How to optimise your entrepreneurial morning routine

An entrepreneurial mindset starts from the moment you wake up in the morning.

Great entrepreneurs use their morning routines to energise, get focused, and prepare for an optimally productive day. Whether you're hustling for your startup, or are a visionary leader for a flourishing enterprise or self-employed business owner, leading your own business takes focus and energy.

What you do in the morning can make a huge difference you feel and even how well you think for the rest of the day. And you don't have to rebuild your life around running 10 miles every morning or eating nothing but grapefruit.

In fact, just a few small tweaks to your morning can shape your life for focused and vibrant business leadership.

Here's how to optimise your morning like a boss:

1) Wake Up An Hour Earlier

What would you do with an extra hour?

Any entrepreneur can think of a million different things you'd do with that extra hour, but where do you get it from? You're exhausted at the end of a long well-spent day... but you can get it in the morning.

If you haven't already shaved your sleep schedule to a minimum, try getting up early. Even 15 minutes earlier can make a difference. And a whole hour? Mornings will never look the same way again.

But you don't have to take our word for it, just try it.

Set your alarm a little earlier. Even go to bed earlier, skipping a few extra minutes of wandering around and yawning before be. And then...

2) Don't Hit Snooze - Leap Out of Bed

Whether you wake up to a gentle music alarm or the blaring sound of klaxons, don't hit snooze.

You may want to hit snooze. Your hand may reach out for the snooze function without being bidden, but don't. Instead, resolve to get right out of bed. Throw the covers back, toss your pillow across the room if necessary. Just don't let yourself go back to sleep.

Why? To get that sweet, sweet extra hour. Or even extra fifteen minutes that you would have spent wishing you could go back to sleep. To an entrepreneur, fifteen minutes are pure gold when used correctly.

If you're a snoozer, it can help to prepare yourself the night before.

When you close your eyes, remember to tell yourself, "Tomorrow I'm gonna jump out of bed!" You might just find yourself leaping before you're awake instead of unconsciously reaching for the snooze button.

3) Write Down Your Morning Thoughts

If you woke up with a few thoughts burning in your mind or the last traces of an interesting dream, write them down.

Your first thoughts can be extremely useful. Many driven people wake up thinking about what they are most worried about or looking forward to. Or you may wake with a to-do list of things that will be useful to remember when your day is getting started.

It can help to write these first thoughts, so they are not forgotten or lost in the usual morning tasks of dressing and making breakfast. It can help to clear your mind, and provide focus or reminders later.

If you had an interesting dream that is still vivid in your mind as you wake, write that down as well. Writing down your dreams can help you to both record your subconscious and to put more powerful thoughts and images behind you.

By writing down your dream, you can put these distracting thoughts behind you while still remembering and reflecting on the activities of your subconscious when you have time later on. A journal of dreams can give you greater insight into your own psychology, fantasies, and motivations.

4) Get Your Blood Pumping with Exercise

Exercise is one of the universal factors of an entrepreneurial morning routine.

Nearly all successful business leaders will tell you that exercise is key to keeping your physical and mental energy up, starting at the very beginning of the day. Whether you pop out of bed or wake up groggy, exercise gets your blood pumping and your body temperature to rise.

These combined actually sharpen the mind and help you to wake up quickly, even if you're normally slow at waking. If you're not already a workout fanatic, that's alright. Just a few squats, a few minutes on the bike, or a quick morning jog can do the trick. The best time to exercise is right before your morning shower.

The key is to enjoy yourself. If you like music, crank it up in the morning and 'jazzercise' (dance like crazy) until your face feels hot and you are panting for breath. If you have an exercise bike or workout bench, do a quick five-minute interval at medium intensity.

And if you don't know where to start, try less than ten squats to get going. Even three to five squats going as deep as you're capable can get your blood pumping.

Just a quick workout will improve your metabolism, circulation, and focus for the entire rest of the day. Exercise will also improve your appetite for breakfast and will help you to crave healthier foods.

5) Take a Brisk Shower

Now jump into the shower.

Even if you don't work out, a hot shower has similar temporary circulation and mental clarity benefits as exercise. The hot water raises your body's core temperature, which drops when you sleep. Your body associates heat with sunshine and wakefulness so when you heat up, you wake up and your mind sharpens for the challenges of the day.

If you wake up sticky-eyed and unable to shake off the heaviness of sleep, just step right into a hot shower.

Take a little time from your extra hour to treat yourself right. Massage the shampoo into your scalp, enjoy a little face scrub, and invest in any personal routines that make you feel fantastic. As an entrepreneur, it's important to feel your best as you step into your leadership persona.

6) Pamper Yourself While Getting Dressed

When you get dressed, put a little pizazz into it. Every day, think about dressing to the nines... in whatever dress code works for your business.

If warm fluffy clothes make you feel like a boss, toss today's outfit in the dryer for five minutes while you shower. Wear something that makes you look and feel good to wear it, and take a little time to do your hair in an awesome and flattering fashion.

Put lotion on your face and hands. And, if you don't have any hair to style (bald entrepreneurs are "in" these days), lotion your scalp. Your skin will look and feel great, which will boost your confidence and comfort throughout the day.

7) Find Time for an Empowering Breakfast

Do not skip breakfast. Many entrepreneurs feel "too busy" for breakfast. You may also be one of many who do not have a morning-friendly stomach.

But still, don't skip breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day. That you eat, and what you eat, will determine your performance up until lunch when you get your calorie re-up.

But you don't have to stop and make breakfast or settle for half a grapefruit. If you're in a hurry, pick up a pack of healthy-ish muffins and a bunch of bananas.

These are great on-the-go breakfast items you can eat during your morning routine, in the car, or whenever your appetite finally wakes up. If you're hungry at home, eggs and warm toast cook up really fast and make a delicious start to the day.

Also, working out tends to make you hungrier faster.

8) Meditate on Your Goals

You might be surprised just how many entrepreneurs recommend meditation at the beginning of the day.

Not necessarily chanting and candles meditation. But the kind where you sit quietly for a moment and organise your thoughts. Centre your being. Clear out any negative feelings, address your worries, then become calm and ready to embrace the day.

With your mind clear, visualise your goals. Set your priorities for the day and dedicate yourself to reaching those goals.

9) Check Your Messages When You're Ready to Start Working

Finally when you're ready—and only when you're ready—to start the actual workday, check your messages. Don't check your phone first thing. Don't check your email until you've had your shower and meditation and have at least looked at breakfast.

When you put off answering messages until you're awake and energised, you'll find that your mind is sharper and your decisions will be more effective.

You'll be able to remember important details, and jump right into the game when you arrive at work with no delay or need to collect your thoughts. Because you've already got it covered.

10) Prioritise Your Morning Tasks

As an entrepreneur, no doubt you have a dozen or more things waiting for you to take care of them as your day begins.

Remember to carefully prioritise which ones need to be taken care of quickly, which ones can be taken care of quickly, and which ones you need a little time to think about first.

After reviewing your morning messages and tasks, take a moment to prioritise the order you're going to address them in. You may choose to put aside an hour for making phone calls, knocking out a big section of tasks, or address the most urgent tasks immediately upon starting your workday.

Whatever you prioritise, stick to the plan to ensure that your great morning start leads to an efficient and satisfying day of business leadership.