It is not easy create a productive morning routine, but the benefits outweigh the labour and initial discomfort. What you do first thing in the morning, good or bad, sets the mood for the rest of the day. In the end, a productive morning means one stresses less, is more efficient, and has more energy to tackle the day ahead!

Here is a guide for making your day as productive as a Fortune 500 CEO.

Start the day the night before

There are so many things to do in the morning! Iron your clothes, make your breakfast, prepare your lunch, find your socks, shine your shoes — the list is truly endless! And the best way to shorten this list, as well as have less stress immediately after waking up is to do these things the night before. Fix your clothes, your shoes, breakfast etc. before going to bed and see how your mood changes on the spot.

Wake up early

Time is sacred in the mornings — it is always short! And waking up earlier than usual ensures you have extra time to accomplish your goals — both for the day as well as long term. Waking up at 5AM instead of your usual 6AM may seem like only an hour extra, but within this one hour, you can exercise, meditate, do some work, read that book you have been putting off for the last month or simply just do what you usually do but at a more leisurely and less frantic pace.

Plan your day

Do you know what else makes a day more productive and efficient? Planning ahead and making a to-do list or routine to follow through. It’s as simple as writing down what you plan to accomplish that day, etc. Not only does this make you more aware of all the things that need to be done, but also give you the motivation to stick to finishing the tasks at hand.

Hydrate and Nourish

Taking care of yourself, of what you consume and how much is just as vital to have a rewarding day. Eating a balanced breakfast with fresh fruits, having enough protein as well as drinking plenty of water makes sure you have enough energy to deal with whatever the rest of the day brings. Remember the age-old adage ‘eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper’ exists for a reason!