How I prepare for a productive day, every day.

The idea of setting the tone for a productive day is a huge topic with me, because I spent a HUGE part of my life suffering simply from bad scheduling. It wasn't even that I procrastinated so much as the fact that my day had no structure or order to it at all. I would wake up at three in the afternoon, start cold calling at 4 pm, give up at 5pm because my clients had all gone home, head online and start scanning the internet for leads, find myself finally starting a project at 4 in the morning.

Naturally, this had a massively negative effect on my productivity. I resolved to overcome this problem, and eventually, I did. Here are the five things I do every day to guarantee a productive day, whether I'm sick, tired, depressed, or hell, even in mourning.

1. Start preparing at night.

I put away the computer 2 hours before I go to bed, because computer screen contains the potential for distracting stimulation that can make it hard to get a good night's sleep. I spend those two hours showering, reading, and planning my next day.

2. I set my stereo system to wake me up with music.

Alarm clocks are annoying and when I used them, I always just wanted to hit the snooze button. Get a stereo or boombox that you can configure to start playing music when you wake up.

3. I start my day with a cold shower and sit ups.

Coffee is a drain on productivity in the long run because eventually it makes you crash, even if you don't notice it. The slight "shock" of a cold shower will wake you up in the morning, and a bit of light exercise will sustain that energy.

4. I include some fruit, grains and milk in my breakfast.

I'm not a huge health buff, but I find a combination of fruit, bread and milk keeps me energized for the day. I'll admit that I don't whether there's any science behind this or not.

5. I'll review my day planner the first thing I do after eating breakfast.

Before I go to bed, I make a list of plans for the next day. When I wake up, after my shower and breakfast, I'll review these plans, then either revise them or quickly get started on the first task. I work from home full time so being organized is of crucial importance.

These five strategies have done wonders for my daily productivity, health and mood. If you're having trouble with productivity, feel free to try a few of them out for yourself. Or, if you have a productivity strategy of your own, share it here to give other people ideas.