<ol><li>You might think this is some joke, but we’re completely serious.</li><li>Working less will improve your productivity if you have a consistent and efficient morning routine to get more done in less time.</li><li>According to <a href="http://payrollservices.expertmarket.co.uk/worlds-most-productive-countries">an analysis of the GDP data </a>from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the hours worked from the CIA, <a href="https://news.fastcompany.com/the-worlds-most-productive-countries-also-have-the-shortest-workdays-4016006">seven countries with the highest GDP also have the fewest working hours.</a></li></ol>

Work Less to Increase Productivity

<ol><li>What we eat has a direct impact on our performance at work. Want your mind (and your body) to perform optimally? Then you’ll need to practice good nutrition.</li><li>When it comes to nourishing our bodies and brains for optimal performance, it turns out good nutrition involves both what we eat and when we eat it.</li><li>For example, our brains work best with about <a href="http://www.livescience.com/3186-brain-food-eat-smart.html">25 grams of glucose</a> circulating in our blood stream — about the amount found in a banana.</li><li>If we were to snack on something high in sugar, like a handful of M&Ms, then we risk a blood sugar spike followed by a crash.</li></ol>

Productivity Diet

<ol><li><a href="https://lifehacker.com/what-psychology-teaches-us-about-structuring-the-workda-1785588114">Psychologists are calling the first three hours of your day the most important for productivity </a>. </li><li>In an interview with the <a href="https://hbr.org/ideacast/2015/03/your-brains-ideal-schedule.html">Harvard Business Review </a>, psychologist <a href="https://twitter.com/RonFriedman">Ron Friedman </a>said, “Typically, we have a window of about three hours where we’re really, really focused. We’re able to have some strong contributions in terms of planning, in terms of thinking, in terms of speaking well.” </li><li>The first 3 hours of your day the most important for productivity. </li></ol>

The Golden Hours of Productivity — Get Up Early

“There was this one instance where the market tanked and there was panic on the desk. The trading desk was an organized riot. Thanks to my meditation practice, I was able to keep my composure and propose solutions to reduce the impact of the market crash.”

<ol><li>When it comes to productivity, personal motivation and consistency are fundamental, however, working 40+ hours every week isn’t the best use of your time.</li><li>On the contrary, it’s the way we apply motivation and consistency that determines our productivity.</li></ol>

The Way We Apply Motivation & Consistency Determines Our Productivity 

“If we end up squandering those first three hours reacting to other people’s priorities for us, which is ultimately what voice mail, or email is, is a list of other people’s requests for our time, that ends up using up our best hours and we’re not quite as effective as we could be.”

<ol><li>Checking your emails or voicemails in the first three hours of your day will put you in a reactive mindset, which conflicts with the outward direction that entrepreneurs need to succeed.</li><li>The golden hours of productivity are the key to successfully saving 20+ hours of your time every week.</li></ol>

The Key to Successfully Saving 20+ Hour of Your Time

<ol><li><a href="http://www.livescience.com/3186-brain-food-eat-smart.html">Michael Green of Aston University in England</a> recommends “more frequent but smaller meals” to maintain healthy glucose and fat levels throughout the day.</li><li>When it comes down to our morning routine, our diets should consist of healthy sources of glucose and fat.</li><li>For our morning routines, we want to include foods that contain low glycemic carbohydrates such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, proteins and healthy fats, because they provide sustained energy.</li></ol>

How to Eat Productively 

<ol><li>Work smart. Take on the most difficult, challenging, and important tasks first;</li><li>Set goals. Several studies suggest that having a concrete plan boosts confidence and feelings of control. Your goals should be specific and achievable;</li><li>Play your favorite jams, over and over. According to psychologist Elizabeth Hellmuth Margulis’s book, On Repeat: How Music Plays the Mind, listening to music on repeat drastically improves focus and productivity.</li><li>Clean your workspace. A Princeton University study concluded that cluttered workspaces create more distractions and decrease productivity levels.</li><li>Time yourself. To make the most of your to-do list, you should time yourself and track your progress.</li><li>Avoid multi-tasking . A <a href="http://news.stanford.edu/2009/08/24/multitask-research-study-082409/">Stanford University study </a> found that multitasking is less productive than doing one thing at a time.</li><li>Be good at saying “No.” According to <a href="http://www.talentsmart.com/articles/The-Art-of-Saying-No-1545891057-p-1.html">a recent study from the University of California in San Francisco </a>, people who have trouble saying “no,” also experience more stress, burnout, and depression. By saying “no” to a new commitment, you will have the time and energy to focus on your existing commitments.</li></ol>

Productive Things To Do During Your Work Time 

<ol><li>Yoga is quickly becoming a necessity in every successful entrepreneur’s morning routine, largely, because of its known ability to improve mindfulness and mental performance.</li><li>Writing in a journal has a similar effect on mindfulness. </li><li>Recent research on meditation suggests that meditation may improve mindfulness which can increase attention, memory, emotional intelligence and, ultimately, productivity.</li></ol>

3 Suggested Activities in the Morning 

<ol><li>Your golden hours might be the first three hours of your day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you should get straight to work.</li><li>Light exercise in the morning can help you kick start your day.</li><li>The key is to avoid intensive exercise which will cut into our three hours of optimal focus time.</li><li>In fact, even 10 minutes of exercise is enough to release GABA, which is a neurotransmitter that helps reduce stress.</li></ol>

How to Wake Up in the Morning 

In the aftermath of 9/11, <a href="https://hbr.org/2015/12/how-meditation-benefits-ceos">Jonathon Tang </a>, CEO of VASTRM fashion, hired a meditation facilitator to offer employees the chance to meditate for 20 minutes.“When the session was over, people who had never meditated before were filled with a sense of calm. It helped them be more present at work and even carried forth to being more present with their families at home.”

Benefits of Meditation 

Reveal how successful entrepreneurs can work less by saving 20+ hours every week with early wake up in the morning. Read on!

RON FRIEDMAN, PSYCHOLOGIST

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