5 Morning Habits Which lead to a productive day
Morning habits act as a radar tuner, shaping our productivity level for the rest of the day. Morning habits set up a track for the whole day. The more productive we spend our mornings, the more productive the rest of our days go. The mornings spent in panic due to lack of proper routine obviously lead to a less energetic, less focused, and unproductive day. Here are certain things which you can add to your morning routine to miraculously change the quality of the rest of your day.
1. Make Your bed:
Making your bed first thing in the morning is a brilliant way to establish a routine. Making the bed, which seems to be quite an unimportant task, if practiced regularly can lead to an ability to develop tough and influential habits. A simple task as making bed alone leaves you with the sense of the first accomplishment of the day which keeps you all ready for the new challenges throughout the day. Having your first simple task done creates confidence in you which stays in your mind for the whole day and reflects in your behavior.
I don’t believe that anyone can explain the importance of making the bed as Admiral William H. McCraven, in his 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas, did while sharing his recommendations on success. In his words:
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made — that you made — and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”
2. Exercise:
Morning exercise is no doubt crucial for your health but other than that it plays an important role in attracting other daily habits as well and making you feel more confident in your body and your mind for the rest of the day. Better self-esteem goes a long way to improve your productivity level. Just like making the bed, having your exercising session completed in the morning also marks an achievement. When you start your day with these marks of achievement in the back of your mind, you automatically become resilient to the challenges you’re going to face throughout the day. Exercising regularly leaves you to feel healthier and fitter. And this alone lets you become unstoppable and stronger. According to Charlene Gamaldo, medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep, “moderate aerobic exercise increases the amount of slow-wave sleep you get”. Better sleep at night will help you start a productive day next morning and this cycle will continue on. And yes, don’t skip the hydration button after and before exercising, as it makes no sense to break the sweat without replenishing your body with enough amount of water.
3. Healthy Breakfast:
If you are a breakfast skipper, you need to add the habit of eating a healthy breakfast to your morning’s to-do list! And if you’re already a breakfast person but not putting on the right things to your plate, you need to change what you choose to eat. Having a protein-rich breakfast will kick start your day and give you lasting energy for the whole day. Like fuel in your automobile, breakfast provides the fuel you require for the challenges of your day. Breakfast powers up your body and your brain. A healthy breakfast after the workout helps you function at your peak. A Breakfast that consists of refined carbohydrates, such as sugar, is the worst thing you can eat, says registered dietitian Judi Kaplan in “Time” magazine. Cut it down! Doughnuts, pastries, cakes, and sugary cereal might fill your mouth with water but they don’t fill your body with the right elements that your body needs to function properly. Having fruits, vegetables, whole grain bread, and cereals would be better to eat. Research shows that eating a healthy breakfast improves attention, focus, academic achievement, and physical energy. Start your day right with a healthy and nutritious breakfast for optimal mental and physical health.
4. Plan your day:
If you have difficulties managing your time the whole day and end up being frustrated about not achieving your goals and regretting how you wasted your time, what you need to do is start planning your day. Set up 15 to 20 minutes of your morning for jotting down all the tasks you need to get done by the day and follow them accordingly. Having a clear idea of what you are going to do and when you are going to do will help you embrace all the decided achievements without having to deal with hit and miss. Planning your day is a time management tool that ultimately reduces stress, helps achieve goals, and boosts up productivity. Trust me your life is going to be a lot more manageable after sticking to this one time-management tool. Here’s a tip to make your day planning more effective, DO NOT INCLUDE UNREALISTIC THINGS TO YOUR TO-DO LIST! And what do I mean by that is, if you know it perfectly that you can achieve only 5 tasks a day then include only those 5 to your list, do not include more than that, otherwise you will only feel distressed by the end of the day and miss out on the advantages of planning.
5. Practice Gratitude:
Seeing this heading in this article might have surprised you like man, how can this tiny, apparently, a time-wasting thing can lead to a productive day? But, this can in various surprising ways. So, here’s the thing about gratitude, practicing gratitude regularly changes your perception, and that’s what you need to get a successful life, “Change of perception”! When you start your day by reflecting upon some of the positive thoughts, you become more awake to the good things happening around you, you start noticing all the positive things taking place and at this point, optimism starts to reap off within you and this sense of optimism empowers you and uplifts you. The sense of optimism sets a foundation for the positive energy for the whole day. Gratitude is more than just saying “Thank You”. It is about getting into the details of those experiences which make you feel happy and contented with whatever you have. You can systematically cultivate this habit by keeping a record of the things that you feel good to have or experience by keeping a “Gratitude Journal”. While gratitude journaling, try to be more specific rather than just writing down those general ideas like ‘I’m thankful for my life” etc. You can list down a few things which happened to you the last day and made your heart grateful.
Once you start following a solid routine in the morning you will notice a significant improvement in your performance at your work or your studies. Now I’m not saying that you should start working on all of these habits all at once. Start off with picking any one of these habits or two, try sticking to them, and when you become pro with it, try adopting others as well. Get ready for those nights where you will be going to bed while having the pleasure of hitting up the productivity level throughout the day!
