5 key habits you can adopt as well.

For most of my life, my morning routine has been all over the place. In high school, I didn’t even have one. I rolled out of bed about 10 minutes before I had to leave for school, packed up my backpack, ate a quick breakfast of sugar cereal or a pre-packaged granola bar, and headed out the door.

It was a terrible routine that set me up for failure. I constantly forgot things I needed for the day at home, like my calculator or gym clothes, I had to rush to my first class, and I felt exhausted by third period because my sugary breakfast always caused that inevitable energy dip.

However, by the time I got to college, I quickly developed a more rigid morning routine. The routine ultimately helped me successfully juggle two very time consuming obligations — running cross-country and track at the division one level and keeping up with a tough engineering course load.

Then, after I graduated in December of 2019, I had to adjust my morning routine slightly to fit my new work from home schedule, boost productivity, and help me build my brand. Through a little bit of trial and error, I did exactly that. The following routine is the one I have used for almost a year now, and it helps me stay productive throughout the entire morning day after day.

Plus, it contains five key strategies that you can apply to your own morning routine for a productivity boost during those crucial first four hours of the work day. Let’s take a look at the entire routine from start to finish.

6 or 7 AM: Wake Up + Coffee

I am a firm believer in not setting an alarm clock to wake you up in the morning. I wake up around 6 or 7 AM naturally almost every single morning because I go to sleep at about the same time each night (around 10 pm).

I feel much more rested when the blaring sound of an alarm clock isn’t the one to jar me awake. Plus, when I get a full eight hours of sleep, I always have a more productive day, because I’m able to think more clearly in general.

Even if you don’t work from home and have a set schedule, you can still train yourself to wake up naturally. You can always set an alarm as a backup in case you don’t wake up on time

In fact, Fort HealthCare states that:

“Sleep deprivation negatively affects work performance — productivity and quality — and working relationships...employees have more difficulty concentrating, learning, and communicating.”

Therefore, a good night’s sleep is one of the most important factors that will determine your morning and overall work day success, so it shouldn’t be neglected.

Waking up peacefully after a solid eight hours of rest and making a cup of coffee to sip on while I work are the first two key steps in my work day morning routine.

7–9 AM: Brain Power Task (Writing)

I always spend a couple hours in the morning writing my blog post for Medium. I try my hardest to post once a day on Medium (excluding holidays), because I think consistency is an incredibly important part of becoming better at anything you do, especially writing.

Plus, the first few hours of the day are when my mind tends to fire best, because I am an early riser. The words always seem to flow much easier in the morning when I’m well rested and able to write with a fresh mind.

Since I do make money writing each month, I treat it as an important part of my job. It’s also something I absolutely love to do, so it’s easy to justify carving out a couple of hours to write in the morning. Once I get my article completed, I already feel like I’ve had a super productive morning.

The takeaway here is to get the task that requires the most thought and brain power done early. That way, it won’t be looming over you for the rest of the day.

9–9:30 AM: Breakfast

I’m almost never hungry first thing in the morning, so I get a couple of hours of work done before I eat breakfast. On work days, my breakfast is almost always microwaveable oatmeal or overnight oats that I prepare the night before.

The key here is to eat something quick, delicious, and nutritious for breakfast on work days, so you don’t waste those precious morning hours cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

I love to cook and bake, but I save the more complicated breakfasts that I enjoy, like pancakes or French toast, for the weekend, when I have plenty of extra time.

9:30–10:30 AM: Easier/Mindless Tasks

This block of time is when I fill orders and answer any customer service messages or emails for my online shops. I call these tasks “mindless” because they don’t require much thought.

I can listen to music or a podcast episode while I package and label orders, and I actually really enjoy this part of my job as an online shop owner.

Everyone has harder and easier tasks that they have to complete throughout the work day. My best tip is to get the most difficult one done right when you wake up, and then alternate doing harder and easier tasks throughout the rest of the day. That way, you will get everything done that you need to without losing interest or exhausting yourself with one difficult job after another.

10:30–11:15 AM: Exercise

I always block out a chunk of my morning for exercise, because it makes me feel amazing and gives my body and mind the freedom to just flow. Nine times out of ten, my workout of choice is a 25–30 minute easy run.

I also lift weights a few times a week for 20–30 minutes, but it’s not something I do every day, and I usually do it in the evening so that it doesn’t take time away from my work day.

Iif you feel bad about taking time out of your work day to exercise, whether it be in the morning or on your lunch break, keep in mind that exercise has very positive impacts on the body and the brain. In fact, exercise increases heart rate and pumps more oxygen to the brain. According to Scientific American, exercise:

“aids the release of hormones which provide an excellent environment for the growth of brain cells. Exercise also promotes brain plasticity by stimulating growth of new connections between cells in many important cortical areas of the brain.”

Thus, exercise can facilitate higher productivity and brain function, so it’s a great addition to your work day morning routine.

Final Thoughts

Your work day morning routine should include all the important tasks you want to accomplish, as well as your personal necessities for a productive work day, like making a cup of tea or coffee and eating a healthy, nourishing, filling breakfast.

While the order in which I perform these tasks changes slightly from day to day, the fact remains that they are all essential pieces that facilitate a productive work day overall. When I get these five tasks done between the hours of 7 AM— 11 AM, I know that I have set myself up for an amazing work day ahead.

If you’re currently struggling to establish your own morning routine, try adopting a few of the strategies shared, like making your favorite cup of coffee first thing in the morning, and sitting down to tackle your most difficult task first. You just might see both your mood and productivity soar as a result.