Morning is the Most Productive Time

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Good mornig,guys! Why don't you drink with me?

(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I haven’t always been a morning person but with a “regular” 9-5 schedule – I didn’t have a choice. So I’ve embraced it. Every morning before work I:

1. Read two newspapers

2. Practice yoga

3. Sip green tea

4. Eat a healthy breakfast

5. Read through and respond to several emails

6. Listen to news radio for 15 minutes

7. Check my Twitter and Facebook feeds

8. Take a shower and get ready

9. Walk for 15 minutes

Most people barely have enough time to jump in the shower, take the dog out for a walk and scarf down some breakfast before they get to work. I don’t do all of the things on that list because I HAVE to – I do them because I WANT to.

My husband thinks I’m crazy but I wake up at 6:05am every morning so I can do all of those things before work. It’s hours before I have to get to work but I love that time to be productive and do the things I want to do for myself.

I recently read an e-book called, “What the Most Successful People Do Before Breakfast” by Laura Vanderkam and it turns out a lot of successful people do exactly the same thing as me. They meditate, exercise, read, practice hobbies and do anything that they like way before they get to work.

As it says in the book — if you do things before work in the morning there’s a higher chance you’ll actually get those things done and out of the way to feel much more accomplished and productive before you sit down at your desk. You’ve all been there… you procrastinate, make excuses and get tired by the end of the day so you may never get to the gym. For me — I don’t like to be rushed. I like to give myself enough time to get ready and wake up.

Gretchen Rubin, author of “The Happiness Project” gets up an hour before her family to check email and headlines and start her day.  I like to do the same thing so that when I actually get to work – I can start working right away and only have a few emails to distract me.

So what do you do in the morning?

Apps that Save You Time

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Musee d'Orsay Clock

Musee d’Orsay Clock (Photo credit: PatrickS)

I’m all about shortcuts and saving time, which is why I absolutely love apps.  My co-workers and friends are always asking me which apps I like the best.  Here’s a bunch that I put together using a SkinnyScoop.com list generator.  Please add the ones that you’ve found that help you be more productive!

Toss or Keep Your Lists?

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It’s always so interesting for me to hear how other people manage their to-do lists.  For instance — I thought everyone kept their lists after crossing everything off — just like I do.  Apparently that’s not the case.  A lot of people toss their lists as soon as they’re done!

I Keep All My Lists!

For me — I like to keep all my work to-dos in Steno pads and keep them in my desk.  Each day before I leave work I write a new list for the following day.  I run through the next day in my head and list out every phone call, followup email, meeting and shoot I need to take care of the next day.  But even when I fill up the pad — I keep it in my desk…just in case.

Sometimes I have to refer back to a note I made on a page or remember what I was doing on a particular day.  I just like to have a record of my life — even if it’s a scratched out, doodled on version.  Apparently so does Karen Rizzo (no relation) — as she told her memoir, “Things to Bring, S#!t To Do” entirely in lists!

Many People Toss Them

But there are some people who throw out their Post-its the second they accomplish whatever goal they set for themselves.  I guess this is a way of physically getting the task out of your way so you can clear your head and move onto the next task.

So what about you —  toss or keep?

Madonna is a List Maker Too

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Madonna

Madonna (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I was in Paris this summer — there were reports that Madonna was staying at the Ritz Carlton hotel.  So me, my friends and hubby did what any sensible traveler would do — we stood in the rain outside the hotel hoping to get a glimpse.  That never happened. Oh well — thanks to my hubby Jay I will be going to see her perform live tonight at Yankee Stadium! Yay!

Madonna Makes Lists

But the real reason for this post — is that Madonna is just like you and me — she’s a list maker! Yep — it’s true.  There have been several reports of her listing away in her limo while trekking off to events and concerts.

There’s even this to-do list that I found on my new favorite site “Lists of Note” — check it out — it’s a list she wrote in the 1990s:

Our Love Of Lists Makes the New York Times

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Just the Grocery List

Just the Grocery List (Photo credit: Krissy.Venosdale)

Lists have officially made it! Did you see the opinion piece in this Sundays New York Times? (such a New Yorker thing to say btw.) It’s basically all about why we all love lists so much.  Two friends and my mother-in-law sent me the article.

Here’s some of the highlights from the New York Times piece:

  1. The web makes lists the easiest way to consume information. (If you’ve ever read an article with a headline like “9 Ways to Make Someone Fall in Love With You” you know what I mean.)
  2. We have short attention spans.
  3. We are competative — even in our list making. (Whose bucket list is cooler, who has read the most books?)
  4. Lists tell stories about your life (What’s in your Netflix cue? It says something about you!)
  5. Atul Gawande is the man when it comes to checklists.  These are very sophisticated list making techniques that surgeons, pilots and construction workers use daily.
  6. The Roget’s Thesaurus was created by compulsive list maker Peter Roget — from just a little list of words.