Good Day Guaranteed

 

- Gemma Askham

Getting a seat on the bus. But not the one beside the man with his flies undone eating a Big Mac. Being the chosen one for the free coffee at Pret.

Thought a good day at work was all about the external? Wrong. There is a way to take back control – simply by scheduling your day according to science so you can work out the best way to do... well, everything. Read on, your new timetable awaits...

7.30AM Awake to Coldplay

 Let Chris Martin wake you up (not in that way). Music has been shown to shake off that sleepy headfuzz. Music psychologist David M Greenberg found Viva La Vida is the perfect wake-up tune because it has three crucial elements for stirring brains: a slow build, positive lyrics and a strong tempo of 100 to 130 bpm. See also Clean Bandit’s Rather Be if the idea of Coldplay makes your brain hurt.

7.45AM Stretch out

 You know your really zennedout yogi friend? She’s onto something other than the ability to scratch her nose with her toe. A study by the Indian Journal Of Psychiatry tested cortisol (aka the stress hormone) levels in 58 patients, and found they were significantly lowered in those who practised yoga daily. The best move? Child’s pose. “Having your head on the ground brings pressure to the vagus nerves which, when stimulated, helps trigger the ‘rest and digest’ part of our nervous system, which lowers cortisol,” says Triyoga’s Lucy McCarthy. Bring on the chill.

9.35AM Sort your to-do list