The best daily routines involve taking care of yourself physically, emotionally and mentally before the day starts.
Aristotle said, "We are what we do repeatedly, therefore, excellence is not an act, but a habit."
What are those habits?
The habits that affect productivity the most are directly related to the reasons you ordinarily complain about as justifications for being lazy or unproductive. "I'm tired, I'm cold, I can't stop thinking about my ex, I didn't sleep enough last night, I didn't eat enough, my stomach hurts, I just don't feel right today," etc.
The habits themselves are the habits related to your welfare, your physical, mental and emotional well-being. If physically you're feeling good and have the requisite energy for productivity, emotionally you're stable and able to withstand the stress of having a lot to do, and mentally you aren't bogged down by identifying with every passing thought, then you have set yourself up for maximum productivity.
The habits that ensure your physical, mental and emotional welfare are:
1. Get enough sleep
Being tired not only slows down your mental and physical capacity. The first step in eliminating that excuse is making sure you get enough sleep.
How to do it:
(a) Have a set, no negotiation lights-out time.
(b) Have a set time to put stop messing around with the t.v., your phone, computer, etc. Social media and t.v. can easily distract you and keep you up for an extra hour or two.
(c) Read before you sleep, not only do you grow through reading but it helps lull you just enough to get you ready for bed.
2. Wake up early
You don't have to immediately start waking up at 4:00 a.m but you can gradually start pushing back the time you wake up (like 15 minutes a week), and over time you can be a really early riser. The reason waking up early is so integral to success is that there are no distractions whatsoever in the morning time and you can 8-10 hours of work done in 4-5.
How to implement:
(a) Sleep Early
(b) Have the following items done before going to bed : All your bags packed and ready to go for the next day. The clothes you want to wear the next day should be decided. What you want to eat for breakfast.
(c) Have a reason to wake up - you need to know exactly what your plan is. An idea of the first few tasks you want to knock out in the morning or rather, what the first few hours of your morning is going to consist of.
(3) Exercise: Looking good and feeling more confident about your physical attraction is just one incidental benefit to exercising. Your body rewards you with happiness, LITERALLY, in the form of endorphins.
3. Eating healthy
Looking good and feeling more confident about your physical attraction is just one incidental benefit to eating healthier. To operate at maximum productive capacity, you need to have maximum energy levels. Pay attention to how your body responds to the different foods you eat and you'll quickly see the importance of healthy eating and drinking water. Your body PAYS YOU with the currency of energy for treating it the right way!
How to implement:
(a) Cut junk food - chips, soda, fast-food, etc. Needs to just go and not be an option.
(b) Have bread and other carbs earlier during the day for energy, and try to stay awake from carbs after 3 p.m
(c) WATER, LOTS and LOTS of water - as much as you can have.
(d) Force yourself to eat vegetables and fruits
4. Meditating or pray
All day long your mind is going at 100 miles an hour and we're not even aware of it. We don't think about our thoughts as events that require energy, but every thought you have requires a certain amount of energy, and the thoughts that actually stick and force you to actively think, DRAIN YOU. Meditation helps patch up the leaking of energy caused the neuroticism of the mind.
How to implement:
(a) Full body stretch for 2-3 minutes
(b) Sit comfortably in a chair, or cross-legged on a pillow on the floor. If you're on the floor try and sit on the edge of pillow so you're leaning forward towards your knees as opposed to back, well, on your lower back.
(c) Close your eyes, try to follow your breath.
5. Stay organized
When we know we have a million things to do with no plan of attack, we get overwhelmed and we become negative about the fact that we have so much to do, so little time, not knowing where to start. You need to have a plan of attack that breaks your big goals into smaller steps, and be strict on yourself about completing small steps. Progress adds up and you feel accomplished with every step you take.
How to implement:
(a) Have a journal/piece of paper, something to plan on.
(b) Break down the big goals/assignments/projects that you're doing into 5-10 little steps that are necessary in the process.
(c) Plan those steps into feasible deadlines, should be flexible enough that you don't have to stress AT ALL about getting them done.
