If you’re the type who often sees 5 p.m. on the clock and wonders where the day went, you may need a little bit of a reset to boost your productivity. But rather than heading to TikTok for some mind-bogglingly complicated morning routine, opt for a few simple strategies from time-management experts that’ll set you up for success and help you make the most of every morning (no smoothie-making or mantra-chanting required).
Plan ahead
First things first: A good morning starts the night before by planning ahead for the next day. “Preplanning the day ahead and making decisions ahead of time makes the rest of your day potentially calmer and less stressful,” says Melinda Rathkoph, MD, MBA, founder of Declutter Docs and spokesperson for the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals. “Set yourself up by knowing what’s coming.”
One aspect that frequently gets overlooked as people try to optimize their schedules is the downtime needed in between your to-dos—such as commuting time for appointments, Rathkopf says—so make sure that’s built into your schedule.
Optimize your sleep
“Get a good night’s sleep” seems to be the remedy for everything from stress to immune-system ills—and so it should be no surprise that a lack of sleep can impact your productivity, too. “Sleep is so vital to daily functioning and brain health,” Rathkopf says. “Start with how much sleep you need to feel refreshed, then work backwards from there and schedule sleep first.”
Skip the screens
No one is immune to losing time scrolling—and time management expert Julie Morgenstern, author of several books, including Time Management From the Inside Out, recommends you avoid the temptation altogether by minimizing your interaction with your phone. That includes placing the phone far from your bed, and perhaps even blocking off apps that’ll stress you out or become a major time suck.
“The number one thing that can boost morning productivity has to do with screen time,” she says. “We should not be on our devices an hour before bed, and we should not be on our devices for our first hour of the morning. In the morning, you don’t want to wake up and the first thing you do is check your phone—it just will suck you in and you’ll lose time.”
She knows exactly how hard this is (she’s currently in the middle of a digital detox with a family member), but insists it’s essential. “The phone can be a useful tool, but it’s designed to keep us on there. Think of it like sugar—you have to really manage your consumption, and take charge. It’s the key to morning productivity, engagement, your relationships, everything.”
She recommends swapping out that morning and evening screen time for something analog—like reading a book, getting outside, or having a conversation with someone. “Replace screen time with something more nourishing for your body, brain, and soul,” Morgenstern says.
Streamline your routine (and your kids’ routines, too)
You may have seen a million social media posts with people flexing about their killer morning routine, featuring pre-dawn wake-ups, journaling time, yoga, some sort of complicated smoothie, and of course, a 10-step skincare regimen. But for many people, an elaborate morning routine like that is a one-way ticket to overwhelm (or falling asleep at your desk before lunch).
A complex morning routine can really backfire. “It can make you stressed out—’Oh god, I didn’t meditate long enough!'” Morgenstern says. “Add three to four elements maximum for a morning routine. Otherwise, you’re habituating to something that’s unsustainable.” So choose the big three elements that really start your morning on a strong, calm, and powerful note, and stick with them.
Of course, if you’re getting ready with others in the a.m., that complicates matters. Young kids, in particular, can cause plenty of morning chaos. If that’s your situation, Morgenstern recommends getting your routine fully done before they wake up and look for ways to streamline their mornings, too. “Study each kid and see how long it takes them to get ready,” Morgenstern says. “Do what you can to streamline their habits.” For instance, if dressing your preschooler requires multiple outfit suggestions, have them narrow it down to one or two the night before so you can take that stress out of your morning.
Make each morning as predictable as possible
Even at work, aim for creating a predictable cadence. “Our brains love predictability,” Rathkopf says. “When you have a predictable routine, you’re reducing your stress and cognitive load.”
One key for productivity—especially with deep or creative work—is creating a predictable time of day where you’re engaging in that activity. “You’re habit building for the brain,” Morgenstern says. “If you have a predictable head-down time, your brain gets acclimated to it—it’s 10:30, that’s when we do our deep thinking. I’ve never seen anyone build proactive work with an erratic schedule.”
Start your day with your highest impact work
Put your best foot—and your best work—forward by putting your initial time in on a big-impact to-do that requires your freshest self. (Fun fact: The morning is when you make your best decisions, so it’s the perfect time to think through big picture projects and complex tasks.)
“The number one difficulty people have is that the day starts off all reactive, and they can’t get to proactive work,” Morgenstern says. “So start with the most high-impact project of the day. Deep thinking work—like writing or coming up with a strategy—is usually an incredibly productive boost to your day. Even if you only get that one thing done, you’ll feel the greatest sense of relief that you’ve done your job.”
If you work somewhere where your schedule is set—and includes a first-thing-in-the morning meeting, Morgenstern recommends blocking off a period of time a half hour or hour after the meeting for your quiet, productive work. (That buffer time lets you address any to-dos that came out of the meeting before you settle in on your key work.) Or, better yet, see if you can get the higher-ups to buy in on a “quiet hour” before you launch into the morning standup. “Suggest that you’d all be much more productive if you all use the first hour of the day for proactive work and then have standup, and see if you can get alignment to just move the meeting,” Morgenstern says.
Schedule in self-care
Again, we’re not talking about a big, long 20-step self-care routine that requires an uninterrupted two-hour block—because no one has time for that. Instead, look for ways to install little self-care mini breaks throughout the day.
“Add microbursts of self-care in your day—5- to 20-minute activities that recharge you,” Morgenstern says. “You need to have regular, steady sources of fuel and refuel built into your day so that you’re not just working until you drop at your desk. It doesn’t have to be elaborate, but it should be something you can squeeze into any day.” Some suggestions: a short walk, listening to your favorite music or podcasts on your commute, or reading a book.
It’s especially important to take these recharging moments when you’re at your very busiest. “The harder you’re working, the harder you have to recover,” Morgenstern says. “You have to increase your recovery time, because you’re working that much harder.”
Change it up as needed
Don’t consider your morning routine a set-it-and-forget-it proposition—change will be inevitable. “You may need to change it based on other obligations, at different stages of your life, or even in different seasons,” Rathkopf says. (Because no one wants to be jogging outdoors when it’s blizzarding out!)
You may also decide that an element of your morning is actually a detriment to your productivity—and it may be time to let that go. “The worst thing would be to try to make yourself do something that doesn’t work for you—everyone’s different. You can take other people’s ideas and then adapt them to your own life.”
She also suggests you give yourself grace, too, if your morning isn’t as productive as you’d hoped—or doesn’t look like those perfect TikTok routines. “Don’t be mad at yourself—everybody’s different, and what you’re seeing in posts is someone else’s best versions and best days,” Rathkopf says. “They have those not-so-perfect days, too.”
This article was written by Lisa Milbrand and originally published on REAL SIMPLE. Lisa Milbrand has more than 20 years of experience as a lifestyle writer and editor, writing thousands of articles on topics that help people live better and healthier lives for Real Simple, Parents, and dozens of other top publications.