(This is a Guest Post by Zoe Anderson)
There are mornings when you wake up and things just start to click right away. You feel like you’re at your best and can do anything.
Attractive strangers smile at you while you’re in line to get coffee, someone holds the door open for you when your arms are full, and before you know it, you’ve had one of the most productive days you’ve had in a long time. And you feel great.
Don’t you wish every day could be a version of your most productive day?
With the following tips, you’re guaranteed to start your day off on the right foot. At the very least, they’ll give you your best chance for a great start to your day!
- The best days start off well, right from the start
If you want to take advantage of early morning momentum, take a few minutes at the end of your work the day before to identify your top three priorities.
Having to-do lists that are miles long can actually work against you. When you have dozens of priorities, you end up trying to multi-task. But flitting from task to task is a recipe for never quite finishing anything.
With a core of three priorities, you’ll be encouraged to carry out tasks to completion. The act of completing tasks will in turn give you a boost of energy that will energize your commitment to getting the next task done.
- Fuel your day
Your mother was right. Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day. Enjoy yourself while keeping it light. Heavy foods will weigh you down and sap your energy. Lean protein will keep you feeling satisfied throughout your morning until you can manage a light lunch.
- Give yourself plenty of time to get there
Running late will bring on the pressure and amplify any stress you might be feeling. This can lead to road rage and good old-fashioned rude behavior. If you leave a little early, you give yourself a small cushion of time so that any unexpected delays such as road construction, traffic jams or missed trains won’t throw off your entire day.
- Kindness counts
It may seem corny, but it really makes a difference to your mood when you smile. Sometimes when we are running around, focused entirely on what needs to be done, we forget to smile. Smiling – or doing something kind for a complete stranger – is a great way to keep the positive energy flowing.
- Make your workspace clean and efficient
Clutter causes stress on more than one level. First, it makes it harder to find what you need. Second, it creates feelings of dissatisfaction with our surroundings as we constantly look around ourselves and see how cluttered and inefficient our space is. Get rid of what you no longer need and organize what is left so that it supports you in your routine.
- Save some time for exercise
A fit body is a healthy body. And that’s the perfect foundation for having a great day. Exercise doesn’t always have to mean two grueling hours at the gym. Some days, all you may have time for is a walk in the park. Research has shown that a short 20-minute walk activates the creative parts of our brains, while chasing away the blues. It’s also an effective way to give yourself a late afternoon energy boost.
- Disconnect and have fun over the weekend
If you want to have a shot at achieving peak performance on Monday morning, you don’t want to spend the weekend worrying about it. It’s a universal truth that everyone needs time off to relax and rejuvenate. The best way to ensure that you hit the ground running on Monday is to ban all thoughts of work from intruding on your weekend.
By setting out Monday’s to-to list on Friday afternoon, you free up the mental space necessary to actually enjoy your weekend.
Zoe Anderson is part of the team behind StudySelect. She’s interested in self-improvement and motivation tools. When not working, she’s enjoying a cup of hot chocolate over a good book.
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