How to Have a Productive Morning

If you are wondering how to have a productive morning, it all starts with your morning routine. Each day is a new chance to start fresh and do better than you did the previous day. How you spend your mornings will have a significant impact on the rest of your day. That is why it is essential to be intentional with your mornings.

We have all been there before. You set the alarm to get up early to make sure you have time for exercise, meditation, or whatever you want to get done in the morning. Your alarm goes off, and although you had every intention of getting up and doing what you wanted to do, you can’t seem to get out of bed, and you hit the snooze button instead. Think about how you felt for the rest of the day. Did you feel like you were playing catch-up?

Now think about those days where you set your alarm and get up on time. You then go on to exercise or do whatever it is you wish to get done. How did you feel the rest of the day where you had a productive morning?

Chances are, the days where you got up with your alarm and did the things you set out to do went a lot smoother than the days that you hit the snooze button. Hitting that snooze button not only affected your morning, but it had a continuing effect on the entire rest of your day.

So the key is to start your mornings off in a productive way.

Define Your Perfect Morning

One of the best things you can do to start your day off on the right foot is to create and follow a morning routine. First, consider how you would define your perfect morning to create a morning routine right for you. What is most important to you? Is there something that would make a big difference in your life if you did it daily? What good habits would you like to start that would have the most significant positive impact on your life? This could be anything, so think about it. Think about things such as exercise, eating healthy, reading, meditating, spending extra time with your family, or spending time on creative pursuits.

Ask yourself the following three questions:

What is most important to me?
What habit/s would have the most significant positive impact on my life?
What do I want to improve?

Use your answers to these questions to help create your morning routine. Imagine what your perfect morning would look like. What would you be doing? What time would you need to wake up to do everything you want to do? Write down what your perfect morning looks like in a journal or on a piece of paper. Get crystal clear on what you would be doing. Please write it down in as much detail as possible. You need to be able to know where you want to end up before you start. This is how you can make meaningful change. If you are having trouble defining your perfect morning, you can get some excellent morning routine ideas here.

How to Find the Time for Your Morning Routine

Mornings are usually busy and can sometimes even be chaotic. This may especially be true if you have young kids to get ready and out the door. The truth is, though, that it does not have to be this way. We already talked about how we spend the first few hours of our day will affect the rest of our day. I’m sure you would rather have a calm, productive morning rather than a rushed and frantic one. So to do that, you will need to make sure you are getting up early enough.

If you need to set your alarm for half of an hour earlier so you can accomplish your morning routine, it will be well worth it. You may be thinking how difficult it will be, but after a few mornings of getting up a little earlier than usual, you will get used to it. Try going to bed a little earlier than usual to compensate for the lost sleep. Before you know it, you will be getting up earlier with ease. When you give yourself the extra time you need in the morning, things will run smoother. Things such as not finding the car keys are no longer a significant crisis because you are no longer looking for them at the last minute. Your morning will run smoother and thus your entire day. Getting up earlier sets you up for a fantastic productive day.

Think of Ways You Can Save Time

Are there things you can do ahead of time to give you more time in the morning to complete your morning routine? Are there things you are currently doing that aren’t as important that you can eliminate? Is there anything you can delegate to a family member to make more time?

For example, if you spend a lot of time making breakfast for everyone, set the table the night before, so you don’t have to do it in the morning. Ensure everyone’s clothes are set out the night before (including yours) so no time is wasted deciding what to wear. Get the coffee ready the night before, so all you have to do is push the button. Ensure everyone’s bookbags and lunches are prepared the night before. Make sure your keys are where they belong. Doing the things you can the night before will save you time in the morning and allow for a stress-free morning. Even though these changes may seem small, they can make a big difference.

Create Your Morning Routine and Use the Extra Time You Found to Complete it Each Day

Review your perfect morning that you wrote down above. Begin to incorporate the things that are important to you into your morning routine. If you are currently doing something in the morning that you would like to stop, such as checking your email first thing, try to eliminate that from your routine. An excellent way to start a good habit or break a bad habit is by using a habit tracker. You can download a free habit tracker here to help keep you on track. Write down all of the items in your morning routine and check them off as you do them. This can be a great motivator.