5 Habits To Supercharge Your Day

Wouldn’t it be nice to launch every day in a supercharged mode? No matter how you were feeling physically or mentally? Today we will look at 5 habits to supercharge your day.

It’s Been Rough

I’ve been mostly non-functional over the past two weeks. We were out of town for the first week, and in my rush to get things back on track when we returned home I did something to my back or neck, which resulted in severe pain in both those regions and pain in my right arm as well (pinched nerve…) I couldn’t sit comfortably, I couldn’t lift my right arm, and I couldn’t sleep. Not a good recipe for productivity.

What I did find is by going back to the basic 5 habits, I was able to get as much done as I physically could, in spite of the limitation.

(I’m not 100% yet, but I am now sleeping without waking from pain, and I can sit for minimal amounts of time, and I can type for short bursts)

Why The Basics

How you start your day will affect the entire day. Think back to a day when you woke up grouchy. Did you have a good day? No, you didn’t.

If you purposefully set the foundations for how you start your day, you can hedge the bets and give yourself a better start.

The 5 Habits To Supercharge Your Day

These five basic habits are not terribly hard, but will set you on the path to success and productivity.

The goal is to provide you with early “wins” as well as a realistic look at what you can do that day.

1. Make your bed.

This is an easy “win.” You may think it isn’t necessary, or even desirable, but having a made bed sets the tone for your bedroom.

Taking the 30 seconds to make the bed gives you an island of neatness and order that you can launch from.

2. Dress up, show up.

I’ve heard people say “dress for the job you want.” Clothes affect how we carry ourselves. We would never (hopefully) think of showing up to a job interview in ratty old sweats. So why would we wear those during the day?

I’m not a morning person. I know the temptation to stay in my pjs until noon. But I find that when I put on comfortable happy clothes, I get more done, and I don’t waste time.

Why? I suspect because it shifts my mind into a professional mode, and from there I don’t waste time.

One caveat: pick clothes that make you feel happy. One of the side benefits of doing Marie Kondo’s program is that I only have clothes that make me feel good. When I put clothes on, I know I look good and I feel comfortable. That makes me even more ready to start the day.

3. Make the short list.

You probably have dozens of things on your task lists. Now is the time to sit down, look at the time available for the day, factor in how much you can physically do, and then prune the list.

There is no point in leaving things on your task list that you can’t get to, either from lack of time, or lack of ability. These undone things will only sit there and jeer at you: “yeah, you may have gotten all that other stuff done, but you didn’t get to us! Nyah!”

So make a short list, and work from that. If you don’t have time, or the physical ability, that is OK. Your goal is to make a list you can finish in the time and physical space you have.

Remember if you fish it, you can always do one of those tasks that didn’t make the short list.

4. Commit to and do one thing.

Start the day by committing to and completing one thing on your shortened list. Do it before you check email, social media, or dive into your inbox.

Checking off that one thing sets the stage for continued success.

5. Be gentle.

Don’t jolt yourself into the morning rocket-powered. This is especially true if you are not a morning person.

Sure, adrenaline will get you started, but it’s not sustainable. It is better to have a gentle start so the rest of your day is not frantic.

This applies especially to the short list. Do not give into the temptation to push yourself too far. Know what you are capable of, and be gentle with yourself.

If you don’t do it, who will?

Discussion Question

Do you think morning habits set the tone for the day? If not, why? If so, what are your morning habits that you use?

Please share your opinion below.

Image by Free the Image. Licensed under Creative Commons. No changes made.