Days can feel long when you’re in the sales business, especially when you get off to a rough start. If your morning routine usually involves waking up 15 minutes before you need to leave for work, you may want to consider a bit of an adjustment to your schedule. Starting your day refreshed and ready to go will set the tone for the rest of your workday, and, really, the entire week. Let your morning mindset reflect your goals, and kick-start your day relaxed instead of rushed.

How do I get started?

A little consistency goes a long way. Once you push through the effort of shifting yourself into more of a morning person, your body naturally starts to adjust. You may even find yourself waking up before your alarm does—all it takes is a little effort and determination to get up earlier than you’re used to.

What should my morning routine include?

Once the workday takes off, we often have a hard time finding downtime for ourselves. Take the morning to shower, cook breakfast, and read something at your leisure. Reading in the morning is great warm-up for your mind before your workday begins. Exercise your mind by reading a blog, a magazine, or by writing down personal goals. Being positively productive will clear your head for the day to come.

Morning don’ts.

Our morning routine is supposed to set the tone for the day. Don’t start off your days answering complicated emails and work questions, there is no need for a stressed headspace that you can’t act on until 9 o’clock.

It’s also important to be mindful of your social media intake in the morning when every minute counts. Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook often have people so entranced that time tends to become completely forgotten. There is a fine line between mindfulness and mindlessness in the morning, and social media can position you in such a deep state of mindlessness that sticking to a schedule becomes incredibly difficult. Save your leisurely scrolling for the end of the day, when you are satisfied with the tasks you were able to complete.

How can I be sure to follow through?

If you find yourself in a vicious Monday through Friday cycle of forgetfulness, try writing down your goals each day, and include a rough time frame for when you want to complete them. That way, when you are tempted to hit the snooze button in the morning, you aren’t abandoning your responsibilities.

When you don’t stick to a routine, it’s easy to fall into a habit of losing track of tasks that need to be completed, causing unnecessary stress that can impact how you carry yourself throughout the day. Having an awareness of your level of productivity will allow you to take accountability for your actions and effectively make improvements in areas of your life where they may be needed. By disciplining yourself to stick to a schedule, you will find yourself able to implement that same skill into tasks at work and other areas of your life.