If You Want To Get More Done, Do These 4 Things First Every Morning

The early hours of the morning are about the most crucial hours for the day.

In those hours you are alone in the control room for that day. Nobody shares it with you. It is just you and you alone.

No boss will ever ask you to come to the office by 4 a.m.; your spouse and kids are still asleep; your friends won't call you at those times either. Most of them will still be asleep. The ones awake won't want to interfere in those hours, except if it is an emergency.

It is at those hours that the direction of the day is determined. And being the one in control in those hours, you can tend your day towards the direction of your choosing.

And you do that by completing certain tasks that require your undivided attention and resetting your mind to meet other tasks for the day.

Successful people know the value of those hours and leverage it to their advantage. They use those few hours to get ahead of everyone else.

If you don't cash in on your day while it is still early, you can't make the most it when the rest of the world is up.

Here is how to make the most of your day by cashing in early:

Wake up before everyone else

Distraction is the arch-enemy of productivity.

The best way to overcome it is not by putting up a fight. But by being the first to meet the day before distraction shows up. It is a simple productivity hack that works like magic.

You will get more done without distraction in less time than with distraction in more time.

Distraction is like friction. You spend more energy overcoming it than actually doing your work.

That is why the best strategy remains to meet the day before ahead of distraction - that is before the rest of the world wakes up.

Just like a wise man said,

" You can't do big things if you're distracted by small things."

Learn to wake before the rest of the world. That is the first step to getting more done in less time.

The next step is to…

Prepare a list

Every morning, write 6 to 7 goals you need to accomplish that day.

The most productive people work from a list.

A list is a map that identifies the goals for the day and the best strategy to accomplish those goals. Stop relying on your memory; learn to write your goals and strategies down with a pen and notepad.

The palest ink is better than the best memory.

Writing your goals down forces you to get clear on what you want to accomplish. It also motivates you to complete the tasks necessary for your success.

Psychology professor Dr. Gail Matthews, at the Dominican University in California, led a study on goal-setting with nearly 270 participants. The results? You are 42 percent more likely to achieve your goals if you write them down.

The process of putting your goals on paper will force you to strategize, to ask questions about your current progress, and to brainstorm your plan of attack. - Peter Economy, The Leadership Guy.

Writing your goals down reinforces the commitment to develop strategies and motivates you to accomplish those goals.

Protect your time from empty distractions

If you don't actively protect your time, distraction will invade it by default.

We are living in the technology age. Those little devices we hold and walk around with have access to every kind of distraction there is.

And if you allow it, your phone can occupy you 24/7 non-stop.

Many people spend the entire day watching YouTube videos. I know a friend that is almost always active on social media unless he is asleep.

Not that he has an online business or any business he is growing online. All he is there for is "… connecting with old friends and getting updated on recent happenings in the world."

Succesful people are disciplined with technology.

The bestselling author and productivity expert, Jim Collins, doesn't switch his phone on till noon. He blocks out those hours to "… read, think, and write". And those are what he does with those hours.

Why shouldn't you too? At least, something similar. 4:00 am to 6:30 am is a good place to start.

At those hours keep your phones in another room. Or switch off internet connection in those early hours of the day.

The result?

You will get a lot done in less time.

Resolve to do nothing outside that list

To be productive, you must learn to be disciplined not only with your time but with their energy.

Every day comes with a lot to do - both relevant and irrelevant tasks. But the time and energy you need to meet them are limited. So you need to carefully choose your fight. Else you will end up doing more but accomplishing less.

It is not just about getting things done; it is about getting the relevant ones done.

That is the purpose of the list. It is to keep you focused on the relevant tasks for the day.

You have no business with anything outside that list. Except it is an emergency.

Except that, learn to say no to most other things.

Once used, time and energy are two things you can't get back. So learn to make the most of them by learning to say "No" to other tasks that covet your attention.

And you will wonder how you could accomplish so much in a few months to years. Because you will accomplish in a month what other do in 5 or 6 months.

Final thought

Learn to do the most important thing first each day. It is the only productivity trick you need.

And the best time to do them is while the rest of the world is still asleep - very early in the morning.

Before you know it you will accomplish a lot in less time and soon be ranking among the leaders in your field.