Last week I wrote about my evening routine for maximum next-day productivity and that seemed to go down quite well, so here I am with my morning routine. I like to get up early and get going.
Before you start, I’d recommend figuring out when your peak work hours are. Annoyingly, when you work 9-5 you can’t work during your peak hours and rest at other times. But, if you work from home you have the luxury of picking those peak times.
Wake up early and get moving
I don’t go to the gym every day, I’m not insane. But, I try to go 2-3 times per week. The gym, interspersed with the odd walk/swim/class keeps me feeling good. If you want to get up early but you’re struggling, just power through. After the first few times, it does get easier. Equally, if you’d rather get up later and work into the night, that’s fine too. You do you!
I have some great walks around where I live. If you explore a little more, it’s more than likely that you do, too. If you don’t want to exercise, get some fresh air instead. Just being out and about will make you feel happier, particularly if you’ll be in all day working from home.
Get ready
The temptation to stay in your pyjamas, with no makeup on, when you’re working from home is very real. Trust me, it’s a bad move. Whether you work from an office or from your bedroom, you should always make yourself look presentable. If you dress for bed and lay on the sofa all day you’re not differentiating your work space from your home space and that is not a good idea.
Equally, if you don’t plan your outfit the night before (so important) or leave enough time to get fully ready in the mornings, you’ll feel grim all day. I’m a night shower/bath kind of girl, but on the days I managed to fit in a morning shower, I felt so revitalised and worked harder and felt better as a result. Give it a go. If you have to wake up half an hour earlier then so be it; short term pain = long term gain!
My full skincare routine to help you feel more revitalised in the morning is here.
Eat breakfast
This little nugget of advice has been passed down for generations. It’s as true today as it was 100 years ago. Food = fuel. How do you expect to get through the morning without fueling your brain or your body?
Rehydrate your body with plenty of water and a nice cup of tea, too. Again, you have to leave time for this. If you fly out the door with a piece of toast hanging out of your mouth, well, it’s better than nothing but it’s not good. If you don’t have time to eat before you leave for work, then eat when you arrive.
And please, whether you work from home or work from an office don’t eat at your desk! I ate at my desk for 3 years and I have only just realised how many hundreds of benefits there are for just taking time to stop whilst you eat.
Look at your to do list
Don’t just start work. I’ve done this so many times in the past and then realised half way through the day that I had an important deadline or big piece that I needed to get done. I didn’t check my list so I ended up working on random bits instead.
The first thing I do is sit and look at my list. I plan how long each task is going to take and then start with the most important one. As I mentioned, my peak working time is in the morning, so I always use this to focus on the bigger project.
Plan in lunchtime, chill time and any other time you need and then get cracking. Revert back to your to-do list whenever you need it and make sure you keep it updated. There’s nothing more satisfying than ticking off a big project!
