrote all about it RIGHT HERE.
I’m a major list maker, and making a huge list everyday always felt overwhelming, but helped me keep track of what I needed to do and gave me the satisfaction of crossing items off the list.
Time blocking basically takes your to-do list and helps you prioritize and assign time for each thing. Trust me, you have to try it.
7. Unplug for several hours everyday
This is super hard for all of us, I know. It’s absolutely hard for me. But when my kids get home from school every day, I try to unplug so I can spend time with them and talk about their day, play football in the backyard, or play ping pong in the garage.
I really love making dinner every night, and having my phone away during that time allows me to just breathe and relax and cook. There’s something so grounding about it for me!
And, of course, when we eat dinner as a family every night, I really don’t want my phone at the table to distract me. It’s our time to play trivia or other dinner games, and catch up at the end of the day.
I make this easiest on myself by putting my phone in the other room and charging it, just so it’s out of sight and out of mind. Try it!
8. Get ready for bed early
I started doing this a lot last year, and it makes such a difference in letting me wind down at night. My boys usually start getting ready for bed around 7:00 pm, so while they’re getting ready for bed, I get ready for bed too.
I still have to help my youngest with a bath and brushing his teeth, but he can do most of the other things on his own, so I take advantage of that time and get myself ready for bed too. I shower in the mornings, so it’s quick and easy for me to change into pajamas, wash my face, and brush my teeth.
Being ready for bed several hours before I go to bed is a game changer!
9. Read to my kids before putting them to bed
Reading aloud to my kids is my favorite part of bedtime routine. They all snuggle in bed, or sit on the floor coloring or building with LEGOs, and I read a chapter to them out of our current novel.
Right now we’re reading Cheaper by the Dozen, but you can see a whole list of our favorites here!
10. Be in my bed by 10:00
I need seven hours of sleep, minimum, to feel rested. So I try to get in bed by 10:00 every night and be asleep before 11:00 (ideally asleep by 10:30).
Getting in bed long before I need to be asleep gives me some wiggle room, especially because Philip always gets super chatty right when we get in bed. So that gives us time to lay in bed and chat for a bit before I need to go to sleep.
Now it’s your turn!
What do YOU do to keep your life feeling balanced and healthy?? Tell me in the comments or over on my Instagram this morning!
And don’t forget to check out the 15-day free trial for Walmart+ right here!
Love your blog and alL your posts! Could you please tAlk about what beverages you drink during the day? Juice? Milk? COffee? Water? AlcOhol? Tea? SOda? Gonna steal your lunch ideas and just wondered whst uiu drink throughout yhe day? ThAnk yOu So much for all you dO! Look forward to your pOsts everyday!!!!
Do you use amaxon’s food delevery option. How woUld you rate tHat option? I have a prime membership and costco . I dont know if i want to pay for walmart if i have these 2 unless its a superior option
THis post cracked me up and made me feel so much better – i thought my husband was the only one who hated a lot of things i consider stylish haha! 4/5 of these are ones he consistently comments on. thanks for sharing!
I love biker shorts! But not as something to wear publicly, but rather under skirts and dresses in the summer. I mostly ride my bike in good weather and they are perfect underneath to prevent any Marilyn Monroe-esque accidents 😀
The red dress is so beautiful~ I’m not a fan of biker pants…
Weird that he’d hate high-waisted jeans but would like low-waist jeans. High Waisted jeans are so flattering and don’t show your butt crack!