No one looks forward to a groggy slow morning. While waking up well rested can easily be achieved by sleeping 7-8 hours a week, a good morning routine makes it better. But, what does a good morning routine look like?
A good morning routine sets you to a calm and collected mind, body, and soul. This promises a productive day. A good morning routine entails many things from exercising, and having a healthy breakfast to planning while prioritizing tasks
Nothing beats the feeling of ending the day satisfied that you were productive enough to meet targets for the day. In this article, I break down what a morning routine is and what a good morning routine entails. Stay with me.
What is a morning routine?
A routine is a pattern of actions that happen repeatedly and intentionally.
A morning routine is therefore a collection of repeated actions undertaken by an individual every morning. Brushing your teeth before or after breakfast or taking coffee as you do your morning devotion is a routine.
We all have a morning routine, but, is it a good one? Do the repeated actions in your mornings guarantee a productive day? A good morning routine assures you of a great productive day ahead.
What is a good morning routine?
1. Morning stretches/gym exercise
It is common for you to wake up slow and a bit tired especially if you did not sleep 7-8 hours. Morning stretches are awesome for getting your blood flowing to your brain and activating the nerves. This gives you a burst of energy in a moment.
Stretches could be the easiest thing to do instead of a gym session which many people struggle with attending. If morning exercise is your cup of tea, go for it. One can also run 15,20 or 30-minute morning exercises using an App or YouTube videos.
The resources are so many such that, you cannot have an excuse. Morning stretches work for me and make my energy shoot in minutes. Try it.
2. Take a Healthy Breakfast
A healthy breakfast entails taking foods low in carbs, rich in fiber, high in proteins, and rich in vitamins. Carbohydrates may give you energy and at the same time burden your metabolism. This is what creates that groggy slow feeling. It makes you tired like you are helping with the digestion.
Make your morning one to look forward to by preparing a breakfast you like. If you fantasize about a rich green smoothie, make it for breakfast to lift your spirits. It is possible to make a quick healthy breakfast even when time is not on your side.
You could prepare the ingredients at night or meal prep over the weekend. One thing is for sure, a healthy breakfast boosts your brain power hence a productive day
Go for fresh fruits like a banana, mangoes, and berries. Oats and gluten-free cereals boost your energy in a big way. Additionally, a well-inclusive green smoothie is known to boost your productivity. Food has a direct relationship with productivity. Eat healthy in the morning for a productive day.
3. Embrace Morning Devotion and Positive Morning Affirmations
Positive morning affirmations are effective in setting your mood, emotions, and motivation right. If you wake up downcast, positive morning affirmations give you hope that everything will be fine.
Look out for these affirmations on YouTube or through podcast channels. They will boost your motivation enhancing productivity.
Morning devotion can vary for different people depending on the higher power you believe in. A morning devotion for a Christian like me would entail reading the bible and praying. Ensure you pay allegiance to the higher being you believe in and ask for guidance and inspiration.
4. Avoid hitting the snooze button; Take water Instead
We all have intentions to wake up as soon as the alarm rings, but do we? To overcome the temptation to oversleep, keep your phone/ alarm watch on a table away from the bed such that you cannot reach out to snooze.
Have a glass of water on your bedside table instead. Once the alarm rings, count 5-1 then reach out for the glass of water. This will force you to sit up to drink and so waking up is made easier.
By so doing, you will reach out to put off the alarm clock/phone. You are now out of bed, start your day.
5. Prioritize Self Care
Self-care part of the morning routine helps you focus on yourself for a few minutes. This sets up a good mood, aligns your emotions, and motivates your brain to start working from a point of being loved through pampering.
While people pamper themselves differently, here are some ways you can practice self-care
I. Read a book- Reading a motivational, challenging, or insightful book sets your mind in recognizing the need for hard work to enhance productivity. It also calms your mind in a great way since you read it in a quiet place.
II. Take a cold/hot shower- Many people associate a morning shower with a 9-5 job. A shower is a very important part of a morning routine whether you are employed in a 9-5, work from home, or a stay-at-home mom.
Showering in the morning awakens your nerves by activating the brain by telling it the day is on. Be sure to dress up neatly, brush your teeth, and make your bed. This will set the tone of your day, enhance focus, and give you a sense of accomplishment even with the smallest tasks. Get them out of the way.
III. Throw in a short skincare routine – This could be a face cleanse/scrub, toning, applying a moisturizer then sunscreen. This helps you feel fresh and great about your face boosting confidence as you smash those daily targets.
IV. Practice mindfulness – As earlier mentioned, adopt methods of calming your mind in the morning. You can do this by meditating or listening to calming music while in a good position with your eyes closed.
This helps you focus on the moment while breathing in and out, it really helps with anxiety.
6. Make a To-do List While Prioritizing Important Tasks
Making a to-do list is a good thing but not good enough if the tasks are not prioritized. Prioritizing tasks gives you a sense of direction and an actionable plan.
Consider putting together your to-do list in the night routine and then prioritizing it in the morning after you check your e-mails or talk to your clients. Try your best to accommodate all the changes whenever possible.
Prioritizing your tasks helps your mind transition from home to work and raises your expectations of having a productive day. You can plan using a planning App like Asana or Todoist or purchase a daily planner. The planner can be digital or physical. Go for what works best for you.
7. Set Up Your Working Space
Working from a cluttered space can disorient your mind. Ensure that your working space is organized so that your mind and brain align. This has proven to work so well in people who experience anxiety in the morning.
You see, people wake up in the morning in response to the stress hormone, cortisol. This hormone reminds you of the need to work so as to meet your needs. Having an organized space lowers this hormone setting your mind in a place of productivity.
Wrapping Up
How is your morning routine? Is there a way you can improve it? The activities that make a morning routine can be in any order. Choose the order that works for you but ensure it is comprehensive making a good morning routine.
Here is a sample:
Did you enjoy this article? Let me know anything we can add to this list to make a good morning routine in the comments.
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