Are you looking to get more done in the morning?

Do you want hit the ground running, and get your day off to a good start?

In this post, I offer a couple of guidelines to help you be more productive in the morning.

Get comfortable…but not too comfortable.

Lazing about in your pajamas, leisurely drinking a cup of coffee, reading an online newspaper or magazine…sounds good, right? One of the reasons you may not get things done in the morning is that you become a bit too comfortable getting ready at home, or at the office.

Now, I’m not saying you shouldn’t enjoy yourself during your morning routine, but it’s important you keep things under control. Everyone’s entitled to a bit of peace and quiet as they begin the day.

Try building in some relaxation time into your daily routine; go ahead and give yourself a couple of moments to collect your thoughts. After that time has passed, however, it’s time to start getting ready for work, school, and to attend to any other responsibilities you may have.

Make a to-do list the day before.

Instead of spending your time in the A.M. trying to figure out what you should do that day, try preparing your to-do list the night before. That’s right, no more fretting about what you have to do; you can review your list in the morning, and get to work, right away.

Create your list at the end of the work day, while everything is still relatively fresh in your mind. You may find preparing your list ahead of time to be quite a refreshing change of pace. It’s an easy way to “pre-program” your mind to the tasks that you’d like to accomplish the following day. If you haven’t yet done so, try it!

Wake up earlier.

Having trouble getting work done in the morning? It may sound silly, but make sure you are awake for those morning hours. If you’re waking up at 10 or 11 A.M., for example, that can be a bit of a problem. You only have one or two hours in the morning in which to get things done!

Try waking up a little earlier than you usually do in the morning. Yes, you may need to go to bed earlier the night before, but it’s worth it. Rest easy, you don’t have to get up at 4 A.M. to get a head start. Even waking up half an hour earlier than you normally do is a good way to add a few more minutes to your morning.

Work on important tasks first.

Distractions are everywhere nowadays. From email, to Facebook, Pinterest, and text messages, it can be hard to sit down and  actually do your work. Why not put all of those things on hold for a few hours? They’ll still be around when you finish what you need to finish, anyway.

So, give yourself permission to work on the hard stuff first. You can work in earnest when it comes to writing a report, reviewing a website, processing papers, or any other “must do” tasks on your to-do list. You’ll feel a great sense of accomplishment and achievement for completing difficult work before noon.

Eat breakfast.

Are you sabotaging your productivity without even realizing it? If you want to be productive in the morning, you should give your mind and body the fuel it needs.

Make sure you eat a healthy, well-balanced breakfast before going to work or school. This is a simple tip, but it can mean the difference between crossing out five items on your to-do list, or barely completing one task before 11 A.M. because your stomach is empty.

How about you? How do you get things done in the morning? Is there a certain routine you follow? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!