Now that Summer is behind us and the holidays are ahead, many of us are working to establish a new routine to stay on track. Whether you’re trying to create a new school routine, want to finish the year strong, or just want to be more productive, here are some great tips to create more efficiency in your day.

Get Organized

Start by simply creating a schedule. You can plan out your days, your weeks, and your months so you know what it will take to accomplish your goals. The more detailed your schedule is, the better. It will help you stay motivated and know what your next move should be.

Start Your Day with a Checklist

Each morning take 10 minutes to create a checklist for the day. Start with the big priorities like meetings, appointments, and tasks at work. Then write down the things you’d like to accomplish after that, such as exercise, specific chores, and personal wellness. This will give you a great visual tool first thing in the morning and will help you create a sense of accomplishment throughout the day.

Wake Up Early

Avoid the morning stress by creating more time. Waking up early will give you some quiet time to focus on yourself, organize your day, and create some productivity before the day even starts. Especially if you are a parent, waking up early gives you some much needed time to focus on yourself.

Create Attainable Goals

Attainable goals will help you stay motivated and focused on the task at hand. These goals don’t need to be anything huge, like obtaining a degree or securing a promotion. Start with something smaller and give yourself a win. You can make a goal to establish an exercise routine, organize the garage, or to do something special for yourself every day. Once you accomplish these goals, create new ones that provide more of a challenge.

Analyze Your Routine

After a few weeks of creating this new routine, take a moment and see how you feel. Do you feel better, or worse than before? Do you have enough energy? Should you scale back, or maybe take on more? Remember, this is your routine and it needs to work for you. If it’s not, then make some adjustments until you’re happy.