How to look (& feel) good to be more productive everyday

I don’t know about you, but there are days as a mom of two that I don’t even get out of my PJ’s nor brush my teeth! It seems as if the minute we wake up, time flies as we are getting the kids dressed and serving breakfast, sneaking a sip of coffee (reheating it at least twice), wiping off sticky fingers, cleaning up the kitchen, folding some laundry, heading outside to water the flowers, running back inside and have play time, brushing the kids’ teeth and finally putting them down for a nap. At that point, I figure it is close enough to the evening where I might as well wait until bed time to change into a different set of pajamas and brush my teeth!

Working part-time as a nurse practitioner and growing my online business as a health coach has allowed me to be at home more and to be more present with my kids! I am an extroverted introvert and being at home is my happy place. However, this is also when I noticed I was slacking on my appearance and some days I felt as if I didn’t get a darn thing accomplished. I mean, I get a million little things accomplished like removing the same dump truck toy that was shoved between the cushions over and over…but working on my big goals for my health coaching business seemed to fall at the waist-side. I would go to the bathroom (with my six week old baby strapped to my chest) and look in the mirror as I was washing my hands and think, “Oof, I look rough!” Don’t get me wrong! We all have days where we want to feel comfy in our sweatpants and have a clean face free of makeup so our skin can breathe. However, it wasn’t until I started doing little self-care habits each day (preferably in the morning) that I noticed my confidence boosting and my productivity increasing!

Tip#1: Start your morning well hydrated!

By keeping my Stanley cup next to my bed, still cold from the night before, I am able to take big gulps of water as soon as I wake up! Our bodies need water to function and since we lose it regularly throughout the day, it is crucial to compensate for this loss first thing in the morning! I try to make it a rule to drink about 20-30 ounces of water in the morning BEFORE my cup of coffee. I know that I might not be a diligent with my intake throughout the day, but at least upon awakening I can replenish my muscles and tissues with some fluids to get off to a good start.

Tip#2: Put on actual clothes

This one is hard for me but when I do follow through with it, I legit increase my productivity by a long shot! I like to be in cozy clothes as much as any, but try to save that for just the weekends. During the week, I keep it simple by throwing on the same style outfit every day…mom jeans, an actual bra and a t-shirt. If you are more of a yoga pants kind of gal, go for it! For me though, I get straight into #bossmom mode when I have on my high-waisted Levi’s and a fitted, yet stretchy t-shirt to give me some shape and structure. These items do not have to be expensive brands! But if you are at least dressing your body in clothes that send signals to your brain that you aren’t just going to lounge on the couch all day, then you’ll find yourself more productive!

Easy, Simple, Comfy!

You do NOT have to spend a bunch of money on clothes to look and feel good in! Just go for something that gives your body shape and structure. Not too loose and not too tight!

Tip#3: Wash your face, brush your hair and curl your lashes!

I recently jumped on the dry shampoo train and I am here for it! I used to wash my hair every day but when I started using dry shampoo and putting a comb through my hair every now and then, I noticed that it got less oily, not to mention cutting my shower time in half! So each day after drinking my water, I march straight to the bathroom and I wash my face, brush my hair and curl my eyelashes! I love putting on makeup and it is therapeutic for me, but I just don’t have the time to do a full face (nor do I want to) for the days I am not leaving the house. My staple items for makeup are a tinted BB cream, dark circle corrector, mascara and some blush! This is a very minimal approach to looking more fresh throughout the day and it literally takes 1-2 minutes. If I had to choose just one or two of these, I would just curl my lashes as it makes my eyes look brighter and throw on some peach blush to give me color. I’m also a big fan of protecting skin from the sun so choose BB creams or moisturizers that have SPF in it!

tip#4: put effort into nail care

I am going to reveal an extremely odd fact about myself…but I have no shame so here it goes. I get envious of people who have nice, natural nail beds! Lemme explain! I was a nail biter for years, which caused me to have short nail beds that don’t grow evenly and have a funny shape. So I always appreciate when someone has high, smooth nail beds (I bet you are looking down at yours right now)! That being said, I feel like Wonder Woman when I have my nails done! Yes, I prefer going to the salon and getting a mani/pedi for the ultimate glow up, but I rarely have time to sit there for over an hour. The next best thing is to keep my nails clean, push back the cuticles, file them into a shape and throw a clear top coat on! This is a quick, easy way to feel more put together with very minimum effort!

Tip#5: Move your body with intention

I could preach about this all day long but I don’t want to take up all your time. So here is the cliff note version…you are going to not only look, but FEEL ten times better when you exercise. No, this does not mean that you have to train for a marathon or take up body building. But simply taking 10-20 minutes each day to move your body intentionally can significantly improve your mental and physical health. Meet up with a fellow mama for a stroll or commit to 10 minutes of stretching and yoga before bed will bring so much positivity to your daily schedule. My favorite hack is to commit to just 5 minutes of a workout. Literally just 5 minutes. Because once you begin, you will already be in the groove to go on for another 5-10 minutes and quite frankly, 5-10 minutes is better than zero minutes. Check out my blog post about the effectiveness of 20 minute workouts. You don’t have to spend hours in a gym to get good results!

Tip#6: Make sleep a priority

Again, I know that we all do our best as busy moms or career women to get some Z’s. “I can sleep when I’m dead” is what we tell ourselves. However, our bodies need sleep just as much, if not more than water and food. Getting the appropriate amount of sleep will boost your immunity, lower your risk of serious diseases, reduce stress and improve metabolism. Please don’t be like my husband who simply refuses to just go to bed when he’s tired but instead insists on falling asleep on the couch after watching 5 minutes of Netflix to then waking up at 2 AM and then crawling into bed (obviously a point of contention in our marriage, but I still love him!). If it means that you need to leave some tasks for the following day’s To-Do list, I believe this is worth it.

I hope these tips provided some insight! Again, they are very simple and quick to achieve. Pick one or two of these and commit to adding to your routine for the next few days and enjoy the improvement!