Today we are going to share some ideas that may help everyone who struggles every morning before going to work. Our tips may be especially helpful to freelancers, who work remotely or during their travels. How many times have you found the feeling of leaving the comfortable coziness of your bed almost unbearable? How many times you barely managed to do everything on time in the morning?
Sure, there are a lot of early birds out there – those, who don’t need the alarm clock and rise the moment the first ray of sunshine falls on their cheek (or, during the winter, are just woke up by their biological clock.) But for the most of us getting out of bed early in the morning is an ordeal. The temptation to set just one more snooze (which is very unhealthy) is enormous.
However, there are some simple methods that can help you defeat the almost-unresistible urge to stay “just-five-more-minutes” in your bed. Following them may be your straight way to the better productivity!
1. Morning Customs
Start from simple things and let them become your morning routine. Always wake up at the same time (but try to get at least 6 hours of sleep.) Then it’s up to you – do some simple exercises or walk the dog or go for a quick run, take a shower, eat breakfast, brush your teeth and you will be ready to go! And full of energy 😉
2. Eat Healthy
We’d recommend preparing your meals beforehand. Check out this list of 50 super healthy foods. There’s a lot to choose from. Look for the recipes that you know you will like. Buy plastic containers for storing food (you can find those in practically any shop) and spend a few hours every weekend to prepare meals for the whole week. Keep them in the freezer and eat whenever there’s dinner/supper time. It will save you hours. For breakfast always have fresh and healthy ingredients near. A vegetable or fruit smoothie is hundred times better for you than a typical English breakfast!
3. Get you alarm clock as far away from you as you can.
Yes, if the first thing that comes to your mind when you wake up to the sound of the alarm clock is to set a 5-10-15 minutes snooze, then you have a problem. The link in the introduction will explain why. We shall provide some ideas how to avoid these naps. Put the alarm in such a place that it will require any sort of activity to get to it and turn it off. Best, if you have another room to spare, so you can put it there. If not, maybe a wardrobe, or somewhere high. You have to stand up and take a few steps. After 30 second or a minute, you will feel much better and the need to get back to bed will disappear.
4. Take a look at your to-do list.
Early morning may be the best time to review your short-term goals and prepare for the long-term ones. Even during breakfast you can simply check your to-do list and plan the day, so you will be able to cross some of them out at the end of it. Morning is the time of the day when our brain works very fast – put it to good use!
5. Enjoy
Morning is supposed to be the most peaceful time of the day. A walk early in the morning, when the sun is barely rising, everything is quiet, apart from the singing birds – a great moment to recharge your batteries. And even if you live in the middle of the big city, if you wake up early enough, you will have an opportunity to enjoy a little of peace and silence. The opportunity to watch the city waking up is also something worth seeing.
Summing Up
These five simple tricks may make not only your morning but your whole day a bit better. All that you need is a bit of strong will and positive attitude. Try them out and tell us what you think in the comments. Also, take a look at our related posts sections, where you will find a lot of ideas for enhancing productivity and time management.