Having a morning routine is one of the most powerful productivity habits that you can acquire. Don't worry, when I say morning routine, I don’t suggest that you get up at 5 p.m. in the morning, meditate for an hour, and run a 10k. A morning routine is what you do in your very first part of your working day, e.g., your first 30 minutes when you have arrived at your office. The idea is, how you start the day will define how the rest of your day is going to be. It sets the tone. So, let's take advantage of that and set yourself off in the right direction. Here are my tips on how to give a great start to your working day.

Don't check your email.

It's crucial that you don't open your email first thing in the morning. Otherwise, you will be drawn right into firefighting mode. E-mail has an incredible pull. It always feels urgent. Don't fall into the trap of "I just get these emails out of the way so that I can then work on my goals". While answering emails, another slew of emails will come in and bury you under. You can be busy the whole day, going through your email inbox without ever getting closer to your goals.

Have a look at your calendar

Is there anything coming up today that needs preparation? Is there a meeting you need to provide input for? Is there a deadline lurking around the corner that needs attention? I look also a few days ahead, I even peek into next week. This helps me to avoid to deal with sudden surprises and it reduce stress. For that reason I have set my calendar on the Mac to show me ten days instead of just seven to have a bigger time window. If you want to know how I do that, you can find a blog post here.

Have a look at your goals

For me, I am best at decision-making in the morning. I have the most energy, and it's easy to be decisive. This is true for most people. The best way to make informed decisions is to look at your goals. A daily reminder of where you actually want to go is extremely powerful. It always amazes me how quickly I forget what I have originally planned when the frenzy of the day takes over. Looking daily at your goals sets your brain into the right mindset. It sets you up for seeing opportunities that help you to achieve your goals.

Tip: Make it also a habit to look at your goals when you come back from a meeting, a break, or from firefighting. It helps you to get back on track.

Decide on what to do

Based on your goals and your commitments that day (deadlines, meetings, teaching, etc.), make a decision on three tasks. The number three is a good balance. On one side, it forces you to set priorities; on the other hand, it is small enough so you don't risk to failing and being frustrated. It’s important to understand that we are not able to do everything. The question you have to answer is, what is more important to you? How can you use your time and energy in the most effective (not efficient!) way? Which task do you have to finish to get closer to achieving your goals?
Note that all the work that we have to do as part of our job can be done later.

Tip: If you need some time in the morning to get into gear, make it easy for you. Decide on three things right before you are leaving your office. This allows you to hit the ground running.

If you want to dive deeper into how to choose your three goals, I have written a blog on the Rule of Three. It also includes examples.

Make time for your big and difficult tasks

Often, our core work in academia, i.e., thinking, reading, writing, creative work, etc., is pushed aside because it quite often doesn't have an immediate deadline. There is always something that seems to be more urgent. However, your biggest achievements are not the result of just one deadline where you worked really hard for a few days. They are the results of effort over a long period of time (months or even years). Make space in the morning to work on these important tasks. Otherwise, they will get run over by daily firefighting and last-minute meetings.

Tackling these big problems in the morning is called “Eating the Frog.” The idea is to chop away every day a little bit on large and difficult (hence ugly) projects. This is where you can make a difference. Most people are just deadline-driven and, as a result, are consistently stressed out and, as a result, provide low-quality output. Embrace eating your frogs in the morning when you have the highest level of energy. More on this technique can be found here.

Adding more to your morning routine (if you want to)

If you want to, you can also explore having a morning that is much more complex. You can add journaling , sports, meditation, reading, etc. There are large communities on the internet sharing ideas. As always, start simple, e.g., with the few fundamental steps laid out here and then increase the complexity when your habit is established. Also, always think about what makes the most sense in your current life situation and what resonates with you personally. Be agile and adapt to your (changing) circumstances.

How to get started?

As I have mentioned in the beginning, a morning routine doesn't necessarily mean that you have to get up early and get everything done even before breakfast. A good (and more sensible) start is to take aside the first 20-30 minutes when you get to the office. Give yourself a chance to set yourself up in the right direction. Give it a try for a week or two and see the benefit. Later, you can extend the time, e.g., adding more done for your ugly frogs. Consider also moving meetings around to allow you bigger chunks of time in the morning.

Additional Resources

Famous books on morning routines are “The Miracle Morning” by Hal Elrod and “The 5 AM Club” by Robin Sharma. However, note that both talk about getting up early
I have written a blog post about “Eat the Frog” and the Pomodoro Technique that can help you to work in smaller chunks on your big projects.
Examples of how to choose your three goals can be found in my blog post on the Rule of Three.
It’s also very useful to have a shut-down habit to transition from work to private life. Here is a blog post on how to do that.

Work Smart and Be Remarkable!

Have a great day!
- Helmut

A morning routine without getting up at 5 a.m.