7 Ways You Can Be More Productive and Get More Things Done

When it comes to being productive, everyone wants to wake up with energy and get more done throughout the day. However, this is not always the case. Most people wake up feeling lethargic, and go through their day tired with no motivation. Your life does not need to feel this way.

Here are the 7 tips I used to wake up productive and get more things done:

1. Get enough sleep

Most people underestimate how much sleep we need in a day. While it is true that everyone’s sleep requirement is different, if you sleep less than your body needs, you will go through your day like a zombie, feeling tired and exhausted.

It is better to have enough sleep and work at an optimum level than to sleep less and produce lousy work. Studies have shown that an average person requires about 6 to 7 hours of sleep. Thus, if you always feel tired, exhausted and sleepy in the morning, maybe you need to develop better sleeping habits. Do you get enough sleep or do you oversleep?

2. Wake up early

Why do the majority of people work best in the morning? Because in the morning is the best time to work. It has less distraction, and you can focus better. Apart from that, your willpower is at the highest in the morning and your self-discipline too.

This is why a lot of successful people like Richard Branson, Ursula Burns, Tim Cook, etc., prefer to wake up early in the morning to start their day. When it reaches afternoon, you will feel tired and sleepy, especially after lunch because the temperature has risen and you have already used up most of your energy. Therefore, try to wake up early and get your most important things done first thing in the morning.

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” – Benjamin Franklin

3. Plan your day the night before

It is always better to plan your day the night before rather than in the morning right after you wake up. The reason is that when you have planned your day the night before, you can go straight to your schedule after you wake up, and you don’t have to spend time working on your plan anymore.

The sad news is that most people never plan, and they go through their day like a lost sheep. They act reactively rather than actively. When you don’t have a plan, you will fall into someone else’s plan and act on whatever comes to you.

4. Eat something healthy

We all know that breakfast is important, as the word itself suggests, break-fast, to break the fasting. Make sure you grab something to eat no matter how busy you are. You don’t have to eat a lot, just make sure it is healthy and nutritious.

5. Drink plenty of water after you wake up

Do you know that drinking 500ml of water after you wake up is good for your health and productivity? When you drink plenty of water after waking up, you will hydrate your organs, and it is also a good way to wash away toxins in your body. Not only that, research has shown that drinking plenty of water upon waking up can make you lose some fat and become slimmer.

6. Exercise and Stretching

One of the most important things you can do once you get up in the morning is to exercise and do some simple stretching. When you exercise and sweat, your body will produce endorphins which make you feel happy. Most successful people choose to exercise and get sweaty in the morning because they know it is a great way to maintain their energy and go through their day productively.

“True enjoyment comes from activity of the mind and exercise of the body; the two are ever united.” – WIlhelm Von Humboldt

7. Take a cat nap in the afternoon

This may sound contradicting to productivity, but taking a short power nap can refresh your energy and make you more alert after you wake up. Do you know that Albert Einstein, Thomas Edison, Leonardo da Vinci and Eleanor Roosevelt took quick naps in the afternoon while they were working?

A 15 to 30 minute short nap is good to make you feel fresh and energetic. If you sleep longer like an hour, you might end up in deep sleep state, which would make you even more tired after you wake up. Hence, take a short nap to replenish your energy and refresh your mind in the afternoon. You recharge your phone every day, why don’t you do it to yourself?