Ah mornings, you either love them or hate them. Whatever your stance, everyone could use a little more productivity in their day, so why not utilize the morning?
Here are 5 ways that can help make your mornings more productive, and maybe turn even the biggest sceptic into a morning person.
#1 DO NOT get on your phone (until at least breakfast)
This is a hard one, because nowadays, we need to know what is going on 24/7 and can. But what about those 6-8 hours we have been sleeping?! What if someone emailed me!? We have to find out! Well, picking up your phone first thing in the morning crushes your productivity.
Picture it: You wake up (on time or early) and decide to reach for your phone, just to check the news and weather, oh wait I’m going to check my email so I know what to expect going into the office. Next you find yourself on Instagram, or Facebook, or whatever it may be and all of a sudden you look at the clock and 15-30 minutes has passed! Now you have to rush around to catch back up.
If your phone is your alarm, obviously pick it up to turn it off, but set it back down immediately! Waiting until you have a full start to your day will add time back into your mornings you haven’t realized you had available.
#2 SWEAT
There are many people out there who absolutely dread waking up in the morning, and I get that, BUT working out in the morning has so many advantages.
1. “Exercise gives you endorphins. Endorphins make you happy. Happy people don’t kill your husbands.” –Elle Woods. FACT! Happy people also have a better outlook on their day as a whole, and are positively motivated to get great work done.
2. You no longer have any excuse not to workout. No meetings, or dinner plans, or busy gyms can stop you.
3. You will focus so much more at work when your metabolism and body is ready to go and energized.
#3 Eat Breakfast
I know, I know we’ve all heard this a THOUSAND TIMES, but just do it OK? It doesn’t matter if it’s an apple, or a granola bar or a continental breakfast. Everyone knows it is important. Fuel your brain and body and your day will be MUCH more productive than trying to get things done and concentrate on an empty stomach.
#4 Set Goals/To-Do List for the Day
Some people are to-do list fanatics. Others just fly by the seat of their pants, but writing down your specific goals or to-do lists sets your workday in the right motion. It also gives you confidence and control over your day.
I say specific for a reason. If I put something vague on my to-do list like “Write blogs” I am going to skip it over and think to myself “oh I’ll get to that one later” because it doesn’t give me specific instructions and, in turn, feels daunting. So instead I should put “Write productivity, office organization, and millennials in the office blogs” that way, I know exactly what topics I need to cover that day and feel more in control of what I need to do.
Also have you ever seen a perfectly highlighted to-do list at the end of the day? So. Satisfying.
#5 Eat a Frog….
“Eat a live frog in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you for the rest of the day.” –Mark Twain
What Mark Twain was saying here, is that you should tackle the most important task you need to get done that day. You know, the one you’ve been dreading and may have put off for the past two days. Like eating breakfast, just do it.
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Now that you’ve woken up on time, worked out, fueled up with a great breakfast and made that awesome to-do list, it’s time to really make your morning productive. While your brain is fresh and focused eat that frog and let the rest of your day