How to be more productive with your mornings
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If you are reading this post, you probably struggle to be productive and are looking for tips to help you put the early hours of your day to good use. In this post, we talk about how to be more productive with your mornings. So, sit back and get cozy while we talk about it.
It is very easy to get distracted in the mornings and put off the important tasks that need our attention because of the illusion that we still have some time left in the day.
The problem is that this often leads us to procrastinate until the later part of the day. The realization that the day is almost over and you haven’t done all the things you have to do will fill you with panic.
At that point in the day, all you will be able to do are the few things with a fast-approaching deadline. And even if you meet up with the deadline, you are usually disappointed in the quality of work you put out because you could have done so much better if you had put your time to better use.
I have been there and resolving that I couldn’t continue to live my life like that fuelled me to seek some change.
Below, I am going to share some of the things I did that helped me helps me have a more productive morning and get my tasks for the day done.
1. Plan for your day the night before
I’m sure you’ve heard this too many times but there is a reason it is one of the main pieces of advice you’ll be given in regards to waking up early and getting things done earlier in the day.
Planning for your day the night before helps you wake up with expectations for your day.
You don’t have to go overboard with the planning especially when it is a practice you are just starting out it. The more complicated you make it, the more difficult it will be to stick to it.
In my case, I usually do extensive planning during my weekends.
- I go through my calendar to see if I have anything due that I need to get on with or projects I need to get started on such as exams.
- I then create a general overview of the tasks I need to get done for that week. I also make a rough plan of the tasks I need to do each day but make it super flexible.
- Each night, I go over that weekly plan and create a to-do list for the next day. Some tasks will need more time than I thought so I might have to make changes to the plan I had for that day from the weekly plan.
- I use a very simple hardcover A5 notebook with an elastic band for my to-do list and it more than gets the job done.
2. Do a little cleanup before going to bed
If you tend to do some cleaning and organizing like doing your dishes in the morning, try doing some of it the night before.
It will save you some quality time in the morning.
Also, nothing beats the feeling of waking up to a tidy house in the morning. Chores are one of those things that make us procrastinate because they aren’t the most pleasant things to do.
Scheduling them as your first tasks in the morning can leave you feeling like you need a break while putting off very important tasks for later in the day.
3. Prioritize going to bed early and getting a good number of hours in
We all know getting a good quality of sleep is good for us but it is very difficult to break bad sleeping habits.
If you struggle to get up in the morning you most likely are not getting enough sleep and your body wants a bit more rest hence why you keep hitting your snooze button while contemplating your life’s choices.
Instead of focusing on tips to help you wake up early, focus on going to bed early and sleeping well and you will see your body naturally wake up earlier and feel really rested and energized.
4. Do some exercise to wake your body up
You don’t have to do a full hour of exercise or a high-intensity workout to reap the benefits of exercising in the morning.
A 10-15 min light workout is enough to get your heart pumping and boost your energy and cognition for the rest of the day. A light workout wouldn’t exhaust you, instead, it will wake your body up and get you ready for the tasks of the day.
5. Don’t remain in bed after your alarm goes off
I know this is easier said than done but it works. The longer you remain in bed, the harder It’ll be to get up.
The longer you stay in bed, the more willpower it will require to get up compared to if you got up right away.
Don’t overthink it. Just count to five, put your feet down, and get up. That’s literally the hardest part. Once you’ve gotten up, you are less likely to go back to bed.
6. Tackle a major task within the first few hours of waking up
Schedule one of the major tasks of the day for the first few hours you wake up. Getting on with it reduces the chances of you procrastinating and leaving it last minute.
You get to put quality effort into your task because as the day goes by, your energy is spent, and you are more exhausted and will not be able to perform as well as you will a few hours after waking up.
Also, crossing a major task off your list sets the tone for the rest of the day. You have already built that momentum early so it is easier to carry out the rest of your tasks for the day.
7. Start with the bigger more difficult task
This is a concept I learned from Brian Tracy’s book: Eat that Frog. He said, if you have to eat a live Frog a day, it’s better to get on with it right away else you will go through your day dreading the fact that you have to eat one.
Simply put, the Frog in this analogy is the biggest, and most challenging task that you are most likely to procrastinate on.
Do that first before focusing on the other things you have to do.
8. Take morning showers
I know this might not appeal to everyone but if you usually only take night showers, try incorporating a quick 5 minutes shower into your mornings.
It wakes you up, refreshes you, and gets you ready for the day in a way that you will come to appreciate.
Personally, after taking a quick morning shower, my body is ready to tackle the work ahead of me that day.
9. Put your devices in a different place or away from your bed before going to sleep
I know this little tip might sound ridiculous but trust me it works.
If you use your phone for your alarm, get a regular alarm clock with no other purpose than that.
When you keep your devices away before going to bed, you will have to get up to go get them rather than just waking up and scrolling right away. As I mentioned above, the difficult part about getting an early start in the morning is actually getting up from bed.
10. You need a morning routine
If you haven’t established a morning routine yet, you need to ASAP. Your morning routine should be tailored to your lifestyle and the kind of job you do.
Some people’s jobs give them the luxury of having a whole hour-long morning routine, others have a very demanding morning and can barely squeeze in some me time.
Whichever category you belong to, I still recommend setting aside at least 20-30 minutes each morning to prepare you for the start of your day. Even if that means going to bed 30 minutes earlier.
Your morning routine is a good way to establish habits that will help you have a productive morning.
11. Plan something exciting for your mornings
Including something you are excited about or looking forward to in your mornings. This will give you the motivation to start your morning early and get on with your day.
This could be a breakfast you are excited to eat, an exciting workout, journaling, reading, etc.
12. Ease yourself gently into your day
Plan your morning in a way that you are not rushing. Rushing in the mornings can leave you feeling overwhelmed.
That is a negative feeling that you don’t want to have at the start of your day. It can leave you feeling exhausted before you even get anything substantial done.
Conclusion
There you have it! You made it to the end of this post on how you can be more productive with your mornings. I hope you find some of these tips helpful in getting things done and being super productive in the early hours of your day.
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