Waking up to a screaming alarm clock is not the same as time management. In fact, if you are a person who sleeps until the last possible moment, throws on clothes and races out the door, you have no time to manage in the mornings. No wonder you feel that your life is out of control and you aren’t getting done everything that needs to be done. Get a better start to get a better result for your day.
Get up twenty minutes earlier. Set your clock ahead. Then set a second clock for five minutes later and place that clock across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off. That’s sneaky but effective!
By waking up earlier, you have time to wake up gradually, take a shower and enjoy a cup of coffee or juice. This is a kinder way to get your body and your brain oriented to the day.
You also have time to check your calendar and have a big picture of what’s happening in the day. You are also more likely to remember to bring the flash drive that you were working on last night and extra clothes to change into for tennis after work. If you don’t remember these things, you’ll waste more time going back to get them.
Here’s the ideal place to add a fifteen-minute mini-workout. Start with stretches then add a few simple exercises. You can also get a video with short workouts to follow. Or you can go outside on the patio or balcony to jump rope.
Fifteen minutes isn’t enough for a serious walk or run but you could take a few laps around the block. You don’t have to wait until you can do a long workout. Even this short workout is great for your body and stimulates your metabolism to run more efficiently for the remainder of the day.
An even better way to turn morning from dread to enjoyable is to get up earlier, even as much as an hour earlier to set the tone for your day. Spend quiet time reading spiritually uplifting material or meditate.
You might also read a favorite blog, check the online news highlights or add a daily note to your own blog. Just don’t get lost in reading emails or checking work related material because those may throw off your time.
Have coffee, tea or juice while you are getting dressed. Then sit down for quick breakfast. Don’t grab toast and eat it as you are packing the car. You can find several fast options that offer better nutrition and take the time to eat, not inhale it.
As you are sitting down with your bagel, oatmeal, cereal or egg and cheese sandwich, look over your calendar to preview what you need to get done today. Before you insist that you don’t have time to sit down and eat breakfast, realize that you only need fifteen minutes to do this.
Even a quick breakfast is better than shoving food in your mouth while driving. The fifteen minutes that you give your body nourishment to start the day will help you to avoid the mid-morning blood sugar drop.
That low energy time hits just as some businesses are opening and customer traffic is increasing so you will get much more accomplished at work for the investment of 15 minutes to eat a nourishing breakfast.
After just as few days, you’ll see why starting the morning earlier is the best time management option to maximize your productivity for the entire day. So set that clock back and you’ll move forward.
