If your mornings feel like a blur and your to-do list controls your day, this writer’s simple routine could flip everything. See why boundaries, small wins, and a walk before breakfast made all the difference.
I'm a morning person. I'm one of those rare people who can get up without an alarm clock. I arise around the same time each morning. I get out of bed, brush my teeth, put on my glasses, shower, eat breakfast, and either hit the gym or go outside for a walk. Then I come inside and start my day with work. Keeping the morning routine is the key to my productivity throughout the day. If I don't start with the same routine each morning, I don't get as much done during the day.
For example, if I start my day with work because I have a lot to do rather than exercising, I put off exercising until the following day. Even with the best intentions, things I don't do in the morning often don't get done. This is because I work the hardest in the morning.
If I don't capitalize on the rhythms of my body and when my brain works best, my whole day is off. For example, when my kids get home from college and are home for the summer, it changes my routine. Because I must adjust to their changing schedules, I don't get as much done, so I wait and do it for the evening hours. Because I don't work well in the evening, I'm not a fan of this routine. Once the kids return to school, I'm more productive because I can capitalize on the hours I work best.
Whether you are a night owl or an early bird, it is essential to understand the rhythms of your body. By capitalizing on the time you have, you can maintain your routine and enjoy a successful day. Here's how I learned to make the most of my morning:
Work Extra at Night
If work is piling up and there are many things to do, I sometimes work late one day to make room for the extra tasks to be done the following day. Although this tends to leave me physically tired by the end of the week, working the additional hours helps enhance my productivity because I can get more done throughout the week. As much as I try to work eight hours and then rest, that's not always the case. Sometimes there are seasons where things are busier than others. For example, many writers' conferences take place during the summer months.
Because I'm a writer and a literary agent, I'm often asked to teach and participate in these conferences. This increases my workload, as I not only have to meet with writers, teach workshops, and be physically present elsewhere but also keep up with my normal activities. To make time for both, I sometimes need to work later to compensate for the time lost. Although it's not ideal, it helps me know that I am capitalizing on my time because I never know what tomorrow will bring.
Set Boundaries
Because I work from home, sometimes people take advantage of that. Because I don't have to be at a specific place and work a certain number of hours daily, people feel I can meet with them or engage in other activities. But to capitalize on my productivity, especially in the morning, I must put off meeting with people. Although this inhibits my relationships with others, I must prioritize my responsibilities. If I don't finish my work at the beginning of the week, it can easily be pushed off until the following week.
When work piles up, it often feels overwhelming to get everything done. Although I'm organized and proactive and have never missed a deadline, it's not good for my mental or emotional health to have many tasks piling up with overwhelming deadlines. This can cause me to feel anxiety. As someone who struggles with anxiety, this is not good for my emotional health.
To capitalize on my morning time, I ensure that the most important tasks get done first by setting boundaries, scheduling meetings with others towards the end of the week, and taking my morning seriously, as if I were clocking in at an hourly job in another physical location.
Set Schedule
Just like my morning routine listed above, I rarely deviate from it. Unless I'm on vacation or something unexpected arises, I adhere to that schedule each day. The familiarity that routinely brings helps me achieve stability and get off to the right start to my day. If, for example, my husband stops by home and needs to chat, an hour of my day is gone.
I also find it challenging to transition to work once I've gotten into a meeting. It takes me time to process what someone has said based on the information they've given me. Therefore, I must set a schedule to ensure that I work until at least 12:00 or 1:00 PM each day. If I start my day at 7:00 or 8:00 AM and work until 12:00 or 1:00 PM, I've achieved at least four to five hours of sheer productivity.
Set Goals
Some leaders adhere to the mantra to "eat the biggest frog first." This refers to completing the most challenging task of your day first. This is because I am freshest in the morning and get my first work done the best during this time. It is a great sense of accomplishment when I complete the most complex or confusing task in the morning. Even if that's the only task I have accomplished throughout the day, I know I have achieved something great because it's off my plate and I'm on to doing something less tedious or difficult.
I set small goals and ensured they were completed by the end of the week. Although I often feel frustrated when I can't complete the tasks I want to during a particular day, I have learned to be flexible with my schedule. Even if my time does not allow me to complete the most challenging task first, by setting a goal to ensure it gets accomplished the following day, I can set myself back on the right track to productivity.
Be Flexible
No matter how good my morning routine is, things sometimes get in the way. An issue with a home repair, an issue my husband needs to deal with, or a marriage problem that needs to be resolved sometimes arise when life gets in the way of our schedules. On the days when I must stop what I'm doing to address a priority, I do so at the beginning of the week. This will give me ample opportunity to complete the tasks I need to do by the end of the week.
Although I take Fridays off easily so I have something to look forward to and give my mind and body a break, sometimes I must work Fridays because that's the nature of my work schedule. I must understand that not every week will be like that and that some weeks I'll be able to take off more readily than others.
By aligning with my body's natural rhythms, I'm able to optimize my morning routine and ensure I accomplish enough throughout the day to enjoy my evenings with ease. This ensures that I'm doing what's best for my productivity and health.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Maria Korneeva
