Some mornings you might wake up already feeling defeated. Your To Do list is never-ending, and it feels like you’ll never be able to accomplish anything, much less everything! After looking at how you spend your time each day, you’ll be able to cut out a lot of unnecessary time-sucks and stop focusing on not accomplishing everything, but on enjoying yourself each day. Once you assess your time and change your attitude, you’ll wake up energized and ready to tackle the day, because you know you have the power to complete everything and enjoy yourself, and your family, while you do it.

1. Wake up early.

Instead of hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock until you buy yourself an extra hour of sleep, get up the first time it goes off! Not only will you keep yourself from rushing to make it to work on time, but you’ll have time for yourself. Get up and start your day the way that makes you feel the best. Do you want time to relax and read, or to cook a big breakfast? Do you want to get a jump start on some chores around the house, or do some work before the rest of the family wakes up? This is your time, and you’ve made room to do something extra by not sleeping in too late. Reward yourself with some relaxation now, or use the time to get work out of the way so you can relax more later.

2. Rest up!

You might be tempted to stay up at night and work or surf the internet, but staying up late isn’t really buying you more time. You’re gypping yourself of sleep time, so you’ll wake up and still feel tired. Everyone has their own magic hour of sleep. So instead of messing with your alarm clock every day, wake up at the same time (which should be early — remember the last tip?). If you find that you’re still tired when you wake up, push your bedtime back an hour, and again, and again, until you find the sweet time to go to bed that allows you to wake up early, rested and refreshed.

3. Eat healthy.

You don’t have to eat rabbit food if you’re not big into veggies, but it’s important to eat healthy for your body type and daily life. Eat a big breakfast, even if it’s bacon and eggs, because that’s going to make you feel good and give you a lot of energy for the day. Instead of snacking on junk food, eat granola, yogurt, or nuts. Don’t go out and grab fast food for lunch — pack a sandwich or leftovers from home, so you’re saving time and money, and you’re eating healthier.

4. Enjoy your tasks.

There are some things you have to do each day that just aren’t fun. Sometimes it seems like your days are never-ending chores, day after day after day. But when you become more present and get more involved with each task, they stop feeling like tedious chores. Instead of throwing together something for dinner, cook with your partner! Make time to talk with each other, as well as time to make a delicious meal for the family. The power of positive thinking isn’t a myth — if you approach a chore with a fresh, optimistic mind instead of being full of dread, you’re going to enjoy each task much more.

5. Accomplish one thing on your To Do list.

To Do lists don’t have to be completed in one day. Instead of having a never-ending list, cut it down so you have a shorter list of things to accomplish each week. If you have one major project to do each week, break it into small tasks so you can accomplish something each day. Instead of cleaning the whole house, top to bottom, wash the dishes one day, vacuum the next, and do laundry the next. This approach can work with any task — work-related, personal, or home tasks.

6. Do one thing for fun.

If you’re accomplishing one hard task every day, you need to balance that with doing one thing you love. Life can’t be all work and no play! If you like taking time to have a big gourmet breakfast, do that. If you like watching a certain show, watch an episode every night. If you love to read, read for an hour before bed each night. Knowing that you get a reward will push you to do as much as you can each day, and that reward is a great time to unwind and relax.

7. Exercise.

Exercise doesn’t have to mean doing a full workout at the gym, but it’s important to get your body moving every day. It’s way too easy to sit on your butt all day at work, then come home and sit in front of the TV until it’s time for bed. Try to be outside as much as possible when the weather’s beautiful. Go on a family walk every day — it’s not rigorous exercise, but your heart rates increase and you’re outside in the sun instead of stuck inside the house. Do whatever kind of exercise makes you feel the best — go for a walk or run, jump rope, do jumping jacks or crunches, lift weights. Just be active!

8. Cuddle.

If you make time to work out, you’ve got to make time to love! Hugging, touching, and being close to your loved ones automatically makes you feel happier. It’s a great way to get in a bit of family togetherness, while melting away stress. It’s hard to make time for this some days because it seems unnecessary. But have a bedtime ritual where you cuddle with your kids as you talk or read to them, and hug your honey when it’s finally time for the parents to go to bed. It doesn’t take away time from tasks you may identify as more important, and it’s guaranteed to make the whole family happier.

9. Prepare for tomorrow.

Before you go to bed, take some time to pick up around the house and get things lined up for tomorrow. You don’t have to prepare breakfast ahead of time or lay out your clothes, but mentally prepare yourself. Picking up clutter will make you feel better when you wake up in the morning — you won’t immediately be faced with something tedious to do! Thinking of what you need to do the next day will help you feel prepared without the pressure, because you know you have time to rest up beforehand!