DAY 71: 5 Productivity Tips To Get The Most Out Of Your Mornings. ( 77 Day Challenge)

byCifeanyi

335 followers

5 years ago

How you begin your morning determines how the rest of your day goes and that is why countless articles have been written on the importance of morning routines in the make money and personal development space

Sadly most of us begin our morning on the wrong foot and this has a negative effect on how the rest of our day goes.

Research shows that self-control and energy levels are not only intricately linked but also finite, daily resources that tire like a muscle.

This means that your will-power and self-control to do what truly matters is limited and reduces as the day goes by.

You might not realize it, ( but now you would start taking note) but as the day goes on, you have increased difficulty exerting self-control and focusing on your work.

As our self-control wears out, we feel tired and find tasks to be more difficult, and our mood sours. This is why by 4 pm you are tired and cranky and do less and less important work.

This means your mornings are the best time to get your day started. Unless you are a night owl of course whose energy levels are up at night.

This exhaustion of self-control kills your productivity, and it makes the morning hours when self-control is highest, the most important hours of the day.” - Entrepreneur.com

To be productive, you need to make the most of your morning, and here are 5 productivity hacks that would help you get started.

5 Productivity Hacks To Get The Most Out Of Your Mornings

1. Plan Your Tomorrow Today:

Research shows that having fewer decisions to make in the morning helps you accomplish more each day. Planning for your tomorrow the night before with a to-do list would help lessen the decisions you have to make in the morning.

Each day we have a limited amount of willpower for decision-making at our disposal. Having too many decisions to make in the morning would not only slow you down but drain this limited resource you have.

2. Wake Up At Your Right Time( Sleep at the right time):
"The early bird catches the worm!"

While there is research to back up waking up at 4 am or 5 am to be at optimum abilities. ( Every billionaire wakes up 4 am - or so I’ve read ) Other research has shown that this is relative. You can wake up 10 am and be as productive, if not more than someone who wakes up at 5 am.

It is true that people who wake up earlier are often more productive, does this mean night owls can't have a perfect morning routine that leads to a productive day?

The answer is NO

“Mornings” for “Night owls” takes place a little later, but can be productive nonetheless.

However, sleeping at the right time is more important as your body requires 7-8 hours of good sleep to perform optimally

Focus o going to bed 7-8 hours before you want to wake up and don't be a slave to an alarm clock if you can help it.

3. Create Your Morning Routine :

What is your morning routine? - Wake, press phone, sleep, wake up again, more phone time? How good is that working for you?

According to Claire Diaz Ortiz, productivity expert and author of Design Your Day, the best thing you can do to be productive is to create your ideal morning routine

You should have a productive morning routine that you make a habit of. Some things that could go into your morning routine could be something like this

• Wake up
• One full glass of water ( with lemon for you fitness freaks)
• Pray
• Meditate
• Exercise
• Brush and Shower
• Breakfast

Having a set morning routine is the best way to stay productive and get more out of your morning. Making it a habit is even better.

You should find what you want in your morning routine - try out different things and find what works best for you.

It is called “Personal Development for a reason”

4. Practice Gratitude:

When you wake up in the morning, having 3 things you are thankful for from the day before can boost your mood in a positive way.

No matter how bad you might have it - there is always something you could be thankful for. Finding these things and reminding yourself about 3 or 2 things you are thankful for each day would help you make the most out of your day.

Say Thank you when you get out of bed. being thankful opens you up to blessings. This is the law of attraction.

5. Eat The Ugliest Juiciest Frog First:

"If the first thing you do each morning is to eat a live frog, you can go through the day with the satisfaction of knowing that that is probably the worst thing that is going to happen to you all day long." - Mark Twain

No. I am not saying you should look for a juicy fat frog to eat early in the morning.

Brian Tracy is an author of a book by the name “Eat That Frog” ( I recommend you read this book if you can)

The premise behind this statement and one key principle on being a morning person by Brian Tracy is that if you can eat “YOUR JUICY BIG FROG” for the day - FROG in this sense is YOUR Most Important task For The Day, you can spend the rest of the day with a huge confidence boost.

We most times want to keep that most important task for “later” and get the smaller things done first - when “later” comes around you are too tired or less motivated and you move the task to the next day. ( Procrastination )

This is shooting yourself in the foot. Starting the day and accomplishing the one big task for the day can give you a big dopamine feeling of accomplishment which you can build on till your will power reserve is finished

I hope this helps

Jude C. Ifeanyi