The early hours of the morning are very crucial for setting the tone for how the rest of your day will go.
If you start the day on a positive and productive note, you will have a head start to hopefully score more wins throughout the rest of the day.
On the flip side, if the early hours of the day are filled with dread, a lack of motivation, and/or laziness, it is likely to result in a slow start which will hinder your ability to make progress and get the results you would have otherwise hoped for.
If you are finding yourself struggling to make the most out of the precious morning hours, then you’ve come to the right place!
With a few adjustments here and there, you can improve your work ethic in the mornings while also taking care of your own well-being.
Read on to discover a few methods that might be able to assist you in your endeavor to be more productive in the morning.
1. Have a consistent sleep schedule
One aspect that greatly affects your energy level in the morning is how well you slept the night before.
It is crucial to have a consistent sleep schedule throughout the week (yes, including weekends) to wake up feeling refreshed, not tired.
To make a schedule, first determine what time you need to wake up each day.
Take into account how much time you need to get ready, eat breakfast, etc., before heading for school/work (or working from home).
Next, calculate how many hours of sleep you will aim to have each night.
The National Sleep Foundation guidelines indicate that a healthy adult needs between 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night.
Take the number of hours you will sleep and subtract that from the time you plan to wake up and that is your bedtime.
As an example, let’s say you plan to get 8 hours of sleep each night and you have to be up at 7 am each morning. After subtracting 8 hours from 7:00, that would put your bedtime at 11:00 pm each night.
Keep your bedtime consistent throughout the week. Note that it may take some time to adjust to a schedule for sleeping/waking up, so have patience and do not give up!
Do note that you have to put in the effort to keep up with your ideal sleep schedule every day, but it is so worth it if it means that you will feel well rested in the morning AND you can take your time when you are getting ready for the day.
2. Establish a Morning Routine
By creating a routine to follow as soon as you wake up, it can help boost your efficiency in those early hours.
A morning schedule not only prepares you to start the day, but it can act as a stepping stone to help you transition from a resting state to being alert and productive.
It is helpful to make a list of tasks for your morning routine and check off each task as you complete it.
Here’s an example of what a basic morning routine can look like:
You wake up, brush your teeth, make your bed, stretch/work out, take a shower, get dressed, and lastly, eat breakfast.
Consistency is key; by following the same routine every morning, you will know the drill and go through your tasks super efficiently.
Once you complete your tasks, you will already feel productive and this is just the start of the day!
So stick to the plan, take control of your morning, and you are bound to achieve more throughout the rest of the day.
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3. Have a Positive Mindset
When you wake up each morning, do you often find yourself dreading going to school/work?
Your mindset at the start of the day is super important since it affects your mood and sets the tone for how motivated you are to commence your day.
There are many actions you can take to help you adopt a more positive and optimistic mindset upon waking up.
Here are some examples of ways to increase your motivation and keep yourself in high spirits in the morning, even if you are not particularly excited about the day ahead of you:
You can put a sticky note with a positive affirmation on your bathroom mirror. For example, the note can remind you of how capable you are and that you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Please note that it is important to truly believe the affirmations and to not set a barrier of doubt in your mind, as this will hinder your ability to implement a positive change in your mindset.
Another tactic to start the day on the right note is to make yourself a healthy, nutritious breakfast to not only uplift your spirits, but to also supply your brain and body with much needed nutrients.
Some breakfast ideas include an omelet with sautéed vegetables, a protein shake, avocado toast, a smoothie bowl, and oatmeal with fresh berries.
An additional way to start the day with enthusiasm is to prepare a nice outfit the night before that you are excited to wear the next morning.
Try putting together an outfit that makes you feel confident and ready to seize the day.
If you are feeling uninspired by the clothing pieces in your closet, you can try shopping for new outfit pieces that will help you look forward to starting each day.
One more way to boost your mood in the morning is to listen to your favorite podcast as you are getting ready.
If you are new to the podcast world, you might notice that there are countless options for what podcast to listen to, so choose one that fits your personal interests.
You could listen to a news podcast to catch up on daily news, you could tune into a comedy podcast to boost your mood with a few laughs before starting work, or you could even listen to a true crime podcast if that’s your jam!
Whatever topic it is about, a podcast could be the thing that motivates you to get out of bed and start your day on a good note!
Overall, you can increase your morning productivity by establishing a routine that actually motivates you to commence your day.
Having a positive mindset each morning can be the defining factor that helps you stay motivated throughout the rest of the day.
If you take action to make your mornings more enjoyable, you will hopefully experience its positive effect beyond those early hours!
4. Don’t Get Overwhelmed By Tasks
Before you start your day, it is helpful to make a list of the tasks you want to complete by the end of the day.
Sometimes it is tempting to write a whole list of tasks because if you finish everything, you will feel like you were super productive that day.
However, if your list of tasks is too burdensome, you might not be able to complete every task, resulting in those tasks being pushed over to the next day.
And this cycle might repeat again and again.
On the other hand, you might see the list of things you need to accomplish by the end of the day and feel defeated just by looking at the daunting list of tasks.
This may result in you being less motivated to complete your work, which will ultimately decrease your productivity.
Regardless of the situation you might find yourself in, it is important to set realistic goals for what you plan to accomplish each day.
For starters, it is important to note the deadlines for all of your tasks.
Based on your deadlines, figure out which tasks are a top priority and which ones are not. It is also important to approximate how long each task will take to complete.
Then, make a realistic schedule that splits your time with each task.
The schedule could be daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on your preference.
With a handy schedule, you are now ready to tackle your tasks and check them off one by one (which I think is super satisfying).
By distributing your tasks over a reasonable timeframe, you are more likely to stay motivated and get more done in the long run.
The trick is to stay organized and be focused on one task at a time to maximize efficiency!
Key Takeaways
The ability to be productive when you start your work each day really depends on how you begin your mornings.
By getting enough sleep each night, you are allowing your body to rest and recover so that you could start the next day feeling refreshed and invigorated.
A morning full of energy has the potential to significantly boost your productivity levels.
By having a go-to routine in the morning, it can help jumpstart your day and increase your efficiency to get ready for work/school.
In addition to that, having an optimistic and empowered mindset as soon as you wake up can give you some much needed motivation to get work done.
Finally, honing in on your time management skills and creating a work schedule is the ultimate way to make sure you are staying on track to reach your goals in a timely manner.
By utilizing all of the aforementioned methods, you should hopefully be able to increase your output of work in the mornings!
