Actively trying to create rituals and habits is a hot topic in productivity circles these days, and for good reason. How you manage your daily life really matters a great deal in regards to how productive you are. Grabbing a piece of fruit in the morning with your coffee instantly turns you into a person who eats a healthy breakfast, for example. If you wake up twenty minutes earlier everyday to research market trends, you’re likely to be more focused when you get to work, while simultaneously becoming more well versed in industry trends.
Journalist and media consultant John Boitnott agrees. “Whether or not you’re a morning person, morning rituals set the tone for the rest of the day,” he says, of how transforming your mornings can actually boost productivity and help you find more time during the week. “You can either stumble out of bed and rush at the Keurig like your life depends on it,” he says, “or you can take this time to prepare for a productive, less stressful day.”
How is this done? Everyone has their own ways of waking up and getting ready in the morning, but there are a few ways to tweak your ritual to help you feel more productive throughout the day. If you’re a person who needs coffee to function, you might want to consider scaling back, or at least approaching your need for caffeinated fuel in a different way. Boitnott suggests putting off drinking coffee until you’re actually at work, for example. “A cup of lukewarm water with freshly squeezed lemon gives you a more natural ‘kick’ in the morning,” he says.
Another thing that many people do in the morning that actually kills productivity is look at their phones as soon as they wake up. Tomorrow morning, avoid scrolling through your Facebook feed or emails; focus on client-related things when you’ve arrived to work, and put social media out of your mind entirely until the end of the day. You might be surprised at how cutting out phone use in the morning can boost your productivity throughout the rest of the day.
Incorporating exercise into your morning ritual is another way to boost your work productivity later in the day. Yoga, biking, or even taking a brisk walk can really help you wake up – no coffee needed! Additionally, exercising regularly in the morning can help you make healthier decisions throughout the day, and will help you become focused and centered before your day really even begins.
