5 morning rituals to supercharge your workday

Flickr/Jimmy Stone What If?

The start of the day sets the tone for everything that follows.

Therefore, it's important to be conscientious about how you jump-start your early hours if you want to generate more energy and enthusiasm throughout the workday.

Here are five morning rituals that can help lead to a happier and more productive experience all day long, no matter where you work.

1. Get started sooner

As tempting as it is to hit the snooze button again, early risers tend to be both happier and experience a higher level of general satisfaction in life, according to a 2012 study from the University of Toronto.

With that in mind, therapist and social worker Jennifer Rollin notes that making the decision to wake up earlier has significantly improved her morning routine.

"When I wake up early I have more time, and subsequently feel less rushed," says Rollin. "In addition, there is something peaceful about being awake before most people are up."

Rollin cautions that, like any habit, this one may take some time to stick. "To start, try setting your alarm for 30 minutes earlier than you would usually wake up. It is also important that you go to bed earlier, as sleep deprivation will only serve to decrease your productivity and overall happiness."

2. No email with eggs

Many people launch their day sucked into the black hole of email. Yet this practice can drain your focus and productivity from your own priorities, putting other people's agendas front and center and derailing fresh morning momentum that could be spent on strategic initiatives.

To avoid this poor start, Richard Humphrey, CFO of ImagineAir, an on-demand air travel service, is a stickler for allowing absolutely no email before breakfast.

"I like to start my day with a fresh mind and real conversations with my family before starting into email," says Humphrey. "Simply put, let your brain wake up first before assuming the iPhone prayer pose."

3. Implement a 'power hour'

As an alternative to breakfast with email, Felicite Moorman, CEO of BuLogics, which designs, builds and certifies wireless solutions for The Internet of Things, recommends everyone in the company take a "power hour" at 10 each morning.

"A power hour is a deep, uninterrupted dive into the hardest, most challenging thing on their list," Moorman says. "Our mental energies are at their highest and everyone in accomplishment mode creates an intensity, and respect for that intensity that is palpable."

She adds that even if you can't do a team-wide power hour, the tactic provides a great way for individuals to get a feeling of efficacy and efficiency that lasts the whole day.