To have an effective and productive day, it’s important to start the morning off on the right foot. You should wake up early enough to prepare yourself in the morning.
Which will give you enough time to eat breakfast, brush your teeth, and get ready before you leave the house to head off to work or school. Here are five tips to help you wake up early and start your day off right!
1. Get up early,
Before you open your eyes, think about what’s going to happen that day. Tell yourself you’re lucky and today is going to be fun, says Charlie Gilkey, author of Making Ideas Happen.
Don’t get up and immediately start browsing your phone. Instead, acknowledge that being productive is how you’re going to make today awesome.
When you wake up 15 minutes early, all of that grogginess can give way to clear thinking and an upbeat attitude for facing whatever your day has in store. And if getting up early every morning doesn’t work for you, try waking up at 7 a.m.
There’s nothing quite like waking up before dawn. If you can manage it, getting up early is one of the easiest ways to enjoy your mornings (and get ahead of everyone else).
Early risers report that they can focus better and tend to avoid interruptions throughout their day — which is especially important if you spend most of your time working from home.
One of my favorite ways to have a productive morning is to get up early. I get up at 5 am every day, even on weekends, and I’ve found that getting up early gives me a distinct advantage over other people during the workday.
It allows me to tackle some difficult tasks while most people are still in bed. Plus, it’s also much easier for me to exercise in the morning, since most people aren’t outside or running errands at that time of day.
2. Set the right tone
Before you’ve even had your first cup of coffee, it’s important to set yourself up for success. Look ahead at your calendar and schedule time for exercise, relaxation, and overall self-care.
A positive, balanced outlook will help you make smart decisions — and get more done. The better rested you are, the more confident and inspired you’ll feel when tackling any task that comes your way.
Starting your day off on a positive note can make all the difference in how productive and effective you are throughout your morning. Make sure you wake up at least 30 minutes before work and spend some time thinking about how much you’re looking forward to what’s coming next.
The most productive people understand that mornings are for work, not play. No matter how much fun you think it is to hit snooze one more time, you’ll ultimately be wasting your time by turning in late and then rushing through your day.
Set an early bedtime and get enough sleep so that you can wake up refreshed in the morning. If you’re having trouble waking up early, try getting out of bed earlier, even if it means just rolling out of bed and sitting at your desk — doing anything will help motivate you to eventually start working right away. But don’t stop there!
Here is a tip for setting yourself up for success: Keep your space clear: Clutter is distracting, so try keeping as little clutter as possible around you when working.
3. Clean up your space
It’s easy to get distracted by clutter and if you can’t find what you need, there’s no way you can be productive. Staying organized will help your brain stay on task and keep distractions at bay. If your home or office is already organized, great — you have one less thing on your plate.
If not, take time before bed or in between appointments tomorrow morning to clear up space and organize your belongings, so you have fewer things fighting for your attention.
Let’s face it: a messy workspace is not conducive to productivity. Set aside sometime each night before bed, and clean up after yourself — your kitchen counter can wait until tomorrow.
If you’re in your home office, clear off your desk and put away any clutter that might be distracting you while working. A clean space will feel more welcoming and help motivate you to stay productive throughout your morning routine.
When you walk into your office and see a huge mess, it’s hard to focus on what you need to do next. Taking 15 minutes at night or first thing in the morning to put away your papers, straighten up your desk or clean out your inbox will pay dividends throughout your day.
Don’t underestimate how much easier it is for you and others in your organization if you can find important files, documents and tools right away rather than having to search for them.
Taking a few minutes at night or first thing in the morning can get that clutter under control so that you’re ready when an urgent project comes up and people expect an immediate response.
4. Dress for success
Our goals may vary (check, e-mail, and hit snooze are all acceptable for some), but one thing is for sure: When we roll out of bed in our sweats and oversize T-shirt, we’re setting ourselves up for failure.
When we get dressed — and look good doing it — we tend to treat our day with more respect.
This is especially true in work situations, where how you present yourself can affect how others perceive you. Wearing clothing that’s clean and ironed makes us feel confident, which can translate into confidence at work or school.
The next time you need an extra burst of motivation, try putting on something other than your pajamas before heading out into the world. Your outfit sets up your mindset for success. If you feel good about how you look, chances are you’ll enter each meeting with an attitude of strength and positivity.
Taking it one step further, if your clothes are freshly pressed and wrinkle-free, you’ll also send out a message that you’re ready to take on whatever comes your way.
Before you even get out of bed, make sure you’re putting on an outfit that makes you feel productive. If there’s any chance your day will require a meeting with clients or customers, you want to wear something that makes you feel like a powerhouse.
Since I work from home, I keep an extra power outfit in my closet so when I have those days where I just don’t feel motivated, it’s easy for me to change into and start my day off right.
If you do have meetings then dress like someone who is meeting with their boss, everyone gets nervous and more self-conscious during these meetings, why not project confidence as soon as they walk through your door?
5. Change up your routine
One of the easiest ways to become more productive is to change up your routine. Why? When we do new things, it stimulates our brain and can help us find creative solutions for problems that have stumped us in the past.
So shake up your morning by doing something different like waking up earlier than normal or even taking a short walk before getting ready for work. You’ll feel refreshed and ready for action from the start of your day.
A new day can feel like an adventure, which is what makes it fun. When you’re having trouble getting out of bed or starting your day off on a productive note, try changing up your morning routine.
Get up half an hour earlier than usual and try something different — whether that means going for a jog, setting aside time for meditation, or spending 10 minutes reading in front of your favorite window before starting your day.
It’s easy to fall into bad habits when it comes about mornings. We wake up, hit snooze, grab some coffee and head out. And with that routine in place, we’re getting more of what we already know — sleepy mornings and sluggish days.
One way to change things up is simple: don’t go home after work. Instead, get a hotel room or spend the night at your office, so you can wake up surrounded by people and things that inspire you, instead of watching everyone else sleepily shuffle around in their pajamas for another hour.
Come morning you’ll be excited about hitting your desk instead of wishing for more time in bed.
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