Do you struggle with finding a consistent morning routine that works for your lifestyle? Don’t worry you’re not alone! For years, I struggled with finding a routine that I could stick to. That was until I learned these 6 morning routine hacks that completely transformed my morning! And I’m going to share them below so you can create a healthy and productive morning routine too!
I believe that how productive and successful you are throughout the day is totally dependent on your morning routine and how you set yourself up for the day. If I hit snooze four times, roll out of bed late and rush to do my makeup, pack my lunch, and get ready, it affects my entire day. I feel flustered, overwhelmed, and under-prepared to tackle the many tasks on my to-do list. But, if I wake up at the time I set my alarm for and have time to prep for the day ahead, I get SO much more accomplished.
If you’re also looking for tips on how to get more done in your day, click here for the 7 productivity hacks that completely transformed my life.
So, you may be asking, where do I start when it comes to getting myself into a solid morning routine?
First step in establishing a morning routine… take a good look at your schedule. What are your priorities? What does your day-to-day look like? Are you at the office? At home? Etc.
What is a reasonable time for you to wake up in the morning to accomplish what’s on your to-do list? Do you have to make breakfast for yourself? For your family? Do you want to work out before work?
You need to ask yourself all of these questions and figure out how you want your morning to look.
Once you know what you want your morning to look like, then you can establish your routine. Your morning routine should fit your lifestyle, your schedule and you as an individual so you can stick to it. You cannot base your routine off of someone else’s because they won’t have the same priorities as you. A working mother with three kids is obviously going to have different priorities than a high school girl would. So, their morning routines are going to be different.
Your routine needs to reflect your lifestyle!
Two… Be consistent. Consistency is important here because the more you do it, and the more you repeat the same routine every morning, the easier and smoother your mornings will go. I used to never be able to get up before 9am; now I can barely sleep in past 7am. My body is just so used to the schedule I’ve put it on. Once you, too, get yourself into a consistent routine, it will become easier to do every day.
And if you want to know the biggest secret of all to having the best morning ever.. Start your morning routine the night before!
At this point, I don’t know if it’s more of a night routine now, but I totally believe that for you to have the most productive morning, your morning routine needs to start before you go to sleep the night before.
This means that anything that needs to be done in the morning that CAN be done the night before, should be. Things like packing your lunch, laying out your clothes, filling up your water bottle, putting any documents or items in your work bag so you don’t forget it in the morning.
The more you prep the night before, the less you will have to do and/or remember to do in the morning. This will eliminate a lot of stress for you if you have everything prepared the night before!
Key Elements You Need to add into your Morning Routine:
Okay, now that we’ve gone over a few simple tips to establishing a morning routine, I’m going to go over the 6 key elements that you need to start incorporating into your morning routine that will set you up for a super productive and successful day.
1. Wake up as soon as your alarm goes off
This is probably the most important takeaway from this blog post. If you were to change one thing about your current routine; start by waking up as soon as your alarm goes off. Hitting snooze actually disrupts your sleep cycles and will leave you feeling extra groggy, tired and confused.
Instead, try setting your alarm for the time you actually need to wake up at every day. Set it for the same time too, so your body gets into a routine. It’ll be so much easier for you to get up in the morning. Read this if you want some more info on the consequences of hitting snooze!
2. Open the shades!
The first thing I do as soon as my feet hit the floor in the morning is open our blinds to let the light in! The sunshine and warmth just feels so good and I feel like when I see the light, it just alerts my body to wake up and start my day. Letting the sun and brightness into your home can also have a really positive impact on your mood.
3. Drink a glass of water
Drinking a full glass or two of water soon after you wake up is so crucial to re-hydrate your body after sleeping for 7-8 hours. Obviously water is essential to daily life, however there are so many health benefits to drinking water first thing in the morning.
It’ll help flush out toxins, strengthen your immune system, and jump start your metabolism, according to The Berkey. Click here for more benefits!
4. Movement
This can either be light stretching, 5 minutes of yoga, meditation, maybe walking outside for a little while or walking the dog. It doesn’t have to be anything intense, just something short that gets your body moving, wakes you up and gets you going for the day. I’ve found that I feel so much more awake, focused, and productive when I start my morning off with some sort of physical activity.
5. Write down 3 things you’re grateful for
Starting your day off with gratitude is so important. I’ve found that it really helps you to be mindful of what you have, your blessings and everything around you. I write my gratitude list in my daily planner just on the top of the page.
You could also get a separate gratitude journal to keep on the side of your bed, so when you wake up, you can just jot down a few things you’re thankful for. Doing this, will help you start your morning in a positive headspace and allow you to focus on what really matters to you in life.
6. Write out your To-do List and Top 3 Priorities
After I’ve opened the blinds and drank my glass of water, this is the next task I do. I sit down with my planner and write out my to-do list for the day. From there, I choose the top three tasks I want to focus on, that for sure, need to get done.
I write those on a separate post-it note and either stick it to my planner or keep it on my desk where I can always see it. Keeping your to-do list and priority list in clear sight will help you stay on track and not lose focus of what you need to accomplish for the day.
I also find that physically writing out your to-do list is so beneficial and can help you get more done!
Do you currently do any of these things? If not, what are you going to start incorporating into your morning routine!? I challenge you to choose one of these elements and see how it affects your morning.
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