5 Easy Ways to Start a Productive Day
Posted August 19, 2008 in How-To, Lifestyle, Productivity 33 Rockin' Comments »
As easy as it is to skimp on your routine, rush breakfast, and then try to dive right into work — that’s not usually the best way to go.
Without starting your morning properly you may never hit your full efficiency, or worse, you could doom the rest of your day to failure.
On the positive side, a good morning routine can make it a whole lot easier to be productive for the rest of the day.
With that in mind, here are 5 ways to start a very productive day:
1. Get a good night’s sleep
Your morning begins as soon as that alarm wakes you up. If it happens to wake you up 4 hours after you went to sleep, then you’ll probably have a very difficult time being productive for the rest of the day. If you get a full 8 hours, on the other hand, things will look much rosier.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to severely reduce productivity, dramatically shorten your attention span, contribute to obesity and other health problems, and even slow your reaction time as much as alcohol.
If you need some help shutting down and falling asleep earlier, I recommend checking out Pzizz.com’s sleep tracks — they work wonders for an over-active mind. I also highly recommend Dave Navarro’s Becoming an Early Riser Program — he has a ton of great advice for getting awesome sleep and waking up with lots of energy.
2. Spend 20 minutes being disciplined
Get in the habit of doing something every morning that requires a lot of discipline. Find something that is very good for you, something that you feel great about doing (usually after the fact), and make sure you do it every morning.
Personally, I like to go for a 20 minute run. Okay, I actually hate running, but I feel great afterward — and every morning that I go running I have this great accomplishment to look back on for the rest of the day. It’s like a pace-setter reminding me that even if I don’t want to work hard, I’ve done it before, and I’ll feel great when things get completed.
3. Eat Breakfast
There really isn’t much to say about this, except that its importance has been studied and proven as much as the importance of sleep. So eat your breakfast, and eat it good.
4. Clarify EXACTLY what would make your day productive
Don’t just write a task list every morning — we all know that it’s possible to work hard all day long and not really accomplish anything.
Spend 10 minutes and think about the following:
- What you have to do today
- What you’ve been putting off doing
- What you’d like to do today
Once you’ve thought about that, put yourself in your shoes at the end of the day. Imagine you’re looking back at all of the things you did during the day and evaluating yourself. Now — which things really matter? Which things make the biggest difference?
It’s those tasks that need to be on your list, and it’s those things that you need focus on to make your day productive.
5. Get into work mode
Once you’ve completed your morning routine, had breakfast, clarified your daily goals, etc… it’s time to get into work mode. Shower (or don’t), shave (or don’t), get dressed (or don’t), drive to the office (or not), and basically do whatever you need to do to get ready for work.
The goal is to remove yourself from distractions and prepare to focus on doing work. Whether you’re working at home or in an office, it helps to create a routine that clearly signifies this change. Once you have those mental blinders in place, you can step away from all things not related to work and get down to business.
These points have helped me sharpen my productivity, but each person is different. Do you have any tips that you use to help kick-start a productive day?
About the author: Mason Hipp is an entrepreneur, marketing guru, and writer. He blogs about life and business at FreelanceFolder.com and is co-author of the Book The Unlimited Freelancer.
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33 Rockin' Comments
Max | Design Shard
August 19th, 2008 at 3:36 pmIam definatly going to go to bed earlier, i can feel my self being unmotivated the less sleep i get, i may take up running or a short workout as well,
Thanks good reading Max
Abe
August 19th, 2008 at 9:15 pmThat was a very good read. Short sweet and it touches on those things that I always realize at the end of the day and wish I could think of first thing in the morning..
I have been sleeping earlier and eating better. Now it is time for the work out and the life direction clarification..
Thank you,
Abe
Kevin
August 19th, 2008 at 9:18 pmMason,
Good post. One other thing I’d add is that I’ve found it’s really helpful to, at the end of each work day, plan what I want to tackle tomorrow - especially the first thing I want to deal with. Thanks!
Kevin
Steven Snell
August 19th, 2008 at 9:30 pmNumber 4, clarifying priorities, is a big one for me. Without that I tend to drift off and do things that really aren’t that important.
I’ve actually been getting less sleep recently and finding my productivity to be up. I think everyone is different here and in general it’s good to get more sleep, but I’m learning that I can function quite well on less sleep than I ever thought. However, I do have days once every week or two where I wish I had slept more.
Mason Hipp
August 19th, 2008 at 10:22 pm@Max — I’m the same way. If I get even an hour or two less sleep than usual I start to lose focus and wander unproductively.
@Abe — The clarification part has really helped me out. It’s hard to feel productive when you aren’t sure what to do :-)
@Kevin — I am constantly debating this with some of my friends. Is it better to plan your day in the morning or at the end of the previous day? My preference is to plan it out the morning of, but I know a lot of people who do well the other way around. Do you have any specific reason you prefer planning it the afternoon before?
@Steven — I’m typically good with about 8hrs, though I know people who can do really well with 6-7. If you’ve been getting less than that though…
Thanks for the awesome comments everyone!
Quitting The Day Job
August 19th, 2008 at 10:30 pmI always do #4 - I like to come up with at least two things I NEED to do during the day before I go to bed.
I have always wanted to do #2, especially get up and run, but I am just too darn lazy.
shiido
August 20th, 2008 at 6:19 amhi guys nice post,
In the afternoon or at night, i do a revision of what i did and what i didn´t and what i have to do , a mind revision, and in the morning, i wake up, and i know exactly what i have to do, and with a little luck my dreams help my inspiration too!
but when i do a todo paper, is always in the morning, so i can prepare myself for the day…
best,
Shiido
freelancer graphic designer (home edition ^-^)
Linda Roeder
August 20th, 2008 at 8:03 amGreat ideas. Maybe I’ll exercise before work instead of after. I also need to set the kids up with something to do, quietly, so I can get some work done. I wish people would stop calling me during the day when I’m trying to work, that would help too. (I work from home)
Mason Hipp
August 20th, 2008 at 8:30 am@Shiido — Splitting it up like that is a good way to go. It can help get things out of your head at night so sleeping is easier, and it also reduces the likelihood of forgetting anything.
To everyone who mentioned the exercise — It is tough when you get started (takes a lot of discipline) but once you get in the habit it’s really a great way to start a productive day. Leaves you awake, in a good mood, and full of energy.
Richard Rinyai
August 20th, 2008 at 12:53 pmHi,
Another item I would like to add to point 4 is that once you’ve figured out your priorities, break them down into manageable chunks, once you get to each one, so that it doesn’t seem to overwhelming.
This way, you can see your progress over the course of the project/task.
Thanks,
Richard Rinyai
http://www.theprofessionalassistant.net
Rob
August 20th, 2008 at 11:29 pmI sleep in a room with a non-curtained window which faces east. I wake up with the sun, and no longer use an alarm clock. My wake up is natural and not artificial, and that is one of the best ways to start your day. Nothing worse then being awoken in the middle of REM sleep. I also do a 30-60 minute jog mid-day which is an excellent way to keep up energy in general, and to not hit the slow down which seems to occur in the afternoon.
shiido
August 21st, 2008 at 3:30 amBecause of this post, i did some run this morning, 6h30am and i was running, it feels very good! and its relaxing, you can see birds party on the electric wires, feel that morning smell, and your city is much more relaxing when almost everyone is a sleep and all the shops are closed.
(now i have to quit smoking!)
@Rob, i do that too!! i only use the alarm clock when i have an important interview or something like that….
Mason Hipp
August 21st, 2008 at 9:27 amI love waking up via sunlight, but unfortunately there are other members of the household who need to be up before dawn. So, alarm clock it is.
@Shiido — Awesome job on the running! It is amazing how different everything is early in the morning, I agree that it’s very refreshing. That is, of course, once you manage to get out of bed :-)
Alan
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:12 amThese five points are great. But they sure feel like new year’s resolutions. :)
Amy Hengst
August 22nd, 2008 at 12:31 pmI’ve recently resolved to start my day with a “commute.” Since I’ve worked from home, there have been too many days I’ve never gotten outside before dark, and then find myself feeling restless and discontent. Now, I make sure to get outside in the morning before starting work. Ideally, for a bike ride or semi-strenuous exercise, but sometimes it’s just a leisurely stroll to get coffee, or to the lake to watch the birds. With my new commute, I have something to look forward to when I get out of bed, and I come home refreshed and ready to work. I find myself more alert and focused when I do this, and I recommend it to everyone!
I’ve also started waking up naturally instead of with an alarm clock, and it’s far more enjoyable.
Chris
August 23rd, 2008 at 11:08 amGood post! I’m bookmarking this to give me some focus. Thanks for sharing!
Quickroute
August 23rd, 2008 at 5:22 pmI am the ultimate procrastinator which leads me to to be ultimately unproductive but am going to try your common sense approach above and will let you know!
Susan
August 24th, 2008 at 10:35 amI absolutely LOVE this list - thank you. Now, I just need to wake up 20 minutes earlier each morning to get my day started off right!
Stephen
August 24th, 2008 at 12:37 pmGreat tip in number 4 - too many peoples lives are controlled by what they think they have to do in the day (usually unimportant stuff) rather than what they would like to do.
Geekzkrieg.com
August 25th, 2008 at 12:35 pmWhat a great article. Thanks for the tips. I’ll incorporate it to my daily routine
Alison
August 25th, 2008 at 1:03 pmI like to make my to-do list the day before. That way I go home feeling like I can relax and stop thinking about work. It also helps me sleep at night. Instead of lying awake worrying about what I need to make sure I remember to do the next day, I know that it’s already lined up for me. It also helps wrap up the day at work for me. The last fifteen minutes of the workday are always unproductive for me work-wise, to be honest, so if I create the to-do list in that time, at least I get something useful done.
I really like the suggestions of making sure that the items on the to-do list are actually the ones that need to be there. I’ve been known to write the same thing down day after day, and still put off doing it each day!
Aimeric Savoie-Gauthier
August 25th, 2008 at 8:22 pmNormaly I do 1hr or + yoga (including 5 min relaxation and 10 meditation)
~6 mornings a week.
But when I urge for more energy, I get up earlier,
and ride my bike to a random location (wood, swamp, hill, quiet and interesting)
to watch the sun rise, this is adding up so much purposefulness to my morning routine and
I like to sneak out silently while every ones sleep.
Btw yoga can effectively replace a couple hours of sleep if you done well.with coffee of course!
DanGTD
August 27th, 2008 at 6:28 amYes, this is the right order.
Exercise, then eat a healthy meal, then go to work. Many people go straight to work, and a couple of years later they find themselves burnt out. You have to make your body strong first, and you’ll find the work gets much easier to do.
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