Ever feel like you’re stuck in a rut of no motivation for work? Aka me a month ago. I constantly felt work anxiety at all points of the day, because work took over my entire day. Now I end my working from home day promptly at 5, and my mind shuts off at 5. I feel more efficient and creative during my work hours, thanks to these 5 productive work habits i’ve implemented into my life (with some honorable mentions at the bottom)!
You can also check out my 5 activities for a productive morning routine!
1. Wake up early
Waking up early is the key to getting your mind right for the day, just think about it- if you sleep in until 7:30 right before you have to get up for work, you have no time to get prepped for your work day. However, if you get up an hour or two early, you can not only get ready for your day but also enjoy your time outside of work.
Working from home in the pandemic, I used to get into a bad rut where work became my entire day, simply because there was nothing else to my day. I now get up everyday weekday at 5am and have come to love all my time in the mornings! It took me a HOT minute to get where I am now, don’t get me wrong, but I love having some me-time before 8am.
If you struggle with waking up early and staying awake, here are some great tips:
- Make sure you are getting quality sleep
- DON’T hit snooze (no matter how difficult!)
- Try a sunrise alarm clock
- Splash cold water on your face as soon as you wake-up
2. Drink at least 3 liters of water
I think i’ve said this truly like 50 times in my productivity posts (& it probably sounds super cliche), but staying hydrated is the most important thing you can do for your body and mind. Your brain is the first part of your body to become dehydrated, even mild dehydration affects your brain function!
I keep a water bottle right next to my bed each morning, so as soon as i’m awake I drink the whole 32 ounces. Click here for the Slm water bottle from Amazon is an absolute staple for me! Get 2-3 of these in a day and you’re golden.
3. Move your body (morning & night!)
I love getting a bit of movement and blood circulation going before I have to sit for a solid 8 hours a day. After I get a some water in my system in the morning, I put on a 20-30 minute yoga flow to wake my body up. Yoga is so good for your mind and body connection, and boosts your energy levels. If you’re not into yoga, it is definitely not necessary! Go on a walk or put on a youtube workout video to get your blood flowing and body awake.
While I do a nice extended stretch in the morning, I also do a 30 minute HIIT workout at lunch or after work. Getting a sweat going is SO important for your mental and physical health, which only boosts your work productivity.
4. Get dressed for the day
Okay now listen, i’m not talking like jeans or anything, but get out of the dang pajamas. I go from my sleeping t-shirt and shorts to my day leggings and t-shirt. The act of getting dressed puts you in the mindset of being ready for the day. Stay comfy and relaxed for working from home, but in a cuter way (check out these cute asf matching sets).
5. Plan out your meetings and tasks
The secret i’ve found to less stress and anxiety about my job, is to plan out my meetings and tasks for the day and week. When I wasn’t working, intrusive thoughts would pop into my head about what I had to do that week or did I complete everything I had to do?! When I have everything I need written out, I know exactly what needs to do and what is completed, and the intrusive stressful thoughts about work ceased.
I’ve linked my favorite daily/weekly planner from Amazon here!
Honorable mention productivity habits:
- Focus on your most important tasks on your to-do list first
- Stop multitasking and start time blocking your day (want a blog post on how to time block? let me know in the comments!)
- Get enough sleep! Your body and brain can’t function properly when it is fatigued
- Try Forest App!
6 Comments
I love to plan out my day. It helps me stay organized. Thanks for sharing this
We live in stressful times. Being productive is the only way to combat stress and loneliness caused by social isolation during the pandemic. Thank you for bringing this up. Loved reading it
Great tips! Planning out your day is so important and helps me to get through the week. Thanks for sharing this!)
These habits are wonderful because they make you feel GOOD! And that sets the mood for everything else.
Waking up early and getting a workout in are key components to having a productive day and week, so that is so awesome you have those ideas in your post! Thank you for sharing!
Waking up early and doing my morning routine really helps me be productive! With this, I totally agree that sleep is important because if I don’t get my sleep, I’ll be grumpy all day. Thank you for this list! Yes, I’ll stop multi-tasking š hahaha