10 Ways To Instantly Feel More Accomplished Every Day | Productive Morning Routine

This post contains affiliate links. To learn more, hop over to our Disclosure page.

What you do in the morning really does set the tone for your entire day.

I’ve always kind of known this, but like any millennial, I have tried countless shortcuts to try to hack the system. Needless to say, nothing works. I hate to break it to you, but if you want to be productive, you have to get started immediately. Lounging for the first half of your day and then expecting to get stuff done in the second half just isn’t practical.

These are the 10 things I do pretty much every morning. I skip some steps on weekends, but overall I try to keep the timeframe as steady as possible. Knowing exactly what to to each morning is super helpful in getting me out of bed and off to do something, even if that “something” is just getting comfy on the couch with a good book.

This morning routine works amazingly well for me, and I know it can help you too!

WAKE UP ON SCHEDULE

We all think that extra five (or 30) minutes of sleep will make us feel less tired. When really, all it does it make you feel more sleepy. Starting your morning feeling like an unproductive slob will bring you down for your entire day. Once I’m off to a lazy start, I can never seem to pick up the pace. I’ll end up getting almost nothing done and spend entire the day feeling disappointed in myself.

Something as simple as getting out of bed on time and putting one foot in front of the other makes all the difference in how your day turns out.

I TEXT MY MOM FIRST THING IN THE MORNING

Obviously, this is optional. I consider my mom my best friend, and I enjoy touching bases with her each morning. We never discuss anything of importance at this time; it’s just to say good morning.

If it feels right for you, find someone who you can connect with first thing in the morning. Perhaps this person is already in the room with you. It’s a great feeling connecting with someone for no reason other than to show how much you care. It gets my day off to a positive and calm start before my feet even touch the floor.

MAKE THE BED

I make my bed as soon as I exit it. This way there is no chance of me getting back into it until night. The task takes all of three minutes, and you’ll instantly feel cleaner, more put together, and motivated to get more tasks checked off your list.

I know this one is such a cliche, and yes, I have tried to ignore it and see if I can get away without doing it. I’ve tried closing my bedroom door and forbidding myself from going in the bedroom during the day. I’ve also tried making the bed the lazy way by folding the covers back to “let the bed breathe.” Instead of all the failed shortcuts, I should have just done it right from the start and maybe I’d be further along on my business journey by now.

Once my bed is pulled together, it’s time for me to get myself pulled together.

GRAB A CUP OF GREEN TEA & SOME INSPIRATION

I head into the kitchen and start heating water for tea. I have a hard time drinking cold water first thing in the morning, so I opt for hot green tea with no sugar. While that’s going, I head into the bathroom to freshen up. Multi-tasking, you know.

By the time I’m done flossing my teeth, my tea is ready. Like a homing pigeon I circle back and sit on a pouf at the foot of my bed along with my laptop open to YouTube. I try not to waste time during the day watching YouTube, so this is my designated time to watch whatever video strikes my fancy.

Although, you’ll be surprised at how enlightening these “useless” video end up being. I almost always gain content ideas or some sort of lifestyle inspiration. The time isn’t wasted if you watch with intention and gain something from it.

MAKEUP & A PONYTAIL, ALWAYS

I start on my makeup while I’m enlightening my mind. If you only take one step from this list, let it be to get yourself dressed and presentable for the day. Some days I just don’t feel like painting on a full face of makeup, so I don’t. But I always put a little something on. Fill in my eyebrows, dab on some concealer, maybe some bronzer and blush, and then mascara. The difference between being productive during the day and going back to sleep is all in how you feel. And you’ll feel so much better when you know you put some effort in.

While I’m on that note, I also brush my hair and throw it up in a ponytail. It’s not much, but knowing my hair is in a fresh ponytail rather than the one I slept in is quite helpful for me.

A PROPER OUTFIT, ALWAYS

Next, I get dressed. When I say a “proper outfit,” I mean that loosely. The key is simply to change out of your pajamas. I don’t know why this makes such a huge difference, but it does. Even if I only change out of my loungewear and into another set of loungewear, (preferably something that somewhat matches,) I feel so much more ready to tackle the day!

PLANNING THE DAY IN MY BULLET JOURNAL

I reward myself with a cup of coffee after getting this far in my getting ready routine. I sit down and plan my day in my Bullet Journal while I sip.

For more details on how I use my Bullet Journal, check out this post!

By now it’s around 7:45 AM. I take about 30 minutes each morning to reflect on what I need to do, what I want to do, and how I’m feeling about all that. Really taking my time with this step ensures that I end up with a to-do list that is doable, and isn’t so crazy that I end up feeling like a failure  because I didn’t come close to completing it by the end of the day. I love lists, but they aren’t helpful if they make you feel less motivated.

Also, do your afternoon self a favor and plan what you are cooking for dinner.

MOVE & TIDY

Once I feel like I have my life in order, there’s only one task left that can make me feel even more on top of things. I like to get the house clean and move my body at the same time.

No, this is not the time when I start ripping apart my kitchen cabinets. This is when I take a few minutes to tidy up whatever I see that looks messy. Most days, this involves wiping down the bathroom mirror and sink area, placing runaway shoes back on the shoe rack, and throwing away yesterday’s junk mail so it doesn’t accumulate on my desk. Little things like that take 5 minutes to complete, but will give you a whole day’s worth of satisfaction.

I try to do this little dance quickly. For one thing, I’d just rather not spend hours cleaning. But cleaning quickly is also a great way to get a bit of exercise into your morning. I power walk around, do a few squats here and there, and dance around. I work up a sweat, and I didn’t even have to step on the treadmill!

ACCOMPLISH SOME ROUTINE WORK TASKS

I keep a list of simple work tasks that I do every day. Whatever your day job is, I’m sure you have some little things that need attention as well. For me, these tasks include responding to emails, managing comments, interacting on social media, checking up on Etsy, and keeping blog posts up to date.

I set aside about an hour each morning to work on these tasks before getting into any other projects I have planned. I treat it like a warm up for my brain. Sort of like what making the bed is for my body. Once I have a few simple tasks ticked off the list, I feel super inspired to complete more.

PREPARE & EAT A LEISURELY BRUNCH

After a morning of hustling (I mean that in a positive way, of course,) I enjoy preparing myself a nice brunch and eating it slowly. This is my time to recoup and prepare myself for the rest of my day, which is less structured.

I will often read while I eat. Right now I’ve really been enjoying keeping up with current events in the New York Times.

HOW TO DESIGN YOUR OWN MORNING ROUTINE

Your morning routine doesn’t have to look like mine. The only requirement for your morning routine is that you follow it consistently. I recommend starting by establishing exactly how much time you have to spend each morning. Then, focus on three or four main things you enjoy doing first thing in the morning that help you get moving.

Don’t make this list too long, or it won’t be a happy morning routine. Make your morning routine a time you enjoy, not just a list of tasks that must get done before you “real” to-do list starts.

Feeling super ambitious? Try making different routines for different days of the week. That’ll really get your productivity (and creativity!) going.

Since I began taking pride in my morning routine and making an effort to stick to it, my productivity has skyrocketed! I now get so much more done in a day. I actually finish my to-do lists, and I don’t feel like I have to drag myself through the day, beating myself up every step of the way.

It’s amazing how much your mind controls how your body feels.

That’s all for today!

Like this post? Then you’ll probably like this one too >> Sick Day Routine — Feel better physically & mentally

If you find this post interesting, informative, or just plain entertaining, tell me about it in the comments below. And don’t forget, sharing is caring. Share this post!

Till next time. ♥︎

Sign up for my free monthly e-journal, The Millennial Maven Love Letters for exclusive content + millennial inspiration and lifestyle hacks. Plus get instant access to my library of on-the-go style downloads!

FTC- This post is not sponsored by any brands mentioned. I purchased all products myself. All opinions are my own. Some links may be affiliated.