By Eric Maury
How to be more productive is one question that we all seem to ask ourselves every so often, with tips on living a happier life at peak efficiency something that we all strive for. After all, with all of life’s distractions, not to mention more resources and tools to use to try and help us organize things, it can be overwhelming to just keep things simple and routine.
We all know that success doesn’t happen over night. Nope, as a matter of fact, nothing happens over night, because nothing gets done when we spend our time sleeping! Getting a fast track on the morning is the one thing that separates mediocrity from Warren Buffett — on top of an unmatched intellect, a relentless work ethic and a bunch of other shit. So, how to be more productive isn’t something that can just be switched between an on and off button, but we do have some skills for men to do each morning to help light the fire and go kick the day’s ass.
Wake Up Early
The most valuable asset we all get is time. When we limit how much we sleep and get up early, we can create more time to tackle the things we need to get done. If you have a family, getting up early can be increasingly important. It’s in those early morning hours when we can tackle tasks that require a certain level of concentration in a distraction-free zone.
Break A Sweat
We’ve already got our day grooving, now it’s time to get it moving. Exercising in the morning is a great way to clear our mind before we start the day and is one way on how to be more productive. When we’re able to get our body aroused with exercise in the morning, we’re able to carry that focus into the next part of our day. Working out in the morning has also been shown to improve mood by releasing endorphins and increase metabolic rate allowing us to burn more calories throughout the day. When we’re able to get our daily exercise out of the way before work or school, there aren’t any distractions to prevent us from getting in the gym.
Get The Morning Tunes Cranking
Wake up and blast DMX! OK, maybe DMX isn’t for everyone. Something about his deep crack-lined vocals and the incessant barking really gets me fired up, though! But if DMX isn’t your thing, surely you have an artist that makes you feel alive. Blast that and let it be the soundtrack for your day. Listening to music has shown to be beneficial by boosting our mood and reducing chronic stress. Music has also been known to increase dopamine, which is the neurochemical response that makes us “feel good.”
Meditate
Meditation doesn’t necessarily require the coaching of a spiritual guide or any intense dedication to yoga to achieve. Meditation is really about calming yourself and clearing your mind. By taking time each morning to focus on our breathing and easing our mind and anxieties, we can focus on what’s really important during the day.
Take A Cold Shower
For most of us, a cold shower sounds like torture, not a life hack. But there are a lot of positive benefits you can take away from taking a cold shower — it’s even a time-honored practice by Tony Robbins. The reason why, it shocks the body. By starting our day with a cold shower we can improve our immunity, circulation, ease stress and relieve depression. By shifting the nozzle from hot to ice cold before we get out the shower, we may find your mornings more alert and our day more productive.
Eat Breakfast
Sounds redundant to say at this point, but it’s the most important meal of the day for a reason. I know, we learn from a young age to drown out our mother’s wisdom about breakfast, but our parents actually had a point. Eating breakfast gives our bodies the nutrition it needs to make it through the day. By eating a balanced breakfast, we can increase focus, provide an energy boost and reduce bouts of hanger — which is a big factor when it comes to how to be more productive.
Plan To Tackle The Day
It’s crucial to set a plan for the day. Tackle your biggest tasks first and get it out of the way to take away unneeded pressure later in the day. Writing a to-do list and prioritizing what you have to do in the day is a practice that most highly successful people do.
Not everyone’s a morning person, but if you’re looking to find that next level, planning to achieve more in your morning routine is a great way to go. Now grab your headphones, get your running shoes on, crank some tunes and let’s get after it!
Lead image via Getty.
