The Right Way to start Your Day
How to Start Your Day in the Right Way
Whenever you read biographies or auto biographies of very successful folk, there is a lot said about the importance of starting the day in the ‘right’ way. What is important is not copying what others do but working out what is the right way for you to start YOUR day. Here are some areas you might like to think about.
1. What time is best for you to wake up?
It’s not compulsory to rise at any set time but as humans we often function best according to a routine. Getting up at a similar time each day, or at least on weekdays, often means you sleep better at night, and that is good for general health and productivity. Does it feel better for you to bounce out of bed at the first ring of the alarm or to have a ‘snooze’ or two?
Either ways is acceptable, as beginning the whole day feeling rushed is not really the way to get the best out of your day. So if you like having a few minutes to think through the day, before you get out of bed, make sure you set the alarm a few minutes earlier.
2. Breakfast
We read a lot about how important a healthy breakfast is. We have a variety to choose from for breakfast. But if you want to get the best out of yourself, it would be advisable to eat something that will keep you nourished through the morning. Of course it becomes a whole lot easier to arrange for a healthy breakfast when you have enough time in hand. This, in turn, is possible if you wake up at a convenient time.
3. Exercise
Again it is a matter of personal choice and lifestyle restrictions, but we all know exercise is important. It might not be possible to fit a round of exercise into your morning routine, but for those people who do, they will swear by the beneficial effects it seems to have on their day.
Remember that exercise doesn’t have to be overly lengthy or strenuous – I find a short yoga routine gets my day off to a good start but on other days I may walk or bike to the station. It needs to be fitted into your lifestyle, but getting up a few minutes early could allow time for a little exercise, which may prove to be beneficial through the day.
4. Setting Goals
We all work best when we know what it is we are trying to accomplish. It doesn’t matter if you are an employee or an entrepreneur, setting goals is a good way to ensure you work in a focussed way, so that your output is greater.
Obviously some goals may be long term and take more than a day to accomplish. So it is important in that case, to ensure that each day, you know what you want to achieve – it avoids ‘drifting’. The most productive days are likely to be those when you have a clear purpose in mind.
5. Establishing Priorities
Often, there is more than one goal that you are trying to accomplish at any given time. Maybe you want to write some new content for your blog, test some new products, design a new training course, to mention a few. So if you want to maximise your effectiveness and start your day right, be very clear about your priorities for that particular day.
6. Be Proactive
On any given day, it is hard to sustain a good performance through the day. Many people are most productive in the early part of the day. If you can identify the time, when you are the most creative and productive, it would help you to put your time to the best of use. There may be emails that need to be replied to, but YOU can choose when to do this.
For example, say if you are your creative best in the morning, then don’t waste that time, getting sucked into a long list of emails – it might be better to use that time to do some creative thinking or some productive rather than reactive work. There will be time later to respond to all the other issues.
