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Starting the day the right way can set you up for the rest of the day. A great way to do this is to build a Productive Morning Routine. Your Morning routine doesn’t have to be hours long, it could be just 30 min, depending on what you want it to consist of and what you want to get out of it.
So in this blog post, I would like to go over some tips for building a Productive Morning Routine to really kick-start your day.
- Getting Good Sleep
- Hydrate
- Natural light
- Coffee
- Exercise
- Eat a healthy breakfast
- Plan your key task for the day
So let’s look at each of these in more detail and how they can help to turn your day into a productive one.
Getting Good Sleep 💤
Sleep is one of the most important things that you can do for your health and your productivity. Sleep helps us to regulate our mind and body and not getting enough will certainly lead to an un productive start to the day.
There are a few things that you can do to help promote good sleep, including:
- No devices an hour before bed
- Having you room at the right temperature
- Invest in Black out blinds
- Establish a wind down/evening routine
- Having a set time for going to sleep
- Get 7hr plus sleep a night
- Don’t drink an hour before bedtime to stop midnight toilet trips
Now, you don’t have to implement all of the above, but just adopting a 2 or 3 can really help in getting a good night’s sleep.
Hydrate 🚰
This is where I honestly struggle, but hydration, like sleep, is one of the key things to maintaining a healthy productivity routine. A great way to start the day in by drinking water when you get up. This will help to hydrate you from not drinking throughout the night whilst you have been sleeping. I try to drink a pint, but I don’t always succeed.
I can really tell when I am dehydrated throughout the day as I lose focus easily, but the main thing is a lack of energy. Feeling hungry can also be a sign of dehydration, so rather than reaching for a sugary snack, try a drink of water first.
Natural light 😎
This is one that I got from reading and watching a lot of Andrew Hubermans work, and he recommended that you get out in the sunlight as soon as you can aster waking. The reason for this is that morning sunlight increases your early morning cortisol, which will help to prepare your body for sleep later that night. A spike in cortisol in the morning will also influence your immune system , metabolism and help you focus during the day positively.
Coffee ☕️
Now I can’t start the day without a cup of decent coffee, and it’s the first thing I go for in when I get out of bed. Now, Huberman also recommended that you delay your caffeine intake for the first 90 to 120 min after you wake. The reason for this is that you will have cleared out any residual adenosine in your system, which will help with avoiding an afternoon crash.
Now I like my coffee straight away, so this is one that I do not follow. I do, however, follow the advice of not drinking coffee past 3pm and tend switch to decade in the afternoon.
Exercise 👟
This is one that I struggle with first thing in the morning, but it really does kick-start you for the day. I find that I feel a lot more awake and energised when I start my day with exercise. That could be a run or going for a pre-work morning walk. Although you would think that exercise tires you out, it actually does the opposite, gives you more energy to more productive with your day.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast 🥣
They say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This is because it provides you with energy and fuel for the rest of the day. Eating breakfast helps your concentration and focus because if you are hungry, you are going to struggling to maintain focus.
Having breakfast that consists of protein and carbs will help to keep you fuller for longer so you are less likely to snack and crash.
Plan your tasks for the day ✅
This could be part of your evening routine, but I am going to put it in the morning routine as well. Being clear on the task that you need to achieve for the day can help keep you focused. This does not mean have a list as long as you arm that is not achievable and make you feel like you have not been productive.
Think what are the 3-5 most critical tasks that you need to complete for the day and aim to just complete them. If you complete more than that’s a bonus, but keep to the important task will help you be clear on what you need to do for that day.
Final thoughts 💭
A morning routine can really be beneficial to setting up your day to be productive. As mentioned, it doesn’t need to be this extensive, and you should experiment with what works for you. I, personally, don’t do all of the above, but I do try to incorporate some of them which I have found helps me to be more productive.
I would love to hear your thoughts on Morning Routines and if there is anything that you do that is not on the above list.