What does your routine look like right now in the morning? Most people get up, they quickly wash, get dressed, grab a coffee and they’re off out the door to work. That’s all the case if they don’t miss the alarm, of course.If that sounds familiar to you, it doesn’t have to be that way. If you’re struggling to get out of bed in the morning, then it can make it more of a struggle for you to feel like you can be productive in the daytime.
Again, it doesn’t have to be like that though. It can be very difficult to feel productive, especially when your day hasn’t started out the right way. So you need to know some of the best hacks that can make you feel more productive from the moment you open your eyes in the morning. Luckily for you, we have a whole list of them for you here.
1.Plan ahead. The 1st and easiest hack to make yourself feel more productive is to plan ahead for your mornings. If you enjoy a cup of coffee bought from your local coffee shop because they just get the beans right, then you need to plan to stop by there. And you have to plan for the time you might spend in the queue and plan for the time it takes to add your coffees and sugars together. You need to create a plan of what you need to get done the next day, and then make sure you know exactly what you’re going to achieve in the morning so that you feel awake and alive to get there. Planning is actually really difficult as a habit to adopt, so don’t feel bad if you don’t get it right the first time. When you plan, you are less likely to procrastinate.
2. Wake up earlier. This is not easy to do for everybody, especially if you have odd working hours, but you need to train yourself into bedtime just like you did when you were a child and you fought against it. Hindsight is wonderful and you’ll remember the times where you hated getting put down for a nap, but as an adult you would long for that time of life. Instead, you need to get yourself to bed at a reasonable hour so that you can get at least 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Even if this means you go to bed slightly earlier in the evening, at least you’ll be able to wake up earlier in the morning so that you can get all of the things done that you want to get done before work.
3. Make sure that you’re drinking water. It is such a simple thing, but waking up and having a glass of water is one of the best things that you can do to kick start your system. You had eight hours or hopefully longer of no water and your body is going to feel naturally dehydrated, especially as you’ve woken up and gone directly to the toilet. This dehydration can make you feel sluggish in the morning, so while you feel pepped up with that coffee, it’s also a good idea to start with a glass of water before you even touch your coffee.
4. Make time for meditation. You don’t have to sit and ohm as if you were at a yoga class at sunrise, but there is plenty of research to suggest that meditation – especially outside – can help people to reduce their stress and calm down. And who doesn’t want to start their day that way? Giving yourself 10 to 15 minutes of sitting quietly and just breathing slowly is going to help to set your day up in a way like nothing else will. Don’t get us wrong, meditation is not about to give you a burst of energy. What it does do is give you clarity on what you should be doing for your day ahead. Sometimes that’s all you need, a clear mind.
5. Crack open a journal. While you sit and have your breakfast multitask a little with a journal, cracking one open to slow down and focus your thinking on expressing your feelings can make a big difference. One of the misconceptions about journaling is that you have to be elaborate and you have to have glitter pens and stickers and sequins. But you don’t. All you need is a notebook that you can access easily and you just need to write a few lines about how you’re feeling that day and what you’re planning on doing. It doesn’t have to be the War and Peace of journals, it just has to give you some clarity about your day ahead. You can use your journal to set yourself some goals for the day.
6. Get a workout going. Now you don’t have to fit every single hack on this list into the same morning, but if you have some time during the week to do a morning workout, then definitely dive in. You only need 20 minutes to get a good jog in or a yoga session on YouTube in your living room. You don’t even have to commute yourself over to a gym if you don’t want to. The fact of the matter is that exercise has been proven time and again to be good for you in countless ways. And it’s not just physical goodness, it’s mental goodness too. If you know that it’s good for you and you have the time in the morning, then exercising is going to change your day in a positive and exciting way.
7. Walk to work. If your commute is quite long because of traffic and your work is walkable from where you live, then walk to work instead of driving or getting on the public transport. Not only will you be able to smash out the goal of having a workout in the morning, but you’re going to get some sunlight. Getting sunlight first thing in the morning tells your body that it is the start of the day and it gives you a moment to take in some fresh air and a little bit of vitamin D. You can stop your body from producing melatonin, which is the hormone that releases when it wants your body to sleep. When you get that sunlight in the morning, you’ll feel more alert and overtime that helps you to become more of a naturally morning person. Not getting enough natural light can lead to some mood problems like low energy and depression, so living somewhere where you can get decent sunlight first thing in the day is a good plan.
8. Make yourself a delicious drink. On the days when you don’t have the cash to go to your favorite cafe for a coffee, then it’s those days that you need to make yourself a delicious drink that you can enjoy. The best part about this is you get to pick whatever drink you like. So if you like a smoothie, you can choose the ingredients that go in. If you like an acai bowl, you can choose the ingredients that go into that as well. Perhaps all you want is a nice green tea or a flavoured tea to start your day. Either way, make yourself a drink that’s going to make you feel good and energized about the day ahead.
9. Eat something filling. So many people skip breakfast in favor of a cup of coffee, but it’s not doing anything for your skin or for your digestion. If you skip breakfast because you don’t have enough time while you’re in the right place because we’re giving you so many hacks to make your morning more productive. Practicing intermittent fasting by skipping breakfast means that at some stage you’re going to have to break the fast with something, so you may as well start early in the morning so that you can feel set up for the day ahead. Breakfast should really be focused more on protein than anything else, so that you can slowly burn it through the morning and not feel hungry by 9:00. Starting your day with bacon and eggs may not be your cup of tea, but that doesn’t mean you can’t start with a protein smoothie or a bowl of delicious granola with yogurt.
10. Spend some time with good people. If you live alone, then try to commute or walk to work with a friend who’s also going the same way. If you live with family, make a point of spending time with them by having breakfast together. There are plenty of studies that have been performed on happiness levels and our closest relationships are the ones that are the most consistent predictor of our happiness. Organized to go for a run with your partner in the morning or have breakfast with your kids. Being with the people that you love will make you feel good and it’s a great big boost in energy levels.
We’re very proud to bring you this feature in association with Coffee Works. For more features, please pay a visit to our lifestyle page.
