How to be More Productive: 3 Steps I Follow to Conquer My Mornings
All of us desire a productive and fulfilling life. We want to complete our prioritized tasks in the mornings instead of procrastinating and leaving them for the afternoons, when we could spend more time with our families and friends. We want to stop wasting time, be more efficient, self-disciplined, and be more happy in life…
A couple years ago, I decided to customize my own morning routine and get into a healthy rhythm that sets up a positive vibe for the day. I get myself pumped up, ready to tackle day and enjoy myself out there. Here are a number of things I do to be extra productive while embracing the world amidst chaos and uncertainties.
#1: I personalize my schedule on the Calendar app
The calendar is now my best buddy. Before a busy week starts, I would create my schedule for all 7 days so I have a clear agenda each day. Instead of creating a to-do list, I create events and fit them into specific time blocks so I know what I should be doing at different times of the day. Doing so has eliminated my procrastinative habit of doing everything at the end of the day and wasting my prime time in the morning, when my mind actually functions most efficiently and creatively.
Each morning, I would go over today’s schedule and add some more details, such as the time for meals or some breaks in between. Allowing myself to take breaks is an emotional boost that not only resets my mindset but also motivates me to tackle the next event on my schedule with confidence and ambition, knowing that I will have another break for myself later on.
It is truly affirming to visualize my schedule each day, and it has helped me grind past even the most stressful times of my life so far.
#2: I tackle each day one by one, taking one step at a time
In my first year in a boarding high school, I constantly hoped that time would pass more quickly each day so I can get over with my loneliness being away from home. I was thinking months ahead of the present, dreaming of the last day of school and hoping that 3 months would pass fairly quickly. Each day, my mind was painfully entangled in dreadful thoughts about my future. The worst of all, my tunnel vision made it impossible for me to live in the present and do the task at hand.
Now it’s different, because I’ve learned to avoid looking too far ahead of my life. I live each day one by one, not because I don’t care about my future, but because I understand that life is comprised of moments that ultimately lead to happiness and fulfillment. I would wake up every morning, focus on one thing at a time, and I would realize how much I’ve accomplished by the end of the day.
Tackling each day one by one helps us realize that life is too short to be wasted. The key is taking advantage of every moment to conquer each day instead of pondering over the future and losing precious seconds in the present.
#3: I DON’T “Set” my Alarm
Yeah, on weekends usually. But on most days I do…
No, it’s not that I don’t set my alarm clock. It’s that I don’t settle my emotional “alarm” that keeps me alive and conscious at every moment. If there is nothing to be afraid of or to be challenged with, there is probably nothing much I can achieve in life. I keep myself constantly aware that stability in life comes from hard work and ambition from the bottom of my heart.
This is the mentality that sets the tone for the day. Increasing my awareness and acknowledging obstacles ahead of me force me become more resilient throughout the day, and knowing that not settling my “alarm” pushes me outside of my comfort zone where I can be more efficient, think more creatively, learn from mistakes, and achieve more.
From the moment of waking up, having a clear plan to tackle each day with acute self-awareness determines 70% of success. The other 30% requires persistent hard work and an ambitious but resilient attitude.
