Having a good morning helps tremendously in setting the tone for how the rest of your day goes. A bad morning can leave you feeling sour and unmotivated. A morning routine will help you kick start your morning and give you energy for a productive day.
You’re probably reading this article because you have areas in your life you want to improve on and want to be more productive. Remember that the same bad habits you’re trying to get rid of weren’t created overnight, creating a morning routine won’t be done quickly either. Look at your routine as a way to put you in a position to have a productive day. If you can use the first 30 to 60 minutes of your day efficiently, you’ll be able to maintain higher levels of productivity throughout the day.
This article will cover some things that you should be doing when you wake up. These tasks will help you get in the right mindset for your day and help give you more energy. We’ll also discuss how to go about making these changes to your life.
Prepare from the night before
You’ll start to thank yourself when you find things ready from the night before during a busy day. Depending on what you have to do, there are a lot of things you can prepare the night before to have a productive morning. You can get your lunch ready, pack your gym bag, choose your outfit or create a list of things you need to get done. You can even do this according to your profession. If you’re a writer, you can outline an article before you go to bed, save a few reference links and write down some of your thoughts. Some of these easy 10- 15-minute tasks can easily save you hours during a busy day. Find two or three things you can do before you fall asleep to make your morning easier.
If you’re a writer, you can outline an article before you go to bed, save a few reference links and write down some of your thoughts. Some of these easy 10- 15-minute tasks can easily save you hours during a busy day. Find two or three things you can do before you fall asleep to make your morning easier.
Don’t read your email
Checking your email first thing in the morning is a sinkhole for your time. At the very minimum, you should get your basic morning routine out the way before checking your text messages or email inbox.
Checking your email in the morning also changes your state of mind. You’re immediately put into a working mode, which can drain you before you even get to work. Having a morning routine should help you get ready and energized for what awaits you at work, checking your email defeats this.
Getting an important or even annoying email first thing in the morning will throw your whole mindset off. Save this for once you’ve done what you need to do.
Get moving
Exercise promotes healthy blood flow which helps you get energized in the morning. You don’t need to do a massive workout if you don’t want to (some people prefer to exercise in the evening), but you need to get your body moving at the very least.
You’ll notice a difference in how energized your mind is as you continue with your morning. Moving your body will also spark your appetite, which gives you a chance to fill your body with some healthy nutrients. Mornings are the perfect time to exercise since hormone levels in your body are increased, take advantage of this!
Nourish your body
Eating a balanced breakfast will put you on track for a successful day. A lot of people simply don’t feel like eating first thing in the morning. Try and find ways to train yourself to eat in the morning. Exercising is one technique that will help you feel hungry. You can also drink a glass of juice to wake your stomach up.
Eating in the morning will jump start your metabolism and give you energy, but only if you eat healthy foods. Foods high in protein are best to fuel your body with in the morning. Eggs, healthy cereals, oatmeal (made with milk), smoothies or yogurt are all good options to get your day started properly.
How to make the changes
It’s easy to think about getting up early, but you’ll need to find ways actually to make it happen. People aren’t naturally morning people or night owl’s; these preferences are the results of habits that our lifestyle has caused us to build. Here are some ways to help make these habits easier to change.
Don’t make drastic changes
Immediately trying to adapt a new routine just won’t work. A lot of people give up on breaking habits or starting new routines because they try and do too much at once. You’ll find it easier and less stressful to break habits or start routines if you start slowly.
Gradually get up earlier every day, even if it’s just by 10 – 20 minutes at first. This will make it easier for you to get mentally and physically used to getting up earlier. You also won’t be as frustrated with yourself since these are more manageable goals to meet.
Think about the positives
The better of a reason you have, the easier you’ll find it to get up. Maybe you want to be more productive or find more time to do things you enjoy during the day. When you first roll over in the morning don’t rationalize. Yes, you’re tired.
But you need to get out of the bed. Even just standing up and walking around will help you wake up. As soon as you wake up, hop out of the bed, use the washroom, splash some water on your face, whatever it takes for you to wake up. Think about all of the things you’re about to accomplish with the extra time you now have.
Set your alarm up properly
You’re probably likely to need to use an alarm to get used to getting up early. Set multiple alarms with 5 to 10-minute intervals to reduce the chance of you not hearing it. It’s very easy to simply sleep through your alarm when you set it for an earlier time than normal.
Try and set up a custom alarm that will play something pleasant to you when you wake up. Hearing a screeching alarm or buzzer sound first thing in the morning can be a bit jarring; it can even throw off your mode. Thankfully smartphones have made it easy to use songs and audio files for your alarm. Wake up to something that will inspire you to get out of bed.
Another technique for your alarm is to move it away from your bed. It’s too easy just to roll over and hit snooze and fall back asleep. Put your alarm in place where you have to get physically up to turn it off. Once you’re up, it’s much easier to avoid falling back asleep.
Building your own morning routine will have a positive effect on your health, happiness, and productivity. If you can control the first 30 minutes of the day, it makes the rest of the obstacles in front of you easier to tackle. The hardest part of starting a new morning routine is getting started.
Remember to start with small changes and gradually work your way up. Try and think of a reason to get up early that inspires you; you’ll find yourself excited to go to sleep and wake up in the morning. Let us know in the comments about any morning routines that you have. How do you get ready for the day and what helps you get up early?