When it comes to starting your day, one of the hardest parts is your morning routine. JC Sweet & Co. found this article from Entrepreneur helpful and wanted to share it with you.
The Best Morning Routine Hacks Proven to Boost Productivity
The good news is that there are best practices in the morning that have been proven to make the most of time and capitalize on the body’s biorhythm and that have been widely practiced by wildly successful business moguls and entrepreneurs.
1. Wake up early.
Not all wildly successful people are early risers – but the majority of them are. Richard Branson has been a longtime early riser, says, “No matter where I am in the world, I try to routinely wake up at around 5 a.m. By rising early, I’m able to do some exercise and spend time with my family, which puts me in a great mind frame before getting down to business.”
Branson is joined by other celebrated early risers, such as Apple CEO Tim Cook (4 a.m. wake up), Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey (5 a.m. wake up) and Starbucks executive chairman Howard Schultz (4:30 a.m.).
Research clearly shows that the majority of successful people (meaning executives and millionaires) wake up well before the work day actually beings. By waking up early, you can exercise, walk your dog, meditate, spend time with family, and get a jump on the day before you get worn down by the day’s responsibilities and events.
2. Start your morning the evening before.
It’s not until the end of one workday that you clearly understand what needs to get done the next workday. So at the end of the day, write down what needs to get done the next day.
3. Do the hardest thing on your to-do list first.
Author Mark Twain famously said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.” Twain meant to do the hardest (that one you don’t want to do) task first, and his words to live by have been embraced and demonstrated by overachievers for generations to come.
Here’s why, according to Gina Trapani, founding editor of Likehacker.com: “First thing in the morning your mind is clear, the office is quiet, and you haven’t gotten pulled into six different directions – yet. It’s your one opportunity to prioritize the thing that matters to you most before your phone starts ringing and email inbox starts dinging. By knowing out something important on your to-do list before anything else, you get both momentum and sense of accomplishment before 10 a.m.”
4. Drink cold water.
After you wake up, hydrate; you’ve just gone for a long stretch of time without drinking any water. Water perks you up and gets your muscles and organs working says Rania Batayneh, nutritionist and author of The One One One Diet, who recommends that everyone starts their days with a glass of water. “One of the biggest indicators of lethargy or low energy is that you are dehydrated,” Batayneh says.
5. Put your phone out of arm’s reach.
Not surprisingly, a 2016 study from CareerBuilder cited that cell phones and texting are the biggest productivity killers at work. Constantly checking your smartphone can seriously impede your ability to focus and finish tasks, so simply limit your mobile phone access. That can mean putting it in a drawer or locker – and checking it at designated times – or turning it off completely and turning it back on during lunch hour.
6. Turn on the light.
Want to wake up early but it’s still dark out? Turn on the light.
Whether it’s natural or artificial, light is significant because it tells the brain that the day has begun and sends signals to the body to stop producing melatonin, the hormone that helps regular sleep, says Dr. W. Christopher Winter, medical director for the Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center in Charlottesville, Va.
7. Exercise first thing.
Richard Branson, Sheryl Sandberg, Mark Zuckerberg and Oprah Winfrey all do it. These intensely productive and powerful business leaders work out first thing in the morning. Exercise gives them energy, motivation, physical and mental stamina and magnifies their day-to-day productivity.
The 67-year-old Branson is a dedicated runner and cyclist and credits exercise for his ongoing productivity. “I definitely can achieve twice as much by keeping fit,” Branson says. “It keeps the brain functioning well.”
There’s real science behind the correlation between mental sharpness, memory, and exercise. According to Harvard Medical School’s journal, working out causes your brain to secrete a chemical called neurotrophic factor, which boosts brain function.
8. Eat a healthy breakfast.
Tony Robbins and Oprah both opt for healthy and high-protein breakfasts, which is key to focus and productivity throughout the day. Lifestyle expert and registered dietician Lisa De Fazio explains that your first meal of the day should be a balance of high-fiber carbohydrates and lean protein. The protein makes you feel full for longer and the high fiber carbohydrates regulate your blood-sugar levels.
All of these and more can be used to help kick-start your day into a success.
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