“It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives; it’s what we do consistently.” – Tony Robbins
Being productive and having your life together is hard! Productivity is a habit, just like a plant; the more you nurture it, the more it will develop.
I am an Air sign, and it can be difficult for me sometimes to anchor myself with a goal or vision. Many of you will relate to me on this. I have realized that having a good balance between my emotions and a boss-attitude helps me go a long way.
But how do we do that day in and day out without hustling our way to overwhelm?
You may gather motivation from a video or a social media post, but all those feel-good juices are temporary and only help you change your mindset for a short time.
When it comes to balancing my life as a blogger and an architect, I need to have a mindset that helps me thrive in difficult and challenging situations.
Creating new content every day, along with getting into a design process, is a task!
But over time, I have developed a pattern of habits, a daily routine really, that helps me start my peaceful mornings with a boss state of mind and end my busiest and hectic day with calmness.
Here are some habits that have helped me get into a hustle mindset and be productive in my daily life.
1. Drink a health tonic upon waking.
The very first thing I do upon waking is hydrate my body with a warm cup of water with lemon.
Not only does it flush out all the toxins that developed in my body overnight, but it helps maintain a healthy gut, which is your second brain.
Having a habit of giving back to your body first thing in the morning will not only make you healthy but will have a major impact on your psychological aspect too.
Here are some suggestions for healthy drinks to consume in the morning:
- Warm lemon water
- Water with a pinch of turmeric
- Warm water with apple cider vinegar
- Green tea
2. Consume inspirational content – before checking email or Facebook
Whenever I feel I am in a slump or feel unmotivated, I listen to an inspirational podcast or watch a motivational video to help me explore different ways to look at where I am feeling stuck and offer a fresh perspective on what I might be missing about my situation.
Every morning, listen to a podcast or audiobook or watch a video that will not only help you grow your business but help develop a positive state of mind.
Here are some suggestions of positive content you can enjoy in the morning for inspiration:
- Listen to a podcast
- Read a book or blog post
- Listen to an audiobook
- Create an inspirational music playlist
3. Engage in mindful activities
When talking about the state of mind and productivity, your mental health is the first thing that should be considered. Having a healthy brain will automatically help you be centered and focused.
Research has shown the yoga and mindfulness activity in the morning helps you to align your thoughts with your body. Having a highly productive day requires a state of mind that supports you in going through the emotional roller coaster. If your thought process is not in place and expanding in every direction, you may end up working really hard but getting nothing done.
When your body is aligned with your brain and is not ruled by emotions, that’s when you know you are in a healthy state of mind.
Practicing 10-15 minutes of yoga and/or meditation in the morning will help you maintain a healthy brain and a productive hustle.
Here are some suggestions for mindful activities to include in your morning routine:
- Yoga (minimum 10-15 min)
- Meditation (minimum 10 min)
- Pranayamas (breathing exercises)
- Setting intention through writing
4. Write it out
It is impossible to focus when your mind is going a mile a minute with to-do lists, grocery items, upcoming deadlines, and all those useless facts your brain insists on keeping handy. That’s why it is very important to do a brain dump every day by freely writing down everything on your mind.
Journaling is the best habit I have developed and is still helpful three years after making it a daily must-do.
Journaling helps you create space where you can be yourself, without being self-conscious or insecure. It helps you to view your problems from a third perspective, which makes it a lot easier to solve or get past, if needed.
Whenever I face a creative block, I write my thoughts out, and it always helps me get through the blockage.
5. Sweat it out
Your body generates energy, and when it is trapped, you feel anxious and restless.
Every morning, engage in an activity that will make you sweat – hard!
Sweating helps release endorphins, which are happy hormones, and keeps you on track mentally and physically.
You can do any activity you like – a HIIT workout, a full gym session, swimming, running, walking, any exercise that gets the blood pumping and makes you push yourself a little extra, every day!
6. Make an MIT List
With all the goals and visions floating in your head, it’s quite hard not to get overwhelmed and stay aligned. Every day, decide 3 MITs (Most Important Task) and make a list that will include ONLY three major tasks for the day. Remember to align those tasks with your long-term goals.
“Most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten years.”– Bill Gates
It’s easy to get caught up in work and not realize that spending sleepless nights might look the only option, but this can be dangerous to your health in the long run.
7. Wake up early
When it comes to giving a boost to your daily productivity, waking up early is the best solution.
Mornings give you enough time to reflect upon your decisions, plan out your days, work on your physical and mental health, and take a moment for gratitude.
Waking up early does not require you to get up at 4 am or 5 am. I mean it’s good if you can wake up that early but ideally try to wake early enough in relation to your work start time.
Try to wake up at least two hours before you leave for work to have those spare hours for working on yourself and adding a boost in your productivity by doing little things mentioned above.
Take time in the morning to have your cup of coffee, align your thoughts, set an intention, and then head into your day with ease and clarity.
Easy ways to help you get up early without getting tired:
- Do not use any screen for an hour before going to bed.
- Diffuse lavender oil for better sleep and reducing stress.
- Drink camomile tea for relieving fatigue.
- Get in bed so that you get 7-8 hours of sleep at night.
- Drink water after waking up (boosts your energy)
- Stretch (de-stresses your muscles)
8. Read a book
There is no better way of gaining knowledge than reading a good book. Bill Gates reads approximately 54 books every year, which is more than one book a week.
If you are a creator of any type – whether it is art, content, visual content, business, etc. – you need to gain information to generate and execute new ideas.
Take 15-20 minutes every day to read a book and lose yourself into a new world.
Some of the good reads for personal development:
- The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg
- The Four-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss
- Crush It by Gary Vaynerchuck
- The 5 am Club by Robin Sharma
9. Plan Ahead
Planning is the key ingredient for the success of any business or reaching any goal.
The clearer you are about your vision, the more it will become easy for you to achieve it.
Planning is a great way to see your day, week, or even month at a glance so you can make decisions accordingly.
Dedicate a day every week (preferably Sunday) to do weekly planning as it will make you more efficient and help you mark out empty slots in your week so that you can utilize them efficiently. Try to be flexible with your plan and do not get overwhelmed.
Putting it all together
Being ambitious is good, but when you start to lose your body to the hustle, your body and your productivity will suffer.
Daily hustle is not about having sleepless nights and a busy schedule but about growing yourself in a way that is enjoyable and gives recognizable results.
The habits mentioned above will not only help you be productive in your daily hustle but will ensure your physical and mental stability, which is the ultimate key to success.
Shivya Sharma is a graduate student and loves to write about health and wellness. She has written for hustleinorder.com and Fitsri .
Image courtesy of Avel Chuklanov.