Productivity drives efficiency, performance, and effectiveness. Productive people feel confident in their abilities! But it’s harder than it sounds to just manifest this kind of go-getter energy, especially if your days get off to a bad start.
A lot of productivity begins the moment you wake up. The goal is to set a good precedent for the rest of the day. If you start every brand new morning with sluggishness, that feeling will carry forward through the day, which isn’t great for you or all the things you have planned.
It’s not too difficult to learn to incorporate some productivity into your life, but what’s more of a challenge is learning to unlearn habits that are making you less productive. Ironically, it’s this “unlearning” that might be more useful for your progress in the long run! Here are ten things productive people don’t do in the morning.
1. They Don’t Drink Coffee Immediately
If you’re a coffee addict, you can probably share this sentiment – you’re not genuinely awake until you’ve had your first cup of joe. But have you noticed that coffee doesn’t have the same effect on you it once did?
- Cortisol levels are highest when you wake up, offsetting the benefits of caffeine.
- Drinking coffee when you have a high cortisol level encourages the body to build resistance to caffeine.
- Caffeine can interfere with the body’s natural waking process, making it harder to wake up.
So what’s the solution? The answer: Water! Researchers have shown a positive correlation between drinking water and boosted cognitive performance – the exact thing you want first thing in the morning! The reason for this is:
- Your body is dehydrated first thing in the morning (something that coffee doesn’t help with)
- Water helps kickstart your metabolism for the day.
- It has an immediate positive impact on your circulatory system, waking you up as blood starts pumping more smoothly through your body.
2. Productive People Don’t Immediately Check Their Phone
With just how fast events unfold, it seems only proper to check for updates and news first thing in the morning. It’s easy, however, to get wrapped up in the cyclone that is the news cycle – and the next thing you know, several hours have passed, and you’re still in bed!
Ideally, you should instead:
- Only check your phone or the internet after you’re already up and running for the day.
- Give yourself time and space to be in tune with yourself.
- Replace this activity with something more pleasant and soothing
The world can be hard enough as it is – so why not look towards starting your day on a positive, productive note instead?
3. Use Tons Of Alarms To Wake Up
We all know someone who has at least five alarms on their phone. Maybe you’re guilty of having 20 alarms yourself!
- You may argue this is the only way you can wake up because you:
- Sleep through the first few alarms
- Keep falling back asleep after five minutes.
- Need these alarms to wake up gradually
This is all unnecessary work and delays the waking-up process. Just make sure to manage your sleep correctly, and then train yourself to wake up to your first alarm of the day. That way, you can ensure both your sleep and your time is spent effectively!
4. They Don’t Plan For The Day
Unless we’ve appointments to attend to or deadlines to meet that day, most of us don’t plan our day. This is actually to our detriment, as it means we usually end up starting our mornings with lots of rushing about!
As you can imagine, this often leaves you feeling drained and perpetually short on time. This is something that scheduling out our to-do list the evening before can counteract.
How can it do this? By:
- Preventing us from being bogged down by decision-making in the morning
- Helping us effectively utilize our time and energy for the day
- Giving us a list of priorities to immediately focus on
- Reducing potential stress and anxiety
After a few weeks of adjusting to this new habit, you’ll find yourself feeling more positive and productive as you tick off your tasks for the day!
That said, be careful to set a manageable number of goals – too many tasks, and you may find yourself exhausted and frustrated instead. 3 is a good number to start with!
5. They Don’t Get Stuck In Negative News
There’s a reason the term “doomscrolling” or “doomsurfing” now exists among internet users – and the experience it describes may be something you’re familiar with yourself. You hop onto Twitter or Facebook to check the news, and the next thing you know, you’ve been struck scrolling for hours.
It’s not that you’re looking for information to make you feel better, really. Most of us who admit to doomscrolling often deliberately look for information that depresses us further. It turns out there’s a scientific reason for that.
Research has shown that consumption of negative media:
- Exacerbates a person’s mood and anxiety
- Encourages one’s worries
- Worsens your personal fears and concerns, even if they aren’t related to the subject at hand
Instead, focus on kickstarting your morning with positive thinking and meditation before starting your day. It’s far healthier for your mental health, which will undoubtedly translate into better productivity for you as well.
6. Productive People Don’t Stay Undressed
When you’re working remotely, it’s easy to stay in your pajamas all day. It’s comfy, convenient, and you can argue it saves on washing!
However, if you find yourself struggling to focus on work, then those cozy jammies may be the problem. It’s hard to get into the right frame of mind for work if your brain still thinks it’s time to chill, after all.
Other things you can do to really trick your brain into kickstarting your day include:
- Carry out basic hygiene routines at scheduled times of the day
- Get dressed up in work attire, even if you’re staying at home
- Groom yourself as if you are expecting to meet people
The goal is to shift your brain into work mode so that you can jump straight into productivity as soon as possible!
7. They Don’t Make A Ton of Decisions
Many think that the mornings of a productive person is a busy one – and at a glance, it seems like it is! You’ll find them starting the day with a running leap, and by the time evening rolls around, their to-do list is done.
The secret is actually in the way they prepare their mornings – by making all the decisions for the next day the night before. Some of those decisions include:
- Choosing their outfit for the day
- Prioritizing and scheduling their tasks
- Packing their bags and belongings in advance
As a result, mornings are literally a no-brainer! This makes life so much easier, as you don’t have to waste time and energy in the morning making decisions. Instead, you can focus immediately on what you want to do!
8. They Don’t Do Things They Dislike
What’s awaiting you first thing in the morning? Is it work? Drudgery? If there’s nothing positive awaiting you in the morning, then how can you expect to be motivated to wake up?
Contrary to popular belief, folks who do well in the morning often give themselves something to look forward to. For example, productive people may do these things:
- Have a hobby to do first thing in the morning
- Are looking forward to a good run in the cool morning air
- Read a chapter of a book before work
- Have an exciting and elaborate breakfast plan to put into action
- Set up a video call date with a loved one
Reward yourself for waking up, and maybe you’ll find yourself looking forward to mornings too!
9. They Don’t Complain About Work
Positive thinking is a potent tool in your arsenal. Really, one that should be used more often! It makes you look for the good things in everything around you and keeps you motivated and excited in all you do – including starting and going your day!
But how can you accomplish this? Start with cultivating a grateful and joyful outlook so that you see everything in a positive light. One way to do this is to stop complaining about work! This is because while an understandable drudgery. It is an inherently negative thing.
Instead, replace that with things like:
- Observing the world around you in close detail
- Taking a moment to appreciate your loved ones and how they have been a blessing in your life
- Consider what you can contribute to the world today.
The goal is to cultivate a zest for life inherently. Once you have a developed positive mindset, you’ll find yourself approaching your days with even more enthusiasm than ever before!
10. Productive People Don’t Spend Excess Time On Laziness
Rest is essential, but at some point, you have to remind yourself that exercise is vital for your health. And if you’re someone who struggles to stay on track (especially first thing in the morning), then training may be just what you need!
Why’s that, you ask? According to research, just a single round of moderate exercise helps provide an instant boost to:
- Working memory
- Cognitive performance
- Your mood
And that’s just after one bout of exercise! In the long run, exercise helps with:
- Bettering your physical health
- Increasing your mental stamina and focus
- Promoting creative thinking
- Improving your concentration
- Sharpening your memory
- Strengthening short-term memory loss
- Encouraging your brain to learn faster
The best part? Studies have shown that these benefits will come into play for you no matter how old you are. So it’s never too late to start exercising more, and your morning productivity might thank you for it!
Final Thoughts On Some Things Productive People Don’t Do In The Morning.
The tone of your day is often set by the way you start it. So don’t get caught up in things that make you slow or sluggish. Begin with positive, proactive habits and avoid those roadblocks that can slow you down throughout the day!
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