Wouldn’t it be wonderful to move through your morning with a sense of calm? Maybe even sitting down for a cup of coffee? Developing a morning routine that will boost your productivity can help you stay on top of your commitments for the day.
Many people benefit from rising early and following a set routine every morning. I find getting an early start helps me to feel ready to take on the world. I accomplish more and feel better at the end of the day when I relax and recharge. While this won’t help everyone, it might be just what you need to feel more in control of your daily life!
“The power to change your life lies in the simplest of steps.”
― Steve Maraboli
Consider these ideas when developing a morning routine:
1. Avoid making any drastic changes.
Begin this process slowly. Start by waking up just 15 minutes earlier than you normally would. No sense shocking the system and making the early rise less attainable so allow yourself to get used to this over a few days to a week before waking even earlier. Continue this increase gradually until your goal wake-up time is met.
2. Allow yourself to go to sleep earlier
Staying up too late when you’re trying to get up earlier will have negative consequences. Early rising will allow you to go to sleep more easily and earlier in the evening so you can work on getting up earlier.
3. Keep your alarm clock away from your bed
If you keep your alarm clock close to your bed, you’ll hit the snooze button and destroy your chances of improving your morning routine. Keep your alarm clock at a distance so you must get out of bed to deal with it and resolve not to climb back under the covers.
4. Leave the bedroom as soon as your alarm wakes you
As hard as it may be, avoid rationalizing going back to bed. Make yourself leave the room. Create a habit, like using the restroom as soon as you get up, so you don’t convince yourself to go back to sleep. By the time you’ve used the restroom or otherwise distracted yourself, you’ll no longer be thinking about going back to bed, so you can proceed with your daily routine.
5. Have your routine mapped out ahead of time
It’s essential to have a good reason to wake up in the morning, so plan something important to do first thing in the morning. If you have a specific task early in the morning, then this will motivate you to wake up and get out of bed. If you have a plan for your morning, you can slip out of bed and right into your routine.
6. Take advantage of your extra time.
Don’t wake up earlier than usual just so you can lounge around and read Facebook updates. Avoid wasting the spare time that you’ve created in your schedule. Instead, get a jump on your day by doing tasks that are best done in the early morning, such as reading, writing, and planning for the day
7. Follow the same basic routine daily
If you practice the same basic steps every day, you’ll be able to automate many of your early morning tasks to make them more manageable.
Ultimately, you get to decide the best course of action when developing an early morning routine. These seven considerations should steer you in the right direction and can serve as a foundation for your own practice.
When you customize and standardize your morning habits, they’ll drive your productivity throughout the day.
So, add 15 minutes to the beginning of your day, starting tomorrow.
Karin Naslund
CEO, Educator & Mentor, Naslund Consulting Group Inc.
Karin Naslund is the CEO of Life Bright Learning and Naslund Consulting. She is a trainer, mediator, and coach. Karin has been working with new leaders for 30-years and enjoys watching them grow in confidence as they apply new skills on the job and at home.