5 Ways to Make Your Mornings More Productive as a Business Leader

By Samantha Hager

Franz Kafka once said, “Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.” Although the concept of being able to do things you were incapable of doing prior as a business leader may be enticing, the actual effort needed to do so is something that holds back far too many business owners, industry leaders, mentors, and contractors alike. Whether it’s the fact that schedules are already full and days are prioritized or that it doesn’t seem viable to add additional routines to your day for greater success, far too many ‘go-getters’ have started to ‘get going’ and turn away from their dreams and lofty goals since the pandemic began.

However, by knowing what the qualities of a productive and successful leader actually are along with a few simple morning routines to actualize these goals moving forward into the new year, these restoration and carpet cleaning pros can finally get back on track and see the ROI from their simple daily actions in no time. After all, Franz Kafka also said another valuable quote that leaders should live by when it comes to success and productivity, “By believing passionately in something that still does not exist, we create it. The nonexistent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.”

What makes a productive and successful leader?

To define a productive leader in black and white is the equivalent of saying that all things with four legs, two eyes, and a tail are dogs. Putting it simply, every leader must interpret productivity and success in their own way. It’s like the quote I referenced in the Viktor Frankl article a week ago, “Ultimately, man should not ask what the meaning of his life is, but rather must recognize that it is he who is asked. In a word, each man is questioned by life; and he can only answer to life by answering for his own life; to life, he can only respond by being responsible.”

When it comes to success, it can be defined by your sense of purpose, your title in your company, your image in the industry, your influence on others, or even your ability to simply provide for your family, friends, and staff respectively. However, there are definitive qualities that you are likely to find in all successful people within our industry that can in fact be defined in black and white. As a result, these are the patterns and commonalities that leaders in the cleaning and restoration industries should hope to exemplify as well moving forward for greater success and productivity.

The qualities are as follows:  

• They are self-aware and prioritize personal development
• They focus on developing others
• They encourage strategic thinking, innovation, and action
• They are ethical and civic-minded
• They practice effective cross-cultural communication
• They are healthy in mind and body
• They engage their creativity daily through music, art, reading, and writing

In order for these qualities to be achieved by a restoration or carpet cleaning company owner, it’s important that these leaders take the time to build upon their skillsets, create daily routines for success, and never forget to align their personal needs with their professional needs seamlessly. To get started, below are five morning routines that successful leaders utilize daily in order to be more productivity, engaging, and focused overall.

Top 5 morning routines to enhance your productivity  

While these routines shouldn’t be the end to a successful leader’s daily schedule for productivity and overall wellbeing, they serve as a great intro into prioritizing your day with your goals in mind. All of the most successful leaders create daily schedules that focus on set goals and how to reach them. Consider this the catalyst to your own daily schedule for success just in time for 2023 and all it has to offer.

1. Practice self-care

According to AICPA, “Practicing self-care will benefit you professionally. It can help minimize burnout, increase team member engagement and even boost productivity. The simple fact is that we cannot divorce our personal selves from our professional selves.” The concept of self-care is relatively broad and can be defined as learning a new skill, spending time with family, taking personal time to decompress, enjoying a hobby or event, or even practicing mindfulness in general.

For your morning routine, try taking personal time to self-reflect, meditate, practice yoga, read, go through a skin/beard care routine, or even simply stretch your muscles and sit on the couch. Although ‘relaxation’ may seem counterproductive for increasing your productivity as a leader, these moments of self-care and personal reflection can help you to be more focused, energized, and positive in the workplace which all contributes to a better work ethic and outlook on daily task management in the workplace.

2. Ignore your phone

Although this may be incredibly difficult to do at first, the results of this one change in the morning time could be mind-blowing. Forbes explains the reason for this in detail, “When you first wake up in the morning your brain switches from delta waves, which occur in a deep sleep state, to theta waves, which occur during a sort of daydreamy state. The brain then moves to produce alpha waves when you are awake but are relaxed and not processing much information.  Now, by grabbing your phone first thing and immediately diving into the online world, you force your body to skip the important theta and alpha stages and go straight from the delta stage to being wide awake and alert (also known as the beta state). In skipping these states and checking your phone right after waking up you are priming your brain for distraction.”

3. Eat a healthy, mind-fueling breakfast

Although it’s a very overused saying, breakfast truly is the most important meal of the day—especially for leaders. With breakfast often being the meal that has the least distractions for those that spend their time in the office or on projects during lunch and dinner hours, breakfast may very well be the only meal that can be had at a table with quality and care in mind.

With this being said, take the time to create a meal worth having for breakfast each day. In fact, because your mind and body are so intertwined, opt for a healthy   meal made up of foods that fuel your brain such as blueberries, strawberries, leafy greens, walnuts, green tea, turmeric, and saffron. To get the most out of these mind-fueling foods, you can always add them all together in a fun and delicious smoothie or berry bowl that is healthy, delicious, and sure to help you focus on and achieve your goals.

4. Do a quick and engaging workout

While most people tend to have some kind of workout routine throughout the week, it is much more common for business professionals to fit this into the after hours once work, dinner, and family time are complete. However, it’s time to switch this trend on its head. According to Healthline, working out in the morning can increase alertedness, help you to make healthier food choices, give you more energy and focus, improve your mood, encourage weight loss, manage your blood pressure and stress, and even help with your sleep schedule likewise. While it doesn’t have to be two hours of rigorous weightlifting, even a simple light jog, bike ride, yoga class, or boxing routine can help wake you up, improve your overall health, and start your days off right for productivity and success ahead.

5. Listen to your favorite music

Lastly, as someone with an extensive background in the music industry and over 35 different playlists for every mood and season, I know the power that music has on your productivity, mood, determination, and success as a leader. However, don’t just take my word for it—according to WebFX, “61% of employees listen to music at work to make them happier and more productive. And according to research, it works! Studies show that 90% of workers perform better when listening to music, and 88% of employees produce more accurate work when listening to music.”

As the new year approaches and opportunities for greater success arise, take these five morning routines, implement them gradually and consistently, and see exactly what a productive leader is capable of with just a bit of planning and consideration at the start of their day.