Article Contributed by Samantha Peters
Mornings are perhaps the most overlooked time of day to be productive. People often take them for granted as free time, or a period you have to suffer through to be fully awake. In reality, mornings are usually the time when you’re most rested and face the fewest interruptions.
Successful people realize the value of mornings and utilize them to their fullest potential with several tested strategies:
1. Track your time
In the morning, you have an opportunity not only to plan the upcoming day but evaluate the previous one. Look back on yesterday at how you could have better used your time, handled unexpected inconveniences, and been the most efficient and use that knowledge to modify your plans for the future.
Creating a daily and weekly schedule helps many people to stay on track and manage their time well. The morning is a good time to tweak your weekly schedule to meet daily realities. You can then make intelligent edits to your short term goals.
2. Make your morning enjoyable
Having a nice morning sets the tone for the rest of the day. Use this time to have a good breakfast and engage in some activities you may not have time for later. Read the paper, catch up on your favorite blog, or burn through a few more pages of that big novel you’re working on. Pray or meditate. Spend some time with the kids and help them get ready for school.
Even if you only spend this extra time sitting around doing nothing, you’re still giving yourself some much-needed rest and relaxation. For many people, this is a great way to recharge the body’s batteries from the previous day.
3. Strategize
What do you want with your life? Where do you want to be tomorrow? Next month? In five years? Twenty? What are you going to do today to help achieve those goals?
These are not questions that need to be answered overnight, but they should definitely be on your radar. These are the kinds of questions that are best asked in the morning, when you actually have some time to sit and think about the answers. Once the day progresses, you will be tied up with other obligations and responsibilities.
4. Make it a ritual
Productive mornings are a habit. Get used to going to sleep and getting up early. Adopt a ritual of events. When are you going to get up? What are you going to do first? Second? When will you eat and shower? When will you squeeze in some time to exercise and get that seratonin flowing? When will you set aside time to plan your day out and get in the right mindset? Perhaps most importantly, when are you going to get that pot of coffee started?
5. Adapt
Adjust your morning to fit your lifestyle and needs, and realize that those change. If you get a new job, move, or have a lifestyle change, your old morning ritual may no longer fit your needs. Sometimes it’s not your lifestyle, but you who are doing the changing. Either way, changing your habits may be challenging, but failing to adapt can spell disaster. If you’re struggling, try adjusting your rituals in small steps.
By following these steps and making some of your own, you too can make the most of your mornings and be a successful person like Gaston Cantens. Even if you’re “not a morning person,” you may still benefit from simply getting up earlier and giving yourself a couple of extra hours, or even just an extra hour, to knock out some additional chores or tasks. You’ll be amazed at what that extra time will do for your mindset and your productivity levels.
About the Author:
This Guest Post is written by c, an active blogger who enjoys writing about anything of interest to entrepreneurs and business start-ups.