Why getting up early could be good for you

Tags

6am, accomplished, accounts, admin, alarm, bagel, big shifts, blog posts, body clock, boxing session, breakfast, cared for, cereal bar, change, coffee, cup, doing some yoga, early hours, Eggs on toast, emails, energy, extra time, feel good, flexible hours, goals, good intentions, half an hour, hard work, healthy breakfast, hot, house, inbox, keen, lemon juice, lifting weights, listening, Me time, meditation, mental health, minutes, morning person, motivation, peace of mind, perfect time, phone calls, plan your day, podcast, productive, quietest time, running, silent, sleeps, smashed avocado on rye bread, smoked salmon, smoothie, Special, start your day, stillness, suggestions, sun, sunrise, switch, tea, thoughts, to do list, treadmill, walk, watching, work, write, writing a gratitude journal, yelling

The early hours might not be something you are familiar with or keen on, but they are not only the quietest time of the day but can also be the most productive.

No one yelling “mum,” no phone calls coming in and no emails landing in your inbox that need an urgent response. There’s also something really special about watching the sunrise and feeling accomplished before breakfast.

If you’re not a morning person, this might sound like hard work, but setting your alarm just a little earlier each day can be all it takes to make big shifts and we have some suggestions on how to make the switch.

Me time
We all know that time by ourselves can be hard to come by, but even a few extra minutes by yourself with your own thoughts can be huge for your peace of mind and mental health. Whether ‘me time’ to you means meditation, doing some yoga, writing a gratitude journal or listening to a podcast with no interruptions, mornings can give you the time to do this, so you feel cared for and looked after.

Do some exercise
We all have good intentions, and we all have our own body clocks, but while the rest of the house sleeps, you could fit in the exercise you keep meaning to do. It could be going for a walk as the sun comes up, running on the treadmill, doing a boxing session in the living room or lifting weights, all of these are a great way to start your day and work towards a goal. Whatever makes you feel good and gets you moving, go for it and we think you will be surprised the energy and motivation this will give you for the rest of the day.

Enjoy one hot cup of coffee
How many times do you make your first coffee of the day but never actually get to drink it while it is hot? Even getting up half an hour earlier than usual will mean you can make yourself a coffee, or tea, and sip it while it’s hot and plan your day.

Eat breakfast
Giving yourself a little extra time in the morning means you can prepare and enjoy a healthy breakfast. It is so easy to grab a cereal bar or knock back a smoothie as you run out of the house, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Eggs on toast, a bagel with smoked salmon and lemon juice or smashed avocado on rye bread are all easy to prepare, quick to eat and good for you – so make that extra time in the day count.

Get to work
For some people, the stillness of the morning is the perfect time to do some work. With an increasing number of us working for ourselves, or having flexible hours, being able to get through your to-do list can be done on your terms. Maybe you are most productive at admin at 6am, or you like to write blog posts when the office is silent, or it could be that getting your accounts done before 7am makes you feel organised and efficient.

Find what works for you and you’ll be amazed at how those extra hours can change the way you live and feel.

Team Pure Beauty

Spring clean your finances

Tags

100%, admin, advantage, advert, April, balance transfers, bank, bank statements, bill, budget, building society, carboot sales, cash, cash flow, charity, claim, claims guys, clear, clutter, Collect points, credit cards, do it yourself, financial, free coffee, garage, garden, gym memberships, home, inbox, insurance policies, internet bills, investments, ISA, loyalty schemes, magazine subscriptions, manager, month, offer, online services, paperwork, pay rise, pennies, pounds, PPI, promotion, rainy day, recycle, savings, shopping, sites, small print, vouchers, work hard, www.which.co.uk

You think nothing of spring cleaning your home, garden or garage, but how often do you take stock of your finances?

Make April the month to clear away those cash cobwebs and let the pennies take care of the pounds.

Sort out the admin
It is well worth spending an hour or two getting your paperwork together so you can see what your financial position is at this current moment. If you don’t know where you are, it’s hard to get a plan in place for the future. Sit down with a cuppa and your bank statements, insurance policies, energy costs, mobile phone and internet bills and anything else you pay out on. Make a list of how much things are costing each month and this will give you a good starting point.

Chuck out what you don’t use
This might sound silly but check your bank statement carefully as it could be you are paying for gym memberships, online services and magazine subscriptions you no longer use and if that’s the case, look at stopping these so money can be better spent elsewhere.

Swap things around
We know that changing suppliers can be a pain but it is worth shopping around and seeing where savings can be made.

Look for balance transfers on credit cards
If you’re paying full interest rates on your credit cards, see if you can move to another provider so you can clear your balance quickly and for less.

Make the most of your savings
If you do have savings accounts or an ISA, pop into your bank or building society and make sure you are getting the best return on your investments. Also, make sure you use your IAS allowance because you either “use it or lose it”.

Ask for a pay rise
If you work hard and give 100% to your employer, at your next review why not ask for a pay rise? Write a list of all your achievements over the past year and when you sit down with your manager highlight these and your ambition to move up the career ladder. Put your best points forward and you never know, you might get a rise and a promotion! If you don’t ask, you don’t get!

PPI
You have seen the adverts but if you think you have something to claim when it comes to PPI, or are just interested, the window closes on 29 August 2019. Try to steer away from the claims guys and instead look at www.which.co.uk to find out how to do it yourself.

Collect points
Using loyalty schemes might feel uncomfortable for some, but they can really make a difference. Points can equal cash, vouchers and free coffee, so read the small print to make sure you aren’t signing your life away, but if it’s going to help, take advantage of what’s on offer.

Recycle
If you want to make some cash, as you spring clean the house look at what you can sell on local sites or at carboot sales and give away anything else to charity to keep the clutter at bay.

Once you have got your affairs in order, create a budget, including saving for a rainy day, and stick to it. You will find that if you are in control of your cash, it will not longer control you and you won’t feel sick each time a bill lands in your inbox.

Team Pure Beauty