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These are the 9 productivity mistakes you’re making in the morning

19 Oct 2018

Is it possible that you’ve set yourself up for failure within minutes of arriving at your desk? Yes, and here’s how you’re doing it.

Everybody wants to get the day off to a good start, hence the adage ‘a good start is half the work’. Yet what if you aren’t doing this half of the work correctly? Is your beloved morning routine actually peppered with concentration-obliterating productivity mistakes?

According to international business speaker Michael Kerr, you can make or break your entire working day within the first 10 minutes. If you start off on the right foot, you’re flying, but it’s likely that the things you do that you assume will help your productivity are, in fact, a hindrance.

Fortunately for you, Resume.io has cooked up a handy infographic that details nine of the biggest productivity mistakes you could be making. For example, you probably think that making yourself a cup of instant coffee right before you dive into your emails is the ideal way to start your morning. Actually, doing both these things is a huge mistake.

According to a study by the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, drinking coffee between 8am and 10am interferes with your body’s cortisol levels. Your cortisol levels peak in your body around this time anyway, so throwing some caffeine into the mix can be what tips you over the line of being ‘alert’ and makes you totally wired.

Checking your email first thing can actually hinder your productivity throughout the day, too. According to New York University’s Adam Alter, it takes 25 minutes to return to maximum productivity after you’ve checked your emails. The infographic recommends keeping emails closed for the first 30 minutes of your working day.

Do you have a window near your desk? If so, you should throw open the blinds or curtains every morning before diving into your daily tasks. Research presented in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has found that exposure to light early in the morning is particularly beneficial to your mood, level of alertness and even metabolism. If you work away from natural light, you could be robbing yourself of an excellent boost to your day.

For more information about productivity mistakes you’re making and great advice on how to counteract them, check out the infographic below.

Productivity mistakes infographic

Infographic: Resume.io

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Eva Short
By Eva Short

Eva Short was a journalist at Silicon Republic, specialising in the areas of tech, data privacy, business, cybersecurity, AI, automation and future of work, among others.

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