Logically, mornings should be the most productive time of our day. We just got up, we had no time yet to get tired or be in a bad mood, and we have the whole day ahead of us. What better time to get working on our to-do list?
Yet in reality, things don’t always work that way. If you’re anything like me, you wake up tired, unmotivated to do anything but continue sleeping (or have breakfast, at best) and feel overwhelmed by everything you have to do during the day.
It usually takes me quite some time and a good dose of courage to start working in the morning. Furthermore, I’m never able to be as creative as I am at night.
So in order to finally make a change and become more productive in the morning, I started doing some research, conducted tests on myself and found 6 great tips to finally become a morning person.
Start your day with lemon water instead of your phone
Who else has developed the habit of scrolling through Instagram as soon as you wake up? I definitely have. And yet, social media is neither on my to-do list nor does it do anything to brighten my mood or energise me for the day.
Instead of starting your day with an activity that has no point and makes you less productive, opt for something as simple as lemon water. Lemon water will hydrate your body to make you feel more awake – and it tastes good. Moreover, it puts you in a better mood because it’s far more useful than looking at other people’s pictures.
Creating the habit of making lemon water first thing in the morning also forces you to actually get up instead of hitting the snooze button. This way, you’ll suddenly gain half an hour! It’s a great trick to become more productive in the mornings.
I have to admit that I’m not always able to stick to this routine. Sometimes, getting up right away is just too hard. But I truly notice that I can make mornings more productive when I start them with lemon water rather than on my phone.
Exercise makes you more productive in the morning
If you’ve read other posts of mine, you probably know that I’ve been doing yoga every single day since I started working from home (I’m really proud of that by the way! 😉 ).
I usually do around 30 minutes every single morning before I shower and get ready. And I’ve honestly noticed that the mornings where I stick to this routine are much more productive than if I exercise at night.
If you exercise in the morning, you’ll feel much more awake, energised and ready for the day than if you don’t. And by exercise, I mean everything from walking your dog to going to the gym!
In addition, some sort of exercise should be on your daily to-do list anyway. If you do it first thing in the morning, you’re already being productive!
Start your workday with the most important task
Sometimes, the reason why I have trouble starting my day is that I feel overwhelmed by my to-do list. Especially if there’s something on it that I dread doing.
There really is no secret to this: you just have to get going. There’s no other way to have a productive workday.
One thing that works really well is starting with the most important task on your list. For one, it makes sure that it’s done. But it also helps you get the worst task out of the way and makes you feel better about the rest of your day.
Recently I’ve been trying to finish my most important task before breakfast. After my lemon water, of course. By doing this, I give myself something to look forward to (food) while forcing myself to start early because otherwise, I’ll be hungry. This technique makes a productive start to my morning without being too overwhelming.
Prepare your to-do list before bed
Sometimes we feel unproductive in the morning because we don’t know where to start. You might feel like you have too much to do, or not know what exactly you have to do at all.
Preparing a to-do list the night before really helps you start a productive workday in the morning. It works even better if you prioritise your tasks so that you know what to start with. Just make sure to keep it short enough to avoid feeling stressed.
End your workday earlier
Let me give you one very good reason to make your mornings more productive: If you get everything done early, you get to spend more time on the things you love. Does that sound good?
The truth is, I’m not one of those people who are proud of working 14 hours a day. Partly because I’d go crazy if I did that for more than two days in a row. But I also believe that free time is necessary to spend time with loved ones, re-evaluate your goals, be grateful for your achievements and learn new things.
If I’m able to be productive in the morning, it means that I’ll probably have my to-do list done earlier. In turn, I’ll have more time to do the things I love (other than work).
Of course, there will be days where you have a deadline or a last-minute project. Sometimes I work all day, starting at 7 am up until 8 or 9 pm. But these long hours leave me feeling exhausted, even if I’m happy with what I’ve accomplished. I prefer to thrive for a healthier work/life balance, and that is easier to achieve if you are productive in the morning.
Choose to be productive in the morning
At last, let’s not forget one thing: in the end, you are the one who chooses whether you are productive in the morning. No matter how hard it is, you always have the choice to get up and get going. And sometimes, this is all you need to remind yourself of.
The next time you feel like you’re in a rut and aren’t motivated to do anything, tell yourself that it’s all up to you. You can do nothing and complain about it, or you can kick yourself in the butt and start being productive.
Do you have any other tips that help you be productive in the morning? If you do, I’d love for you to share them in the comments!
I also love morning exercise! I usually do at home workouts I find on youtube or yoga with ”Yoga with Adriene” channel. It’s so true that it increases productivity level. And I agree that in the end, it all boils down to making a decision to be productive. When we make a conscious choice to do something about our lives instead of just complaining, is when our lives begin to change.
That’s so funny, I do videos from “Yoga with Adriene” almost every single day! I love how her yoga videos always put me in a better mood. I used to do yoga classes and the teacher would constantly criticise me because I’m not flexible… that was not a good start to the day!
Love this post! Definitely put your phone to the side! I also enjoy exercise in the morning. I prefer to run in the evening, but yoga or a workout in the morning definitely helps me wake up!
I’m glad that you liked it 🙂
Ah yes – need to get moving in the morning and finish my work-day earlier!
Can you remind me when I don’t? Lol. The good tip for me too is preparing
your to do the night before… Would like to do that more!
Haha, I wish I could! I love having my to-do list all ready in the morning – at least I know that I won’t forget to do anything important!
I love Yoga in the morning that often leads to Zumba. lol I also feel overwhelmed in the morning and I need to stop checking my phone upon opening my eyes. I have noted that. And will try harder to finish work day earlier. errr.. Your article made me do a little reflection. =)
That’s all I was hoping for! 🙂 I’m still working on not checking my phone in the morning – but it’s definitely getting better! We’ll get there. 😉
I am definitely a morning person but it is great to have some ideas to structure my time and make myself more efficient. Thank you
That’s so good! And I’m glad that you liked the ideas. 🙂
Great post! Love the ideas so easy and logical. Working on ending my work day earlier. That is a goal for 2019!
That’s a great goal! We should all spend more time with friends and family. 🙂
I have personally found that making a to do list really helps me be more productive and keep on track. I also try my hardest not to be on my phone constantly, in the morning and at nighttime it helps if I just focus on other things than social media. I like your tip about drink lemon water instead of your phone 😀
It really helps me, too! I’m always making to-do lists for everything, haha. 😉
I find that when I have a book on my bedside table, I’m more likely to ignore my phone and read instead, at least at night.
All of these are great, I need to start incorporating the lemon water back into my life again! Also love that the “to-do” list is made the night before. All amazing things!
Lemon water is great. 😀 And I’m glad that you found the tips helpful!
These are all great suggestions! I think the one from this list that I find most helpful is to plan my to-do list for the next day before I go to bed. I always like to have a plan.
I do, too! 🙂 I’m glad that you found the suggestion helpful!
starting the day with a drink instead of checking your phone sounds like a great idea. I get so caught up on social media first thing in the morning, and I’d really like to change that to be more mindful. I might just get one of those fruit infused water bottle to get me into the habit. These are some great tips!
That sounds like a great idea! Maybe we should just keep a water bottle on our nightstand and put our phone far away so we don’t get tempted in the morning? 😉 I’m glad that you found the tips helpful!
I love this. it is important to really be productive in the morning because it will define your day. I definitely need to get back to doing yoga in the morning!
It does help so much, even if it’s just a short practice! And I agree that being productive in the morning really defines your day. If I have an unproductive morning, I end up feeling guilty and less motivated… not fun!
Thank you, this is exactly what I needed! Looking forward to your future content, God bless.
Have a nice day 🙂
I’m glad to hear that! 🙂 I hope you have a nice day too!
Lemon water is something that I need to do put back to my morning routine. I am starving in the morning but I am just maybe thirsty. Tomorrow is a good day to start. =)
Yes! 🙂 I have the opposite problem, I can’t eat in the morning at all and I never feel thirsty, so I really have to force myself. 😉
I love these tips! I recently started waking up an hour earlier each day and I’ve been so much more productive! It’s a life changer!
That’s so great! 🙂 And I’m glad that you liked the tips!
This is such a great read. I am definitely not a morning person, but am slowly working on it. I have to agree with exercising and drinking lemon water first thing. Mornings definitely are a good time of day to get things done, just have to learn to love them ha 🙂
I’m glad that you enjoyed it! 🙂 Also, I always see people saying that successful people start their day at 5 am or stuff like that, but I don’t think that it’s that important to get up super early. After all, everyone has to find a schedule that works for them!
hello there! sorry if this took so long 🙂 by the way, thanks for visiting my blog!
when i get into your blog, this post really hit me! this is exactly what i needed! i usuallly wake up at 9 or 10. and i feel guilty every time because i know i need to wake much earlier to be productive. thanks for these great tips! 🙂 🙂 🙂 i love the first one, drinking with lemon water… and also, tip no. 6 : to choose to be productive in the morning! this is definitely really hard but it only takes the first step to have it all done.
thanks very much for all these tips 🙂