The only sound is the swish and whir of the dishwasher and the steady tap tap clicks as I work. The smell of my Tully’s Dark French Roast lingers in the kitchen while I sit at the table.This is my power hour.
A productive day begins with a productive morning.
Wake up early.
Back when I was a cog in the corporate wheel, I woke up an hour before my kids so I could work out before joining the throngs of people rushing to sit in traffic. That morning workout got me through the day – mentally, emotionally, and physically.
Working from home, it is easy to sleep until the absolute last minute before waking the kids for the morning hustle. Before Christmas break, that’s exactly what I did.
With the New Year and my new goals, my work hours have to be productive.
That brings us back to the power hour. Nothing starts my work day off like waking up an hour before the rest of the family to work in the silence of early morning. In the book, [easyazon_link identifier=”0985056436″ locale=”US” tag=”scrugcorne-20″]15 Secrets Successful People Know About Time Management[/easyazon_link], Kevin Kruse lists waking up early as a trait shared by almost all of the successful people he interviewed. This is probably one of the worst kept secrets in his book!
Fuel your productivity
The morning silence makes it easy for me to slip “into the zone.” I really don’t want anything other than my steaming cup of [easyazon_link identifier=”B00I08J6S6″ locale=”US” tag=”scrugcorne-20″]French Roast[/easyazon_link] in the morning. But breakfast does fuel your day. And when I am in the zone, I don’t want to stop to make myself something to eat. Grab a packet of belVita breakfast biscuits, a small greek yogurt or glass of milk, and a piece of fruit for four hours of energy.
Review and Plan
Another habit of successful people is a weekly planning session and daily plan reviews. This week I grabbed [easyazon_link identifier=”B01BULDOUU” locale=”US” tag=”scrugcorne-20″]the Happy Planner[/easyazon_link]. I love how stylish and motivating it is.
A quick review of my deadlines and my goals each morning give me the structure I need to stay on track with my businesses. Working from home means having multiple streams of income. From downloadable fitness planners to my handmade gnome ornaments, my contribution to the household budget comes from multiple little ventures.
I even adjusted the size of my Commit to be Fit fitness tracker to fit in my Happy Planner. Don’t worry, it’s available in multiple sizes!
Get your blood flowing
Exercise and crafting are my forms of meditation and stress relief. Even if I can only fit in 20 minutes of treadmill time, a half hour of furious cleaning (hey! it counts), or a brisk walk to and from the bus stop with the kids, the burst of activity helps. Normally, my attention starts to waiver after 4 hours of sitting at my laptop.
Planning, nutritious fuel, and physical activity sets my entire day up to be productive! What morning rituals set you up for success?
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