Time Management Tips for Students of All Ages (By Tonya White Johnson)

It's a brand new school year, and I am having loads of fun watching and hearing all of the first-day school stories and seeing the pictures of students heading back to school. And while the first few days of school are always fun and exciting for both student and parents it's important to get a jump start on what's important.

I have to warn you, that just like that you will look up and half the year is gone. It's around this time that my coaching and tutoring line starts blowing up. The first semester is typically okay. The second one is where the struggles begin. Time management can make all the difference in a successful or unsuccessful year for a student. Here are a few time management tips that are paramount to passing classes and being promoted to the next grade or next level.

Make a to-do list-I encourage my middle schoolers and up to purchase and use a scheduler. It's important to know where you are supposed to be and when. It's also important to make a schedule and see what tasks are to be completed on a daily basis. Checking these tasks off as you go helps you see how productive your day is.

To do list evaluation-Students that are old enough and responsible enough to review their task list can do it on their own at the end of the day. However, it is important to be very honest and make sure that all tasks are getting done and not just checked off. For younger children, parents should be a part of evaluating their daily to-do list; this helps to teach them responsibility and accountability. It's also an excellent time to chat and catch up with your little one while reviewing the to-do list. I encourage parents to make sure they get started with a to- do list with their middle schoolers and above but some parents have helped their children use daily planners in elementary school with much success.

Use your time wisely-most people would be amazed at the time that is wasted throughout the day. One way to understand how much is being lost is to keep a log of your time. There are many distractions to choose from including social media, text, video games and more. The unfortunate part is that we have these distractions at our fingertips now. Gone are the days when you had to wait to get home and watch TV or call your best boyfriend or girlfriend. Our phones and tablets are attached to us and are everywhere present. It makes it very easy to check your phone 100 times a day. The problem is that each time the phone is pulled out the clock is ticking and time is being wasted. The first time I did this exercise I was amazed at how many times I looked at my phone during working hours.

If you are not already, parents should consider limiting cell phone and TV watching time. While there are many valid arguments for taking a phone to school these days, there are also valid questions as to how much distraction is a phone. Gone are the days when half of lunch was spent reading, or catching upon the next day's homework. Make sure your student is using their time wisely. Talk to them about censoring themselves to spend less time on their cell phone and more time on school work.

Communicate your schedule to others---make sure your friends and family know your study hours. Phone calls and text can be very distracting when doing school work and are huge time wasters. Simply communicating to your friends that you are not available for a period of time would help tremendously. Being able to do homework for an entire two hours versus 30 minutes can greatly enhance and improve grades.

Time yourself--- My final time management tip that is great for all ages is the kitchen timer. There is an actual story behind the Pomodoro (from which this method originated) that I won't' go into at this time, but I typically encourage my students to get a simple kitchen timer to use as a time management tool. It is used just the same way your mother or grandmother uses it in the kitchen. You set a time preferably, 25 minutes, to complete focus on your school work and when the time goes off, you stop. You would be amazed at what can get done in 25 minutes of focused time.

No doubt about it these time management tips are beneficial for all ages. However, it is especially gratifying to see young students learn these habits at an early age. I have personally seen some great success with students of all ages when they use these time management skills.

Learning these good time management habits are life skills that are beneficial in college, career and beyond. Some argue to let kids be kids, but I am a firm believer that as parents are given a responsibility to train up our children in the way, they should go. We are given a one-time opportunity to teach them life skills. When we start certain methods is an individual choice. However, research has proven that those things learned in our formative years are likely to stay with is for a lifetime.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Time-Management-Tips-for-Students-of-All-Ages&id=9499375

Common Time Management Mistakes

Time management is a skill and there are many ways to sharpen this skill. Yet, there are certain methods of time management practised that cause your time to slip away unutilized rather than helping in saving it. Here is an eye opening article for some of the most common time management mistakes in practise.

Too much of Planning

It is good to make the "to-do" list. Also, it is a good idea to maintain an excel sheet of your work every day but scribbling a notebook with pen with how every hour of your day is spent is definitely not appropriate.

Too much of planning wastes time. You will need to use your sensibility to understand how the planning should be done. You cannot go on making chart about what you are going to do in the after-hours or re-write time and again the things that need to be done during the day. It will leave less time for you to do some actions.

Hence, stick to a basic planning procedure for the day, month, etc and do not over-do it.

Not Considering Logic

There is a joke which is said to distinguish between an intelligent person and a logical person. An intelligent person once asked a question that if one woman takes 9 months to deliver one baby then why cannot 9 women work together and produce a baby in one month. On the other hand, a logical person is well aware that the question is not worth thinking upon let alone asking someone.

Likewise, time management requires application of logic. Take only that much works in your hand that can be delivered in best quality. While making a time table remember that you are but a human and you will need a couple of minutes to relax. You will be drinking water, eating meal and going to washroom. Even if you can control the pin of your wrist watch you cannot control time.

There will be time that you have to wait for the lift, bus, taxi, dentist list, etc. Be a little flexible.

Unnecessary Multitasking

It sounds cool to do more than 2 tasks simultaneously in any given time but what about efficiency? Most of the people think that by multitasking they will manage to produce more work.

The simple example of it can be observed in an office. During lunch time a man do editing of a certain report with the one hand while chewing onto his sandwich (because it is lunch time), is attending a call explaining a certain figure to the person on the other end. In between he is using the other hand to right down what he wants to do on the weekend.

Now, the phone call could have been combined with any of the tasks but why write about the weekend party plan? Most of the psychologists agree that doing one task at a time with full concentration helps in increasing the work quality within a small time frame. Also, multi-tasking should only be performed if necessary.

Lack of Balance in Life

The idiom, "all work no play makes Jack a dull boy" has not been said without any reason. You will need to introduce a balance between your personal and professional life. 24/7 life too may keep you high but not for long. It will leave you exhausted as a person. Hence, divide your day or keep certain days just for work and certain just for fun.

Time management is a trick but you need not to be a magician to perform it. Simply recognize your priorities and make an action plan accordingly.

http://ezinearticles.com/?Common-Time-Management-Mistakes&id=9498562

Verbs Are Important - Find the Right One and Find Time!

Verbs are important! Who's the last person that uttered that phrase to you? I'm guessing it may have been a long-ago teacher, extolling the virtues of action verbs and encouraging you to make your writing more vivid and engaging.

Other than that late-elementary-school moment, I bet it's not a subject that has come up again, unless you write for a living. But I'm here to tell you that, when it comes to finding time, the words that we use are very important. And no words are more important than the verbs that we choose.

They shape our perspective and have a profound effect on our energy. So, it makes sense that choosing words (and especially verbs) consciously and wisely is an excellent way to empower ourselves.

As an example, I encourage you to think about your To-Do List. Have you considered that the way you describe the items on your list have an impact? It's not just the task itself, but the words you use to frame it that will shape how you feel about it - and how likely you are to follow through on it.

There are lots of ways to make your task lists more useful to you. For example, in the past, we've written quite a bit about chunking tasks down to make them more doable - and this is very important. But there's more you can do to help yourself!

Here's an example of the difference that a verb or two can make when you're working with your To-Do List:

Old, Vague, Passive Phrasing 

Translation to Active, Specific, More Detailed Wording

Work on Special Report 

Complete outline of special report and schedule next steps to move it into production.

Think about blog post ideas 

Draft and schedule 5 new blog posts, including brief reference notes and Evernote links.

Discuss future plans with team 

Meet with team. Produce work plan and specific task schedule for the next 3-months.

Verbs are Important!

So, notice how I've changed some key expressions, below:

Old Key Phrases 

New Action Verbs to Increase Specificity and Follow-Through

Work on 

Complete and schedule

Think about 

Draft and schedule

Discuss 

Meet and produce

The new verbs are much more specific and action-oriented.

And, importantly, they often point to the next step n the process (e.g. "Complete and schedule") When you finish the task at hand, you'll be adding the next step or steps to your To Do List and/or calendar.

This is an excellent way to keep things moving. Even as you think about what verbs to use in your To-Do List you are significantly changing the way that you look at your tasks. It's a shift in consciousness that brings with it greater efficiency and effectiveness.

And the final step, whenever you complete an item on your To-Do List is to always, always, always validate yourself for your accomplishment! There aren't many things you can do for yourself that will be more energizing.

Not only that, but your follow-through builds confidence and self-trust, meaning that you'll move ahead all the more powerfully and effectively.

To your time success...

http://ezinearticles.com/?Verbs-Are-Important---Find-the-Right-One-and-Find-Time!&id=9395753

Ten Ways to Free Up the Time You Need To Do More Things You Want

1. Start tomorrow by preparing today

Make a "to-do" list every day. You'll save time by having the tasks you need to do in front of you first thing in the morning so that you can get right to work. Once this habit is in place, you'll find you accomplish more in less time than you did before.

2. Get organized

Don't spend time spinning your wheels searching for things you need. Have a place for everything and everything it its place. Ask for help to get organized if you have limited space, or need to learn how to organize a new area- like a home office.

3. Know your priorities

It's easy to get caught up in low priority tasks that won't help you achieve your goals. (Like a fun new app on your phone). Make the decision about these things early and stick to your plan.

4. Learn to make quick and smarter decisions

Agonizing over things stalls your progress. You'll need to have all the facts first but, once you do, make the decision.

5. Employ snippets of time

Many things can be done in short periods of time. Use a timer or alarm to signal your time to stop so that you don't have to watch the clock.

6. Get off lists

Junk mail is easy to deal with--just toss it. The same is true with junk email and texts. Learn to recognize junk and just toss it. Ask to be removed from lists so that you don't even have to take the time to delete the messages. Ask all telemarketers to put you on the "Do Not Call" list and you'll see a significant reduction of phone interruptions in a very short time. This has worked well for me.

7. Enlist your family and friends

Your family can help you get more time by doing a few more chores for you. Use this extra time wisely or you'll kill the willingness. Offer rewards for thank-yous and incentives. Maybe swap favors with a friend. This will create more time for the family to have more fun together too!

8. Put some stuff on hold or just say no

Learn to say no to requests for your time or, at least, try to postpone the task to a later date. Not only does this free up your time, it also clears your mind to concentrate on your goals. Make sure you say it politely: "I would like to help you, but I'm not available to do that right now."

9. Limit your Internet use

The Internet is an incredible tool but limit your surfing to the sites that will help you achieve specific goals. If you just can't live without random surfing, use that kitchen timer to set some limits. It's OK to play games and use social media- just use wise limits.

10. Turn off the TV more

Eliminating just a few shows a week can hand you several hours that you can use to build your dreams. Make a viewing schedule of your favorites and stick to it and never watch anything that really doesn't hold your attention. Same goes for gaming. Do the things you love; just be mindful of the time you are using.

So there you go- now what are you going to do with your new free time? Family Time? Fun? Hobbies? Home business? Whatever you choose- have fun doing it!

http://ezinearticles.com/?Ten-Ways-to-Free-Up-the-Time-You-Need-To-Do-More-Things-You-Want&id=9543691

How to Stop Multitasking and Start Speed Dating Your Tasks Instead

Speed dating for productivity uses the brain’s ability to focus on one thing at a time—in rapid succession.

We all have a dozen things that need to get done at once, so we multitask. But research is pretty much unanimous: Multitasking is less productive than single-tasking, and it actually degrades your cognitive functions across the board. The first thing to go? Your ability to assess whether or not you’re actually being productive.

But when we have a lot of tasks that we want to work on at once, our brains freak out. We think we can’t spend an entire hour focused on a marketing report, or our client calls will fall behind. In the end, we flail, we procrastinate or we search the web for cat pictures. And let’s face it: There are a lot of cat pictures just waiting to be found.

If you want singletasking quality, while still making progress on several fronts in the same work session, there is a way to do it: Speed date your tasks.

Speed Dating Your Tasks: The Technique

Speed dating your tasks is easy:

1. Grab a blank piece of paper.
2. On the paper, list the activities you’re going to do.
3. Grab a stopwatch and set it for 10 minutes.
4. Work on your first task for 10 minutes.
5. The instant the buzzer goes off, put a checkmark by the task you just worked on, and switch to the next task.
6. After one pass through all your tasks, take a five-minute break and do it again.

You can use a smartphone or paper to list your tasks. I prefer paper because checking off a task at the end of an interval is much easier than manipulating a computer interface.

If you use a pocket notebook and pencil, speed dating for productivity is easy and portable! And since it’s portable, you’ll discover you can use it in a number of surprising ways.

How to Speed Date Your Tasks at Work

Work is where speed dating shines. You have a full to-do list: write a travel expense report, prepare a presentation, scan a bunch of documents, and prepare the department’s weekly numbers, too. Use speed dating to get everything done: Spend 10 minutes writing out your expense report, then when your stopwatch says time’s up, move on to the presentation, the scanning, the numbers. Then take a five-minute break and begin again.

When you have several important projects to do at once, your brain wants to think about all of them at once (thus the attractiveness of multitasking). When you’re writing your expense reports, you’re thinking, But I have a presentation I’m ignoring! And when working on your presentation, you’re thinking about the expense reports that aren’t done yet. With speed dating, you have a list and you have time limits. While you’re working on your expense report, your brain knows that in a mere 10 minutes, you’ll be working on your presentation. Secure in that knowledge, it lets go of the nagging and you’ll find yourself able to hyper-focus on the expense reports until your interval is done.

How to Speed Date Exercise at the Gym

I hate exercise, so I speed date the gym. My trainer Steve insists I bench press three sets of 15 reps. That’s 45 reps, plus rest periods—that’s going to take forever! Wouldn’t it be much, much easier to skip the bench press and instead just stand around listening to music on my iPod, thinking really hard about doing the bench press? (Steve says no, but if I turn the volume up really loud, I can pretend I didn’t hear him.)

Your brain resists large tasks, but if it thinks a task will be quick and easy, it’s willing to jump right in. So use speed dating. Grab a trainer at the gym and ask them to design a circuit for you. A circuit is a series of exercises that work complementary muscles. You do them in rapid succession, with little or no pause in between. While you’re working the muscles from the second exercise, the muscles from the first exercise are taking their recovery time.

A circuit makes each exercise seem smaller, and easier to start. You’re just concentrating on the current set of the current exercise, rather than the entire block of sets you have planned for this workout.

How to Speed Date Your Tasks at Home

Because we’re so busy being productive at work, stuff at home can sometimes build up. There’s laundry to fold, ceiling molding to install and an ever-growing stack of books to read “someday.” Set your timer, grab your clothes and start folding.

When the timer goes off, stop immediately. If you’re halfway through folding a pair of underwear, leave it sprawled ungracefully on your folding table. Move on to the ceiling moldings, pronto.

Speed dating keeps you engaged, which is why you want to stop in the middle of a task. Stopping mid-task feels incomplete. Your brain wants completion, and the sense of incompletion will draw you right back into the task on the next go-around. You’ll be able to pick up right where you left off. Next time around, the instant you finish an interval with your underpants half-folded, that piece of molding hanging by only two nails will call you right back into hanging molding.

Singletasking and Speed Dating Wins the Race

Multitasking fails because it splits your attention among several things at once, often including interruptions. Speed dating does the opposite. It uses the brain’s ability to focus on one thing at a time—it just does so in rapid succession. Choosing a small set of tasks to switch between means you always know what’s coming up, and it’s easy to switch back into a task that you stopped partway through.

http://www.success.com/article/how-to-stop-multitasking-and-start-speed-dating-your-tasks-instead

To Do List By Deadline

The To Do List is the most elegant tool to manage tasks there is. It can be as simple as a grocery list or as complex as the master plan for a complex project. There are a number of ways to organize a To Do List to make it most effective. One of those ways is by Due Date. It is a system that insures that things get done when they should be done. It helps us meet deadlines. If your work has deadlines, this To Do List will be your friend.

A deadline driven To Do List, sometimes called a Task List, is organized to insure that work gets done by predetermined deadlines. Tasks are assigned a letter or number that defines the period of time in which the work must be completed. This forces you to get the work done now that needs to be done now to meet those deadlines.

The ABCD Method

One useful way to do this is to use an ABCD designation: A is for tasks that must be done today; B is for tasks that need to be done this week; C is for tasks that need to be done this month; and D is for tasks that need to be done in the current quarter.

Let us say that your current task list or To Do list looks like this:

Return director's call

Plan project due in 90 days

Purchase tickets for the theater for this weekend

Plan your day

Prepare a report for a meeting in two weeks

Plan next quarter's budget

Sorting by Urgency

Now you apply the ABCD code to each task so they can be ordered by deadline like this:

A - Return director's call

D - Plan project due in 90 days

B - Purchase tickets for the theater for this weekend

A - Plan your day

B - Prepare a report for a meeting in two weeks

C - Plan next quarter's budget

Now you can sort that list by deadline like this:

A - Plan your day

A - Return director's call

B - Prepare a report for a meeting in two weeks

B - Purchase tickets for the theater for this weekend

C - Plan next quarter's budget

D - Plan project due in 90 days

Now you can proceed to work on your tasks in the order of importance based on when they are due. If something more urgent arises you can add it into the list with a more urgent letter code. If something can be postponed, you give it a less urgent letter code. No matter how long or complex your list is this system allows you to easily sort and resort it as the day proceeds to keep your focus on the most urgent matters to be done.

Try this method for a week or two and see how it helps you keep on track and get work done when it needs to be done.

http://ezinearticles.com/?To-Do-List-By-Deadline&id=9356322

Organize Your To-Do List into These 4 Categories

Don’t let busyness derail your business—prioritize your tasks and weed out distractions.

➽ I’m busy as heck but not getting anywhere. What am I doing wrong?

➽ Entrepreneurs say that staying focused is a huge challenge. So it’s crucial to have an ongoing plan to keep you on track, a written outline that stays within reach and states what you intend to accomplish every day.

I set aside an hour or so every Sunday night to map out my week ahead. What will I focus on first thing Monday? Then on to Tuesday, and so on. Whom do I contact and why? What are my top priorities—no more than three—for the week, and what activities could distract me? The more detailed my calendar, the more prepared and focused I am. Committing my priorities to words focuses me mentally.

Despite that, distractions can still derail you. I often find myself pulled in too many directions—reacting to phone calls, email and other stuff that pops up. The triage method below—touching things only once and then moving on—keeps me from being overwhelmed.

1. Do immediately. If a task feeds my priorities, my time is justified.

2. Delegate. Someone else can and should do these to save me time. Even micro-business owners can benefit from an intern or temp.

3. Drop. I ask myself, Will this make money for me right now or anytime in the future? Does it fulfill my current priorities? If the answer is no, I dump it.

4. Defer. Some items might appeal but aren’t time-sensitive or high-priority. Delay them to a more convenient time.

Jenn Lee, an Orlando, Fla.-based small-business coach, says her biggest time-drain involves dozens of mini-projects each week. “I used to try and squeeze them in between phone calls, emails and posting on Facebook, but there were days when I’d leave my office without accomplishing anything. Something needed to change.”

So Lee sets aside 25-minute blocks of time each day, one for each of three key tasks she must accomplish. “I look at everything I need to do and assign them one of my blocks of time dedicated to that task. I set up three a day, usually two in the morning, when my brain works best on creative things, and one in late afternoon to finish up. Knowing that I have dedicated time to each task means I don’t fret all day over them, and I get better results because I’m focused.”

Another time-sucking aspect of Lee’s business was trying to help clients who, for whatever reason, couldn’t be helped. One client “never did what I advised her to do,” she says. “As a coach, a good part of what drives me is seeing entrepreneurs succeed after gaining clarity and guidance from me. But when I work with someone who isn’t moving forward, it drives me crazy.”

Ultimately Lee told the client she could no longer work with her. “Since then, I am very careful who I work with,” she says. “Before I take on clients, I ask a series of leading questions. Their answers help me see if I will like working with them. Working with the right client saves me time, and time is what we all need to get it all done.” 

http://www.success.com/article/organize-your-to-do-list-into-these-4-categories

8 Ways to Effectively Prioritize the Things on Your To-Do List

Change your habits to become proactive—instead of reactive—in your approach to priorities... and see how much time you gain.

Priorities are things that are important—I know that, you know that. But a lot of us are guilty of the habit of reacting to the urgent things on—and off—our to-do list, rather than responding to the important ones.

Think about this: Important activities should be of high priority because they are the things that contribute most significantly to our objectives. They have more long-term impact, and they should help us the most in reaching our goals. Urgent activities are usually more short-term in nature and may or may not relate to our big-picture objectives, and they do not usually make significant contributions. Instead, by pressuring us daily, they make endless demands on our time.

There is a constant tension between the urgent and the important. And because the important things seldom need to be done today—and the urgent almost always do—there is a critical need to learn how to set proper priorities so that our visions, goals and desires can be met more effectively. 

Don’t prioritize based on who gave you the work; fit it based on its importance and urgency for the big picture. Most people don’t take this time, the time to prioritize. They are usually reactive, so make a concerted effort to be proactive.

How much time could you gain by changing your habits—by more effectively prioritizing? Here are 8 time-gaining tips that you can apply to everyday tasks:

1. Create lists—a lot. Prioritized notes and lists help with focus and multitasking.

2. Set priorities during your daily planning. Eliminate or minimize unproductive to-do items from your daily list to make room for the productive ones.

3. Learn when your high-energy time is. Scheduling your priority work for when you have the most energy gains minutes through more effective work.

4. Early in the day, sort email and quickly categorize each piece appropriately—now, future, trash. Because each piece is only addressed once, you gain time throughout the day.

5. Request simplified emails. When appropriate, request that people send you prioritized emails that spell out the actions required of you with clear bullet points, not long narratives. Set the example yourself by sending only efficient, bullet-pointed emails.

6. Write down your objectives before you return phone calls to gain time through quicker, more effective communication.

7. Prioritize your reading by learning to skim industry newsletters, articles and books. Then read only what really gives you value.

8. Create a written agenda and follow it for every meeting. If you’re not the meeting organizer, help guide a long, rambling meeting to some actionable objectives.

http://success.com/article/8-ways-to-effectively-prioritize-the-things-on-your-to-do-list

8 Steps to Having Wildly Productive Mornings

You’ll wake up for about 25,000 mornings in your adult life, give or take a few.

According to a report from the World Health Organization, the average life expectancy in the United States is 79 years old. Most people in wealthy nations are hovering around the 80–year mark. Women in Japan are the highest, with an average life expectancy of 86 years.

If we use these average life expectancy numbers and assume that your adult life starts at 18 years old, then you’ve got about 68 years as an adult. (86 – 18 = 68) Perhaps a little less on average. A little more if you’re lucky.

(68 years as an adult) x (365 days each year) = 24,820 days.

Once I realized this, I started thinking about how I could develop a better morning routine. I still have a lot to learn, but here are some strategies that you can use to get the most out of your 25,000 mornings.

Here are eight strategies that I’ve found to be most effective for getting the most out of my morning:

1. Manage your energy, not your time.

If you take a moment to think about it, you’ll probably realize that you are better at doing certain tasks at certain times. For example, my creative energy is highest in the morning, so that’s when I do my writing each day.

By comparison, I block out my afternoons for interviews, phone calls, and emails. I don’t need my creative energy to be high for those tasks, so that’s the best time for me to get them done. And I tend to have my best workouts in the late afternoon or early evening, so that’s when I head to the gym.

What type of energy do you have in the morning? What task is that energy best suited for?

2. Prepare the night before.

I don’t do this nearly as often as I should, but if you only do one thing each day then spend a few minutes each night organizing your to–do list for tomorrow. When I do it right, I’ll outline the article I’m going to write the next day and develop a short list of the most important items for me to accomplish. It takes 10 minutes that night and saves 3 hours the next day.

3. Don’t open email until noon.

Sounds simple. Nobody does it. It took me awhile to get over the urge to open my inbox, but eventually I realized that everything can wait a few hours. Nobody is going to email you about a true emergency (a death in the family, etc.), so leave your email alone for the first few hours of each day. Use the morning to do what’s important rather than responding to what is “urgent.”

5. Work in a cool place. 4. Turn your phone off and leave it in another room.

Or on your colleagues desk. Or at the very least, put it somewhere that is out of sight. This eliminates the urge to check text messages, Facebook, Twitter, and so on. This simple strategy eliminates the likelihood of slipping into half–work where you waste time dividing your attention among meaningless tasks.

Have you ever noticed how you feel groggy and sluggish in a hot room? Turning the temperature down or moving to a cooler place is an easy way to focus your mind and body. (Hat tip to Michael Hyatt for this one.)

6. Sit up or stand up. 

Your mind needs oxygen to work properly. Your lungs need to be able to expand and contract to fill your body with oxygen. That sounds simple enough, but here’s the problem: most people sit hunched over while staring at a screen and typing.

When you sit hunched over, your chest is in a collapsed position and your diaphragm is pressing against the bottom of your lungs, which hinders your ability to breathe easily and deeply. Sit up straight or stand up and you’ll find that you can breathe easier and more fully. As a result, your brain will get more oxygen and you’ll be able to concentrate better.

(Small tip: When sitting, I usually place a pillow in the small of my back. This prevents my lower back from rounding, which keeps me more upright.)

7. Eat as a reward for working hard. 

I practice intermittent fasting, which means that I eat my first meal around noon each day. I’ve been doing this for almost two years. There are plenty of health benefits, which I explained in great detail here,here, and here.

But health is just one piece of the puzzle. I also fast because it allows me to get more out of my day. Take a moment to think about how much time people spend each day thinking, planning, and consuming food. By adopting intermittent fasting, I don’t waste an hour each morning figuring out what to eat for breakfast, cooking it, and cleaning up. Instead, I use my morning to work on things that are important to me. Then, I eat good food and big meals as a reward for working hard.

8. Develop a “pre–game routine” to start your day.

My morning routine starts by pouring a cold glass of water. Some people kick off their day with ten minutes of meditation. Similarly, you should have a sequence that starts your morning ritual. This tiny routine signals to your brain that it’s time to get into work mode or exercise mode or whatever mode you need to be in to accomplish your task. Additionally, a pre–game routine helps you overcome a lack of motivation and get things done even when you don’t feel like it.

The Power of a Morning Routine

Just as it’s rare for anyone to experience overnight success, it’s also rare for our lives crumble to pieces in an instant. Most unproductive or unhealthy behaviors are the result of slow, gradual choices that add up to bad habits. A wasted morning here. An unproductive morning there.

The good news is that exceptional results are also the result of consistent daily choices. Nowhere is this more true than with your morning routine. The way you start your day is often the way that you finish it.

Take, for example, Jack LaLanne. He woke up each day at 4am and spent the first 90 minutes lifting weights. Then, he went for a swim or a run for the next 30 minutes. For more than 60 years, he spent each morning doing this routine. In addition to being one of the most influential people in fitness in the last 100 years, LaLanne also lived to the ripe old age of 96.

This is no coincidence. What you do each morning is an indicator of how you approach your entire day. It’s the choices that we repeatedly make that determine the life we live, the health we enjoy, and the work we create.

You’ve got 25,000 mornings. What will you do with each one?

http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/230240