5 Tips to Start The Day Productively
Have you ever looked at CEOs and yoga moms who always seem to have it together way too early in the morning and assumed they must be morning people? What if I tell you it’s not their free time that matters but rather how they start their day?
Productivity should not be an unachievable goal, and many say it simply comes down to the right mindset, focus, and routine. So, to start your day like some of the most successful people in the world, you should be doing these five things to kick off your morning in a productive manner.
- Plan Carefully
Nobody wants to make decisions early in the morning, not even presidents. The best way to start the day without being overwhelmed with meaningless small choices is to make them the night before.
So take a page out of American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault and note down three to five tasks you want to do tomorrow before going to bed today.
Or perhaps you could do what Former President Obama does and create a capsule wardrobe to streamline picking your outfit. Explaining why he limits his closet, Obama told Vanity Fair:
“You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits. I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.”
If you’re like most and a capsule wardrobe sounds boring, choose your outfit the night before so that the morning isn’t filled with clothes strewn across the room and panic when you can’t find the right pair of socks.
The calmer start to the day eliminates tasks and decisions you need to make first thing in the morning and gives you a sense of organization, which translates into the rest of the day and gives you time to focus on more important things.
- Make Your Bed
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmFwRkl-TTc
Probably the least expected step to a productive morning is to make your bed as soon as you get up.
Many successful people swear that making your bed plays a significant role in feeling motivated to get on with your day and avoiding the temptation to climb back under the warm blankets for a snooze.
The action of making the bed tells your brain that the day has started and that it needs to focus on waking up and getting tasks done. U.S. Navy Adm. William H. McCraven says:
“If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of your productive day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”
- Hit The Gym
Squeezing a workout into a busy schedule is often tricky and interrupts the natural flow of your day. Instead, make it part of your morning routine. This will help you establish a set way that will help keep your mind focused in the morning. There are also many benefits to working out before you start your day.
It’s been proven that you burn more calories when you work out in the morning and that starting the day with a healthy activity sets the tone for the decisions you will make for the rest of the day. For example, you will be more likely to opt for more nutritious meals.
Working out also causes an endorphin release which improves your mood. Starting your day with positive feelings boosts self-esteem and confidence and gives you a sense of accomplishment, thereby motivating you to tackle other issues during the day.
- Eat Breakfast
The next vital step to take in the morning is to eat something. It would be counterproductive if you’ve spent all your energy working out and can’t focus on work because your blood sugar levels are too low.
Research shows that people who regularly eat breakfast have more stable sugar levels and feel less hungry during the day. Healthy breakfasts improve memory, energy, and concentration, so sit down and eat.
- Meditate
Finally, before settling into your busy schedule, make time for meditation. It doesn’t have to be full-on candles and chanting meditation, but simply focusing on mindfulness and taking a few moments to clear your mind before jumping into work can help reduce anxiety, improve concentration, and help you focus on critical tasks.
Take some deep breaths, tune out the world, and relax. The key to success is only to control the parts of the day that you can.
And on that note, while quietly blocking out the world, why not start your day with quotes? Because as Richard Whately once said, “If you lose an hour in the morning, you will spend all day looking for it.” And that sounds about right, doesn’t it?
