Finding the motivation to be productive throughout your day can be pretty tough, but you don’t want to feel like you’ve wasted the entire day doing nothing. The way you start your day can have a big impact on how you spend the rest of it. Fortunately, there are plenty of easy ways to get motivated in the morning and keep that motivation strong for the rest of the day…

Set Your Alarm 10-15 Minutes Earlier

Most people begin each day by pressing the snooze button. Try to resist this and wake up when the alarm goes off the first time. You’ll find that you have more time in the morning to relax before going to work or running your errands for the day. You can take this extra time to read the newspaper or reflect on the day ahead of you. There are plenty of perks to waking up early, and all of them outweigh the annoyance of listening to your snooze alarm go off every five minutes.

Set Goals to Accomplish Throughout the Day

Having goals will do wonders for your day. It’s best to start out with smaller goals and make your way toward the more ambitious achievements. For example, start the morning by making your bed. From there, make breakfast and clean the dishes. Your next goal might be to sweep the floors, followed by vacuuming the bedroom and then cleaning the bathroom.

With each feeling of accomplishment, you’ll be more willing to complete another goal. When you finish each goal, take a few minutes to recognize the significance of each task — remind yourself that you have a purpose for each task you complete.

Make Sure You Are Energized

There are three ways to get energized: sleeping, eating and exercising. Getting a good night’s sleep can make a noticeable difference in the way you feel during your day. Aiming for eight hours usually does the trick, but the important thing is to make sure you sleep through a full sleep cycle — try using sleepyti.me to calculate when you should go to sleep based on the time you need to wake up, so you can feel fully rested.

Eating well also has a positive effect on your energy level — having a balanced diet of fresh foods will help you more than processed foods. Exercising allows for endorphins to go through your body, giving you more energy. Yoga and Tai Chi can both easily be done at home, although jogging or going to the gym are also effective options.

Clean out the Junk

Cleaning is a surprisingly easy way to get motivated. You might start by getting rid of those items you no longer use. If the item is broken, throw it out. If it’s still in good condition but you don’t use it much, donate it to goodwill or give it to someone who will use it.

If you have items you only use at specific times of the year — perhaps sleds in the winter or beach chairs in the summer — self storage is a good method for getting your items out of the way when you don’t need them. You can choose various sizes for your storage depending on what you need. Don’t do your whole house all at once — stick with one room each day, or even one area of a room. You will notice and appreciate the difference.

Switch up Your Routine

Following the same routine day after day can get pretty monotonous. Mixing things up might be the trick to renewing your motivation. Trying new things or doing your normal routine in a different order can be exciting. Perhaps instead of having cereal in the morning, you can make pancakes or eggs. Think about going for a run before you go to work. Be adventurous.

Remain Positive

The only way you’ll improve yourself is to be positive. If you look at a goal with a negative perspective, the odds are against you when you try to complete it. Instead of looking at your list of goals as a burden, look at them as a way to make yourself happier. A little bit of positivity goes a long way.

Getting motivated doesn’t have to be a struggle. There are plenty of ways you can start your day strong and keep that motivation going for the rest of it. By propelling your motivation, you’ll enable yourself to be more productive each day.

About the Author

Kayla Matthews is a productivity blogger and healthy living enthusiast. For more of her posts on productivity, follow her on Google+, Twitter and at ProductivityTheory.com.

Photo Credit: RicanGeek via Compfight cc