Business Insider posted a interesting article based on a survey that shows how “morning” people are often happier than “night owls”.  It shares these 12 rituals that early birds do before noon that make them high-functioning, productive, and more awake employees. Hmmmm…could more of us benefit as well?!

1. Make a work to-do list the day before. This makes the start of the next day for me much more productive and help prioritize my task for the day.
2. Get a full night’s rest. Very, very important! Personally, I require a minimum of eight hours.
3. Avoid hitting snooze. Don’t start your day as a procrastinator — get up at the first sound of the buzzer. I’m lucky, I seem to always wake up prior to my alarm going off.
4. Exercise. I like to take a hike first thing every work morning. When it gets to cold for a short morning hike, I hop on the treadmill. For me, this is good time to get my mind thinking!
5. Practice a morning ritual. Be consistent in your morning routine.
6. Eat breakfast. Everyone needs energy to start the day.
7. Arrive on time and start work at the same time daily.
8. Check in with the boss/teams/clients. I find that people seem to be less stressed in the morning and they feel more important when checked on early in the day.
9. Tackle big projects first.  Getting the most difficult work out of the way fees up the day to be more creative.
10. Avoid morning meetings. For me the most productive time is in the morning. Utilizing this power time to get work done frees my afternoons for socializing and presenting or proposing projects.
11. Plan time for email follow-up. Responding to email instantly is distracting. Designate regular times during the day to do this. For example I check first thing, just before I take a break, after lunch and end of the day.
12. Take a mid-morning break. Getting away from your desk or normal work environment is beneficial.

Read the entire article here — you just might be a happier and more effective worker.