8 Productivity Experts Reveal The Secret Benefits Of
Their Morning Routines
Productivity experts
spill their secrets on what gets them going first thing in the morning.
Morning sets the tone for the day, especially
when it's one of those times you wish you hadn’t gotten out of bed. So we asked
eight productivity experts to give us a glimpse into their morning routines to
help smooth the way and inspire better starts.
You might be
surprised that David Allen, author of the productivity "bible" Getting
Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, doesn’t have a structured morning routine.
"When I
wake up, I have a glass of lemon juice and water, and possibly take the dog out
for her morning whatever," Allen says. Next comes a large cup of
French-pressed light roast coffee, while he checks the weather, reads the front
page of the New York Times international edition, and
plays Words with Friends. "My brain is waking up," he
says. He then glances at new Facebook and Instagram posts, and does an
"emergency scan" of emails.
"Then, who knows?" he says.
"Every day is different."
Lisa Woodruff
teaches people to be more organized through her website Organize 365. A
work-from-home mom, the first few hours of her morning routine include getting
her teenage children off to school while readying herself and her household for
the day.
"My morning routine is dictated by my
high schoolers," says Woodruff, who is up by 5:45 a.m., dressed and ready
to drive her kids to school by 6:50 a.m. She maximizes her time by fitting in
some household chores.
"Before I leave, I start the dishwasher
and a load of laundry," she says. When she gets back from dropping off her
kids at school, she empties the dishwasher, moves the laundry to the dryer, and
starts her workday at 8:15 a.m.
Woodruff maximizes her drive time by
inserting some learning: "When I am driving to and from school I listen to
two to three podcasts," she says.
Mornings can bring a special challenge to
parents, says Woodruff. "When you’re a mother, you’re constantly juggling
the needs of the household, the kids, your spouse, and then the needs of your
employment," she says. "Your time is never your own, and you have to
be responsive and connective. Household tasks need to fit in; it’s not
optional."
Andrew
Mellen's day starts much differently than Woodruff's. Unless he’s catching a
plane, the professional organizer and author of Unstuff Your Lifedoesn’t like to set
an alarm clock. Instead, he wakes up when he wakes up–-usually by 7 a.m.
"The first thing I do is meditate for
five to 10 minutes," he says. Some days Mellen goes to the gym, others he
moves straight to breakfast, checking his calendar to see what is scheduled for
the day and tweaking appointments if needed.
"I like to evaluate the day while eating
breakfast," he says. "I also check email for first time that day, and
then I turn it off, checking it just one more time. I like to climb into my day
between 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m., depending on whether I go to the gym for a
workout."
"Kicking
off the day without a plan opens you up to the dangers of ‘reactive work,’
letting other people’s demands dictate what you do with your day."
Mellen says as a morning person, he tries to
do high-value activities first. "Those are focused on revenue or
outstanding projects," he says. "I like to do writing in the morning
before there are too many demands on my attention."
Productivity
consultant Peggy
Duncan is a night owl, and since she works
solo from home, and is an empty nester, she can work within her own rhythm
without having to consider the schedule of others.
"If I’m not traveling or training, I
usually don't do any real work until later," she says. "I ease into
my day. I'll do light exercise and enjoy a leisurely breakfast."
Duncan checks email and voicemail, and
handles whatever is needed. "I don't schedule meetings or phone calls
until after 1:00 p.m. unless it absolutely cannot be avoided."
Productivity
speaker and coach Ellen
Goodwin is up by 5 a.m. and starts her morning
with a glass of warm water before she gets out of bed. For the next 45 minutes
to an hour she catches up on the latest research on the brain, productivity,
habits, or focus, or she writes.
"I spend a half an hour talking with my
partner before he heads out to work," she says. "Once he leaves I
either go for a long walk or lift weights and swing kettle bells."
After breakfast, a shower, and a phone call
with her accountability partner, Goodwin says, "Then the business of the
day really begins."
Kevin Kruse, author
of 15
Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management, used to focus his mornings around long-term goal setting, but that’s
changed. "I've found that starting each day with a simple routine ensures
I'll ‘win the day,’ and if you win most of your days the years will take care
of themselves," he says.
For Kruse, the day starts with his one-sentence
personal purpose statement, which he says keeps him on track and gives meaning
to his life. Then he thinks of at least three specific things he’s grateful
for. "This gratitude practice improves my happiness and really eliminates
the minor annoyances and stressors that would otherwise take hold," he
says.
"I know
I'll achieve a peak mental state for a few hours after doing cardio."
Next, Kruse sets daily intentions around the
three domains for a happy life: health, wealth, and relationships. For each
one, he thinks about why it’s important and what he’s going to do that day to
work toward it.
Next comes 15 minutes of yoga stretches and
if he has a very busy day, he'll add 20 minutes on the treadmill. "Because
I know I'll achieve a peak mental state for a few hours after doing
cardio," he says. "This morning motion doesn't replace my normal
workout routines, it's just to help achieve extreme productivity right
away."
Most weekdays,
you’ll find Peter Bregman sitting in his Eames lounge chair writing from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
The author of Four
Seconds: All the Time You Need to Replace Counter-Productive Habits with Ones
That Really Work, starts his day this way for good reason:
"I have found that if I don’t write in the early morning hours, I will
never get to it," he says. "Sometimes I start with a short sitting
meditation, and then I plant myself in my writing chair, and I write."
"I have
found that if I don’t write in the early morning hours, I will never get to
it."
When he’s done, Bregman goes to the gym, eats
breakfast, and is at his desk to check email by 10:30 a.m. "Each day that
I succeed in following my routine, it’s a recipe for a great day," he
says.
The most
important part of Jocelyn K. Glei’s morning routine actually happens the night before: making
tomorrow’s to-do list. "If I start the workday with a clear picture of my
key priorities, I am infinitely more productive—not to mention more
relaxed," says the author of Unsubscribe:
How to Kill Email Anxiety, Avoid Distractions, and Get Real Work Done. "Kicking off the day without a plan opens you up to the dangers
of ‘reactive work,’ letting other people’s demands dictate what you do with
your day."
Glei uses two large sheets of paper that she
puts on the wall beside her desk. One outlines the big projects and goals,
while the other is a calendar that tracks her daily progress, mood, and energy
levels.
"When you start your day with a to-do list that’s aligned with your goals already in hand, you can dive right into execution mode and your routine will take care of the rest," she says. In the morning, she wakes at 7 a.m., takes her dog for a 20-30 minute walk to get the blood pumping, and then eats breakfast while reading through her RSS feeds.
When she’s ready to work, Glei focuses on "deep attention" creative work, which is writing. "According to our natural circadian rhythms, most people reach peak alertness between about 9-11am, so I schedule my most challenging work then," she says.
"When you start your day with a to-do list that’s aligned with your goals already in hand, you can dive right into execution mode and your routine will take care of the rest," she says. In the morning, she wakes at 7 a.m., takes her dog for a 20-30 minute walk to get the blood pumping, and then eats breakfast while reading through her RSS feeds.
When she’s ready to work, Glei focuses on "deep attention" creative work, which is writing. "According to our natural circadian rhythms, most people reach peak alertness between about 9-11am, so I schedule my most challenging work then," she says.
The drawback to having a routine is that it
can be boring, admits Glei. "Occasionally you need to mix it up when
things get stagnant, and you need new inspiration," she says.
"The real challenge is to become exquisitely sensitive to your own
bullshit avoidance tactics. Are you trying to break from routine because you
would prefer to procrastinate and not put in the work? Or have you truly earned
a day off to play hooky and generate some new ideas?"
STEPHANIE VOZZA
https://www.fastcompany.com/3065263/work-smart/8-productivity-experts-share-their-morning-routines?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-daily-newsletter-featured&position=1&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=11032016
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