Productivity hacks – How to be a morning person

Some people love getting out of bed in the morning and tackling the day head on. However, for many of us, when that alarm goes off in the morning, it’s a bit of a shock. No matter how often we get up for work, it never seems to get any easier – but we can learn how to be a morning person!

With some simple changes to your daily routine, you can become a morning person and improve productivity at work. We’ve gathered together a few easy productivity hacks and tips to improve motivation, creativity and workflow first thing in the morning.

Get a good night’s sleep

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way first. If you want to become a morning person, then you’re going to need to get a good night’s sleep. Sleep deprivation affects the prefrontal cortex, an area of the brain responsible for self-control, innovation and creativity.

Research shows that missing out on one night of sleep can have a detrimental effect on “innovative thinking and flexible decision making.” If you do find yourself short on sleep then make the effort to catch up and get a few early nights.

Exercise before work

It might be the last thing on your mind, but if you can, try and do a little exercise in the morning before work. Getting that blood flowing in the morning releases endorphins (happy hormones) that make you feel great, more alert, confident and eager to work throughout the day.

Have a healthy breakfast

Well first of all, you need to make sure that you actually have breakfast. Many of us have busy mornings, but it’s important to ensure we at least have something to eat when we wake up.

Breakfast provides you with the energy you need to get going in the mornings. It has been shown to improve concentration levels, memory and mood, whilst it’s also been found that those who eat breakfast are actually less likely to gain weight.

When choosing what to have, stay away from sugary cereals and go for something healthy involving fruit or vegetables. Hearty foods such as porridge are great for keeping your energy up.

Finish the day on a positive

If you want to be more productive at work in the mornings, then finish the previous day on a positive note. Complete that big piece of work, take 20 minutes to read something interesting, have a beer! By ending the day feeling positive, you’re much more likely to approach the following day with verve and vigour.

You can also plan the following day’s work. Try and plan what you’re going to do and what you need to do before you leave work so you can hit the ground running the following day.

Don’t work too early

You might think that getting up and working straight away is the best way to get ahead of your work, but that’s not always the case. Resist checking your email or doing work before you leave the house – it’s important you separate home and work life, and when you do get to work you’ll be raring to go, not feeling jaded that you’ve already done an hour’s work.

Get off social media!

Social media is your productivity’s enemy. Unless you work with social media, of course. The temptation to just check Facebook or scroll through Twitter can be incredibly tempting, but it’s important you resist the urge. Get into the habit of doing this at lunchtime as a reward for working hard during the morning.

Pick your morning work carefully

The work you choose to do in the morning, can actually have a big impact on your productivity levels for the rest of the day. Unless you have to, don’t jump into anything too complex or laborious first thing in the morning. Pick a few smaller or interesting tasks to get you going and working through that to-do list and you’ll feel much more positive when tackling that problem piece of work.

Take a break

You’re not expected to be a machine at work (well, hopefully), and we all need a break every now and again. Set yourself a time or a goal at which you will take a break. Even if it’s just five minutes, make sure you get up from your desk and move around. This will ensure you don’t become burnt out before lunch and refocus your attention when you get back to it. Go and make a cup of coffee, chat to a colleague or just go and stretch your legs outside.

We hope these productivity hacks have helped you become more of a morning person. If you have any productivity tips or advice, we’d love to hear them.