What Are the Mistakes You Make in the Morning?

However, as the pandemic recedes, and more people are returning to work and school, many of us feel like revitalizing personal productivity, even just a little bit. A morning routine is the best place to start. A few simple adjustments can boost your energy and productivity throughout the day.

7 Common Morning Mistakes

1. Forcing yourself to get up early

Articles tirelessly praise highly productive people and how they get up early. Chris Bailey, author of The Productivity Project said: “The idea that you have to get up early for a better performance is wrong.”

He also said: "We tend to blame ourselves for the timing of getting up, but we are all of different natures."

Someone who sleeps until 10 a.m might be just as productive as someone who gets up at 5 a.m, but what matters is what they do once they get up.

Bailey said: "Try different waking times - if your schedule allows it - to see what works for you. You might find yourself able to achieve more during the day if you sleep more hours.”

2. Starting the day with a reactive mode

Graham Allcott, founder of Think Productive and author of How to be a Productivity Ninja said: "The biggest productivity destroyer is starting your day in "reactive mode" instead of "proactive mode".

He explains that many of us might wake up and check their phone immediately, which puts us in reactive mode. However, a proactive start in the morning requires taking a little time to think about your priorities for the day, checking your daily schedule and to-do list, and making a plan for everything.

Note: This does not mean checking your inbox. Alcott said: “The inbox isn't actually a task list. It's everyone else's priority, but you.” He is not the only productivity expert to advise staying away from email.

Laura Vanderkam, author of Off the Clock: Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done said: “The biggest mistake people make is not having a clear plan for what they intend to do.” She added: "Whatever plan you set, it must include open times for unexpected things. As for the email, it is there and you can check it at any time."

3. Not being elegantly dressed

For many people, that only applies to the COVID-19 period, but experts say it's important to wear elegant clothes.

Alcott said: "Wearing elegant clothes is a helpful thing. In psychology, there's something called "enclothed cognition," which means that the brain functions differently if you're wearing a suit, and that you'll show more intelligence if you wear a scientist's uniform, even if you're not a scientist."

You probably don't want your suit to wear out while you're at home, but preliminary studies suggest that getting dressed up can have a real effect on a person's attention because of the symbolism it carries. Psychotherapist Ryan G. Beale said: "It tells your brain that something new is about to happen and helps it get prepared."

4. Skipping breakfast and not drinking enough water

Stephanie Nelson, a registered dietitian and nutritionist, said at (MyFitnessPal) show: “Breakfast is essential for a successful morning routine because it gives us the energy to focus on what we need to do for the rest of the day.”

Nelson recommends something "balanced of protein and carbs," but advises to stay realistic about it and keep the meal simple so that you have enough time to prepare it. For example, Nelson likes to make herself some pancakes for breakfast, but the simple option would be a toast with some peanut butter.

Erica Zellner, health coach at (Parsley Health,) said: "You should drink water. Hydration plays an important role in our ability to focus and be productive. Our brains are affected by water levels in bodies. Studies have shown that even mild dehydration - only 1% decrease in hydration - can deteriorate mood, memory, focus, and executive function."

5. Too much multitasking

When you're trying to complete a long to-do list, it's likely that you'll be doing more than one task at a time, and it's even inevitable if you're trying to juggle work, childcare, and other responsibilities.

Zellner said: "You should aim for “single-tasking” as much as possible. Multitasking impairs productivity by up to 40% and can have long-term negative effects on the brain.” She urges her clients to focus on one thing for a certain period of time, which has the added advantage of putting them in a state of flow.

She added that the transition to single-tasking could take a few weeks to retrain your brain to focus on a specific task for longer periods of time, but stick to it and schedule plenty of breaks.

6. Not getting ready the night before

At the end of a long day, the last thing anyone would want to do is plan for the next day. However, experts say that it can make a huge difference in productivity and might ultimately save more time.

Vanderkam said: “I recommend to make a to-do list for the next day at the end of each working day, and then set an approximate schedule for the “difficult scene” of the day (meetings and calls). When can you do the tasks that must be done at the end of the day?"

What's the other essential part of getting ready for the next day? "Good sleep," Zellner answers. A 2016 study confirmed that sleep deprivation will impair a process called selective attention, or the ability to focus on specific information when other things are happening around you. This means that a bad night's sleep will hinder your ability to complete a single task and impair your productivity.

7. Not prioritizing calmness

Mornings can be chaotic, especially if you've been piling on your tasks while taking care of other tasks. However, Bill warned that trying too hard can really backfire.

He said: "If we start our day thinking about troubling things instead of quiet contemplation, that anxiety will continue for the rest of the day." "Calmness" varies from person to person. It might be meditation for 5 minutes, sitting quietly and drinking a cup of coffee, or perhaps taking a walk outside. Whenever you try to make changes to your morning routine, do so slowly.

Nelson said: "Do one task at a time. You better stick to it. So, if you make coffee every morning, you can prepare a balanced breakfast, do some deep breathing, or set a daily plan during the time your coffee maker takes to brew coffee.”

Nelson said: “If you try to change everything you do in the morning, it sets you up for failure.” When it comes to productivity, deliberation and persistence are the key to success.