Believe it or not, there is a perfect morning routine that will keep YOU happy and productive throughout the day – you simply need to find it.
The Advantages of a Morning Routine
A morning ritual promotes happiness and productivity, reduces stress, and helps you get centered and settled for the day.
A good morning routine lets you start your day with purpose rather than allowing the day to run away with you. You control the day, not the other way around. This great sensation of being on top of things has had a beneficial effect on your entire day.
Minor changes can have a significant impact. It’s the cumulative effect.
Many great entrepreneurs and leaders throughout history credit their success to their morning ritual. A morning regimen, however, benefits more than simply entrepreneurs and leaders. We can all do it.
How to Design Your Ideal Morning Routine
Let’s examine the morning routine through some examples.
Mentally
This is about your mind, which includes your thoughts, beliefs, values, objectives, ambitions, dreams, desires, and plans. Some ideas for establishing a healthy mental space in the morning include:
Set objectives.
Every morning, a buddy of mine posts three Post-it notes. They cover her three most critical objectives for the day.
This provides her with something to focus on – and ensures she gets things done throughout the day. And because it’s only three items, there’s still room for other things to come up – so there’s the built-in flexibility.
Make a list of everything.
Get it out of your head. We sometimes worry during the night, waking up thinking about what we need to do.
This means we wake up feeling behind schedule. Instead, write it down if you know you need to accomplish something. This will free up your head for more vital thoughts.
Make a plan or timetable for the day.
When you know you have a busy day ahead of you, a little forethought can go a long way. Examine your schedule and see what’s there – merge your goals and to-do list, so you have a plan of action.
Emotionally
This is all about your emotions, sentiments, and relationships. Think of it as everything relating to the heart. You may boost your mental well-being and have a joyful morning by doing the following:
Express your appreciation.
New research on the science and benefits of gratitude is constantly being published. According to numerous studies, appreciation has been shown to improve relationships, physical and emotional health, sleep, mental stamina, vitality, and overall happiness.
“5 Minute Journal” jots down three things you are grateful for. You choose the amount but show gratitude for a wonderful way to begin the day.
Give your child, spouse, or pet a bear hug.
Hugging promotes oxytocin (the love hormone), serotonin (which enhances mood and creates happiness), the immunological system, self-esteem, decreases blood pressure, regulates the nervous system, and relieves tension. Simply put, hugging makes you happy. Locate someone or something to hug.
Connect with a friend, family member, or anyone who makes you happy and joyful.
It would be simple to open the door and ask my children to get up when I wake them up. Instead, I take a few additional moments to go up to each of them, kiss them good morning, and connect.
My spouse uses his early commute to phone and communicates with friends and family. In both techniques, we don’t take additional time out of our day or add something to our to-do list; instead, we incorporate it into something that already happens in our daily routine.
Determine what makes you happy.
What makes you happy, joyful, or excited about the day ahead? What gives you a sense of being grounded or connected on a deeper level? Yoga, meditation, or breathwork? More of that, please.
Physically.
We can do anything we imagine with our bodies or physical space. This could include what we eat and drink, how we move, and anything else related to our bodily identities.
Here are some ideas to improve your physical well-being in the morning:
Get your feet moving.
Get your blood pumping. We all know exercise is good for you. This may be a run, a hike, a trip to the gym, yoga, stretching, or creating your own short workout routine. Whatever works for you, and when it comes to workout, you need to listen to your body.
Consume lemon water.
Before you grab your first cup of coffee, try something to hydrate you. I like to drink warm lemon water. This advice came from a 94-year-old grandma in Australia over 20 years ago. This habit, she claimed, had improved both her health and her life.
Do you need any more reasons? Look them up here. I generally pack a bag of ‘detox‘ tea and drink it while I drive.
Consume a nutritious breakfast.
What does this imply for you? Does a protein shake? Great. Toast with avocado? Awesome. Oatmeal? Fantastic. To get you started, eat a healthy, “real-food” breakfast.
Center yourself.
Sometimes we wake up anxious.
When you feel anxious, imagine the roots of a tree as I think of the dirt beneath my feet. This will then go through your entire spine and body.
While I don’t do this every day, if I wake up feeling slightly apprehensive or agitated, I take a minute to the ground and reconnect. Another approach I employ on a daily basis is to place one hand on my heart and the other on my stomach and simply breathe for a few minutes. This instantly soothes and settles my entire body.
Clean up your physical environment.
If our physical space is cluttered, our minds are typically cluttered as well, so declutter your space.
What makes you feel at ease? You might be able to accomplish this simply by making your bed in the morning.
What works best for you? Organize your workstation. Place the clothing in the hamper. It is worthwhile to make your physical environment at ease.
Spiritually
This can be anything relating to you and a feeling of inspiration, which means ‘in spirit.’ While it is not required to convey religion, it may in your case. It’s more about what you need to feel connected to something greater, deeper, and higher – and what helps you feel most connected to yourself.
Meditation.
If you’re reluctant but want to give it a shot, there are tons of great applications like Mindfulness app, Headspace, and Calm. I discovered this guided morning meditation years ago and continue to use it when I need something quick and easy.
And, if you think you can’t meditate (I feel you, I WAS one of you! ), guided meditations are your new best buddy. Examine a few and find what works best for you.
Spend time in nature.
Find a quiet location to sit or wander and just be. Take note of the colors of the trees and sky, as well as the smells in the air. What do you hear if you pay close attention? Consider the earth beneath your feet or the breeze across your face for a moment.
Take a walk in nature, and you’ll meet your physical and spiritual requirements all at once!
Reconnect with yourself.
Understand what it means to be honest with yourself and take a moment to center yourself.
Extra Suggestions for the Ultimate Morning Routine
Keep these in mind when you develop your morning routine.
1. A good morning routine begins the night before.
Getting enough sleep is critical for an excellent start to the day. Make that you receive the required 7-9 hours of sleep (or whatever works for you). If you want to get up earlier for your morning routine, you need to go to bed earlier as well.
Here are some simple methods for getting a good night’s sleep:
- Turn off your electronics at least an hour before going to bed.
- Ascertain that you have a comfortable pillow and mattress.
- Establish a consistent sleep regimen, minimize outside noise, and sleep in a dark room or use an eye mask.
2. Keep things simple.
- Find one or two items (no more than three) that you believe will work for YOU to get you started.
- Begin with a small victory and work your way up.
- I don’t propose picking eight things and then giving up – or berating yourself for failing to make it work.
- You won’t accomplish anything if you put too much on your plate.
- You’ll want at least one activity from each of the four categories eventually, but you can start small and work your way up.
3. Go for a test drive.
- Once you’ve decided on a few things that you believe would work for you, give them a few days to see if they work.
- It takes at least 21 days to develop a habit, just like any other.
4. Make a note of it.
- Set up something to remind you of your morning ritual.
- If you’re more traditional, like me, find a symbol to remind you — a Post-it note on the bathroom mirror, a note on the fridge, or a physical symbol to remind you what you’re doing.
5. Consolidate.
- Rather than adding to your ‘to-do’ list, find methods to incorporate your morning routine into what you’re already doing.
- You can also combine activities that cover a couple of different systems of your body.
What to Avoid
You now have some excellent options for what to do. Having a fantastic morning routine that energizes you, on the other hand, is as much about what not to do in the morning!
Consider what doesn’t work for you. Is there anything that happens or that you do that gets you off on the wrong foot? Does that throw you off track or out of step?
Do you despise waking up to the sound of the ‘alarm’ and wish there was a better way to start your day? Perhaps you’ve been destroyed by negativity and need to protect yourself from bad news or people first thing in the morning?
I have the finest mornings when I don’t check my cell phone when I wake up. I find that checking my phone and email distracts me from my morning routine and sets me off on the wrong path.
To Conclude
You’ve looked through the menu and decided what you’re going to eat. It’s time to develop your ideal morning routine.
Remember that, as with anything else in life, there is no one-size-fits-all solution.
- If you thrive on positive energy, make sure whatever you do first provides you that burst of it.
- If you need a plan, use the three Post-it techniques or make your own plan for the day.
- Go for that morning run or walk if you need to.
- If you need to ponder, make time for reading, strategizing, and journaling.
- Try meditation if your mind races.
- Take time to consider what speaks to you the most. Do you require 5 minutes or an hour? What makes you feel grounded or energized?
- Perhaps a couple of ideas leaped out, or one in particular that you simply know you ought to accomplish.
Then just do it.
You’ll be happier, more productive, invigorated, and grateful.
Choose what makes sense for your life, with your personality, motivations, goals, desires, and circumstances.