As the old saying goes, well begun is half done. Get off on the good foot with these tips to start your day properly.
1 – It Starts The Night Before
It’s an old cliché, but things do seem better after a good night’s sleep. Check your sleep hygiene – your bedroom should be used for only one purpose (well, two!). So no TVs or computers or anything that communicates work or waking activity. Cut down on food, caffeine and alcohol too close to bedtime. Avoid browsing the internet or playing computer games before trying to go to sleep. Ensure you get as much sleep as you need (around eight hours on average).
2 – It Really Does Start The Night Before
A perfect sleep environment is no use if you’re lying awake worrying about the next day. Write your to-do list the night before, that way you know it’s all accounted for.
3 – Have A Purpose
Linked to the above, it helps if you have some idea of what you want to achieve today. If you could do nothing else, what single thing can you do that will allow you to sink into bed tonight knowing you’ve spent your day well? That could be spending the day properly relaxing, of course.
Be flexible, though. Man plans, the gods laugh, as they say.
4 – Eat Breakfast
Your mother’s right, it really is the most important meal of the day. You haven’t eaten for several hours and you need the energy. Eat as healthy a breakfast as possible, and you won’t spend your morning trying to make up the blood sugar deficit you’ve acquired overnight.
5 – Exercise
If you can fit it into your routine, some light morning exercise will get the muscles moving and the blood flowing. You’ll be able to think more clearly, and you’ll have plenty of feel-good endorphins in your system to help you tackle the day.
6 – Eat The Biggest Frog First
If you’ve got several tasks to try and accomplish, then it makes sense to do the biggest and most demanding one as early as you can. That way you’ll be coming to it at your absolute freshest, and it won’t be hanging over you all day.
