5 Steps to a Morning Routine that will Increase Your Productivity

Time

I used to hit the snooze button and turn over far too many times! My to do list never seemed to go anywhere. I felt annoyed with myself at the end of each week and would sigh telling myself I didn’t have enough time!

But the thing is you do have enough time. Time’s like a piece of cake – it’ll always be the same size, it’s just the way you choose to cut it that will make the difference to your life!

Are you happy with how you spend your time right now? There is a way to claw back some time for YOU, but it needs a bit of commitment.

Your Golden Hour

Could you consider getting up 1 hour earlier each day? I’ve mentioned this in a previous post – but wanted to expand on it so you can really see the benefits that come from taking this time in the morning. This sacred hour has now become what I call my “Golden Hour” and woe betide anyone in the house if they decide to wake up early and encroach on it! (alas……that does happen more than I’d like!!!)

So, what do I do in my Golden Hour?  Well, what I don’t do is stack the dishwasher, or tidy up…… No, instead I use that time for ME, and since I’ve been doing this my life has really changed in so many positive ways.

Here are the 5 things I find really helpful to ensure I start my day powerfully which lead to a really productive day.

• 1.Exercise – walking or yoga
• 2.Thankfulness/Gratitude
• 3.Affirmations
• 4.Meditation
• 5.Visualisation

Exercise – walking or yoga

Try getting your sports gear ready by your bed the night before so there’s no excuse, and when your alarm goes off – you just GO! And before you know it you’re back within half an hour and you feel energised!

Or if you don’t like going out during the dark mornings, then could you consider trying some Yoga? If you’ve never tried Yoga before, then why not check out Brett Larkin www.brettlarkin.com. She does beginner videos that last just 10 minutes and ease you gently into the practice. I found that just some gentle stretching and Yoga positions in the morning can make you feel calm yet invigorated! 

Thankfulness

I haven’t looked back since I’ve started doing this! Even if you don’t get time for much more then I highly recommend you give this a go. If I don’t have time for anything else I sit with a cuppa and just think about what I am thankful for – it automatically puts me in a happier calm state (try it) and helps to mute down any racing thoughts.

Even if you think you haven’t got anything to be thankful for, try and think of just a few small things – there will be something out there that you can be thankful for.

Thinking of what we’re thankful for cultivates a genuine appreciation of what we already have. Try doing it before bed too.

Affirmations/Incantations

Affirmations are positive phrases beliefs that you can say out loud and repeat in order to help you start to feel empowered and start to believe in these statements (these become incantations if you don’t just say the word but actually change your whole physiology and say them out loud and with purpose). I know it sounds strange but give it a go! It’s extremely empowering.

You can create affirmations that mean something to you in your life. Examples could be

• “I am happy an in control of my life”
• “Every day I am moving towards my goals”
• “All I need is within ME”

Get into the habit of choosing some phrases and owning them out loud each morning about who you want to be – how you want to feel and what you want to achieve – but the key is to repeat them a few times until you start to believe them.

Meditation

Starting with just 3-5 minutes is better than no meditation at all. I was at a point a couple of years ago when I was juggling so many things in my life and should have been the most stressed, but bizarrely this wasn’t the case.

It was only when I had a moment to think about why, that I realised it was all because of the morning routine I had in place and a LOT to do with meditation. There are many apps you can use to help get started and guide you through this. But having some time just for you in a calm quiet place to allow thoughts to come and go but not dwell on them really does have so many benefits including reducing stress and anxiety and improving sleep.

Visualisation

This has been a big one for me and also for my clients in terms of seeing some really tangible results. Setting your goals / writing down your vision for the year / making a vision board are all part of this.

The key is to find time each morning, to re-read these goals or imagine your vision.

I often read my vision for the year like it happened and every time I do this, it just cements it even more into my belief system that IT WILL HAPPEN. (and some of these things already have happened to me)

Another part of visualisation I would recommend is not just for the long-term goals – but the goals for the day ahead. For example, just imagine the day ahead like it happened, about how productive you were, how you didn’t give up in your gym session and how great you felt that you didn’t reach for the biscuits today!

Your Morning Routine

The above are just some pointers to help you start to think about the benefits that can come from a morning routine.  

You can find your own – but even if you only have time for 2 or 3 of the above, then I think your day will be much more positive and productive.

Write in the comments below what your tips are for a good morning routine.

If you found this useful, then you can also get my Free Guide – “5 Life Changing Habits for Success” which you can pick up at my website where you can find more helpful blogs like this.