4 Easy Ideas To Actually Boost Your Daily Productivity

The early bird gets the worm, right?

Well, what if I said you don't have to get up earlier in order to enhance your productivity by checking off your important daily tasks before lunch.

That's right. You can double your productivity (or more), stay on track each day, and create a morning routine that will help you along the way. 

Actually, you'll even be able to stay motivated every day because the plan is personalized to you, setting you up for total success. 

How, you ask?

Use these four easy ideas to begin boosting your daily productivity right now:

 

1. Think Happy Thoughts

Some people absolutely hate mornings. The alarm rings, and suddenly they become a vicious and whiny ball of fury. It doesn't help that they never, ever want to get out of bed in the morning. 

But by replacing the thought "I don't want to get up!" with "I can't wait to get up and start my day," positive thoughts will follow throughout the day and you'll accomplish much more. 

At the end of the day, you control your mindset and your thoughts. Thus, you control how you react to your morning alarm as well as how grouchy you may feel, and a positive mindset really goes a long way when it comes to starting your day off right.

According to Hall of Fame inducted baseball player Wade Boggs, 

 

 

 

2. Complete Your Most Important Task First

How amazing would it be to finally be able to check off your most hated to-dos before lunch every day, consistently? 

It sounds like a lot of work, I know. But it's surprisingly simple, and you don't even need to wake up at the crack of dawn to make it happen. 

That's right. No matter what time you wake up, whether it be 7 am or noon, completing your most important daily task immediately will set your entire day up for success.

Start by checking your to-do list.  Determine your most important task for the day or perhaps the one task you always push back, procrastinating to the last second.

Then, figure our your trigger. 

What's the one thing in your morning routine you can't stand to be without?

Are you one of those people that can't function without coffee? Or, like me, can't wait to jump out of bed and brush your teeth? 

Got it? Good. Jot it down.

(I usually complete these beginning steps the night before to free up time for my morning routine, but some prefer to plan their day at the start of each morning.)

Now, every morning, complete your most important daily task before your morning trigger.

TIP: Make sure this is a daily activity because consistency will help the routine stick. 

According to Stephen Roe's free guide, Habit Forming Morning Routines, this will not only help you get more done and allow you the peace of mind of checking off a to-do item first thing, but it will also create a reward system of sorts.

If you have your morning coffee after completing your dreaded task of working out, for example, the coffee will become a reward trigger in your brain.

Thus, a more productive routine is easily established and your brain is free to think about more important things. In other words, you'll save brain space on minor decisions, allowing you to focus and remain productive longer throughout your day.

So in this example, the coffee will become a reward for finishing your daily workout.

Boom! You've easily created a more productive morning routine and set your entire day up for success.

 

3. Give Yourself A Reason To Get Up Other Than Sheer Willpower

We set alarms with the best intentions of waking early to get a head start on the day ahead, yet when the buzzer sounds, snooze becomes the button of choice. 

Forcing yourself to wake up early in order to do something you really don't want to do will never work, especially if you're not a morning person.

Set yourself up for success the night before by giving yourself a reason to get up. Try setting out your workout clothes for the next morning (if working out is the habit you've chosen to add to your morning routine). In the morning, get out of bed and change

Try setting out your workout clothes for the next morning (if working out is the habit you've chosen to add to your morning routine). When the alarm sounds, get out of bed and change into your workout gear first thing.

Do so, and you'll instantly notice you can achieve more in the morning because you're not wasting time picking out what to wear or hitting snooze in 10-minute intervals for hours on end.

This extra time could then be used to do something you enjoy or become your main reason for getting up. You could add in a task you enjoy, like writing or reading, watching the sunrise, meditation, eating a healthy breakfast, or another positive and productive activity.

Use it for you time. 

Jane Fonda once said, "The more you treat yourself positively, the less you'll want or need to be negative."

 

4. Hold Yourself Accountable

Life happens. Sometimes things come up.

But if you're not consistently holding yourself to a certain standard, your motivation will only continue to fade before your 'new' routine ever gets a chance to fully shape. 

Creating and tracking a goal will keep you motivated, allow you to track your progress in real numbers, and essentially help you make your dreams come true. 

There are multiple apps available if you need added help visualizing your progress. I prefer to use a planner in which I set my monthly goals in numbers I can translate into 10x progress, make a plan to accomplish my goals, display my results, and visualize where I want to go. 

One of the greatest modern philosophers, motivational and human character development successors, Earl Nightingale, said it best, 

 

 

Building a perfect morning routine does not always include the same steps for each person, but creating a personalized and effective plan is possible.

With the help of these four ideas, you'll establish your perfectly personalized morning routine in no time (no one knows you better than you know yourself, after all). In the meantime, check back for more helpful tips to boost your productivity, positivity, and motivation.