Are You Sabotaging Your Mornings?

For a lot of people mornings are their most productive time of the day.  But not everyone is a morning person, and there are some ways in which even the most dedicated of us can be sabotaging this productive time of day.  If you would like to make your mornings more productive, I have listed some things that we are all guilty of, that can be sabotaging your mornings.

• Getting Online – Perhaps you’re like most of us and jump online first thing in the morning, you may justify this behavior as checking emails and catching up on what you may have missed on your social media pages.  You may say to yourself, “I’ll only be on for a few minutes and then get started on your projects”, but this is a lie that we all tell ourselves.  Before you know it, those couple of minutes has turned into hours and you have not accomplished anything that you had planned.  It is recommended that you avoid the computer and traps that lie within until later in the morning.  This will allow you to focus on other tasks that you need to get done.
• Television – Turning on the television first thing in the morning can be just as dangerous as getting online.  While many of us believe that we are more productive with the TV on, and it’s only there for background noise, that’s not entirely true.  While you may believe that you are not focusing on what’s being said on the TV, part of your brain is tuned into what’s going on.  This can detract from your concentration and lead to you making mistakes on the work that you are trying to get done.  Experts recommend turning the radio on instead if you believe that you need background noise.
• Phone – Your phone is another way to kill the effectiveness of your mornings.  If you have something that you need to get done, it is highly recommended that you turn your phone off.  Even ignoring it when it rings can still distract you and take you off track from what you were trying to accomplish.  If you can avoid the phone first thing in the morning, you are likely to be more productive.
• Dreaded Tasks – Many people believe that starting the day by working on the projects they have been putting off is best.  This couldn't be further from the truth, experts recommend that you start your work day off by working on something you know you will be able to finish and that will provide you with positive results.  These accomplishments will help motivate you for the rest of the day.