3 Keys Thursday: 3 Key "Night Before" Ideas

Dodgerton Skillhause via Morguefile

This morning, as I was racing around before work gathering my supplies, I asked myself why I don't pack my bag the night before. Then I remembered this picture:

Yep. That's my I need to see it personal style in action.

With one schedule on MWF and another on TuTh, if I don't lay out all of my supplies just before packing my bag, I'm afraid I'll forget something. (Personal experience tells me there's good reason for me to have this concern). My global nature (the need to see the big picture) and my I need to see it style collide, making what sounds like a very practical idea impractical. 

Although packing my work bag the night before doesn't always work for me, here are three key things I could do the night before to save myself time in the morning.

• Pack my lunch. The contents of the kitchen are not going to change between dinner one night and mid-morning the next day. Packing my lunch, stashing it in the fridge and leaving myself a bright, visual reminder (fuchsia sticky note, anyone?) on the back door will save me precious get-out-of-the-house time.

• Lay out my piles. This is something I'd be more likely to do if I lived alone. But, since other members of my family tend to object to my taking up the sofa or dining room table with my class-by-class files, I don't do this. I guess this is just one more incentive to clear off the counter in my office.

• Check my calendar.  During the semester, my days have a pretty predictable rhythm, but there are always those days when extra appointments or meetings sneak in. Ideally, I've done a review of the week ahead sometime between Friday and Sunday night, but a quick peek at the calendar the night before is always a good idea. In addition to refreshing my memory for places I need to be and people I need to see, it gives me the opportunity to pencil items from my to-do list into my schedule. 

Pixabay

Notice that I said these are things I could do. Now I just need to work on putting that could into action.

How about you? What are your morning time savers?