No Coffee Required: 5 Morning Routines That Can Help You Maintain Long Work Days

I have been asked that question many times over; How can you maintain such a source of inexhaustible energy? I bet you drink two cups of coffee per day. The answer is actually no! I see coffee as being addictive, so I don’t get myself into the habit of drinking coffee and not being able to get out of it. Well, how do I do it then? The steps that follow will help you maintain a reasonable level of energy throughout the day.

Here are my 5 morning routines to help me maintain my 15 hour work day:

1. Morning reading for 20 minutes

The first thing I do when I wake up is pick up a good book and read for 20 minutes. I don’t check my messages or emails. Don’t get tempted into going to your computer first thing in the morning. Reading something positive first thing in the morning will set the tone for the rest of the day. Don’t use your smartphone, or anything that will distract you.

The reason you do this is because you will have a sense of control as you are doing something that you deliberately choose to do. If the first thing you do when you wake up is to start worrying about the demands of life, you are setting yourself up for failure. You will be depleted and won’t be able to do anything productive during the day. Start your day with a sense of control and maintain that attitude throughout the day and maintain that virtuous cycle. Those first 20 minutes are sacred, use them wisely!

“When you are at home, even if the chicken is a little burnt, what’s the big deal? Relax.” – Jacques Pepin

2. Morning exercise for 10 minutes

Your 20-minute reading will be followed by 10 minutes of physical exercises. Push-ups, sit-ups, leg raises or jogging. Whatever you can do to get you physically pumped up. Some good music will be a plus. Exercising first thing in the morning helps boost your metabolism, allowing you to burn more calories throughout the day through a process called excess post-exercise oxygen consumption, or EPOC.

Exercising increases your productivity and gets your endorphins going. You will be more awake and ready to tackle your day by giving yourself that extra energy boost. In addition to the productivity boost, research also shows that working out can increase your mental clarity for four to 10 hours post-exercise. This ten-minute workout gets you ready for the next step that you are about to learn shortly.

3. Morning shower for 15 minutes

If I were to choose between morning and night showers, I would definitely choose morning showers. This may different for most people but showering early morning is yet another amazing energy booster to get you ready for the long day ahead. Research shows that a morning shower can energize the body and help stimulate the lymphatic system.

In addition, a morning shower can wake you up and even boost creativity according to research. Dr. Janet K. Kennedy a clinical expert and sleep expert in New York, recommends a morning shower for those who have a hard time getting out of bed. You got to wash that sleep off!

“Everyone who has taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it that makes a difference.” – Nolan Bushnell

4. Morning writing for 5 minutes

Spending five minutes every morning writing will be of great value as well. I usually spend five minutes each morning writing about what I am grateful for, my parents, my health, my work, etc. I would then write about what the one task is that I would need to get done above all during the day today. Lastly, I write my LTG (long-term Goal) down. I remind myself that everything I do today will be another step to take me closer to that goal.

5. Power breakfast for 10 minutes

Yes, you see right. I call this the power breakfast. I take time to have an abundant breakfast. It varies between fruits, cereals, breads, hot chocolate, milk, chow mein and so on. After that breakfast I am ready to face the day. Sometimes, I will eat breakfast at my office or in class, but I will always make sure I have the power breakfast. While I usually go through the first four steps without speaking a word to anyone, the breakfast is usually different. You are free to have breakfast your way, but always make sure you get your “power breakfast.”

These rules may seem too simplistic as indeed they are, but they are effective. In 2016 I got bad reviews simply because I was sleeping too much in my cubicle and I couldn’t focus. When they would not renew my contract for sleeping too much in my office I knew I needed to find a lasting solution if things were to be different. It had to be a healthy and lasting solution.

From December 2016, I have decided to use these five steps and they have worked wonders. As a matter of fact, I sleep for 5.5 hours down from eight hours previously. That may sound counterintuitive but I have more energy to go through the day right now than I did when I was sleeping eight hours. I know it is effective because I literally work around 15 hours a day. The ultimate success of my writing depends on whether you decide to take these principles and apply them in your own life.

One simple question; Why wouldn’t you give it try?

Image courtesy of Twenty20.com