Too much to do and not enough time in a day?
Initially, as a night owl, I used to push all of my tasks towards the end of the day only to find myself complaining that there just aren't enough hours in a day! Many times I've struggled to complete my tasks on time.
Thereafter, I decided to change my approach and become a morning person instead. It wasn't an overnight process, but it definitely changed my relationship with mornings for good.
Firstly, I learned that by waking up early I could have the time I was unable to find earlier.
Secondly, there is this feeling of satisfaction in being awake early and accomplishing tasks while everybody else around me is still asleep.
Waking up early will definitely add up many more hours to your day. In fact, having even a simple morning routine will give a particular direction to your day and that's the key towards a productive start.
“It’s not about having enough time; it’s about making enough time.”
If you're someone who thinks routines make life boring then you certainly never planned them well.
No worries! I've got you covered.
Below I have the simplest tips to a step-by-step productive morning routine list (I promise, it doesn't include any fancy stuff!!)
How to have a Productive Morning Routine
Plan a productive morning by incorporating these easy morning routine tips which include both a list of things to-do and not-to-do.
So, before you know what you should do, you first need to understand what you should avoid for more clarity.
Not-to-do list when planning an early morning routine:
1. Never compromise your sleep
Cutting back on your sleep for a night and then making up for it with a lazy day is a complete no-no.
Instead, optimize your sleeping schedule as per your early morning routine. Make sure to get a good sleep every night so that you feel energized every day.
Because every day counts, right? Besides, it'll help you maintain a healthy rhythm.
2. Never hit snooze again
Whenever you get up to your first alarm and hit that snooze button to go back to sleep, you're entering a new sleep cycle. These 5-10 minutes of sleep will leave you feeling even more tired.
However, if you wake up right away with that first alarm, you'll feel more rested.
Thus stop snoozing and try stretching out in your bed instead. It will help you wake up quickly.
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3. Never check your phone in the morning right after you wake up
Quickly scanning the phone for emails or reading through social media is the first thing that occurs naturally to us soon after we wake up. Although that's an awful way to start a day as it takes our focus away from our priorities and puts our brain into a reactive mode.
On the contrary, you'd want to keep that as something you do after breakfast.
Besides, cell phone screens are too bright to stare at instantly after waking up. Therefore, don't start using your phone right away.
4. Never skip your breakfast
Avoid skipping your breakfast if you want to energize yourself and get going. Since skipping breakfast will make you appear a bit dull and you'll be struggling to concentrate on things.
To-do list when planning an early morning routine:
5. Set your goal
What is your goal?
To begin with, you need to figure out and set your goal first. Decide what you want to achieve ultimately from your routine. It could be a professional or personal objective.
Set the goal first and then start planning out your routine accordingly.
Remember that hard work without a goal is an utter waste of time.
Unless you don't know what you're going to work on the next day, you won't have anything to look forward to. Therefore, it is important to determine the purpose first.
So now that you know your goal, let's further optimize the schedule for you.
6. Start your day the night before
While it is true that making some decisions in those early hours is harder than making them the night before. Try to make them before you go to bed. Because the best morning routine starts the night before!
What do you need to do the night before?
At the end of the day, prepare a to-do list that you need to complete tomorrow by setting all your work-related objectives. I call it a priority list, which is basically an organized to-do list in a sequence of priorities. Take a look at the list when you start your work the next day. (Also, don't forget to end your day tomorrow by creating another to-do list prior to the next day and repeat it daily).
Decide your outfit for the next day before going to sleep. You can also lay your clothes out for a morning run etc.
Prepare a weekly breakfast plan. If you have your breakfast already planned out, you'll less likely waste your time wondering what to eat.
7. Optimize your sleep
A good night's sleep is the foundation of a productive morning routine the next day. You need to go to bed early to wake up early. But before you wake up, make sure you get 7-9 hours of sleep.
When optimizing your sleep schedule, keep these simple things in mind:
Set up an alarm clock to wake up and even to go to bed at night.
Avoid looking at your phone screen for longer periods before going to sleep.
Above all, develop a routine that works on weekends as well.
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8. Wake up without sleeping in
Follow these easy tips to wake up your body in the morning without sleeping in:
Choose a particular time to wake up daily which will help create a rhythm for your body. Thus it'll be easier for you to wake up.
As soon as you wake up take a moment to reflect on your thoughts, rather than just rush to get going.
After a night's sleep, our eyes just haven't quite adjusted to the light. So, try to wake up to the natural light by opening your window curtains first in the morning. Sunlight will leave you feeling refreshed and wake you up quickly without straining your eyes.
Keep a habit of making your own bed in the morning. It's not a big thing but it'll get you ready for the day.
9. Drink water
As there are numerous health benefits of drinking water on an empty stomach, make sure to have a glass of water first thing in the morning after leaving your bed.
After long sleeping hours without water consumption, it's good to re-hydrate your body right after you wake up. It'll surely help you get energized and increase your metabolism.
10. Stretching in the morning
Stretching is a great way to wake up and help your body prepare for the day ahead.
Exercising daily will help you maximize your productivity even if it's for a short time. You can do some light physical activities or even a morning walk whatever you're comfortable with.
Nevertheless, just some movement activity in the morning can make a huge difference in improving your day.
Try these physical activities if you don't find time to exercise or you hate workouts at all.
11. Create a system
I'm not the kind of person who can just roll out of bed, quickly get dressed, and rush out the door. I prefer a gentle start to my day. Therefore, I like to get things done in a certain order (aka the system) so that I don't have to think about - what next?
Consequently creating a system of to-do things for getting ready is a great idea to save time. Like whether you must first take shower or brush your teeth or do other chores or whatever.
As a result, resolving this before waking up will keep you from making unnecessary decisions in the morning.
12. Eat a healthy breakfast
A healthy breakfast is indeed the most important meal of the day.
Apart from the many other benefits of eating breakfast regularly, it will help you to focus and perform better at work. Thus increase your productivity.
13. Tackle your to-do list the right way
Lastly, the best way to conclude a morning routine is by being most productive at work in the early hours.
Consider this quote by Mark Twain which says, "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day".
Wondering what's the frog here?
To put it another way, most of us are less productive during the late afternoon and do our best work in the morning when our head is clear. Hence make those early hours count.
Well, how?
Whenever you create your to-do list, always schedule your work in a hierarchy that you get the most difficult task done before.
The frog, in this case, is the difficult task.
Later on, when you get to work, spot the frog and eat it first!
Meanwhile completing that difficult task first in the morning when your head is clear will not only be easier to work on, but will also relieve stress off of your shoulders for the rest of the day.
To conclude, once you start incorporating these little steps into your routine, you'll become more disciplined and productive in accomplishing your goals.