Productive Morning Routine Checklist

When you get the day started right in the morning, everything seems to fall into place. You get more accomplished, you enjoy less stress and anxiety in your life, and you don’t have to start tomorrow morning off completing tasks you should have done today.

The following information and proven tips help you become more productive every morning, which leads to success and productivity all day long.

• Early risers (Larks) are generally happier than late risers (Night Owls).
• People who get up with a specific schedule or plan in mind are much more productive.
• Waking up early is linked to better grades and a proactive mindset that leads to success in all areas of life.
• Early risers enjoy less stress than their late-waking counterparts.
• Don’t hit the snooze button in the morning. Rise when your alarm goes off, instead of fighting the morning process.
• Establish a set sleeping and waking schedule, going to bed and rising at the same times each night and every morning.
• Remove distractions from your sleeping environment.
• If it is difficult to wake up early, take baby steps. Slowly and gradually push back the time you wake up by 10 or 15 minutes each week, continuing until you reach your desired wake-up time.
• Proper nutrition and exercise are crucial to waking up with an energized sense of vitality in the morning.
• Meditation, Pilates and yoga can help clear your mind and enhance your productivity.
• Eat protein for breakfast. Studies show that people who eat protein in the morning consume fewer calories throughout the day. This keeps you from feeling sluggish, and helps boost your productivity.
• Eat breakfast every morning to refuel your body, which has not received any nourishment for the last 8 to 12 hours.
• Drink 2 glasses of water each morning before breakfast to help detox your body.
• Limit distractions to all of your 5 senses for a simple increase in productivity.
• Tackle the biggest, most important task first thing each morning.
• Jotting down a to-do list at bedtime of tomorrow’s responsibilities subconsciously prepares your sleeping brain for tomorrow’s tasks.
• Write out your list, with a pen or pencil and paper. This has been proven to enhance to-do list completion rates.
• Keep your to-do list where you can see it throughout the day.
• WunderList, Google Keep, ToDoIst and Any.Do are a few applications and websites which can help you write smarter to-do lists that actually get done.