Make a Morning Routine, Change Your Life
Having a strong morning routine can help you form positive habits that push you towards your life goals. In this article, we’ll look at how you can create a morning routine that will drive success, as well as provide ideas to inspire your own morning routine.
Your Morning Routine MUST Push You Towards Your Goals
Everyone is different. We all have different energy levels, bodies, goals, and commitments. The only way you’ll ever stick to a morning routine is if fits around your life and pushes you towards the things you have defined as important.
Is exercise important? Yes. But if you have a physically demanding job, or play squash three times a week, it’s probably not necessary to spend an hour and a half in the gym every morning. Maybe try a short stretching routine instead, or cut out exercise entirely and focus on building your side hustle.
Likewise, many people find journalism to be a great way to organize their thoughts and increase mindfulness. However, if you try it and it doesn’t stick, then maybe journalism isn’t for you. Reading could be a good alternative, or even having a relaxing breakfast with the people you love.
A Good Morning Routine is a Habit for Life
When setting a routine, take things slowly. If your current morning involves hitting snooze for thirty-minutes, taking a rushed shower, and drinking coffee in the car on the way to work, then adding meditation, exercise, reading, stretching, and 50 minutes learning Arabic is going to be a major shock to the system. You could be setting yourself up for failure.
Instead, begin by taking small steps. In the above example, the person could cut out the snooze, add a 10-minute flexibility workout, and use the other 20 minutes to slow down the rest of their morning.
As the person gets used to their new routine, they could then think about putting the alarm forward another thirty minutes. This would let them add other activities they think will push them to their goal.
Six Steps to Creating a Life-Changing Morning
The following six steps are things you can do to have a better morning. The exact activities you do in your morning routine will depend on your needs and your specific situation.
Step One: Decide on Your Goal
The first thing you should do is decide what the goal of your morning is. This should be something that will push you towards what you want to achieve in life.
If you want a promotion at work, then setting yourself up to enter the day with a clear mind and lots of energy is perhaps the most important thing. You could achieve this through meditation and a healthy breakfast.
On the other hand, you may want to get fit. If so, you’ll want to build regular exercise into your morning routine.
Other people may want to work on a side project, learn a skill, or simply have time to eat breakfast with the people they are close to. Whatever your goal, your morning routine should be set around achieving it.
Step Two: Prepare the Day Before.
Preparing the evening before reduces the number of things you need to do in the morning. This is crucial because reducing friction between waking up and completing your goals will make it easier to get started when the alarm goes off at 6 a.m. Here are some things you could do:
Make preparations such as setting out clothes or getting breakfast ready. The less you have to do when you wake up, the better.
If you plan to work out, do yoga, study, or write, ensure the area you plan to use is tidy and free of distractions.
Where applicable, make a plan so you know exactly what it is you need to do in the morning, thereby maximizing the time you have.
Step Three: Eat Healthily
The benefits of breakfast are widely reported. However, you shouldn’t eat just anything. Ensure that what you choose to start the day off with is the right thing. Swap out unhealthy food like sugary cereal, waffles, or bacon, for a healthier alternative such as oats, yogurt, fruit, poached or boiled eggs, wholemeal bread, or smoothies.
Step Four: Wake Up Your Body
Exercising in the morning is a great way to wake up your body. Even if you don’t plan to do a long session in the gym or go on a morning run, there are still simple things you can do to get your body moving.
A mobility routine is perfect for people who don’t have much time or get their exercise during other parts of the day. This routine by CalisthenicsMovement can be done in just a few minutes and warms up and mobilizes your muscles.
Spending time in the morning playing your favorite sport is an enjoyable way to improve your physical health. Back in 2007, The Guardian reported that Vogue Editor Anna Wintour woke up every day at 5.45 a.m.to play an hour of tennis.
Running or cycling is a great morning workout because it can be done without having to go to the gym or another location. This can save precious morning time. Alternatively, if you want a strength-based routine, you could try an at home bodyweight fitness routine.
Step Five: Relax the Mind
Taking care of your mind is important and there are plenty of things you can do in the morning to help you relax and reduce stress. Here are some of them.
Many people find reading to be a good way to relax. It’s also a great way to learn about something new. To avoid distractions, try to read a book or on an e-reader, rather than on your phone.
Journalism in the morning isn’t just for writers. Some people say it can help with mindfulness, emotional intelligence, memory and comprehension, and improving communication skills.
Step Six: Learn Something New
Many people find that they are at their cognitive best early in the morning. Additionally, there are often fewer distractions compared to later in the day. This makes the morning a great time to learn something or do other activities that take a lot of brain power.
If you’ve been meaning to learn a new language, take a course in coding, or learn an instrument, try to set aside some time in the morning to complete the task.
Many of us have side projects we want to get off the ground. Whether you want to write a novel, start a business, or begin a YouTube channel, doing so when your mind is at its clearest could make the process easier.
Alternatively, you may just want to do as great a job at your current workplace as possible. If this is the case, it could be a good idea to use the cognitive boost brought by the morning to tackle some of your toughest or most important tasks.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, there is no single hack or morning routine that is going to transform your life. Instead, building a meaningful routine around the things you find important is the best way to implement positive changes in your life.