Successful Habits to Add To Your Morning Routine
We’ve all heard and read about the importance of a great morning routine. However, knowing and doing are two different things, am I right? Even when we have the best of intentions, it can be hard to know what exactly makes a good morning routine, and how to even get started in the first place. But, don’t worry, it’s easier than you think. Here are a few successful habits to add to your morning routine.
Exercising or Moving Your Body
If you hate exercising, then the thought of starting your day with a trip to the gym might sound absolutely miserable, but stick with me. If you love working out then awesome, hit the gym or go for a run. But, if that's not your cup of tea, realize that any type of movement in the morning counts as exercise. You can listen to your favorite podcast while going on a 10-20 minute walk or find a short yoga routine on YouTube. And if you like goals, you might try shooting for a certain number of steps before you start work each day.
Journaling
Starting your day with writing and journaling is one of the best ways to process and think through your ideas. If you are used to waking up frazzled or stressed, you’ll likely find that getting into a habit of writing will allow your mind to decompress. Also, if you don’t know what to write, that’s totally ok, there’s no right or wrong way to do this. You might start by writing about your previous day, any highlights or things you might want to remember. Or, you could write a few things you’re grateful for or write a few positive affirmations to put you in a good frame of mind.
Planning
Getting into the habit of planning out your day is one of the most useful habits that you can develop. Believe me, while you might think that you don’t have time to plan, it’s one of the best uses of your time. Spending 5-10 minutes planning can save so much time later on. I find that having a structured system for planning like the 2021 Digital Planner is ideal. And planning isn’t just for work, it’s equally important to plan in other areas of life too like, mindfulness, goal setting, and health and wellness.
Reading
Most people say that they want to read more, but just can’t find the time to make it happen. Even if it’s just 5 minutes first thing in the morning, developing a solid reading habit can put you in a great mood to start the day and allow you to learn something new. Plus, once you start to get absorbed in a great book you might find yourself motivated to read rather than just scrolling through Insta whenever you have a free moment. And since we just talked all about the importance of planning, you can even use a reading planner to keep your reading life organized.
Getting Hydrated
I get it, we all know that we should be drinking more water and skipping the second or third cup of coffee. But, realize that even if you know everything there is to know about productivity, but don’t take care of your body or health, you’ll be in trouble. While it’s not glamorous or Instagram worthy, starting your morning with a big glass of water will set you up for success for the rest of the day. Or, if you don’t love the taste of plain water, spruce it up with a squeeze of lime or lemon juice for a little extra flavor.
Eating Your Big Frog
If you’re a productivity nerd, you’re probably familiar with Brian Tracy’s idea of eating your biggest frog first thing in the morning. This simply means that you think about your biggest task for the day, and do it before anything else. If you have a side hustle or passion project, you can choose one tough but important task each morning. By doing this you’ll find yourself heading into the rest of the day feeling like you’re so accomplished and can do anything.
Going to Bed Early and Waking Up Early
This might seem like a no-brainer, but if you stay up until midnight, waking up at 6 am will feel like an impossible chore. If you want to wake up earlier, it all starts with going to bed at a decent time. Start by choosing when you want to wake up in the morning, for example, 6 am. Then, count back 7-8 hours to see when you should start going to bed, which would be 10 or 11 pm. At first it will be a struggle, but after a week or two you’ll be so excited and motivated by what you’re accomplishing by 9 am that your late night Netflix binges until 1 am will be a thing of the past.
Keep in mind that the most important key is to find what works for you! Try out some of the tips above, come up with some of your own and see what works best for you. You don’t need to do them all, even choosing just one to start with can make a big impact in your life.