6 Powerful Productivity Boosters to Energize You

Did you know that a day isn't a full 24 hours? It takes 23 hours, 56 minutes, and 4.2 seconds for the Earth to rotate once. Time is ticking, so let's shake our tail feathers and stop procrastinating. We've got less than 24 hours to get things done.

"Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. "- Steve Jobs

Let's get down to business

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, early in 2020, I promised to do six possible things before breakfast during the next 365 days. I've now closed the circle and kept my promise. However, I am not stopping here, and I plan to expand this daily routine that helped me keep a sound mind in a sound body during troublesome times.

1. Read five pages of any book

The average reading speed is 200 to 250 words a minute in non-technical material. This amounts to roughly 2 minutes per page. This process will only take 10 minutes of your time, and you can quickly fulfill this objective. Doing this will boost your creativity and entice your mindset to what comes next: writing.

"Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body "- Joseph Addison

2. Write 500 words

At the top of each Medium story, you'll see an estimated read time. The average reading speed of an adult is roughly around 250 WPM (give or take). Hence, every single morning, while I am still in bed, I take my laptop and scribble every single idea that comes into my mind until my word count reaches 500 words (about 2 minutes of reading time).

This plan fits me perfectly because I have realized that in those first minutes after waking up, I am, in fact, at the zenith of my daily creativity, and 10 minutes of writing early on exponentially increase my productivity later on.

"Exercise the writing muscle daily, even if it is only a letter, notes, a title list, a character sketch, or a journal entry. Writers are like dancers, like athletes. Without that exercise, the muscles seize up."― Jane Yolen

3. Fasted core workout

Fasted training has become a game-changer from my perspective, and I can't start my day without some exercise before breakfast. The workout shouldn't take more than 10 minutes of your time, and It really helps in general wellness.

"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." - Napoleon Hill

Fasted workouts benefits:

Can burn more fat: exercising before breakfast burned twice as much fat as those who exercised after eating the same meal. This is caused by lower insulin levels in the bloodstream due to overnight fasting.

Helps prevent indigestion: You don't want to hit the gym right after breakfast, as it slows you down, and your stomach doesn't want the extra stress while performing digestion.

You can train yourself to feel less hungry: I never feel hungry when I jump out of bed. I drink a large glass of water to replenish the body, and that keeps me satiated.

Afterward, you can increment more cardio-based activities after having breakfast. Any form of muscle contraction will improve insulin sensitivity and improve heart function.

4. Fast-paced walk

Now that Summer is coming; you can introduce a fasted pace walking routine before breakfast. Ideally, we should be walking at least 30 minutes five days a week. However, if we can't do it all at once, why not introduce 10-minute bouts throughout the day, starting with a fasted walk before breakfast.

"The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. "- Lao Tzu

Low-intensity exercises also help burn stored body fat. Hence, make the most of your time by going faster than you would generally go for a 30 minutes walk. By doing this, you are building up stamina and improving your overall wellness.

5. Practice active mindfulness

Before the COVID-19 pandemic slowed down our world, I was doing my Yoga straight out of bed to cycle between my different states of awareness and reboot my body and mind to the stressful journey ahead.

Afterward, everything changed, and suddenly we were all under lockdown. Traditional meditation alone wasn't enough. The energy flow shifted from centrifuge to centripetal forces as my daily routines funneled.

Back then, I regained control over my life with active mindfulness. Even now, I find my 10 minutes routine a game-changer.

6. Share the love

Last but not least, use 10 minutes of your time to spread love. It doesn't matter how you do it; the important thing is to start every single day with the blessing of love.

Before having breakfast, I always call my mom to let her know how much I love her and to make sure everything is fine on her side. Hearing her voice fills my heart, and it's probably the most significant element in this list of powerful routines.

Jeff Buckley once said, "love heals all wounds and not just time alone." Love is the ultimate life force, and by sharing it, we empower ourselves.

Final Thoughts

There you have it, folks, six possible things we can do before breakfast to be up and running in 60 minutes and ready to seize the day. Let's do a quick recap:

• Read five pages of a book
• Write 500 words
• Fasted core-workout
• Fast-paced walk
• Practice active mindfulness
• Share the love

In the end, it doesn't matter how slowly you go as long as you keep going. I've just completed my 500 words writing lap; time to get moving. Wishing you all a wonderful day. Namastê. 🙏

"Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most." - Buddha

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