HOW TO CREATE A MORNING ROUTINETips, suggestions, and inspiration from GennGlobal

INTRODUCTION

Morning is the most effective time to determine how productive you will be during the day. One way to ensure the rest of your day is productive is to follow a consistent morning routine.

Developing a morning routine requires a lot of work in order for it to become habitual. However, if you make a habit out of following a morning routine, you will be rewarded by the guarantee that your day will start in a positive way.

Next, we will discuss how to successfully create and implement a morning routine.

DON’T BE TOO AMBITIOUS Don’t create a morning routine that is too

complicated at first. Instead, focus on mastering different aspects of your ideal morning one step at a time.

Start by making a simple morning routine with one easy-to-complete task, such as waking up at a specific time.

Once you completely master one task (when it naturally happens without having to think about it), add another. Example: after two weeks of habitually waking up at a

set time, add another task, such as going for a twenty minute walk to boost energy before work.

This slow, scaffolding process will increase your chances of success.

That’s a little too ambitious.

HAVE PATIENCE AND GIVE IT TIME It is important to remember that routines can

take a long time to develop. Research has found that developing a habit can

take between 18–254 days. Habit development varies greatly based on the

context of the habit and the person developing it. With this in mind, it is vital that you remain

patient. You might make mistakes along the way, but

don’t let them discourage you. Staying the course and regularly repeating your new morning routine will eventually result in the development of a habit.

TACKLE THE BIG STUFF FIRST Now that you’ve developed a morning routine at

home, what should your first few hours in the office look like?

One strategy for having a productive day is to complete the largest, most intimidating task of the day first.

This strategy is often effective because our productivity is strongest during the morning, which means you’ll be more prepared in the morning than during any other time of day.

By comparison, the rest of your workload will appear less daunting. With that major task out of the way, you can better focus the rest of your energy on your other tasks throughout the day.