These Morning Routines Will Change Your Daily Outlook (and Productivity)

When Monday morning (and the subsequent days) roll around we groggily roll over and do our best not to smash the alarm clock. Even though we turned in at the right time we’re still feeling tired. Once we’re up and doing our morning routine we still have long hours of work to look forward to which makes you rub your eyes, take a moment to sign, and then hop into the car to start the day.

We’ve all been there – admit it.

Talk with anyone around the office and the majority will say that they’re not morning people but do any of them have an answer outside of the usual “I’m tired” or “I haven’t got my coffee yet”?

Let’s turn all that around and look at some of the positive ways to start your day so you do feel tons of energy to start each work day with a smile and vigor:

• Get your right amount of sleep – Though they say you should get eight hours a night it really depends on the type of person. Some of you may do better with just 6 while others need 10. Rather than trying to conform to some standard just let your body do its thing and sleep when you’re tired and wake when you’re ready.

• Start with a moment of reflection – Don’t immediately turn on the news, check your emails, or look at the newspaper because most of it is going to be negative. You don’t want to start your day with the thought of the latest war attacks, famine, and bad things going on in your neighborhood. Start off thinking positively by reflecting on your current situation and what you’ve accomplished the prior day.

• Force down that breakfast – We all like to skip breakfast because we’re trying to rush out the door but breakfast is oh-so-important because that’s what will give you the energy to make it through the toughest part of the day… the morning.

• Leave a little early – Try leaving at least 5 – 10 minutes earlier than you normally do to see if you can beat some of the traffic. When you’re getting stuck in traffic each day you’re already setting yourself up for rage and there’s no reason to bring that into the work environment. Go earlier and cruise in peace; use that extra time to arrive early and earn a few brownie points with the boss!

• Make the morning distraction free – The early morning, when you’re energized, is the best time to get things done because you’re fresh out of sleep (and hopefully had some breakfast). During this time don’t let anyone mosey around and try talking. Get right down to the work and you’ll be amazed at the amount you’ll finish which would have otherwise taken the entire day.

• Keep it all simple – Try not to clutter your desk and the computer because although it doesn’t seem like much it is causing a distraction. Go with just the basics so you can focus on your work distraction free. Turn off those notifications, organize those messy papers, and get a few plants or pictures to make you feel relaxed.

• Bring in a good snack – Instead of getting the stomach grumble before lunch you should keep a few healthy snacks around to munch on before you can take that break. Nuts, fruits, and veggies will keep you going strong in the early morning (far better than just pouring more coffee on it).

• Find your process – If you have a general process for your work each morning but just go about it all willy-nilly then now is the time to write down the process and find how to do it better. By tracking your time, in the morning, you could find sweet spots that allow you to cut out a huge chunk of wasted time in the routine. Eliminating those wasteful actions lets you focus on the big wins which will inspire you to keep up with a great job throughout the day.

What works best for you in the morning when you’re feeling low on energy?