As a busy entrepreneur and business owner, you don’t have a lot of time to waste. Time is money and the more productive you are, the more profitable you’ll be. But what if you aren’t the proverbial “morning person”? Is it still possible to have productive mornings?
Try These 4 Tips Out for Size
As much as you hate the guy that’s already running a mile a minute when you show up to work in the mornings, you respect him. There’s something about getting up early and diving straight into work that makes him seem disciplined and ambitious. And while you may think he’s just “wired” that way, he’s not. It takes work, effort, and sacrifice to get where he is.
Here are a few specific things you can do to help yourself become a more productive morning person:
Do Something Active
A lot of night owls complain that they simply aren’t tired enough to go to bed at a decent time. As a result, they lay around on the sofa and watch TV until well after midnight. If this sounds like you, it’s possible that you aren’t getting enough physical activity during the day. By doing something active , you can tire your body out and force yourself to feel sleepy at a normal hour.
Get Better Sleep
While it’s important that you go to bed at a decent hour and shoot for roughly six to eight hours of sleep every night, quality matters way more than quantity. It’s better to have a couple of hours of deep sleep than five or six hours of light sleep.
“Deep sleep is one of the most important sleep phases that enables your body to repair and regenerate,” sleep expert Mark Walton explains . “The more time you can spend in this critical phase, the better you are going to feel in the morning as well as prolonging your overall health.”
Prepare the Night Before
Most people don’t magically wake up in the morning and kick it into high gear. In fact, if you don’t have a plan in place, you’ll probably find yourself sitting at your desk wondering what to do.
In order to maximize your morning productivity, spend a few minutes preparing the night before. Make a list of the things you want to get done and try to set things up so that you don’t have to deal with any major distractions.
Eat the Right Type of Breakfast
Your mom was right when she told you that you needed to eat a healthy breakfast on the day of a big test. According to one particular study, those who have an unhealthy diet are 66 percent more likely to experience productivity loss than people who regularly eat meals consisting of fruits, veggies, and whole grains. Start the day off right with a substantial breakfast and you’ll be able to focus on your work.
Disconnect From Technology
One of the best parts about mornings – particularly early mornings – is that you don’t have to deal with the same distractions that are present during the daytime. Take advantage of the quiet of the morning by turning off your phone, logging out of your email, and disconnecting from technology.
Reclaim Your Mornings
Why is it that most of society hates early mornings? It’s not that they hate the morning itself, but rather that they don’t set themselves up for success. As a result, mornings are cloaked in lethargy rather than characterized by ambition.
By utilizing some of the tips discussed in this article, you can make a conscious effort to be more productive in the mornings. It’ll take time, but you can get to a point where mornings are your most efficient part of the day.
