You might think getting ready for bed means washing your face, brushing your teeth, and putting on your pj’s. That’s just part of it, though.

You can get a jump on tomorrow by thinking about it the night before. Before you go to bed tonight, spend 30 minutes preparing for tomorrow:

• check your calendar for tomorrow’s events (business meetings, kids’ sports, etc)
• know what you’ll eat for breakfast
• pack as much of your lunch (and your kids’ lunches) as possible
• check backpacks, briefcases, totebags, and purses (lunch money, permission slips, flash drives, power cords, library books, homework, reports, USB cables, textbooks, uniforms, instruments, sports equipment … this list can go on forever, can’t it?)
• lay out your workout clothes if you work out at home; pack your gym bag if you work out somewhere else – don’t forget your shoes
• lay out your clothes (and your kids’ clothes) for the day
• put your skin brush on the bathroom counter or scale, where you’ll see it first thing
• fill your water bottle
• plug in your phone or PDA so it’s fully charged in the morning
• set your alarm to match tomorrow morning’s schedule

You’ll sleep better tonight, you’ll have a jump start on your morning, and it will make the whole day go easier.

One of the easiest ways to get enough sleep each night is to figure out when you need to wake up and set that morning alarm – then back up the time eight hours and set another alarm. That’s your reminder that it’s bed time.

If you need to back that up a little more to make sure you’re ready for bed, set a “head to bed” alarm, too – give yourself 30-60 minutes to lock the doors, wash your face, set out your clothes for the next day, etc.

Then get into bed – and turn out the lights – when your bed time alarm sounds.

If you think your alarm clock can’t handle all these times, then use the alarm on your phone or PDA for the “head to bed” alarm, and maybe even for the bedtime alarm.

Sweet dreams.

Make your bed, do your morning dishes, straighten up your bathroom, etc.

Just choose one thing and get it done in the morning. Doing your best at this first task will set you up with the right attitude for the rest of the day.

In the USA, we move our clocks forward one hour tonight – it’s one of signs of spring!

“Spring forward” also means we only have 23 hours in the day. Let’s take the “glass half full” approach and commit to being more efficient today, so we don’t miss that hour. Go to bed one hour earlier than you normally would, and you won’t even miss it.

Five minutes can make a difference in your day – at home and at work. We all have those really short segments of time throughout the day, and if we are conscious of them, we can use them to get things done. And that always makes us feel better about ourselves.

Here are some of our favorites for the office – both the one at home and the one at work. What can you do in five minutes?

• Cancel one appointment you don’t want (or need) to keep.
• Make one appointment you’ve been putting off.
• Reply to one email.
• Toss five things from your inbox into the recycling.
• Transfer dates from invitations and school flyers to the calendar.
• Test the pens and toss the dead ones.
• Sharpen the pencils.
• Shred something (anything).
• Open your file cabinet and get rid of five old files.
• File five things from your desk into their appropriate files in the file cabinet.
• Charge your portable devices.
• Sync your iPod.
• Sync your calendars.
• Check your voice mail.
• Move five files from your computer desktop to the correct folders.
• Sort or delete five emails.
• Download the pictures in your digital camera or cell phone to your computer.
• Pay a bill onlline.
• Check your bank balance online.

Five minutes can make a difference in your day – in how you feel about yourself, in how organized you are, in the length of your “to-do” list. We all have those really short segments of time throughout the day, and if we are conscious of them, we can use them to get things done. And that always makes us feel better about ourselves.

Here are some of our favorites. What can you do in five minutes?

• Clean the trash out of your purse (tissues, receipts, wrappers, expired coupons, etc.).
• Adjust all the bills in your wallet so they face the same way.
• Gather your reusable shopping bags and put them in the car.
• Straighten your underwear drawer.
• Put to-be-donated clothes in a bag by the door.
• Get one more thing from your closet to put in the to-be-donated bag.
• Fold the scarves and pair up the mittens in the coat closet.
• Polish your favorite shoes.
• Pick up five things and put them where they belong.
• Wash the dog’s or cat’s bowl.
• Test your smoke alarms.
• Water the plants.
• Call your dad.
• Write a thank-you note that you’ve been putting off.
• Write a card to a friend.
• Empty the bathroom wastebaskets.
• Check your stack of magazines and eliminate half.
• Take out the garbage and recycling.
• Tie up the cardboard or paper (whatever your community requires) for recycling.
• Floss your teeth.
• Look in your shower stall. Ditch any shampoos or body washes you haven’t used in forever.
• Move worn-out towels to the highest shelf of the linen closet.
• Clean one shelf of your medicine cabinet, wipe it down, and toss the expired stuff.
• Clean out one shelf of the refrigerator.
• Organize the freezer, and toss the really old stuff.
• Sanitize your kitchen counters.
• Clear off the top of the refrigerator and wipe it clean.
• Gather your plasticware lids into a basket (rounds in front, squares in back) to contain them neatly.
• Stretch.
• Reflect on a favorite quotation or poem.
• Look through a box of photos and frame one that speaks to you.

Start your day off right – and fit everything in with a simple routine. If you’re confused about how to fit in dry skin brushing, this morning jumpstart will help you understand it.

The night before *

• Check your calendar for tomorrow.
• Select your clothes for tomorrow based on your calendar. Lay them out.
• Select your workout clothes for tomorrow. Put them in the bathroom.
• Wash and moisturize your face!
• Drink a glass of water.

In the morning *

• Drink a glass of water.
• Skin brush.
• Put on those very convenient workout clothes before you talk yourself out of exercise.
• Work out!
• Shower and dress for the day.

Is there an appointment you’ve been putting off or ignoring … or maybe just forgetting?

Schedule your doctor appointment, your dentist appointment, your annual meeting with the accountant for taxes. Get your car maintenance scheduled, get your pap smear and mammogram scheduled, get your root touch-up scheduled. Call the pediatrician, call the financial planner, call the chiropractor, call the attorney.

Do it now – set up the year for your success!

It’s one of Marilu’s favorite tips, and it’s something she learned from her mother (who had a husband, six kids, and two home-based businesses).

If, every time you leave a room, you do a quick scan and pick up one thing that belongs where you’re going, picking up the house becomes less of a problem. If everyone in your house does it, just think of how much easier it will be to clean the house, and how much more free time you’ll all have.

We’ve seen a spin-off of this with piles of stuff to go up or down the stairs. Don’t leave the pile, though! Take it up (or down) on the next trip. (Yes, we’ve seen those stair baskets – the last thing anyone needs is permanent clutter on the stairs. Skip the basket!)

Most of us are already in full holiday mode – attending parties and entertaining, going to concerts and school events, baking and cooking, shopping and wrapping, decorating, mailing… and it goes on.

If you don’t have a plan for the next three weeks – from today right on through New Year’s Day – then sit down and make one today. Use your family calendar as the starting point. Include all the tasks you need to get done, and your deadline for them. Remember to get to the post office or package shipping place at least a week before you want things to arrive. Get your online shopping finished in the next few days. Get going on that baking, especially if you’re giving baked goods as gifts.

The key to happy holidays is organization and planning.