The way your morning goes can have a real impact on your dayโand your productivity. These five simple habits will kick start your day:
1. Put things in their place.
Whatโs the saying? โClean house, clean mindโ? Your desk is no different. Make yourself a clean, ergonomic, cheerful environment to spend your days and set yourself up to do your best work. A few minimalist changes Iโve adopted this year:
- Spending a few minutes each day clearing off old paperwork
- Stowing office supplies I donโt use on the daily
- Getting a taller monitor stand so I donโt slouch
- Curating my photo display to a few choice family pics so that their faces stand out and catch my gaze more easily
2. Skip the snooze.
Youโll find article after article expounding the benefits of skipping the snooze button in the morning. And reluctantly, this post is no different. This has been the hardest part for me; I know going back to sleep resets your sleep cycle, making the morning that much more irksome. However, I love the feeling of waking up, looking at my clock, and getting a momentary sense of glee: I donโt have to get up for ten more minutes! When my real alarm goes off, the sourness of having to be awake is only mitigated by another 30 minutes of a comedic podcast. On the mornings when I get up the first time, not only am I ultimately happier, I actually believe I think better. Take it from me, a die-hard sleep fanatic, the snooze is just not worth a place in your routine.
3. Map out your day.
Whether you like writing out your to-do lists the night before, first thing in the morning, or are in favor of more constant tools like Trello, itโs a good idea to have a game plan to focus your energy. Lacking an approach to managing your tasks? We’ve got an overview of a few of the more common types of task management tools to get you started.
4. Avoid morning interruptions.
Research suggests it can take more than 20 minutes to get back into a task after an interruption. Arrange with your receptionist (or Ruby if youโre a current client) to take messages during the first few hours of the day so you can harness that time for projects. For a top-notch customer experience, inform callers when they can expect return calls.
5. Donโt delay the important stuff.
Many people like to check email first thing in the morning. But once you start, itโs hard to stop! Before you know it, itโs lunchtime and it feels like you havenโt crossed one thing off your list. Instead, use your morning to begin your biggest projects (Stephen Covey calls these “big rocks”), especially if they require creativity. Youโll gain a sense of accomplishment and responding to emails will feel like a breeze. (And for folks like me who just canโt resist a quick peekโฆat least set aside the non-urgent emails till later in the day after your big-brain tasks are complete.)
What are your tricks to shaking off the morning slump? Share your secret below!
Image Credit: Alex via Flickr Creative Commons License
