What does it mean to have a more productive day? I believe a productive day is relative. At the high end, it might be completing more tasks or having a high spirited day.
Perhaps to others, it means hitting targets as well as getting results that will help move the project task forward.
To some others, it could mean a day when one does the work that pushes them towards a particular goal or saving some time in doing tasks.
Also, a productive day can also mean doing the something in place of doing anything just to create more white spaces on your activity list tomorrow or next week.
If you ask me, a productive day means that I finished up all the list of things to do in the morning efficiently and effectively with little or no errors, without dragging task longer than necessary.
So, if the goal is to become better and boost task, anything that distracts you from becoming productive should be abandoned.
The morning time is by far the most important aspect of one’s day. This is because it sets the atmosphere for what is to come.
Lagging behind from the morning could lead to a day of panic and tension while getting ahead on the positive ways to start the day, can transform into a beautiful and relaxed day.
Prior to the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, the global lockdown and before the work from home order was released, quite a number of people have a morning ritual they observed every morning before going about their daily life of work, business or school.
They had productive things to do in the morning. With the rise of remote working – that morning routine have been ignored and largely discarded.
We now go ahead and snooze our alarms when it beeps in the morning, put our phones on silent, stay away from the gym and stay in bed longer while taking in lots of junks unless there’s an emergency work to attend to.
A research I conducted by interviewing a couple of my colleagues at work on the things to do in the morning ever since coronavirus global lockdown and the remote working model was implemented shows that remote working have in a way reinforced laziness, lackadaisical living and has killed so many “go to work” culture such as waking up early. What do you do in the morning?
I have read times and times again that popular business executives and top CEO’s like Tim Cook of Apple Incorporation starts his day at 3:45am, Ellevest CEO and Co-founder Sallie Krawcheck wakes up at 4am.
Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, Indra Nooyi and a host of others have been known to rise at the crack of dawn.
They do not wake up early because they lack the ability to comfortably sleep in but because they have tested, proven and enjoyed the benefits of the morning.
The things to do in the morning are now as important as the things to do throughout the whole day and hence, the need to be intentional and conscious about it.
You will agree with me that the most successful people work hard and smart. The news is the face that the difference between them and the regular people you see around today and trivialize is evident in the sheer force of effort they put forward into doing whatever they have chosen to do including things to do when you wake up in the morning.
Peradventure the 5am Club as coined by Robin Sharma isn’t your thing, don’t worry; there are many other productive things to do in the morning to start your day off right.
Below are nine (9) things to do in the morning to have a productive day in no particular order.
9 Things To Do Before 9am For A More Productive Day
1. Positive Affirmations
I start my day with positive thinking and affirmations. As soon as I am up, I start to proclaim and confess positive words such as “I am great, I commit to self-development, I can get more things done today, I am in the process of becoming the best version of myself, I brim with energy and overflow with joy, I am courageous” and a lot of other positive “I” statements.
I believe in the power of words and that words have a way of shaping our attitudes as well as what we are capable and incapable of.
Of all the things to do in the morning, I take so much excitement and faith in doing this. In reality, the first step to failure is to tell yourself that you will fail.
Little wonder why Barack Obama’s favorite parlance is “Yes we can”. How you condition your mind is going to have a huge impact on your long term result.
This point down to what you consume in the morning; what you listen to and what you watch. Do not entertain negativity in the morning; rather cultivate a positive and optimistic view.
2. Prayer
I start up my daily life with a prayer asking for the grace and strength to handle my day to day activities and the wisdom to go through life challenges.
I consider God to be my senior life partner who is ever ready and willing to render help to me whenever I call on him.
You need to cultivate the mindset that God wants the best for you and is more than willing to help you in your endeavors.
What I do is to say a simple short prayer saying “Dear Lord, thank you for I know that nothing is going to happen today that you and I cannot handle together”.
You should adopt this method as one of the things to do when you wake up and things to do before bed. You can easily do this while getting prepared for work.
3. Exercise and Work Out
One of the positive ways to start the day is to get over your daily cardio as early as possible. You can go for a run or brief walk around. Exercise has a way of making you feel energized and ready to conquer.
It also helps you take in some vitamin D, get you blood pumping and your heart going which will make you active and inspire you to keep moving throughout the day.
It is also a good way to burn up some fat. Exercising and working out will not only get your body going but will also boost your brain’s alertness.
Exercising doesn’t have to be like an Olympic training session but it is important to do something little even if it’s a 12 minutes’ walk, run or pushups.
Doing some physical activity in the morning always gets me active and alert all day.
4. Gratitude List
Number four on the things to do when you wake up is to create a gratitude list. Personally, I have a gratitude note for which I document the things I am most grateful every morning.
By so doing, I can keep track of the things that make me feel good and the amazing things that empower me to live a more purposeful life.
Examples of the things you’d most likely see on my gratitude list includes, my cat, Antar is so beautiful and healthy that it always put a smile on my face, I had dinner with Charles last night – I haven’t seen him in a couple of weeks.
Charles radiates great energy etc. in this moment, I sit in silence without any form of technology for a while and just look around me and the beauty of nature to pen down the things I am grateful for.
I am more productive and end up with a good chunk of focus throughout my day when I do this. It is a 100% recommendation.
5. Make your bed
Making your bed is one of the things you should do in the morning. William McRaven – a US Navy Admiral calls making your bed the first task of the day.
According to him in a speech delivered at the University of Texas – “You will have accomplished the first task of the day if you make your bed”.
What this does is to create a feeling of pride and accomplishment in you which encourages you to do another task to completion and another.
One of the things to do before bed is to prepare your bed, but, it will get a bit rumpled over the night, you know?
So, whenever I wake up, I make my bed and after I make my bed, I feel motivated to do another task and see it to completion. Eventually, I complete many tasks before the end of the day.
6. Create a checklist
I keep a list of 15 items or more on my checklist depending on the activities I need to attend to and I update and rotate it on need basis.
As a way of making sure I handle the things listed on my checklist, I allocate a temporary start and finish time of the things to do in the morning, for each activity like a time box calendar.
A workday can get really busy and one can easily lose out on the planned activity if they are not documented.
Personally, the morning time is the perfect time to think about the things I need to do that day.
I then create a list of all my activities on my To-do list and then transfer it into another list for which I like to call “Priority list”.
The priority list helps me to outline my activities starting with the most important things and carry it with me during the day as a form of reminder.
7. Check Your Email
Many successful people start the day with emails. A recent survey shows that one of the things senior executives do in the morning is check their email.
What I do when I check my email is to scan my inbox for urgent mails and respond to it as well as draft a few important messages for the day.
This habit helps to keep me accountable and focused on the task at hand and the task that is to come.
The goal of checking my mails in the morning is to get urgent and important communication out of the way.
8. Mini-Planning Sessions
Among the things to do in the morning, to help you have a more productive day is to have a mini-planning session.
Get a rough sketch of your day. Plan your day starting with the most important greater tasks on your to-do list so as you move towards the end of the day and get tired you most of done this most important things.
Knowing exactly what you have to get done each day and when you to do them will give you a solid plan to make use of your time wisely.
Seeing yourself check off your to-do list one by one will make you feel more motivated to accomplish more, and you’ll feel like you’ve spent the day being productive!
“The key is not to prioritize what you schedule, but schedule what you priorities”
9. Hydrate
A lot of us forget to hydrate after waking up and we just venture into our daily activities. After waking up your body needs to refresh.
Drinking water prompts your alertness and also helps metabolism. Coffee is a good start for me in the morning especially while doing my mini planning sessions and creating my To-do and priority lists.
You will be amused at how much better your day can go when you have a cup of coffee made and ready to go in the morning.
Final Word
It is worthy to note that the morning is when your brain is the freshest.
Hence, if you do the things that set you in a good tone will go a long way in directing your daily activity in that direction.
Do note that the things to do in the morning are just concepts that help you to remain focused, relevant and energized in the face of distractions and economic meltdowns.
It does not in any way suggest that you’d not have a productive day if you do not engage the list itemized above but to me more productive it is expedient that you take advantage of the list provided above.
The difference between a person who have productive days and those who do not is a factor of planning and having set tasks and goals.
Are you ready to become more productive? Take your note pad, scroll to the top and draft the things you should do in the morning to become more productive taking a cue from the list above. Cheers to the productive you.