“You win the morning; you win the day”
This saying is so very true. The way you start your day can truly set up the rest of your day. It it is worth optimising your mornings for that reason.
There are several small changes or new habits you can incorporate into your routine that will help you stay productive and make you feel accomplished at the end of the day. It truly is easy once you know how.
The hacks I have shared here with you are ones I have tried them myself and they worked well for me. I hope they help you too!
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THE DAY BEFORE.
Plan your morning the night before.
I would say this is the number one thing you should be doing to make sure you start your day right and it begins the night before. Planning your day the night before will ensure that when you wake up there are clear intentions to your day. You know exactly what it is that you need to do and want to achieve. Having it written down in your planner or in your Google calendar will help to keep you accountable.
You can spend 10-15 mins before going to sleep to jot down all your “To Dos” for the day ahead. You can keep the list next to your bed or on your bed stand so it is handy for you to look over in the morning as you start your day.
Optimise your to do list.
There is a specific To Do List system that I have been using which has helped me stay realistic about my Intentions for the day. I don’t know about you but in the past, I have often written down a page long to do list which was too idealistic, even if there were 48hrs in the day. I barely got any of the items ticked off at the end of the day and felt very frustrated about not having achieved more. I realised it was not that I was not productive but that I was simply unrealistic in what I can achieve in the day and how I prioritised my tasks.
Since then, I have tried to split my to do list into three columns with the following headings I hope this system will work well for you
- Must do
- Should do
- Could do
Must do
These will be the tasks that cannot wait till tomorrow and must be done today. To save time you can also try to order them in the most efficient way. Try putting them in order of importance while also grouping tasks that can easily be done together.
Should do
These tasks are important to get done but it will not be the end of the world if they wait till tomorrow.
Could do
This is the list that you should only go to if you have finished everything from the other two lists. It’ll contain things you can do if you have some spare time. However, they are of minor importance and could wait even till next week.
Another important thing for you to make a successful to do list is to be as specific as possible with the things you want to achieve. This will help you to be more realistic about how long something might take you . For example, if you are writing an essay state on your to do list that you will write 500 words that day. If you are replying to emails state how many and which ones you need to reply to. This will help you set the right amount of time to each task.
ON THE DAY.
Do not snooze.
As tempting as it is especially when you wake up and still feel a little groggy. Remind yourself that that extra 10 mins is probably not going to save you. Even if you snooze and wake up in 10 mins time, it will be just as difficult to get out of bed as it was 10 mins ago.
If you often rely on the snooze button, then it can take a bit of time to adjust to not using it. You are probably better of adding that extra 10 mins to your sleep in the first place. It is an adjustment but over time you will find it easier not to rely on snooze. In addition, try not to lay in your bed after switching off the alarm. It makes it more likely you will fall back asleep. Instead try to sit up and get out of bed as soon as you wake up.
Drink water first thing in the morning.
After the night you are likely to be slightly dehydrated. This can contribute to you feeling tired and groggy. Drinking a glass or water right after you wake up can do wonders for your body. It will without doubt instantly make you feel awake and get your body going. It will also ensure that you stay on track with hydration throughout the day. I tend to keep a bottle of water or a glass of water by my bedside, so I remember to drink it.
In the wintertime if it is very cold, I sometimes make myself a herbal tea or drink warm water, flavoured with a bit of lemon juice.
**Always wondered about the claims that drinking hot water and lemon has lots of health benefits? Are they true? Read my blog post on this topic : ).
Make the bed.
Once you make the bed you are less likely to get back in and cosy up under the covers. It is important to also make that distinction between workspace and sleeping space, especially if you are working from home. As tempting as it may be to take your laptop and work on your bed, it could make you less productive. It will also improve your sleep as you won’t associate your sleeping space with work and stress. Even the simple action of making the bed is motivating, you’ve tidied up your space and mentally you are telling yourself that the day has begun.
Do something to help you wake up.
If drinking a glass of water has not quite done the trick for you then try finding something else that will help to get you on your feet. You could head straight for the shower or have a cup of coffee first thing in the morning. It might feel like an impossible task at first but the moment you turn on the water or take that first sip of coffee you will feel instantly more awake.
I’m yet to try the taking a cold shower phase that some many people seem to be raving about. I’m slowly concluding that I have too much self-love to ever put myself through it. Has anyone tried it? What are your thoughts?
Stay away from social media or news feed.
It is so tempting to start checking up on your social media or start reading the news feed. However, this can kill your productivity and take up a ton of your time.
Social media is so addictive, I know. Once you start scrolling through feeds or start catching up on stories you are doomed.
I have very little self-control which is why I tend to just stay off it if there are tasks I need to complete. It takes self-discipline for sure. You can find a good balance and reward yourself by scheduling some social media time into your day. If you get so and so many task completed, you could allow yourself to 30mins on social media to relax. This might help you avoid going down that social media rabbit hole.
Incorporate the rule of 10.
In the morning you might be short on time. However, if you want to maximise your morning and do something you enjoy like exercise, meditation or reading, I recommend the rule of 10.
You assign 10 mins to each of your tasks for example:
- 10 min meditation
- 10 min reading
- 10 min workout
- 10 min skincare
- 10 min of gratitude and journaling
It is much easier to fit in a 10min activity than 30 min in the morning. Plus if you do something for yourself, you will feel happier. Tthis can help you be more productive.
You can start with 10 mins, but you can of course build up on it. If you have 20 mins you could do 10 min of meditation followed by 10 min journaling.
It is also good way to get exercise out of the way. You can feel so accomplished in the morning if you exercise even if it is simply some stretching. You did a bit of movement, and you’ll avoid that feeling guilty in case you’re too busy later on. Working out is not simply challenging your physical strength but also your mental strength and grit. This is something that you can apply to any other task.
Listen to podcast or audiobook while getting ready.
Listening to a podcast or an audiobook or even having a favourite YouTube channel playing in the background will instantly help to lift your mood in the morning. If you are in need of extra motivation, listening to something related to productivity, motivation or lifestyle could help to inspire you for the day ahead.
Try Audible for free.
I truly recommend Audible. Audible is an audiobook monthly subscription service. Every month you are given one credit which allows you to purchase one audiobook worth any price. There is no commitment, and you can cancel your membership at any point. Audible contains so many amazing titles from self-help, self-improvement books to literature classics. For a busy person who might not have as much time to read, Audible is an awesome solution. I think it is particularly good for books about productivity or any other self-improvement books that you can easily listen to in the background. You can have the book playing while you make breakfast and are getting ready. It is a fantastic way to get through more books. It has helped me immensely and made my morning more enjoyable.
If you are running around, I also recommend investing in some wireless earbuds. You do not need to buy expensive Apple ones. There are amazing dupes on amazon for much cheaper like £20-40. These ones are great, and I have been using them for a long time. EARBUDS.
Have a healthy breakfast.
Choosing healthy food will set you up perfectly for a productive day. Have a well-balanced breakfast, which has a low glycaemic index (GI). This will help you avoid a sugar crash an hour after having breakfast. When your blood sugar drops suddenly, as it is quickly digested, you tend to start feeling sleepy and sluggish. You might have felt that if you ever ate a bag of Haribo in one sitting. Foods that are of low GI allow for sugar to be slowly absorbed into the blood stream. Therefore, you avoid that sudden drop in blood sugar. This provides more sustained energy for you in the morning so that you can stay focused on your tasks.
Some of my favourite healthy and low GI breakfast options are:
- Porridge with some added nuts and fruits and topped with cinnamon.
- Avocado toast made with wholegrain bread (avoid white bread as it is high GI) and a poached/fried egg.
- Yoghurt and granola topped with fruits. Big proportion of shop bought granola contains a lot of sugar. Therefore, you should try to opt for ones which are low in sugar, or you can easily make your own and store it in a jar for the week ahead.
FINDING MOTIVATION
Reward yourself for completing tasks.
If there are tasks that you do not enjoy it can be very difficult to find the motivation to complete them. You are then having to rely on discipline to get things done. This can be difficult especially if the task does not carry an immediate reward. In that case you could find a way to reward yourself once you complete the task to give a bit of an incentive to get it finished. It could be as small as allowing yourself to watch an episode of your favourite show, getting a coffee. It could be something bigger such as treating yourself to a manicure or facial.
Learn to find joy in the things you are doing.
It is impossible to always love what you are doing. I do not buy into the cliché that if you follow your dreams and passions and do the work you love, it will not feel like work, and you will love every moment of it! Even when doing the things that are your true passions, even if you have a dream job, there will be tasks along the way that you won’t like doing but they need to be done.
Your mind is flexible
Good news is that your mind is flexible, and you can shift your mindset. There are ways to get over that dread you feel when needing to do something you really don’t want to. In general, if you approach something with negativity then it is likely the process will be negative. And vice versa. Shifting your mindset takes time and practice. Try to reflect on why you do not like the task. Is it boring? Is it difficult? If there is a specific reason, then maybe there is something you can do to make it more bearable. At the same time try and find that little something you do enjoy about the task. I tend to find that small changes such as putting on some background music while you work is a great motivation. Listening to music can decrease your productivity by a small fraction but nothing significant as some assume. If it will help you get task done by making it less boring, then it is worth that small dip in focus. You could also treat yourself to a Starbucks coffee while you work on the task.
Also ensure that you have a clean and organised desk space which is inviting because as Gretchen Rubin states:
“Outer order, inner calm” .
Small changes like this can make the task easier and more enjoyable and help to set your mind to more positive outlook.
ON A FINAL NOTE.
I hope you find these tips useful. I truly believe that if you start your day with the right intentions, set clear goal and shift your mindset, you can achieve great things and set the tone for the rest of your day. However, it is important to mention that there will be days where these tips might not work and that’s ok. You will have more productive and less productive days. Life happens and you can’t control everything. Putting too much pressure on yourself those days can be even more counterproductive. Always keep in mind that even if you try this some of the days and hit some of the above goals you are good to go!