Do you want to start your day quickly and stay productive until the evening? Well-known entrepreneurs often advise getting up around 4 in the morning and doing things at a calm pace, as long as no one interferes. This philosophy is shared by Apple CEO Tim Cook, Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, Kohl's CEO Michelle Gass and others. If getting up before sunrise is clearly not for you, there are other options to increase productivity.
5 morning habits to boost your productivity all day long
1. Meditate
Do a 15 minute meditation. If 15 minutes is too long, start with five, but stick to this routine. A study published in Behavioral Scientist found that meditation calms the mind and improves concentration. In addition, mindfulness practices enhance gamma brain waves, which are associated with attention, learning, memory, and happiness.
2. Learn new things
Start your morning by reading books or listening to podcasts. As psychologist Dacher Keltner has discovered , the most influential people in organizations are those who take the time to listen to others and learn new things. By starting the day with learning, you not only expand knowledge, but also form a new way of thinking.
3. Come up with a ritual
For the first 30-60 minutes of the working day, you should come up with a simple ritual that is easy to make a routine. For example, viewing the calendar for the coming week, updating the to-do list, prioritizing them, cleaning the desktop, etc. Ask yourself what do I need to do to start my day well, and how much time should I set aside for this task?
4. Don't get sidetracked
Don't get distracted from your planned routine, especially to check your email. As soon as you open the box, you will find yourself in a maelstrom of other people's needs and requests marked "urgent". Before moving on to emails, plan your day. You can turn off notifications on your phone for this period.
5. Skip Morning Meetings
Now that you have learned how to manage your morning time and are ready to get to work, think about what takes away the most energy from you? Most likely, morning meetings, especially if attending them does not provide any important information. Such unimportant meetings should be moved to noon or even evening.
Research shows that rituals can help you focus and deal with anxiety. This has a positive effect on self-confidence. Against this background, you can achieve great heights at work.