Mistakes you don't want to make in the morning

On day one, I am so unstoppable that I could tick off my workday ten times. But sometimes, a day later, I can't get myself together and nothing comes out of my hands. Recognizable? Maybe it’s your routine, because these are seven mistakes that can mercilessly ruin your productivity.

1. Don't wake up earlier than your body likes
I now wake up around six because I like to start writing with a fresh mind and at this time I am not disturbed yet, but if you are just not a morning person, then this is the biggest mistake to make. Just because you get out of bed at ten doesn’t mean you are less productive. Play around with those times to see what works best for you.

2. Start with your own priorities and not those of someone else
I once read somewhere that your inbox is filled with other people's to-do lists. As far as I'm concerned, we can also add WhatsApp to that nowadays. Graham Allcott, author of How to be a Productivity Ninja (quite witty), emphasizes that we should start the day proactively and not reactively. Which simply means that you let all that external input be for what it is and start with your own plan.

Tip in between: this is why you only want to check your email twice a day.

3. We say it one more time: take a shower and get dressed
For my part, you can sit behind your laptop made up and in a dress, but do something with yourself. Research shows that you are more productive when you dress yourself. Just like you perform better when you wear a suit.

4. Start the day with breakfast
As far as this point is concerned, I keep repeating myself, but try to have breakfast. With a full stomach, you have energy for much longer. With some protein and carbohydrates, you kickstart your body.

5. Do one thing at a time
We always act like multitasking is the highest achievable goal, but actually, you are just ruining your brain with it. The more you do at once, the bigger the mess in the brain. It’s even so bad that your productivity decreases by 40 percent. And that is just absurdly high. Just think about what it yields if you do all that one after the other.

6. The half work
You’d prefer to throw that laptop in the corner as soon as you’re done with your workday, but don’t do that. Not having a plan for the next day is the pitfall of being productive. Take another five minutes to make a rough plan and write down your three most important priorities for the next day.

7. Letting chaos take over
Here I sometimes go wrong myself. The more chaotic my workday, the less I get done. Don’t let chaos take over your agenda and planning. Take time in the morning for your routine. So I try to meditate every day and if I don’t, then I am just a little less myself. Take some time for yourself in the morning before you take time for someone else.

Source: HuffPost