5 Steps to Take Each Morning to Maximize Productivity

Wake Up Early | Drink Water | 15 Minutes of “Me” | 15 Minutes of Movement | Bonus Tip

Starting off each day with the right mindset is beneficial for your mental wellbeing and productivity. With the new normal of working from home, many of us have had to make adjustments to get things done at home. Working from home comes with distractions and interruptions. This is why a morning routine is crucial to having a successful day. Morning routines can sound daunting, but they don’t have to be! Set yourself up for success with these 5 steps you can take today.

Wake Up Early

What counts as “early?” I guess that’s a relative term that’s going to be different for each of us. Let’s say you wake up at 7 am every day. By waking up at 5 am instead, you get 2 hours extra each day, 14 extra hours a week, and 728 extra hours per year, which translates to 30 days! Waking up early can help you get things done before most other people even wake up.

Drink Water

Consume roughly 24 ounces of water upon waking. Your body is naturally dehydrated when you wake up, so drinking that initial glass of water will give you a bit of a boost.

15 Minutes of Me

This 15 minute is a time block for ZERO distractions! No phone, TV, computer or even another person. You can opt to write, journal, or read, but whatever you do, be sure to do it on a consistent basis.

15 Minutes of Movement

This will vary from person to person and is not intended to be a workout. These 15 minutes of movement should get you into a flow state and signal to your brain that it’s time to start the day. This could be a brisk walk or even a short yoga routine.

Bonus Tip

If you’re working from home, try implementing the 90/20 rule. Spend 90 minutes focused on a specific task, and then take a 20-minute break. By taking the 20-minute break to take a walk, get a snack, or anything less mentally taxing, your brain can rebuild its stores of glucose, preparing you for another 90 minutes of focused work.

Even though we cannot guarantee the outcome of the day, we can take the steps to position ourselves to be able to deal with whatever gets thrown at us along the way.