The key to a healthy positive mindset is in your morning routine habits – once I implemented tasks to complete every morning, my life began to transform fast.
You will see the huge benefit to your mental health, and then it becomes a habit of self-development in your life, not just the mornings.
Getting up that extra hour or two earlier can really help you develop a strong mindset and bring peace to your everyday life. One of the things that has the biggest impact on our days and on our life is how we spend our first hours awake.
As you might guess, waking up in a rush to quickly grab some coffee, some clothes and head off the door already exhausted and sweaty is not ideal for our body and mind. And it doesn’t even end there.
This poor morning experience will easily influence our mood for the rest of the day – and even our work performance.
That’s why it’s so crucial to have some morning habits and routines that are put together strategically to improve our productivity for the rest of the day. And day after day this will change your life for good, of course.
Today, I’m going to share in this post the most-effective habits you should start adopting to have a happier morning experience and head off the door feeling calm and ready to take on the world!
By implementing these habits into my life it has changed my life dramatically!
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Morning Routine Habits – Ultimate Guide!
Don’t go to bed late the night before
Before we get started, there’s one mistake you cannot afford to make. This morning mistake will screw up your entire day.
Go to bed early the night before!
Sleep is not only for the weak. It’s the best way to stay strong all day.
Are all-nighters worth bragging about? Maybe they’re fine once in a while when they can’t be avoided but otherwise – staying up late constantly isn’t a sign of working hard; it’s working too much, working inefficiently and mismanaging your time.
I use to be one of those people who stayed up to the early hours of the morning, then wake up like and zombie and head off to work feeling like I had just been dug up!
Not anymore though!
Without enough sleep, you’ll start the day with a mind that’s not 100% energised – no matter how many times you give yourself a good slap on the face.
The worst part? Imagine your brain failing in the departments of common sense and alertness.
Around 16 million Brits experience side effects of sleep deprivation every night!
And studies suggest they can range from less obvious stuff – like a lack of focus or attention – to crying over small things, or a lower reaction time while driving or pouring coffee!
Speaking of coffee – don’t rely on it to overcome sleep deprivation. I enjoy my morning coffee as much as the next person. But I also know caffeine has its limitations.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-8 hours of sleep (or 9 if possible) for the average adult.
I have about 6, which suits me fine.
Get Up Early
The alarm goes off, no flirting with the snooze button though, she will break your heart!
I get up early, like really early! Every day (apart from Sundays) 4:00 – 4:30 AM Early. And I’ll be brutally honest with you, I hate getting up every single morning, but I do it anyway.
That being said, getting up early in the morning is a common habit of highly successful people. There’s something to be said about that feeling of peace in the early morning hours when all the world’s asleep.
It’s this morning tranquillity that’ll give you time to wrap your head around things and prepare your docket for the day. You’ll be surprised how motivating a head-start can be.
Drink some water to rehydrate
When you first wake up, you’ve been without water for several hours. I have a bad habit of reaching for my coffee before anything else, but I recently started drinking a glass of water beforehand. I’ve found that it gets rid of those nagging headaches I sometimes wake up with.
If you can get a glass of water into your system before anything else, your body will thank you. Adding a little lemon to your water also has some health benefits. But, if that’s not your thing, at least get a glass of water in before coffee or tea.
Getting hydrated will also help with the next step in creating your best morning routine.
Move your body
One of the best things to do in the morning is without a doubt moving your body. Think about it: your body has been lethargic and lying down for 6-8 hours, your muscles are probably still sleeping and need to stretch.
Now, I don’t expect you to do a full 45-minutes workout when you’re still feeling sleepy and unmotivated, but if you force yourself to move your body (even with some low-intensity exercises) for as little as 10 minutes, it will be a game changer, I promise.
It’s been proven that working out in the morning – even with some light exercise – can boost your metabolism up to 22% for the rest of the day and reduce tremendously sugar cravings.
Moving in the morning will get your heart pumping, your metabolism to speed up, while also making you feel more alert and active for the rest of the day.
Meditation
I thought this was complete nonsense a few years ago, now I love it.
The one thing that calmed my mind beyond belief, if done properly, is meditation.
This helps you become at peace with your thoughts, and also mindful meditation helps you stay in the present moment.
Try to meditate before breakfast, this is the best time to do it in the morning.
Meditation will seem like a chore at first, but the more you practice, it will become more of an enjoyable experience that you will look forward to.
There are tonnes of videos on YouTube to help you get started.
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Mindful shower
When is a better time to be mindful and focus on your feelings, if not when you’re in the shower? It has been shown that showers are some of the most calming environments for people. So next time you´re showering in the morning, take some time to practice deep thinking and to create a positive mindset for the day ahead of you.
Sure, it might seem a bit weird to some people, but think about it this way: the water has a calming effect and allows your mind to come up with great and motivational ideas. I know for some people showering can be just a quick part of their day, but you can change that and make it more meaningful.
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Eat a healthy breakfast
Since you are not rushing, you are now able to sit down and eat a healthy nutritious breakfast. Eating a healthy breakfast as part of your morning routine before work will help you to be more productive.
Moreover, the breakfast will provide the energy needed to fuel your brain. Additionally, eating breakfast will keep you full for longer, eliminating the need for you to consume high and empty calories which will harm your body.
Furthermore, while sitting down to eat your breakfast you can read a few pages of a positive mental attitude book or any other self-development book.
Practice gratitude
This is no new phrase but it is so sad that so many of us reduce the importance, need and power of gratitude. When you wake up in the morning, learn to give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength, give thanks for your food and joy of living. If you see no reason to give thanks, there is a problem you need to fix urgently.
Gratitude is the conscious experience of appreciation. By outing and writing at least 3 things you are thankful for, you are setting your day on a positive route.
Gratitude gives us reasons to be happy, makes us more optimistic; it increases self-esteem.
Cultivate the habit of being grateful for every good thing that comes to you and gives thanks continuously. And because all things have contributed to your advancement, you should include all things in your gratitude.
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Read/watch videos on self-development
If you’re always telling yourself how much you’d like to read more but simply “can’t find the time” then this is a perfect thing to do first up in the morning.
If you think about it, reading for 15 minutes daily is hardly anything – it’s not intimidating at all – but if you keep up with it, you’ll finish reading an average size book every month.
That’s why this is definitely one of the best habits to include in your morning routine!
I never use to read, now I cannot stop.
There are so many good books and people out there to follow for self-development.
Read a chapter of a book and watch one video a day. This soon gets you motivated and before you know it, you will be researching the subject in-depth.
One good book or one video can change your outlook on life and be the inspiration you have been looking for.
One thing I have learned the past year, is that the more I learn, the more I realise how much actually don’t know.
Top tip:
The below channels from YouTube have had an amazing influence on me for self-development:
I also recommend the below books to read:
Review your to-do list and prioritise
Ideally, you should have created your to-do list the previous night but if you have not done it, you can do so in your morning routine before work. Having a to-do list enables you to use your time and energy wisely by completing only the tasks that are important to you. It eliminates time-wasting, thereby allowing you to be more productive.
It also provides a form of structure making you more organized. Checking off your to-do list in your daily planner as each task is completed gives you a sense of accomplishment as each task is done. Be sure to arrange your list by priority.
That is, begin with the more important tasks, that way you can allocate more time in completing those tasks.
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Make your bed
You may wonder what making your bed has to do with a successful morning routine before work. Well, taking the time to make your bed gives you a feeling of accomplishment as it is the first task you will complete for the day. In addition, it helps you to become organise and reduces your stress level. When you make your bed, you are de-cluttering and creating a tidy space. A tidy space is calming and thus reduces stress.
Be consistent
Consistency is the hallmark of the unimaginative. Routines or rituals cannot be effective if they are not practiced consistently.
You must not adopt all these rituals at once, you can start by simply developing an attitude of gratitude, keeping a journal or making sure to have breakfast in the morning but employ it as a habitual activity and the more you progress, the easier it becomes to adopt and stick to other routines. I didn’t cultivate all these rituals in one day so be patient and consistent.
We all have to start somewhere, and doing something is better than nothing at all. Start small so you don’t get discouraged and give up. Remember it is all about consistency.
Final thoughts
I hope that you are able to make sense of these tips and use them to help create a very successful morning routine in order to live a happier life.
Implementing a healthy morning routine is meant to enhance your well-being. Routine is an awesome form of self-care, but not if you feel enslaved to it. Make your morning schedule serve you, not the other way around.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years!
If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!
I really hope you found inspiration in this article.
I would love to hear your thoughts on what you are doing to change your life in the coming days and years!
If you have any questions please reach out to me via adam@adam-lawrence.org. I would love to hear from you!
I really hope you found inspiration in this article.
Other posts you may like:
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Hello! My name is Adam and welcome to my space on the internet. Here you can find me writing about subjects such as spiritual growth, self-discovery, wellbeing, addiction recovery and mental health. Please connect with me on my journey and join the community!
