Glance over your email, but don’t go too deep – Opinions vary about whether or not it’s productive to check your email first thing in the morning, but for small business owners, there’s no getting around it: urgent requests can’t wait. Rather than letting your entire morning be swallowed up by emails, only skim your inbox for critically important messages when starting your day. Schedule a deeper dive at a specific time later on, but give your attention to the requests that matter most when you are giving your messages a first look. After you’ve addressed any red flags, you will be at ease moving through the rest of your to-do list.
Get moving – It’s not just your mind that needs to do some jumping jacks when starting the day – your body should start exercising, too! Some quick activity in the morning helps kick start your cognitive functions, helping you plan your day and tackle quick decisions early on. It also ensures that you partake in physical activity before becoming worn out later in the day. Don’t worry about needing to wake up an hour earlier to get the job done. Jogging for about twenty minutes or a short bike ride to work should do the trick.
An apple a day – Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day, especially when you’re looking to accomplish a lot in those first couple hours. With the energy breakfast food provides, your brain will be ready to focus and produce strong work for a challenging day ahead. Try eating some fresh fruit or oatmeal for high-fiber carbs that will sustain your blood sugar for several hours.
Knock out an unpleasant task first thing – Everyone has business tasks they’d like to ignore until absolutely necessary. However, knocking out a dreaded task early in the morning provides a boost that will help you breeze through the rest of the day. It also relieves your mind from worrying about the item while you’re trying to accomplish other important deliverables. In addition, the task won’t get pushed to another day’s list, improving productivity overall.
Find your zen – Before beginning a long day of serving your customers, your employees, and everyone else that your small business caters to, remember to do a little something for yourself. Small business owners give to others all day long, so it’s important to schedule a little “me” time to care for your personal needs. Whether that’s practicing yoga, watching the news with your morning coffee, or listening to your favorite audiobook, find what makes you feel most fulfilled in the morning and schedule time to exercise it.
With these practices, your morning will be more energized, productive, and enjoyable. Look to implement them into your daily routine and you will find yourself becoming a morning person in no time!