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What tips do you have to increase productivity in the morning?
For those of us that aren't morning people, are there any tips or recommended habits that you may have to be as productive as possible for morning classes, assignments, and work? #productivity #habits #earlymornings
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12 answers
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Carolyn’s Answer
Habits are really important! They not only help you get more done but can also make it much easier to deal with urgent changes, because you don't have to focus as much on scheduling and organization. Getting started in the AM is the hardest part of the morning for me. I found that having something that I look forward to doing as my 1st activity is key. It may be getting coffee, walking with a friend (or my dog), wearing a new outfit, or working on part of an exciting project. Every night before I go to sleep, I also mentally go over the next day and get myself excited about my 1st activity for the next morning.
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Taylor’s Answer
Consistency is key! Try to follow generally the same routine in the morning time (at least during the weekdays).
Research shows that implementing small routines into our day can help us feel more in control, boost our self-discipline, strengthen our focus, kindle our motivation, and help us get more done.
Routines are an important piece of my self-care. Most of the time, I function much better when I’m in a proper rhythm. No matter if the routine is personal or professional, creating these habits have been beneficial to me for multiple reasons. First and foremost, creating a routine allows intentional built in time for the important things that matter to YOU. Some habits I do every morning, some habits I do every evening and some habits I do every week … you get the idea!
Routines and habits have been beneficial for me because they allow me to lower the number of non-critical decisions I have to make in a day so that my brain is freed up for more important decisions and thinking. This way, I don’t start my day deciding what I’m going to do – my brain is already running on auto-pilot. You can read more about the psychological phenomenon of "Decision Fatigue."
Here's an example of one of my personal routines: I make my bed and fill up my four water bottles at the beginning of each morning! After making my bed I know I have accomplished my first task of the day and it helps starts the day off on a productive foot! Staying hydrated keeps me feeling my best. My goal is to drink 100 ounces of water a day. I can easily forget to drink enough water throughout the day, so filling up my four water bottles in advance helps me visually see my progress!
Write out a routine to follow in the morning
Try following that routine for 5 days straight
Evaluate the routine and adjust as needed
Continue adjusting until it works for you!
Research shows that implementing small routines into our day can help us feel more in control, boost our self-discipline, strengthen our focus, kindle our motivation, and help us get more done.
Routines are an important piece of my self-care. Most of the time, I function much better when I’m in a proper rhythm. No matter if the routine is personal or professional, creating these habits have been beneficial to me for multiple reasons. First and foremost, creating a routine allows intentional built in time for the important things that matter to YOU. Some habits I do every morning, some habits I do every evening and some habits I do every week … you get the idea!
Routines and habits have been beneficial for me because they allow me to lower the number of non-critical decisions I have to make in a day so that my brain is freed up for more important decisions and thinking. This way, I don’t start my day deciding what I’m going to do – my brain is already running on auto-pilot. You can read more about the psychological phenomenon of "Decision Fatigue."
Here's an example of one of my personal routines: I make my bed and fill up my four water bottles at the beginning of each morning! After making my bed I know I have accomplished my first task of the day and it helps starts the day off on a productive foot! Staying hydrated keeps me feeling my best. My goal is to drink 100 ounces of water a day. I can easily forget to drink enough water throughout the day, so filling up my four water bottles in advance helps me visually see my progress!
Taylor recommends the following next steps:
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Monica’s Answer
I second Kim's advice. I would also try to do the following:
- Set a consistent alarm each morning that is automatic so you don't have to think about it each day.
- Lay out your clothes the night before so you don't waste time figuring out what to wear that day.
- Look at your calendar/agenda for the day the night before so you know what to expect out of your day and can plan accordingly.
- Pack some snacks to keep you thriving all day long.
- Set a consistent alarm each morning that is automatic so you don't have to think about it each day.
- Lay out your clothes the night before so you don't waste time figuring out what to wear that day.
- Look at your calendar/agenda for the day the night before so you know what to expect out of your day and can plan accordingly.
- Pack some snacks to keep you thriving all day long.
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Javier’s Answer
Great question. I am a strong believer in starting the day early with a workout. It does not have to be long or exhaustive, but it will jumpstart your day. Staying busy also helps me to increase my productivity. The busier I am, the more organized I need to be, and the result is increased productivity and efficiency. I also rely on tools to help me be productive and stay organized, like using task managers or to-do lists. It's a simple tool that can go a really long way. I also recommend reading "7 Habits of highly effective people" by Stephen R. Covey.
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Kim’s Answer
Shower in the morning, eat a protein-rich breakfast, and do a little exercise. Probably not in that order!
But seriously, if you aren't a morning person, you will do better overall if you just accept that and try to live your life accordingly, if at all possible!
I actually used to be a morning person, before being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. For whatever reasons, RA is worse in the mornings, and it is really difficult to get moving. But, sometimes you have to. I'd say the shower helps the most.
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Amani’s Answer
To be your most productive self in the morning you have to take time for yourself before you start the day.
Werther that involves coffee, tea, smoothie and reading or Podcast or TV show or praying or relaxing, etc. Do that first. Speak, breath, eat positive affirmations. Once you clock in organize your day by color coordinating, biggest to smallest, or time management doing what takes less time first so you have more time for things command more time. Be consistent, with consistency come efficiency. You know yourself better than anybody you have build routine that is going to help you maximize your productivity. Hope this helps!
Werther that involves coffee, tea, smoothie and reading or Podcast or TV show or praying or relaxing, etc. Do that first. Speak, breath, eat positive affirmations. Once you clock in organize your day by color coordinating, biggest to smallest, or time management doing what takes less time first so you have more time for things command more time. Be consistent, with consistency come efficiency. You know yourself better than anybody you have build routine that is going to help you maximize your productivity. Hope this helps!
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Lee’s Answer
I've always found that my mind is much sharper in the morning and it is easier to focus - but it can be hard to get started if you simply get up and get out of bed without a plan. As others have said, having a habit and routine is the key to this as well as goal setting.
You can start by thinking about what is important to you. Do you have personal projects that you want to work on that would give you a sense of accomplishment? Do you want to work out each day? What can you do that would make your morning amazing - build that into your routine.
As an example, my current routine is something like this:
1) Up at 5 AM
2) Feed & let dog out...drink water.
3) Exercise 10-15 min
4) Meditate 10 min
5) Work on personal projects or critical work projects for 45 min - 1 hour (decide what to do the night before)
6) Shower & get dressed
7) Get kids up and make breakfast
8) Off to work
This gets my mind right and gives a sense of accomplishment for the day. Additionally, from a life goal perspective, dedicating some alone time to work on your ambitions that may or may not be related to work or school is really good for you.
Keep in mind, that this is an ongoing thing. You will make adjustments as you build your routine and find out what works for you. You might find that working out in the morning is horrible and you like to exercise in the evening - or not at all - that's fine.
One more point I would add is that having an evening routine is also important. If you wake up to a bunch of decisions you'll quickly use up all your energy making decisions (decision fatigue). Get things ready the night before - set out your clothes, get your coffee prepped if you're a coffee drinker, decide what activities you will do first thing in the morning. Routine also helps with this...
I recommend this book - The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. This will help you with setting your routines and developing good habits.
You can start by thinking about what is important to you. Do you have personal projects that you want to work on that would give you a sense of accomplishment? Do you want to work out each day? What can you do that would make your morning amazing - build that into your routine.
As an example, my current routine is something like this:
1) Up at 5 AM
2) Feed & let dog out...drink water.
3) Exercise 10-15 min
4) Meditate 10 min
5) Work on personal projects or critical work projects for 45 min - 1 hour (decide what to do the night before)
6) Shower & get dressed
7) Get kids up and make breakfast
8) Off to work
This gets my mind right and gives a sense of accomplishment for the day. Additionally, from a life goal perspective, dedicating some alone time to work on your ambitions that may or may not be related to work or school is really good for you.
Keep in mind, that this is an ongoing thing. You will make adjustments as you build your routine and find out what works for you. You might find that working out in the morning is horrible and you like to exercise in the evening - or not at all - that's fine.
One more point I would add is that having an evening routine is also important. If you wake up to a bunch of decisions you'll quickly use up all your energy making decisions (decision fatigue). Get things ready the night before - set out your clothes, get your coffee prepped if you're a coffee drinker, decide what activities you will do first thing in the morning. Routine also helps with this...
Lee recommends the following next steps:
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Troy’s Answer
To be productive, I would experiment with new habits and see what you like and what works best for you. I find myself most productive when I drink water, make my bed, get ready, eat and plan out my goals and tasks I need to be completed for the day. I would start by setting small goals and building upon that progress to build an effective routine for you .
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Michael’s Answer
Go to bed earlier?
When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble getting up early. I even felt nauseated and gross every morning at school. Now that I'm older, it's completely the opposite and it could be because of two things: 1. I'm older (which doesn't really help here), or 2. I was forced to adjust my circadian rhythm (because babies force you to wake up on their schedule, not yours, but I don't recommend using that trick).
And like all things, if you want something and it doesn't come easy, then there is likely something you have to sacrifice to get it. My guess is that a combo of a) figuring out something that requires you to get up early [class, job, etc] so that b) you are tired and go to bed earlier. This means you will likely sacrifice being awake at night which is I think a really difficult tradeoff when you are young, to be honest.
This is a great book: https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=habit&qid=1608149431&sr=8-5
When I was younger, I had a lot of trouble getting up early. I even felt nauseated and gross every morning at school. Now that I'm older, it's completely the opposite and it could be because of two things: 1. I'm older (which doesn't really help here), or 2. I was forced to adjust my circadian rhythm (because babies force you to wake up on their schedule, not yours, but I don't recommend using that trick).
And like all things, if you want something and it doesn't come easy, then there is likely something you have to sacrifice to get it. My guess is that a combo of a) figuring out something that requires you to get up early [class, job, etc] so that b) you are tired and go to bed earlier. This means you will likely sacrifice being awake at night which is I think a really difficult tradeoff when you are young, to be honest.
This is a great book: https://www.amazon.com/Atomic-Habits-Proven-Build-Break/dp/0735211299/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=habit&qid=1608149431&sr=8-5
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meredith’s Answer
Wake up at least 40 minutes earlier than you normally would! I have found that if I can take my time in the morning, get ready, go on a walk, etc. It sets the tone for the rest of the day!
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Piara’s Answer
I worked at a breakfast restaurant that opened at 6AM for at least a decade before beginning my career at UBS and I still unfortunately am not a morning person. Some small tips would be - to make sure you are prepared for the morning the night before leading up to it (setting out clothes, in bed at a decent time, preparing your food), waking up a bit earlier so by the time you are interacting with others you are more awake and alert. I myself do not exercise however, taking my dog for a quick walk as soon as I arise also helps to awaken me I find.
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Faiyaz’s Answer
In my experience, creating a schedule and following it is very important in avoiding procrastination. Usually the night before, take 10 minutes to plan out and prioritize what is important and then create schedule to knock those tasks out. Additionally it is important to factor in time for mental health and relaxation so things like running, yoga, working out, or even a simple 15 minute walk outside. These small breaks are what help you brain refresh and avoid and strain your mind. Coffee/Tea is also a good stimulant to get you of of bed and working