10 ways to set yourself up for success before 9 a.m.
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You might think the day doesn't really start until you get to the office and your boss starts pestering you about some new assignment.
But the truth is that the way you spend every moment, starting from the second you open your eyes, matters a lot. In fact, there are plenty of easy early-morning habits that can set the tone for a productive, enjoyable rest of the day.
Here we have rounded up 10 ways to start off the day on the right foot.
You certainly don't need to adopt all these habits right away — instead, you should figure out which of these routines work for you and get you psyched to seize the day ahead.
Phalinn Ooi/flickr1. Wake up early
Read about the morning routine of any successful figure, and you'll probably learn that the person wakes up with — or before — the sun.
In fact, when time-management expert Laura Vanderkam polled 20 executives, she found that 90% woke up before 6 a.m. on weekdays. Ouch.
Even if you're not a C-suite exec, getting an early start could help you advance in your career. Recent research suggests that employees who get into the office early are perceived by their bosses as better performers than those who get in late — even if the early arrivers leave early, too.
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2. Stretch out
If your impulse when your alarm goes off is to curl up into a ball and hope it stops beeping, you'd be wise to change your routine.
According to Harvard psychologist Amy Cuddy, the first thing you should do when you wake up is stretch your body as wide as possible. Cuddy suggests that your body influences your mind, so making yourself physically big could potentially make you feel more powerful, more confident, and happier for the rest of the day.
Flickr/Serene Vannoy
3. Make your bed
Why make your bed if you're just going to mess it up when you sleep in it later?
In his book "The Power of Habit," journalist Charles Duhigg explains that making your bed is a "keystone habit" that can spark healthful, productive behaviors the rest of the day. In fact, Duhigg writes, people who consistently make their beds tend to have "a greater sense of well-being and stronger skills at sticking with a budget."
Plus, it takes only a minute or two.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider