Do you get halfway through your day and feel as though it is going downhill? Maybe you feel as though your day started badly and just got progressively worse… you’re playing catch up and constantly running behind?
You can blame this on those things that have happened during your day, your mood or even your colleagues… but how much of it is down to you?
Starting your day off with the right mindset and plan can drastically improve both your mood and your productivity. Get your morning routine right and your productivity will soar throughout the day… and I’ll show you how with these simple five steps
Early to rise
We’ve all done it, getting out of bed at the very last minute, leaving barely enough time to have a shower and get dressed. And breakfast… well that consists of a piece of toast or coffee to go.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. Give yourself the best possible start by getting up that bit earlier and having a decent, healthy breakfast.
Leaving enough time to get ready and eat breakfast is more than just feeding our body and looking presentable. It’s about giving yourself time to mentally prepare yourself for the day ahead, to plan how productive you will be, what you need to do and visualise successfully achieving them.
Having ‘me’ time
Whilst you’re planning your day, mornings are also an ideal time to get some essential ‘me’ time. Allow yourself 15 minutes to sit quietly and gather your thoughts or just practice stilling your mind, if you prefer.
Exercise early
If you exercise later in the day, why not look at switching to a morning routine? This can increase your energy and your mood, giving you a better frame of mind that can last throughout your day and increase your productivity.
If you prefer to keep your evening exercise sessions, why not look at adding a 10-15 minute routine to your morning? Your body and mind will both reap the rewards.
Plan for a day of productivity
Productivity needs a plan, so create an outline of the tasks you have planned. This will enable you to prioritise them throughout your day, as well as ensuring you know which are those important tasks you need to complete first.
A plan also means you can work out a rough timescale for achieving them and ensure maximum productivity. By starting with your top priority tasks, you will ensure that you have them completed but it will also enable you to schedule your time for other jobs and regular breaks throughout the day.
Avoid the downward spiral
Let’s face it; we all have the occasional ‘off’ day. Despite our best intentions we may wake up feeling miserable, ladder our only pair of tights and whack our knee on the table, before the dog or the kids put dirty marks on our clean outfit…
Stop! Your day may have started badly, but it doesn’t have to continue this way! Avoid setting your day up in a downward spiral by stopping for a few seconds, closing your eyes and taking a couple a deep, slow breaths.
Now give yourself a five minute rescue break.
Take those five minutes to put your mindset into a more positive state. Remind yourself of those things you are grateful for (including the dog and your children!). Take the snapshot images of those events that have made your morning bad and imagine screwing them up into a paper ball and then throw them in a virtual waste bin.
Smile to yourself and play an uplifting song. Sing along if you want. Do whatever it takes to move your frame of mind into a better place… and then remind yourself your day is going great!
What routine do you have in place to ensure your day is a positive, productive one? Do you have any tips and tricks you use to change your morning from bad to good? Leave a comment below and share your thoughts.
Hiya Jo, Lovely to reconnect with you after along while, been out of the loop, Family values stuff.
I totaly agree with you, I have a “shift your Vitality” routine in the morning, which is after brushing my teeth to stage 1), drink a warm litre of water with a slice of lemon. 2) Then do a short body brain breathing tapping technique, 1 minute with positive mind appreciations, help me to feel cleansed and maximises the hydration wakes up my brain and body. 3) Next is ready to eat usually small high protein break fast. 4) I then excercise to music with good positive songs with lyrics like Black eye peas “gotta good feeling” between 10- 30 minutes on a rebounder depending on time, what my body needs, 5) then 5 minute meditation 6) then write in my journal for some strange thing with me doing 4) tends to get my ideas going! Then I am off doing stuff. Have applied this routine for near on 4 years now. Allow an hour! As I work mainly at home this works, but sometimes like tomorrow i have to be up real early to travel cross country, so 4) becomes a 1 minute intense excercise boost! Any ideas i record on my iphone in the car as im driving! Big Love Karen O
Hi folks, thanks for sharing. Modern life dictates that we do more & more, the emphasis on doing unfortunately undermines the natural art of being; as a result find it harder to appreciate the amazing wisdom in mother nature’s seasons & cycles. Wishing you a beautiful day. Florence
Hi Florence. It is so IMPORTANT to honour the seasons isn’t it- both internally and externally. Thanks for the comment.
Hi Karen- I love the sound of your morning routine. Mine’s been cut down and re-arranged with the arrival of James lately (my journalling now happens with a baby crawling all over me) – but it makes all the difference anyway!