Amy Reed
People who find success in life don’t often stumble upon it by chance.
They work hard and have the mindset to get things done.
Most importantly, they set themselves up to have a productive day every single morning before work.
You’d never find them rolling out of bed and opening their laptop with sleep still in their eyes (let’s be honest, we’ve all done it at least once before!).
Instead, you’ll find them doing these 8 things every day before starting work.
If you want to be more productive and find more success in your professional life, adopting these morning habits before work is the way to go!
1) Wake up on time
Snoozing your alarm is never a good idea when you want to live your best life.
Firstly, it disrupts your sleep and can make you feel even groggier – thanks to a phenomenon called sleep inertia.
Unsurprisingly, this doesn’t make you feel good or productive. Some studies have even found that it lasts several hours after waking up. This can really put you on the back foot and stop you from achieving anything first thing!
Secondly, it sets you back from the moment you start your day, leaving you with little time to have a good morning routine.
All in all, it’s not something productive people tend to do before work.
2) Give themselves enough time to get ready
Productive people don’t scramble out of bed in a panic when their alarm goes off 10 minutes before they need to leave the house.
They give themselves more than enough time to get ready in the morning.
Why? Because they know there’s nothing more important than how they start their day. So starting it right is crucial!
You’ll never find them rushing around or wasting precious energy on unnecessary morning stress.
Instead, they have a good routine that gives them ample time to do the things they want (and need) to do – without rushing or stressing.
3) Do some form of exercise
Movement in the morning does wonders for your mind, body, and soul.
Experts say that morning exercise boosts your metabolism and your mental clarity. This makes you feel more awake, alert, and productive throughout your day.
It doesn’t have to be a HIIT workout or a 10k run (unless you want it to be, of course). I know my body does its best workouts at midday or in the evening!
Even small exercises and movements first thing are good for your productivity.
If you’re a remote worker, make yourself a hot drink and go for a walk around the block before you log on. Or do an at-home or gym yoga class.
Whatever it is, a little movement is good for you – and it’s something people who want to be fully switched on every morning absolutely make time for!
4) Eat a healthy breakfast
Another thing you should do every morning to start your day right is eat a hearty breakfast.
Any breakfast is good for your energy levels and ability to concentrate. But, as you’d expect, experts say there’s nothing better than a healthy breakfast first thing!
When you sleep, you lose all the energy you gained from dinner the night before. So in the morning, you’re lacking in everything.
This impacts your ability to concentrate, remember things, and just do normal stuff (like exercise or even work!).
This is exactly why breakfast in the morning is essential if you want to be more productive. It switches your brain and body on – and sets you up nicely for the day ahead.
5) Wear clothes they feel good in
Ever heard the saying, “You look as good as you feel”? Well, it certainly applies here!
What you wear to work has a huge impact on your confidence. One interesting study even found that people who dress smart feel way more productive, decisive, and authoritative than people who don’t!
I can testify to this, as when I first started working fully remotely, I struggled to stay focused. When I started dressing up for work every day like I would if I were in the office, my mindset completely changed – for the better!
Regardless of whether you work remotely or in an office, what you wear is important for your overall productivity.
So if you have a uniform, make sure it’s clean and presentable. If you wear what you want, choose something you feel good wearing. Ideally, make it something smart. Apparently, that gives you the most benefit when it comes to feeling productive!
6) Get washed (ideally with cold water)
Most people shower or bathe in the mornings, but some people don’t. Especially people who work remotely or have a physical job.
Sometimes, they find it better to shower later in the day (or not at all, each to their own). But high achievers are definitely in the category of people who shower first thing.
Why? Well, it’s not just about being clean.
Experts say that showering in the morning does wonders for your productivity. It gives you a shot of energy, wakes you up, washes away the night (quite literally!), and even boosts your mood.
The benefits are more prominent when the shower is cold, but I’ll leave that one up to you. Either way, getting clean is a good thing for your brain before you start work!
7) Take a moment to be completely silent
This one’s super important. When I first started working from home, I spent a few weeks rolling straight out of bed and opening my laptop to start work.
It didn’t take long before it took its toll on me. Why? Well, it was partially because I was skipping a ton of things on this list.
But mostly it was because I wasn’t giving myself any “me-time” before work – that I used to get on my commute in.
When I started taking time to be completely silent, it made a huge difference. Experts say this is because being silent resets your nervous system, reduces stress, and makes your brain more adaptive.
So use the time to meditate, journal, or set goals for the day (in utter silence) – and see how productive it makes you feel!
8) Think positive thoughts
High achievers don’t get their status from complaining all the time. The main reason they find success in life is because of the mindset they have.
Waking up in the morning and thinking negative thoughts, like, “Today will be awful” or “I hate Mondays” isn’t going to set you up right for the day.
In fact, experts say that thinking negative thoughts like these weakens your brain’s ability to reason, think things through, and form memories.
But positive thinking has the opposite effect! It boosts your mood, inspires more creativity, and sets you up right for a more productive workday.
Quitting the negativity inside your head isn’t as easy as it sounds. But starting small by journaling positive thoughts or replacing negative ideas when you notice them is a good place to start.
Final thoughts
To achieve great things, you have to set yourself up for greatness!
Getting your morning routine right is one of the first things you need to do to find success in life – especially before the work day.
Starting on the wrong foot can make you feel unproductive, unprepared, and downright unable to achieve great things that day.
But starting your day with these 8 things? Well, it can completely turn things around for you – in both your professional and personal life!
