If you want to stay stress-free and productive for your day – keep to your morning routine! That’s the findings of researchers who say that if your morning routine is disrupted you’re more likely to report mental depletion and reduced levels of calmness. This leads to being less engaged with our work and making less progress toward our goals (McClean et al. 2020).
We all have our preferred morning routine, (coffee, eating breakfast, exercising, coffee, commuting to work, coffee, take the kids to school, coffee etc). Researchers have found that by automating our repeated activities it conserves energy for more important activities. When your routine is disrupted you have to expend more energy on the mundane tasks of life.
As a manager, you can support your people on this. If you’re aware that your team members has an ill child or suffered a badly delayed commute, it may feel counterintuitive to ask to suggest they take a break before they start, but this can help restore a sense of calm for them. This will lead to increased engagement and productivity. You also need to think before sending an early-morning email to your team. You may think you’re being productive by emailing people before the day starts, however you could be inadvertently disrupting their routines. Think before you send!