Starting your day with a productive routine will help you achieve more throughout the day.
It’s 6 AM and your alarm clock goes off.
There are a lot of ways you could feel at this moment; groggy, confused, appreciative (probably not towards your alarm clock though), but are you feeling productive?
I’m sure we will all agree that a great way to start the day is to start off feeling productive. So why do we so often reach straight for our phones and scroll social media?
To help combat the unproductive habits, I’ve outlined 8 easy hacks you can use to start your day off right and feel more productive throughout the rest of the day.
- Prepare the night before
- Get a good night’s sleep
- Wake up at the same time
- Create a morning routine
- Drink water
- Populate your todo list
- Read your personal mission statement
- Get dressed for the day
I found these ideas simple and easy to apply immediately. I hope you’ll find them helpful, too, and will try them out for yourself.
So let’s dive in and look at each of these points in more detail.
Prepare the night before
The first step to ensuring your day starts productively is to actually start preparing the night before.
It’s easy to lose track of time when you’re rushing around in the morning, but by preparing the night before and storing everything in its proper place, you can set yourself up for a smooth start to your day.
I like to prepare by doing the following:
- Fill a water bottle and place it by my bed
- Set up the espresso machine so all I have to do is flip a switch to get my morning caffeine (This one can be the tipping point for me getting out of bed – the thought of such easy-to-get coffee nudges me out from under the covers).
- Ensure my workspace is tidy
Basically do the night before whatever will make your morning more efficient and pleasant.
Other ideas you might find useful are:
- Prepare breakfast if it is something that will keep overnight
- Lay out clothes
- Set up your workout area so you can jump straight into it
Get a good night’s sleep
Getting a good night’s sleep is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. In fact, it’s not just important – it’s essential. A lack of sleep has been linked to heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Aside from the physical, there are also mental effects of not getting enough sleep: attention lapses, reduced cognition, delayed reactions, and mood shifts.
Consider how much you dislike getting out of bed when you are tired, and then add the above-listed effects together – you’ll see why a good night’s sleep is critical for boosting productivity.
To get a good night’s rest, experts suggest going to bed at the same time every day (even on weekends), avoiding screens at least an hour before bedtime and exercising regularly.
Try sleeping in complete darkness without any noise or light coming into your room; this helps keep your body clock in check so that you’re tired when you need to be.
Wake up at the same time (and in plenty of time)
It might not seem like a huge deal, but waking up at the same time every day can help you feel more in control of your life.
Waking up at the same time every day makes it easier to stick to a morning routine. If you do the same things at the same time every day, then that routine will be easier to follow and stick to.
You should also aim to wake up in plenty of time to do what you want to do so you don’t feel rushed. Being rushed in the morning can really upset the flow of the whole day and make you feel like you are constantly chasing your tail.
A great thing about having a consistent wake-up time is that your body will get used to the routine. If you wake up at the same time every day, it’ll be easier for you than if you have different wake-up times on different days.
Create a morning routine
If there is ever a time we need a routine then it’s in the morning when we are still trying to fully engage our brains.
It’s easy to make the excuse to stay in bed a little longer or make an effort to get up, but then not follow through on your plans. With a solid morning routine in place, your body can go through the motions with minimal input from your sleepy brain.
A morning routine is an aid to help start your day on track, so you can focus on the tasks that matter most.
There are many different types of morning routines and some people find it helpful to have more than one.
For example, your main morning routine might be to take a shower, eat breakfast and read emails – but maybe you have another routine you do on weekends where you still take a shower and eat breakfast, but then instead of reading emails, you go for a jog.
I wouldn’t suggest more than two different routines. The idea is to let your body go through the motions automatically, without thinking too much. If you have different routines for each day, then you will struggle to go through them automatically and you will negate a lot of the benefits.
Drink water
Drinking water first thing in the morning is one of the easiest ways to feel more energetic. Your brain needs water to function correctly, and drinking it will help you think more clearly throughout the day.
As part of my nighttime routine, I place a bottle of water on my bedside table and when I wake up I immediately take 5 gulps. This not only helps to rehydrate me but also kick-starts my morning routine.
To be at your best, of course you need more than just a morning drink. Keep up your water intake throughout the day to boost your energy and productivity. I’ve found that when I drink water I also sleep better and am able to wake up more easily.
Populate your todo list
Have you ever noticed that more often than not, if you write down what needs to be done, you will make it happen?
By creating a todo list in the morning, when we are likely to be most motivated, we can maximize our productivity.
Coming up with a todo list after lunch could mean we have lost an entire morning and we won’t be as motivated or enthusiastic about getting things done.
A good todo list takes into account how long you have to complete tasks so writing one in the morning makes the most sense as we have the whole day to fill.
You can use pen and paper, a whiteboard, or even a notes app on your phone. The trick is to write down all the things you want to accomplish today.
As you complete each task, cross it off your list. This small gesture will help you stay focused throughout the day because you’ll know exactly how many things are left to do.
When you’re done with your list, take a moment to reflect on what you’ve accomplished so far and feel good about yourself!
This is just a basic outline of a todo list, but I’ve covered todo lists in far more detail here: The Ultimate Daily Todo List Strategy for Productivity. So if you are keen to boost your productivity with the help of a killer todo list then check it out.
Read your personal mission statement
Personal Mission Statements can and will take up a whole post, so this is just a taster of why they are good productivity hacks to read in the morning.
A Personal Mission Statement is a written statement that lays out the type of person we want to be. Because they are written by you and for you, they will be honest.
If you don’t have a Personal Mission Statement then I would recommend writing one up as soon as you can. Here’s a link to a Forbes post to get you started.
When we understand the importance of a Personal Mission Statement then it becomes clear that reading it, preferably out loud, each morning is a fantastic practice to keep your life heading in the right direction.
As you read your statement each morning, envision yourself being the person that you have written down. Read it out loud and believe it. Believe you will be that person!
Doing this every morning will take no more than 20 seconds but it will get your day rolling productively.
Get dressed for the day
If you are anything like me, then when you feel good about how you look, you walk taller, have a bit more confidence and perform that little bit better.
This is where taking those extra minutes in the day to get dressed properly can make a big difference (even if you are working from home).
It really doesn’t take that long to wash and get ready, even if it feels like it at the time. Get up 10 minutes earlier or put down your phone and commit to freshening up for the day.
Getting dressed also creates a mental divide between relaxation and work. But be careful not to turn that into a negative thing: “Oh no! I have to get dressed!”
Think of it as a positive experience by choosing an outfit that makes you feel good about yourself and is weather suitable.
Often in my life, situations can go south or not happen at all when I’m not feeling confident. A small boost of confidence from wearing clothes that make me feel good can motivate me to take action rather than let opportunities get away.
But, no need to stop at just getting dressed – showering, styling your hair, applying makeup, or putting on cologne/perfume are all quick ways to feel good about yourself and increase your productivity.
Conclusion
Starting your day off right is a habit that will help you be more productive throughout the day.
I’m sure you already use some of these hacks in your own daily routine, but hopefully, I’ve at least filled in some gaps or have inspired you to think differently about your morning routine.
Remember, a simple factor in being productive is making the decision to be productive. If you approach the day with the attitude of “I have to get a lot done” or “I feel like I’m not being productive”, chances are that you won’t be productive.
But if you say, “I’m going to spend today working as much as I can as productively as possible”, then your mindset becomes focused on fulfilling that goal and you will end up getting more done.
And why stop here? Carry your productivity into the rest of the day with the help of these tips: 8 Productivity Tips to Turn Your Life Around.
Thanks for reading
Iain McClafferty – The Five Year Mortgage
