The Best Daily Routine Checklist For Adults to Get Your Shit Together

This post is all about daily routine checklist for adults!

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Creating a daily routine might be easy, but following through a daily routine that doesn’t only focuses on “healthy habits” but also helps you get sh*t done can be painfully hard!

I scrolled through the entire internet but couldn’t find a daily routine checklist that would help me add some structure to this ‘busy adult’ life.

So, here’s a practical daily routine checklist for adults that’ll help you stay productive, while also focusing on your personal goals. Life isn’t all about work anyways!

This checklist will help you ensure you’re not just putting out fires all day and doing what’s expected of you. This will help you focus on what YOU want your days to look like!

Daily Routine Checklist For Adults

Morning Checklist

Mornings are hands down the most important part of the day. It determines how the rest of your day is going to go. Here’s how to get it right 😉

1. no snooze

Simply wake up at the time you intended to wake up. So, you won’t wake up stressed and have a chaotic morning.

I mean it’s funny how, you set your alarm with your fully conscious mind. And then, let our lazy half-asleep brain decide if it wants to follow through or not!

I feel like my day always starts at a bad note whenever I miss my alarm, and just end up feeling bleh.

If you’re a heavy sleeper and hate the irritating alarm sounds, get this natural alarm clock. It wakes you up gradually and naturally.

2. morning routine

I swearr by morning routines! Even if you only have 30 spare minutes in the morning, do something that you enjoy and that’ll help you grow. Work on yourself before you go out and work for someone else.

And if you think you have no time in the morning, start waking up an hour early. Trust me, having an intentional morning routine really sets the tone for a productive day.

My morning routines have ranged from 20 minutes to full fledged 3 hour routines, depending on how busy my life is at that time. But if I skip a day, I can clearly see the difference in my mindset.

Related Post : The Ultimate Morning Checklist For Stress Free Mornings

3. breif digital detox

Don’t scroll through tiktok first thing in the morning. Most of us instinctively reach for the phone after waking up, looking for a message, a story, or an email that’ll make us feel good.

But in turn, we only end up feeling anxious, stressed and have wasted time. When you check your DMs or mails first thing in the morning, you start your day on other people’s terms – responding to what other’s want from you.

So, stay off of your phone for at least one hour in the morning. Use that time to focus on yourself first, thinking about what YOU want your day to look like. You mails and DMs can easily wait an hour!

Use the freedom app to block all notifications from your phone at least for the first hour.

4. Move Your Body

Add some kind of movement to your days. A lot of people enjoy working out, but that’s no really my thing and if it isn’t yours too, you do you!

I’ve recently discovered the deadly combo of audiobooks and morning walks! Currently listening to ‘Maybe you should talk to someone’ on audible.

You can also switch between different forms of exercising. And it’s best to move your body in the morning. But if that’s not possible, make sure you’re including at least 30 mins of movement in your daily routine checklist for adults.

Your Hot Girl Walk Essentials

5. actually get ready for work

Even if you wanna stay at home, get ready. Cuz we all know sweatpants and couch are not a good combo to get sh*t done.

Take it from someone who loves living in pjs, I’ve found that when I look put together and actually sit at my desk, I’m able to get more done.

And ofc, if you’re going to the office everyday, put some effort in getting ready. As strange as it is, people take you more seriously if you look more presentable.

In fact, plan your outfits for the week, so you don’t end up wasting time every morning.

6. Check emails (only twice a day)

Emails take up a lot of your time, and distract you from doing the work you were going to do otherwise.

I used to stay in my inbox to procrastinate doing the “actual” work. And I know most people do this too.

That’s why it’s better to schedule time in your morning and at the end of the day to check emails. If you keep on working on other people’s requests all day, when are you going to work on your goals?

Also, batch all similar tasks together. It’s very difficult to go from creation mode to admin mode to meeting mode in a snap of a finger.

Batching similar tasks helps you build momentum and you’re able to get more done faster.

During the day

Now that you’ve started your workday, here’s a list of things that’ll help you be insanely productive and healthy.

7. Have a focus hour

Schedule 3-4 hrs in your week as “Focus Hours”, which means you’re turning off all the distractions, putting your head down and doing the work.

And I mean, remove ALL the distractions – no phones, no people to talk to, no email notifications – nothing.

You’ll be astonished to see how much you can get done when you’re not checking your phone every 5 minutes.

If you don’t want to rely on will power, put your phone inside this phone lock and keep it in the other corner of the room to get started.

8. Hydrate yourself

It’s no news that you should drink approx 1 gallon of water everyday.

And yet, we somehow forget to do it. *facepalm*

I used to be the worst at drinking water (and that reflected on my skin and overall health). One thing that actually helped me was to keep a water bottle by my side at all times.

Trust me, getting this one gallon water bottle will drastically improve your water intake.

I’ve found that it’s not that you’re not thirsty right now, you just tend to avoid that feeling easily. But when you have a water bottle by your side, you don’t need to do that.

And the best part it, once you start drinking more water, your body quickly adapts. And you’ll naturally be able to drink more water without putting much effort behind it.

9. Add tasks from your good vibes list

I know you’re always on the go-go-go mode but it’s important to have moments in your day where you enjoy a little.

My favorite way to do this is by creating a good vibes list. Write down everything that brings you the good vibes, no matter how small – like your morning coffee, sitting with your dog, or reading your fav book.

And then, add these good vibes activities to your schedule. Intentionally make time for them.

You can also schedule time for your hobbies – playing badminton, practicing singing every evening, or things that help you stay mindful – like cooking, or doing a good puzzle.

Evening checklist essentials

You’ve had the best morning, a productive day, now it’s time to wrap things up! And focus on the life outside work – something that we all need to get better at.

10. Create a to-do list for the next day

I’m not a big daily to-do list person. But if you are one, it’s better to create a to-do list for the next day before going to bed and set your priorities.

So that you wake up next morning knowing exactly what your day’s gonna look like.

And if you’re a weekly planner like me, take out some time to review your schedule the day before, so nothing catches you off guard.

You don’t wanna wake up at 9 am only to find out you have a meeting at 10!

Related Post : How To Have A Productive Week W/o Having To Plan For 3 Hrs

11. Have a work cut off time

Tell me honestly, how many time do you take your laptop to bed, to work before you sleep? Almost everyday!

I’m sure this isn’t the kind of “work-life” balance you’re aiming for! So start having a work cut-off time, after which you’re not doing any work tasks no matter what.

This is not only important for your life-outside-work; use this time to hangout with family, work on your personal goals, relax a little.

But also because having deadlines help you get more done faster.

When you have a work cut off time at 6p.m., there’s a sense of urgency to finish everything before that time instead of leaving it for later.

Related Post : 27 Genius Tips To Be Productive At Home

12. after work cleaning

This is the best home organization tip I’ve heard for busy woman, you need to add it in your daily routine checklist for adults.

It’s hard to do a deep clean in the morning when work starts at 9, I get it!

So, after you get off from work, put a 10 minute timer and start cleaning. Put everything back where it belongs. Maybe even vacuum.

Trust me, you’ll thank yourself the next morning!

13. worry hour – an hour to worry

Okay, this might sound funny but it’s perfect if you’re an avid overthinker, and it holds you back from getting things done.

So, basically the next time you’re overthinking about something, you write it down and tell yourself you’ll worry about it in the worry hour – right now you’re working.

Then schedule an hour where you’ll sit down and think about all these things, maybe even journal and try to come up with solutions.

This helps because most of the times you’re worrying about random things that are never going to come true. So, this way it doesn’t stop you from being productive.

14. Daily Debrief – Things you got done today!

If you feel like you’re working all day and not getting enough done, it’s time to take a hard look at your days.

Sit down at the end of the day, and make a “ta-da” list. lol. It’s basically a list of everything you got done today.

You’re usually getting more done than what you give yourself credit for!

Also, observe what helped you stay productive and what kept you distracted. Use this information to be more efficient tomorrow.

Related Post : How To Plan Your Day To Be Productive

15. have a full 8 hr sleep

I was listening to a podcast by guy Raz where he said that 80% of your focus would improve if you just started having a good 8 hrs sleep.

Can you believe it!

So, make sure you’re getting a good night sleep and don’t pick up your phone first thing in the morning.

If you have trouble sleeping, have a relaxing night routine. Put your devices down, and spend time reading, journaling, or take a bath.

Night Routine Essentials

Other Essentials For Daily routine Checklist For adults

Here are things that you need to keep in your mind while planning your days. Trust me, it’ll make your life much easier!

16. plan for your guilt free rest time

The key, here, is “guilt free”.

If you’re like me you probably end up working or thinking about working while scrolling through tiktok, during your ‘rest time’.

It looks like you’re resting on the outside, but your mind isn’t relaxed.

And I learned it the hard way that if you can’t be a 100% relaxed on your rest days, there’s no way you’re being 100% productive on your work days.

So, start intentionally planning your rest days, do whatever helps you relax during that time – even if that looks like watching Netflix for 5 hrs straight – and be freaking unapologetic about it.

You can always take care of work later!

17. Make things easy for yourself

I’m a strong believer in keeping things as simple as possible. Life is hard as it is!

Here are some keys that can help you keep things simple.

• If it’s a 5 minute job, do it now. Chances are you’ll forget about it later.
  
• If you’re trying to build a new habit, leave visual cues. Want to drink more water -> Keep a water bottle by your side.
  
• Reduce resistance around things that you hate doing, but need to get done. Want to start going to the gym everyday, leave your workout
  
  clothes out.

18. Have conversations

Genuine conversations!

It’s so easy today to stay locked up in your devices and converse via emojis, but its so important to have actual conversations with your loved ones.

Humans naturally crave human connection.

So, make sure you’re making time for that everyday. Play with your kids. At the end of the day, put your devices down and tell your partner about your day.

It’s such a simple thing, but just being mindful about that will help you improve your relationships and happiness.

Don’t forget to download your free daily routine checklist for adults.

This post is all about daily routine checklist for adults!

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