The morning routine experts recommend for peak productivity

The morning routine experts recommend for peak productivityThe morning routine experts recommend for peak productivityWhats the best way to start your day so that you really get things done? Laura Vanderkamstudied the schedules of high-achievers. What did she find? Almost allhave a morning routine.Iveintervieweda ton of top experts about their productivity secretsTim Ferriss,Cal Newport,Dan Ariely,Charles Duhigg, and others.But youre busy. You dont have time to read all that stuff. You need a plan.So many readers have written to me saying what my friend Jason always does I dont have time. Eric, now that youve talked to all these people, what doyoudo?Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraOkay, time to round up what the experts have saidand build a roadmap.1) Stop reactingGet up before the insanity starts. Dont check your email or anything else that is going to dictate your behavior.Wh en I spoke to productivity sektenfhrer Tim Ferriss, bestselling author ofThe 4-Hour Workweek,what did he say?Heres TimI try to have the first 80 to 90 minutes of my day vary as little as possible. I think that a routine is necessary to feel in control and non-reactive, which reduces anxiety. It therefore also makes you more productive.fruchtwein of us get up andit seems like things are already in motion. Gotta race to something. Emails coming in. Were already behind.Soof courseyou arent achieving your goals. You immediately started with what the world threw at you and then just reacted, reacted, reacted as new things came in until the day ended or you were too exhausted to do what was important.You need to wakeup before the insanity starts. Before demands are made on you. Before your goals for the day have competition.(For more from Tim Ferriss on what the most productive people do every day, clickhere.)Okay, youre ahead of the maelstrom. What do you need to do before things get thr own at you?2) Decide the 3 things that matter todayCal Newportis so productive it makes me cry. Hes a professor at Georgetown, cranks out academic papers, has written4 books, and is a dad and a husband. And hes done by 530PM every day. What did Cal have to say?All tasks are notlage created equal. fruchtwein of usdeal with two fundamentally different types of work, Shallow and DeepShallow work is little stuff like email, meetings, moving information around. Things that are not really using your talents. Deep work pushes your current abilities to their limits. It produces high value results and improves your skills.Shallow work stops you from getting fired - but deep work is what getsyou promoted. Deep work must get priority.In his bookThe ONE Thing, Gary Keller applies the Pareto principle to the workdayMost of us get 80% of results from 20% of the work we do. So focus on that 20%.What really creates progress vs treading water?What gives disproportionate results? Dothosethings.And d ont be vague. Specify what you need to get done. Research shows havingconcretegoals iscorrelated with huge increases in confidence and feelings of control.ViaThe 100 Simple Secrets of Successful PeoplePeople who construct their goals in concrete terms are 50 percent more likely to feel confident they will attain their goals and 32 percent more likely to feel in control of their lives. Howatt 1999(For more from Cal on how to stop being lazy and get more done, clickhere.)Okay, you knowwhatis important. Now you need to think aboutwhen.3) Use yourmagic hours for your 3 goalsJust like all tasks arent created equal, all hours arent created equal either.Dan Arielyis a behavioral economist at Duke University and the New York Times bestselling author ofPredictably Irrational The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.Dan says youhave 2-2.5 hours of peak productivity everyday. You may actually be 30% more effective at that time.HeresDanit turns out that most people are productive in the firs t two hours of the morning. bedrngnis immediately after waking,but if you get upat 7 youll be most productive from around from 8-1030.And Dans findingsline up with other research. Ive posted before that2.5 to 4 hours after waking is when your brain is sharpest.You want to waste that on a conference call or a staffmeeting?Studies show that alertness and memory, the ability to think clearly and to learn, can vary by between 15 and 30 percent over the course of a day. Most of us are sharpest some two and a half to four hours after waking.But does this really work? Instudies of geniuses, mostdid their best work early in the day.Those are the hours when you should be working on your3 goals.Designate that part of your dayas protected time.Maybe you know that youre a night owl. Fine, then protectthosehours. The important thing is to do yourkey tasks during your key hours.(For more on the schedule the most successful people use every day, clickhere.)You know whats important today and you kn ow when your best hours are. But maybe youre not motivated or you feel like procrastinating. How can you get going?4) Have a starting ritualCharlesDuhiggis a reporter for the New York Times and author of the bestsellerThe Power of Habit Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. What did he say about fighting procrastination and getting things done?Finishing things isnt as much of a problem as just getting started in the first place.Heres CharlesOne way to use habits to fight procrastination is to develop a habitualized response to starting. When people talk about procrastination, what theyre usually actually talking about is the first step. In general, if people can habitualize that first step, it makes it a lot easier.Maybe getting that cup of coffee is the signal that youre getting down to business. Or do you have a spot where youre usually productive? Go there.Wendy Wood, a professor at USC explains how your environment activates habits - without your conscious mind even notici ng.ViaHabit The 95% of Behavior Marketers IgnoreHabits emerge from the gradual learning of associations between an action and outcome, and the contexts that have been associated with them. Once the habit is formed, various elements from the context can serve as a cue to activate the behavior, independent of intention and absent of a particular goal Very often, the conscious mind never gets engaged.(For more on the fun way to be more successful, clickhere.)Some days it just isnt going to happen. You cant get going on that 1 task. What should you do when all else fails?5) Use positive procrastinationYes, procrastination can be agoodthing- but it has to bethe right kind of procrastination.When do you usually get 1000 things done?When youre avoiding that one thing that absolutely terrifies you.If you know you cant do that scary thing right now, do not turn to Facebook or video games. Tell yourself its okay to avoid it - as long as youre doing the 2 thingon your to-do list.Dr. John Per ry, author ofThe Art of Procrastination, explains a good method forusing this to trick yourself into massive productivityThe key to productivityis to makemorecommitments - but to be methodical about it.At the top of your to-do list, put a couple of daunting, if not impossible, tasks that are vaguely important-sounding (but really arent) and seem to have deadlines (but really dont). Then, farther down the list, include some doable tasks that really matter.Doing these tasks becomes a way of not doing the things higher up on the list,Dr. Perry writes.A similar tip is described by Piers Steel, author ofThe Procrastination EquationMy best trick is to play my projects off against each other, procrastinating on one by working on another.Dr. Steel says its based on sound principles of behavioral psychologyWe are willing to pursue any vile task as long as it allows us to avoid something worse.(To learn a Navy SEALssecrets to grit and resilience when things get hard, clickhere.)I know what s ome of you are sayingWhere are the bullet points? I need bullet points to followNo problem. Here you goSum upHeres what we can put together from listening to all the expertsStop reacting.Get up before the world starts making demands so you can figure out whats important toyou.Decide what matters today.You wont get everything done, so what will move the needle? What will let you end the day feeling like you accomplished something? No more than 3 goals.Use your magic hours for those three things.Your peak productivity time is probably an hour or two after you wake up. If you know your best hours are at another time, fine. Protect your magic hours.Have a starting ritual.Go to the place where you get stuff done. Get your coffee. Anything that tells your brain its timeto rock.When things go sideways, use positive procrastination.If you cant tackle thesuperscary thing,do theprettyscary thing.Designating asuperscary thing in advance as a decoy can make thatprettyscary thing much easier.Wer e all trying to achievework-life balance. Youre not going to get everything done. But start the day right and you can definitely accomplish what matters.Ive said it before and Ill say it againYou can do anything once you stop trying to do everything.Join more than 320,000 readers and get a free weekly update via emailhere.This article first appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree.The morning routine experts recommend for peak productivityWhats the best way to start your day so that you really get things done?Laura Vanderkamstudied the schedules of high-achievers. What did she find? Almost allhave a morning routine.Iveintervieweda ton of top experts about their productivity secretsTim Ferriss,Cal Newport,Dan Ariely,Charles Duhigg, and others.Related from Ladders8 morning habits of the most successful peopleMorning ritual The 7 steps that will make you happy all dayThese are the workout routines of healthy billionairesBut youre busy. You dont have time to read all that stuff. You need a plan.So many readers have written to me saying what my friend Jason always does I dont have time. Eric, now that youve talked to all these people, what doyoudo?Okay, time to round up what the experts have saidand build a roadmap.1) Stop reactingGet up before the insanity starts. Dont check your email or anything else that is going to dictate your behavior.When I spoke to productivity guru Tim Ferriss, bestselling author ofThe 4-Hour Workweek,what did he say?Heres TimI try to have the first 80 to 90 minutes of my day vary as little as possible. I think that a routine is necessary to feel in control and non-reactive, which reduces anxiety. It therefore also makes you more productive.Most of us get up andit seems like things are already in motion. Gotta race to something. Emails coming in. Were already behind.Soof courseyou arent achieving your goals. You immediately started with what the world threw at you and then just reacted, reacted, reacted as new things came in until the day en ded or you were too exhausted to do what was important.You need to wakeup before the insanity starts. Before demands are made on you. Before your goals for the day have competition.(For more from Tim Ferriss on what the most productive people do every day, clickhere.)Okay, youre ahead of the maelstrom. What do you need to do before things get thrown at you?2) Decide the 3 things that matter todayCal Newportis so productive it makes me cry. Hes a professor at Georgetown, cranks out academic papers, has written4 books, and is a dad and a husband. And hes done by 530PM every day. What did Cal have to say?All tasks are not created equal. Most of usdeal with two fundamentally different types of work, Shallow and DeepShallow work is little stuff like email, meetings, moving information around. Things that are not really using your talents. Deep work pushes your current abilities to their limits. It produces high value results and improves your skills.Shallow work stops you from getting fi red - but deep work is what getsyou promoted. Deep work must get priority.In his bookThe ONE Thing, Gary Keller applies the Pareto principle to the workdayMost of us get 80% of results from 20% of the work we do. So focus on that 20%.What really creates progress vs treading water?What gives disproportionate results? Dothosethings.And dont be vague. Specify what you need to get done. Research shows havingconcretegoals iscorrelated with huge increases in confidence and feelings of control.ViaThe 100 Simple Secrets of Successful PeoplePeople who construct their goals in concrete terms are 50 percent more likely to feel confident they will attain their goals and 32 percent more likely to feel in control of their lives. Howatt 1999(For more from Cal on how to stop being lazy and get more done, clickhere.)Okay, you knowwhatis important. Now you need to think aboutwhen.3) Use yourmagic hours for your 3 goalsJust like all tasks arent created equal, all hours arent created equal either.Dan Arielyis a behavioral economist at Duke University and the New York Times bestselling author ofPredictably Irrational The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions.Dan says youhave 2-2.5 hours of peak productivity everyday. You may actually be 30% more effective at that time.HeresDanit turns out that most people are productive in the first two hours of the morning. Not immediately after waking,but if you get upat 7 youll be most productive from around from 8-1030.And Dans findingsline up with other research. Ive posted before that2.5 to 4 hours after waking is when your brain is sharpest.You want to waste that on a conference call or a staffmeeting?Studies show that alertness and memory, the ability to think clearly and to learn, can vary by between 15 and 30 percent over the course of a day. Most of us are sharpest some two and a half to four hours after waking.But does this really work? Instudies of geniuses, mostdid their best work early in the day.Those are the hours when you shou ld be working on your3 goals.Designate that part of your dayas protected time.Maybe you know that youre a night owl. Fine, then protectthosehours. The important thing is to do yourkey tasks during your key hours.(For more on the schedule the most successful people use every day, clickhere.)You know whats important today and you know when your best hours are. But maybe youre not motivated or you feel like procrastinating. How can you get going?4) Have a starting ritualCharlesDuhiggis a reporter for the New York Times and author of the bestsellerThe Power of Habit Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. What did he say about fighting procrastination and getting things done?Finishing things isnt as much of a problem as just getting started in the first place.Heres CharlesOne way to use habits to fight procrastination is to develop a habitualized response to starting. When people talk about procrastination, what theyre usually actually talking about is the first step. In general, if people can habitualize that first step, it makes it a lot easier.Maybe getting that cup of coffee is the signal that youre getting down to business. Or do you have a spot where youre usually productive? Go there.Wendy Wood, a professor at USC explains how your environment activates habits - without your conscious mind even noticing.ViaHabit The 95% of Behavior Marketers IgnoreHabits emerge from the gradual learning of associations between an action and outcome, and the contexts that have been associated with them. Once the habit is formed, various elements from the context can serve as a cue to activate the behavior, independent of intention and absent of a particular goal Very often, the conscious mind never gets engaged.(For more on the fun way to be more successful, clickhere.)Some days it just isnt going to happen. You cant get going on that 1 task. What should you do when all else fails?5) Use positive procrastinationYes, procrastination can be agoodthing- but it has to bethe right kind of procrastination.When do you usually get 1000 things done?When youre avoiding that one thing that absolutely terrifies you.If you know you cant do that scary thing right now, do not turn to Facebook or video games. Tell yourself its okay to avoid it - as long as youre doing the 2 thingon your to-do list.Dr. John Perry, author ofThe Art of Procrastination, explains a good method forusing this to trick yourself into massive productivityThe key to productivityis to makemorecommitments - but to be methodical about it.At the top of your to-do list, put a couple of daunting, if not impossible, tasks that are vaguely important-sounding (but really arent) and seem to have deadlines (but really dont). Then, farther down the list, include some doable tasks that really matter.Doing these tasks becomes a way of not doing the things higher up on the list,Dr. Perry writes.A similar tip is described by Piers Steel, author ofThe Procrastination EquationMy best trick is to play my pr ojects off against each other, procrastinating on one by working on another.Dr. Steel says its based on sound principles of behavioral psychologyWe are willing to pursue any vile task as long as it allows us to avoid something worse.(To learn a Navy SEALssecrets to grit and resilience when things get hard, clickhere.)I know what some of you are sayingWhere are the bullet points? I need bullet points to followNo problem. Here you goSum upHeres what we can put together from listening to all the expertsStop reacting.Get up before the world starts making demands so you can figure out whats important toyou.Decide what matters today.You wont get everything done, so what will move the needle? What will let you end the day feeling like you accomplished something? No more than 3 goals.Use your magic hours for those three things.Your peak productivity time is probably an hour or two after you wake up. If you know your best hours are at another time, fine. Protect your magic hours.Have a start ing ritual.Go to the place where you get stuff done. Get your coffee. Anything that tells your brain its timeto rock.When things go sideways, use positive procrastination.If you cant tackle thesuperscary thing,do theprettyscary thing.Designating asuperscary thing in advance as a decoy can make thatprettyscary thing much easier.Were all trying to achievework-life balance. Youre not going to get everything done. But start the day right and you can definitely accomplish what matters.Ive said it before and Ill say it againYou can do anything once you stop trying to do everything.Join more than 320,000 readers and get a free weekly update via emailhere.Related posts6 Hostage Negotiation Techniques That Will Get You What You WantHow To Get People To Like You 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior ExpertHow To Stop Being Lazy And Get mora Done 5 Expert TipsThis article first appeared at Barking Up the Wrong Tree.