7 nighttime habits that guarantee a more productive morning

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Productivity is a cherished state that professionals of all ages and experience levels desire. The more work you can accomplish, the more money you'll make, the greater reputation you'll earn, and the more satisfied and less stressed you'll be at the end of the day.

Since most of us work in the morning and afternoon, productivity is often seen as a day strategy. However, your nighttime habits and rituals can have a major impact on how productive you are the next day.

Try implementing these habits in your nightly life to guarantee yourself a productive morning:

1. Plan your day

Take a moment to plan your day in advance. What do you hope to accomplish when you first wake up? What about in the mid-morning? What about after lunch? There's no guarantee your plan will pan out the way you expect it to, but having a plan in place gives you a major productive advantage. It will help you stay focused, avoid distractions, and hold yourself accountable — best of all, you don't even need to take the time in the morning to do it.

2. Set goals and priorities

Beyond setting a plan, which will detail the time you spend on various projects throughout the day, set goals and priorities for yourself. Make a list of "must dos," "should dos," and "would be nice to dos" to distinguish these priorities. Each priority you accomplish will add to your momentum, and even if your day is less productive than you expect it to be, you'll still have an objective measure for your overall success.

3. Meditate

Meditation has a number of benefits, and it's not just for the spiritually minded. Meditation is about clearing your mind of clutter, helping you focus, and relieving you of stress. Just 20 minutes of meditation at night can help you unwind from the day and make your mind a kind of blank slate for the coming morning. Plus, it will help you get to sleep — which is a strategy of its own covered further down this list.