Today we are going to be taking a look at some of the weird and wonderful (and boring and simple) ways you can kickstart your day. By applying some of these techniques you’re going to be firing on all cylinders when you reach the office, ready to crush it from the moment you enter the door.
Let’s get started
Drink Lemon Water
Most people reading this are probably fond of a hot brew in the morning. It’s a comforting way to kickstart our body into action and get the ball rolling when you’re still half asleep. While we’re not suggesting you cut out coffee altogether (that’s crazy talk), we do recommend you drink something first – lemon water.
Lemon water is as bitter as it sounds, we’re not going to make wonderful claims about how great it tastes, because quite frankly, it doesn’t.
But what it will do is help nutritional absorption throughout the morning and well into the afternoon. It spikes your energy a few minutes after you consume it and gives you a real kick in the proverbial backside to get going. Be sure to consume the lemon water as soon as you wake up as it provides maximum benefits when drank on an empty stomach.
Get A Little Exercise
It’s amazing how many people who are looking for a way to be more productive in the mornings decide to overlook a little simple exercise. It’s no secret that getting the blood pumping is a great way to energize your day, people have literally been doing it for decades.
How much you do is up to you, most people recommend something like 10 minutes as a good minimum. You don’t have to go extreme and do some advanced system like the Van Hof Method (which verges on hyperventilation), just a few squats or star jumps will do the trick.
Stay Screenless
The first few moments after you wake up will often set the tone for your day. If the first thing you do in the morning is reach for your phone and start browsing Facebook or checking emails, then you’re processing information from the moment you open your eyes.
Instead, you should try and take 5 or 10 minutes to stay screenless. Do some meditation, walk to the shops, or just enjoy the view while sipping your lemon water. It doesn’t matter what you do, just stay disconnected for a brief moment and let your brain focus on you.
Don't Skip Breakfast
Again this is another piece of advice that isn’t exactly a secret (yet many people still ignore it). We have been advised for decades on the importance of eating a good breakfast, yet many people almost wear the “I don’t have time for breakfast” soundbite as a badge of honor. Breakfast keeps you more productive throughout the day, it keeps blood sugar levels stable, improves your mood, and obviously, you’ll be in less of a rush to eat lunch too.
Set Out A List Of Goals
Many people like to do this the night before so it’s ready and waiting for them when they arrive at the office, but you can do it in the morning too if you wish. Either way, it’s important to have a clearly defined list of goals that you want to accomplish throughout the day.
It’s not good enough to just write down general wishy-washy milestones like “Make progress on X project”, you need to be as specific as possible. Try and break down what you can reasonably expect to achieve in the day into smaller sections. Write each one down to give you a clearly defined roadmap. It’ll show you how much you’ve done, and it’ll also show you how much further you have to go.
Keep A Clean Desk
This is something that I’m guilty myself of not doing from time to time, I’m not the tidiest person in the world. However, despite me not practicing what I preach with this one – it’s certainly worth doing if you can. A cleaner desk keeps you free from distractions, studies have shown that it allows you to focus more intensely and boosts productivity.
Get The Worst Over And Done With
It’ll come as no surprise to you to learn that you’re most productive first thing in the morning. Your fresh, rested, and your exercise and lemon juice have kickstarted your mind and body into action. So what now?
Most days you’ll have one project or task that’s “the big one”. It’s probably the hardest or most tedious thing that’s got to get done that you’re not exactly looking forward to. Many people will put this off until later opting to start their day with a more enjoyable task, but this is commonly seen as the wrong thing to do.
Instead, you should tackle these issues first. Your morning productivity boost will enable you to deal with them head on and complete them much quicker than if you were to leave them until the end of the day. Additionally, once it’s done, the rest of your day suddenly seems that little bit brighter without the task hanging around like a bad smell.
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