One of the first things to start off to improve our productivity level is to have a good morning routine. We can all relate that the top reason for procrastinating is because it's just so hard to start. In addition, our morning habits can really help set the tone for the rest of our day - it can catalyze us onto a great start or it can whirlwind us into a chaotic series of events. So what are some different healthy habits we can incorporate into our morning schedule? Let's talk about seven.
Huh. What? No. - For many of us, this sounds like one chore that's highly unnecessary and unproductive...but is it? Although this chore seems tiny and simple, it is one step to making you feel good about yourself. You will feel a sense of accomplishment that you've got one task finished and it will encourage you to tackle one task after another.
In addition, looking at a neat and uncluttered room can do a lot to your mind. Many people found that making up their bed helped to also keep their mind uncluttered and easier to think. It can also make it a lot easier to keep the rest of the room clean as well as keep up other good habits. And who doesn't like to jump into a nicely made bed at the end of the day? So, it turns out that this simple act of making your bed can make a difference to your day!
We normally have an idea of what we need to do each day, but just going by the gist of what we need to do may not be all that productive. A lot of outliers can pop in and distract us from getting what needs to be done at a certain time. In addition, when we don't have a set routine, it leaves open a huge window of decision making to do. So plan either the night before or spend a few minutes first thing in the morning to delegate what you need to get done.
Set alarms, even, if you need to so that you don't waste too much time on one task - like showering and getting dressed. When we take time to jot down what we need to do, and even micro-manage our time by including time slots of when we need to finish a task by, it saves us a lot of time wasted from constantly having to ask ourselves, "What do I need to do next?".
Whether we realize it or not, each time we check our phones, we are letting in a flood of information - usually unnecessary - into our precious brain. Our smartphones or electronic tablets contain a lot of potential stressors that demand for our attention and can actually increase our stress.
Most of us are plugged in for the rest of the day as soon as we start looking at our electronic devices. So, why not put it off a bit longer. Why interrupt our calm, relaxing morning with stressors? I'm sure many of us have experienced waking up, checking our phones, and finding ourselves lost on IG scrolling our morning away. You wouldn't want to waste your precious morning all on your phone so put it to the side and do something more productive.
For those that find it hard to wake up early and get out of bed, doing some stretches or exercises first thing is definitely a great start to your morning routine. When we do, it can get our blood flowing, it makes our body feel great, and it can play a huge role to boosting our energy & mood for the rest of the day.
A great start is to first incorporate a 15 minute full body stretch and work your way up to incorporating some cardio exercises to get your heart pumping. Exercising first thing can significantly help us to wake up and get ready to take on the rest of our day!
This sounds like a no-brainer, however with a lot of people working from home or just staying at home due to the pandemic, it can be so easy to put off our skin care routine. But making sure that you have a regular skin-care routine is absolutely necessary for healthy skin & to boost our mood.
When we take time to pamper our skin, we feel better about ourselves and feel more ready to take on whatever tasks are on hand throughout the day. Our skin care routine doesn't need to be complicated, just a simple cleanse and remembering to moisturize our skin during our morning routine can do wonders to how we feel the rest of the day.
Our morning routine may feel bland and strenuous when all we've got planned are tasks that don't amuse us. So why not incorporate something fun and creative that will make you look forward to waking up in the morning?
Perhaps 30 minutes of your favorite tv show, reading a book, trying a new breakfast recipe, turning on some upbeat music, dancing, crafting, or whatever it is that you find interesting and fun can seriously spike up your mornings. In this way, when your alarm sounds the next morning, you will not dread waking up.
You may think that journaling is for writers, but actually making it a habit to write and express our feelings first thing in the morning can make a huge difference to our daily well-being. It can help boost our mood, reduce stress, improve our memory, and other perks.
Morning pages can help you unblock your mind and help you realize that you don't have to be perfect. It also allows us to let everything out with no filter. When we take time to write out what's cooped up inside of us and vent it out in writing, it can help us to move on with our day and our life.
Which of these morning habits do you want to incorporate into your morning routine?
