Running your own business definitely has its perks, like creating your own work schedule. But the flexibility of not having a clock-in time can negatively impact your productivity, especially when it comes to late starts and frequent sleep-ins. Developing a regular morning routine is a great way to kick-start a day full of accomplishments. Here are a few suggestions for establishing your morning routine.

Wake up earlier (and go to bed sooner)

Sleeping in is definitely a benefit of self-employment. But alarm clock-free mornings can quickly become a slippery slope. Setting an alarm helps get you up and functioning earlier, taking advantage of what’s often a quieter, more peaceful time of the day. If you find yourself still feeling tired or tempted to hit the snooze button multiple times, consider winding down your evening routine and hitting the hay earlier to get more hours of sleep in.

Get moving

Morning workouts are a great way to jump-start yourself with movement and energy that will carry on throughout the rest of your day. Working out helps improve your mood and lower stress and anxiety, which will no doubt benefit busy real estate agents as they navigate through the challenges of their day. Afternoon or evening workouts can be a lot easier to put off, so consider making morning exercise a part of your routine.

Meditate

With a busy day ahead, taking just a few moments to meditate can help to clear your mind and tackle tasks with a level head. There are great apps that guide you through meditation routines and breathing exercises as short as a few minutes. Or perhaps if yoga is your preferred method to relax and recollect, running through a quick set of stretches and poses can also accomplish this.

Plan your day

Writing out a list of tasks to-do can help get you motivated to start crossing items off. Start by reviewing what you didn’t get done the day before and determine the priority and urgency of tasks. Once you’ve got all these items written down in one place, you’ll feel eager to get going and accomplish everything on your to-do list.