5 Tips For A More Productive Morning
Creating the perfect morning routine can be a challenge when you have a lot on your plate. Luckily, there are many ways to make the absolute most of the time, even if you don’t consider yourself a morning person.
Here are 5 “productive morning” tips to help you out!
Plan the Night Before
Having a productive morning can start the night before the morning even begins! Much of what stops me from having a proactive morning is when I get a poor night of sleep, and this typically happens when I feel stressed about the amount of tasks I have to complete the next day. This being said, I finally learned how to avoid this chain reaction of stress causing a poor night of sleep. All you have to do is create a list (whether it be a physical list or as simple as a mental list) of accomplishments you would like to complete the next day.
It’s crazy to see the benefits of doing something as simple as dedicating a tiny portion of your night to planning ahead, and I can promise you that it is certainly worth your while in having a productive morning (that will lead to an overall productive day)!
Allow a Moment to Yourself
Regardless of how much time I have in the morning and the amount of tasks I have to accomplish, I have learned that taking a quick, peaceful moment to myself in the morning makes a world of a different in my productivity. Whether you enjoy this moment by mindful meditating, or something as simple as sitting on your porch with a cup of coffee, it is a great way to gather your thoughts and center yourself to promote a productive morning.
I enjoy spending this time journaling in the morning, which I have found helpful, due to the countless benefits of journaling everyday (which can be read about here). However, if journaling isn’t your thing, don’t fret! There are plenty of ways to allow a brief moment to yourself while getting your brain moving, and once you find what works for you, I promise it will prove crazily beneficial to your morning.
Get Up and Moving
While getting your brain moving has its own amazing benefits, physically getting up and moving has benefits of its own in encouraging a productive morning. While it may seem like common knowledge that getting your heart rate moving is sure to yield productivity, this is a step in your morning routine that is often forgotten.
If you have a major workload of homework to accomplish in the morning and you choose to sit down and start working on it right after getting out of bed, you have not allowed yourself the opportunity to get up and truly wake up! By doing something as simple as taking a quick walk to the mailbox or even just standing up and stretching, this is something that should not be overlooked in your day to day routine.
Stay Away from Your Phone
Staying away from my phone is something that I certainly struggle with in the morning. However, I have learned that it makes such a major difference in my proactivity in the morning. Rather than staying in bed and scrolling through Instagram right after waking up, I try to ensure to get out of bed and distract myself with another activity before allowing myself the opportunity to look through social media. This is when some of the other tips come into play, being that taking a moment to yourself with a cup of coffee and clearing your head for the day should be done without your phone in your hand.
There is a reason that there are so many articles explaining why you should stay away from your phone right before bed and right after waking up, and I can apply my own experience and knowledge in saying that I have seen a major (positive) difference after committing to doing so. Try it out and see for yourself!
Have a Positive Mindset
“Mind over matter” is such a popular phrase for a reason. Starting the day with a positive mindset may sound simple, but it makes a world of a difference in the way the day is bound to go. If you wake up with your head on straight, with the confidence that you ARE ABLE to accomplish the tasks in the busy day ahead of you, you are much more likely to get these tasks done.
Perhaps the moment to yourself is the perfect time to gather your thoughts and mentally prepare yourself for the morning ahead of you! This is something that is difficult to measure, being that it is a completely mental process, but you owe it to yourself to start the day with a positive mindset.
