How to win your day in the first two hours (a morning routine guide)
“You Have As Many Hours In Your Day As Beyonce.” I saw that on a sign the other day and things got so real. Just take a moment and let that one sink in. Your hours are as important as anyone else’s, and it’s your job to make your hours count. Starting your morning off right can boost your productivity all day. Here are a couple of tips to improve your morning routine:
1. Do something you love: What makes you tick? Do you love blogging or doing yoga or eating scrambled eggs? Take advantage of that. Do whatever it takes to make you look forward to waking up in the morning. Getting out of bed will still be hard, but having something to look forward to makes it much easier to take that first step.
2. Get your blood pumping: There is almost nothing less appealing than waking up and realizing you need to go to the gym. However, starting your day with exercise increases focus throughout your day and virtually eliminates morning sluggishness. Also, waking up with a morning yoga session or a jog around the neighborhood opens up your evenings for bigger, better things (like not going to the gym).
3. Eat: The amount of energy you get from an extra hour of sleep is nothing compared to the energy you get from exercise and an awesome breakfast before work. Make an egg white omelet with mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese, or scarf down oatmeal and fruit. Fuel your body for the long day ahead instead of shoving a graham cracker into your mouth as you run out the door.
4. Make yourself a to-do list, and get started: Take a look at your day and make a quick morning strategy. To make the most effective to-do list, find one big project to finish and three to four small tasks. Finish the big project in the morning so you have plenty of time for smaller things in the afternoon. Completing the large, looming project first thing in the morning will make you feel so much more relaxed for the rest of your day.
Let’s be real – mornings are hard. But what you do in the morning dictates your productivity and attentiveness for the rest of the day. If your morning is awesome, your day will be awesome.
