How to Tweak Your Morning Routine to Make Your Entire Day More Productive

The following is a guest post from Janet Miller.

We sometimes wish we could add more hours to our days to accomplish all the tasks we set ourselves out to do, but knowing we only have so many hours in which we can work, we try working harder to compensate for time lost.

As a result, we spend less and less time on ourselves and more and more on work.

The following morning tweaks will not only lead you to have more productive days, but they will also give you back the precious personal time you have been missing.

Forget the Snooze Button

I don’t know of anyone who isn’t guilty of using the snooze button.

We wake up in the morning to the buzzing sound of an alarm, but the sweet nectar of sleep always calls us back.

In the comfort of our bed we then snooze for 5, 10 and even 30 minutes. So why should you stop this habit and forget the snooze button?

According to the Stanford University Sleep Medicine Center, the longer you snooze, the more confused your body gets.

When you wake up, your body begins working to get you moving.

When you go back to sleep, you disturb this mechanism, giving your body the signal to begin secreting sleeping chemicals and causing you to feel more sleepy after snoozing.

So ditch the snooze button, wake up on time and your body will thank you for it by repaying you with better focus.

Wait to Use Your Screen

We live in an ever-growing world of instant communication.

Friends and loved ones message us, coworkers and bosses email us, while social media and news sources send us notifications.

Should you be one of the many people that start their day by browsing through their phone, break this habit and you will noticed increased productivity throughout your day.

Overwhelming your brain with instant communication first thing in the morning reduces your ability to focus and therefore to be productive.

Instead, enjoy the first moments of the day by doing something calm and positive, which brings us to the next point.

Enjoy a Cup of Hot Water

Wether it is a cup of joe or English Breakfast, we all have our favorite hot morning drink.

While the warmth of our preferred brew is comforting, we forget what our body really needs is hydration over caffeine and sugar.

A cup of hot water will hydrate you without shocking your body temperature, will increase or keep your metabolism, and will help you retain a balance of overall wellness.

While hot water is the most ideal morning drink, it doesn’t mean you should ditch your favorite one. Instead, begin to be mindful of what you drink in the morning.

Embrace Some Quiet Time

During this quite time of the morning, give yourself the time to center your mind by meditating.

Focus on the positive aspects of your person and visualize how your day will unfold for the better.

In other words, pump yourself up! And while some of us require stillness when meditating, others do this best while doing something physical – while trampolining, for example.

So whether you prefer sitting in your porch or exercising, take this quite time to embrace your inner self.

Nourish Your Body To Be More Productive

I think it is fair to say that we have all been guilty of rushing out of the house in the morning without eating breakfast.

While you may be able to push your appetite until lunch time, your body is struggling to keep you focused, causing you to loose productivity from the beginning of the day.

So take at least ten minutes to nourish your body in the morning.

A high protein and nutrient-rich breakfast will kick-start your body mechanism with the needed energy that will help you carry through the day, helping you improve your productivity.

Look at Your Schedule

So you have managed to wake up, clear your mind and begin to nourish your body.

Now it is a good time to look into your day.

Open you calendar and prepare yourself for the tasks you will need to tackle.

This is also a good time to respond to any important emails and texts that need your attention.

Ensuring you tackle the most urgent messages first thing in the morning will give you a sense of accomplishment and will help you carry a productive attitude throughout the day.

Focus on One Thing

In a competitive world that constantly demands a high level and variety of skills from us, it is easy to be pressured into multitasking.

However, you limit your ability to focus and therefore loose productivity when you begin to multitask. Successful people direct their skills to one task at a time only, helping them achieve better results.

Be Flexible

Lastly, remind yourself that you are not in control of everything. Often times we loose sight of the big picture – of the day that lies in front of us – and get stuck on the small details.

In order to become a more productive person you need to have a flexible and optimistic outlook.

Flexibility allows us to cope with unexpected situations better and faster, making it easier for you to pick up a task where you left off and complete it.

On the other hand, when you react poorly to an unforeseen situation, it impacts your mood negatively, making it more difficult for you to focus and affecting your productivity once you have to return to a task.

So be open to change and with the help of these small morning tweaks, you will begin to notice a positive change within yourself and your daily productivity.

Authors Bio

Janet Miller is a habit scientist, reformed workaholic and cofounder of Jen Reviews. She writes about habits and entrepreneurship and has been featured on Fast Company, The Huffington Post, Tiny Buddha and MindBodyGreen. Connect with her on Twitter.