How you spend the first few hours of your morning can make or break the rest of your day

A solid morning routine is the backbone of a productive day. What you do in the morning can make or break the rest of your day.

As Richard Whateley once said, “Lose an hour in the morning, and you will spend all day looking for it.”

The best morning habits put in the perfect mood to get things done. Highly productive people choose what to focus on the morning carefully.

“Focused, productive, successful mornings generate focused, productive, successful days — which inevitably create a successful life — in the same way that unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre mornings generate unfocused, unproductive, and mediocre days, and ultimately a mediocre quality of life,” writes Hal Elrod in his book, The Miracle Morning.

There is a right way to have a productive morning? Some people kick off their day with a morning exercise to increase blood flow and improve mental clarity.

Others meditate, write their thoughts down, read a book, listen to their favourite podcast, learn and absorb a few new things, write ideas down, do creative work or do their most important task.

Highly productive people can also work on their side hustles, or spend time on a hobby. There are dozens of productive things you can do to start your day right.

There are so many better habits you can incorporate into your morning routine but what makes a productive morning depends on what you personally feel you need to do in the morning.

While good habits can set you up for a productive morning, some morning activities hinder our productivity and overall mood and can derail the rest of your day. How you spend the first few hours of your morning is as important as how you spend the last few hours of the day.

Here’s what super-productive people don’t every morning.

They don’t forget to hydrate first thing in the morning

Staying hydrated is a key component to your overall brain & body health. Dehydration can leave you feeling tired in the morning. Productive people drink at least a glass of water first thing in the morning.

“Hydration is incredibly important, especially after waking up. I always find that this larger quantity of water provides incredible energy and prepares my body for the day ahead,” says Jeff Sanders, the author of The 5 A.M. Miracle: Dominate Your Day Before Breakfast.

Instead of a cup of coffee, drink a glass of water first. Starting your day with water helps rehydrate your brain, restore natural metabolism and refreshes your body to gradually focus on the day ahead.

As you sleep, the natural reservoir in your body will be depleted of water — that means your body can be dehydrated and needs nutrients to jumpstart your bodily functions during the day.

Water improves your circulatory system and keeps it running immediately you wake up. Give your body exactly what it needs to start the day right.

Super productive people don’t immediately drink coffee

There’s nothing wrong with your morning coffee.

Coffee might help you start your day, but drinking water before your caffeine can be more beneficial to you in the long run.

Most people grab a cup of coffee first thing after waking up — this habit can interfere with the natural ‘wake up process’ of the body.

“Drinking coffee at peak cortisol times not only diminishes the energy-boosting effects of caffeine but causes your body to build a tolerance to it, meaning the caffeine jolt you get will diminish over time,” says Dr Steve Miller.

Cars run off fuel. Humans run off water. You don’t need caffeine immediately upon waking. Prioritise water first thing in the morning over coffee.

Timing your morning coffee can help you get the most benefit from it. Drinking a glass or two of water right when you wake up will aid in better digestion when you have breakfast.

Highly productive people don’t choose breakfast options without protein and fibre

Low fibre and protein breakfast (or high sugar breakfast) will often set you up for a poor experience later on in the day. Your body uses up sugar energy quickly, and you will soon start feeling inactive.

High-fibre foods and nutritious options like hot oatmeal, multi-grain cereal, eggs, nuts and berries stick with you longer than a sweet roll or pastry.

“Getting healthy fat and protein can create a positive and sustainable boost in energy without giving you a spike in blood sugar and crash,” says Dr Brady Salcido, a personal health expert.

Stacey Morgenstern, co-founder of Health Coach Institute recommends we eat high-quality proteins to keep our energy levels high. “…eat high-quality proteins and fats for a long-lasting source of energy to keep you focused and productive,” she tells Bustle.

Breakfast is an important meal of the day — make it work for your brain and energy and you can boost your performance and energy consistently throughout the day.

They don’t make too many decisions in the morning

Highly effective and productive people don’t spend the first hours of the morning making decisions. Making too many decisions in the morning deplete your energy quickly.

Making too many decisions in the morning will waste your energy in the morning. The best way to spend your mornings is to get straight to activities that bring out the best in you and helps you get things done.

If you spend your mornings deciding when to work out, what to wear, what to eat for breakfast or which tasks to work on, you are wasting brain energy.

Want to read a book in the morning? Pick it out the night before. Want to work on a specific task first thing in the morning? Choose the task the night before and get right to it in the morning. Want to work out in the morning? Choose your gym clothes and put them in a strategic place for easy access.

Don’t get caught up in small or important decisions in the morning.

Highly productive people don’t plan their day in the morning

You can get a lof things done if you start your day on purpose and plan well in advance. Planning what to do the night before

Many successful people spend their evenings preparing for the next morning because it makes their mornings free to get an early start on important tasks.

“Planning the evening before is effective because we have a limited amount of willpower and decision-making ability every day. The thought of making too many decisions in the morning will slow you down and drain your brain for the rest of the day,” writes Britt Joiner of Trello.

So write out your daily to-do list and how you want to spend your morning the night before. After a few weeks of practice, some habits will become automatic and the rest will get easier.

It pays to create your schedule and set your priorities the night before. Waking up to an actionable plan for the day will help you to focus more easily. A maximum of 3 priorities is a good start for a productive morning. If you’re setting your do-list first thing in the morning, you’re already too late!