I am so happy to introduce Emma Boatman, otherwise known as the Admin Fairy at Boatman Admin Services, as this month’s guest blogger. I’ve been a fan of Emma’s since our businesses were both selected as #SmallBusiness100 recipients in 2018, and we instantly connected over our shared love of organising and getting things done! In this post, Emma explains how she starts her day strong with her morning routine. Over to Emma!

A morning routine for a productive day: A guest post by Emma Boatman

We all know that everyone has the same amount of hours in the day, but how do some people get so much done every single day? We’ve all seen that famous Pinterest saying “You have the same number of hours in the day as Beyoncé”… Yes we do, but we don’t have the same amount of money as Beyoncé to have people helping us with our housework, childcare, gym session, cooking etc!

As a Virtual Assistant, I am a born organiser and more often than not complete my daily to-do list.  My husband always says, “If you want something doing, give it to Emma!”.  I put this down to having a strong morning routine.

Write a to-do list

The I always start the week with a to do-list which I write on a Sunday evening. I sit with a cup of tea (or gin!) and write down everything that needs to be completed for the coming week, both for work and personally.  This list can often be fairly overwhelming and take up a whole page in my notebook – but don’t worry, I have a plan for this as well!

A good morning routine is key to setting you up for the day.  Having no routine will often lead to you drifting from one task to the next and actually not getting anything done at all.  A routine can help you establish priorities, limit procrastination, keep track of goals, and even make you healthier.

Before work

Exercising first thing in the morning releases feel-good hormones that will set you up for the day.  Even if you do a 10-minute yoga session you’ll feel much better for it.  By doing it in the morning, it ensures that you’ll have the time for it, and it improves your self-control and energy levels all day long

Once this is done and out of the way, I ensure I spend time showering, dressing and having a good breakfast.

If time allows, and my morning routine helps to ensure that it does, I’ll spend 15-30 minutes either reading a chapter of a business book, doing some journaling or some visualisation.  A non-negotiable for me is writing down three things I am grateful for every day.

I try not to look at my phone or my computer until I’m at my desk, ready for my day.  Everyone knows how quickly times goes once you start to look at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok…!

Keeping focus

Go through your to-do list and highlight 1-3 things that must be done today and concentrate on those things first.  As Mark Twain said, “Eat a live frog first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day”. Once you’ve tackled those tasks or eaten those frogs, anything else you get done is a bonus!  Keep your daily to-do list small so that it’s manageable and not overwhelming.  When you’re able to cross items off this list, it inspires you to keep going and accomplish even more!

Your morning routine shapes your whole day

When planning your day, remember that taking regular breaks throughout the day will help you focus.  You may have heard of the Pomodoro Technique where the methodology is quite simple.  Breaking tasks down into five simple steps:

• Choose a task to be accomplished
• Set your timer (your Pomodoro) to 25 minutes
• Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
• Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
• Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break

Before you know it, you’ve made good headway into a task without realising it. Having a lunch break and getting outside for some fresh air is also essential.  (Having a dog also helps with this!)

The right morning routine can make your day, every day. The trick is to be intentional about your morning – time is precious.  Finding a routine that works for you is essential.  I’m not suggesting you start each day at 5am, but hopefully this insight into my routine will give you some ideas to implement so you can become your best you.

Thank you Emma for your contribution. If you’d like to find out more about Emma’s business you can find her at Boatman Admin Services. And if you’d like to write a guest post for the More Organised blog, drop me a quick email at mel@moreorganised.com or leave a comment below, and we can chat!