Why You Have Trouble Focusing In The Morning

Four powerful tips on how to master your morning, boost productivity, and Eat. That. Frog.

I’ll admit, sometimes I have a hard time getting started in the mornings. It’s my fault, really – not because of my oh so comfortable Casper mattress – because I began to slack on my priorities.

You need a reason to get out of bed in the morning.

What’s my reason? Well, for one, to write this post! Of course, there are your everyday priorities. Feed the baby, get ready for work, eat breakfast — wait, those are my priorities — but what about your goals?

You need to have a solid why.

What motivates you? Find a reason to get out of bed — something that inspires you to do more. Why am I writing this post? Because I want to be a better writer. So, I could say that I need to write three hours a day, though I’m likely to eventually lose my motivation unless I have a reliable why (becoming a better writer).

But maybe you’re still having trouble focusing in the mornings? It’s not always a matter of having a why, setting goals, or having a sense of self-discipline.

Try these tips instead to improve your morning’s and get more done.

Find What Gives You Energy

The first thing you do in the morning should be something that gives you energy. Every morning I wake up (usually to the sounds of a crying baby). I feed the baby, get a pot of coffee ready, then I meditate for 10–20 minutes, followed by an hour of reading.

Some self-help “guru’s” will tell you that you should tackle your biggest priority first thing in the morning. They’re wrong. At least, sort of wrong.

I’m a huge advocate for setting daily priorities, and I also believe that you should take care of the big “to-do’s” almost first thing — almost — but the first thing you should do is something that’ll give you massive amounts of energy.

Set A Routine

We create morning routines hoping that it eventually becomes a habit, and it does, given that you stay consistent with it, but why set a morning routine in the first place? What’s there to gain?

Having a morning routine means taking control of your life.

“If you win the morning, you win the day” — Tim Ferriss

Schedule in your priorities, or it won’t get done, so why not do it in the morning? I won’t go too in detail about how to develop a morning routine. If that interests you, check out my guide to developing The Ultimate Morning Routine.

Follow A Sleep Schedule

The way you spend your evening determines how you spend your morning, and how you spend your morning’s determine how you’ll spend the day. Simple enough? Well, all you really have to remember is that the amount of sleep you get has a heavy influence on the amount of energy you’ll have in the morning’s. Want to test my theory? Pull an all-nighter and then go to work. How do you feel? Shitty? Told ya!

Try scheduling in a bedtime routine.

Stop Eating Before Bed

I can still be found guilty of eating before bed. What can I say? That double-dipped fudge sundae looked lonely all by itself in the freezer. I’m only doing it a service. What do I get in return? Serious acid reflux and constipation — that parts on my inability to handle dairy, sure — but the worst part is waking up at six feeling like a slug. It’s not just the dairy. Late night fast-food, candy — you name it. Even late night dinners make me feel not-so-great in the morning. The lesson? Try eating at least two hours before bed. Midnight snacks are great, yet, not so great the following morning.

Eat A Live Frog

“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first” — Mark Twain

Okay, it doesn’t have to be live. In fact, it doesn’t even have to be a frog.

The frog is your biggest priority. Get in the habit of completing your big priorities first thing in the morning, and if one’s a bigger priority than the other, do that one first.

For me, writing is the big frog. Posting social media advertisements and engaging with other like-minded writers are my little frog’s. After that, everything else comes kind of easy, at least, easier than if I knew that a big, fat, slimy frog was waiting around the corner.

“How we start our day determines how we create our life. Are you snoozing through your morning, snoozing through your life, and snoozing through your unlimited potential?” Hal Elrod