Have you ever had a day when you felt like 24 hours aren’t enough to do everything you wanted/needed to do?
Or that time when you wake up, snooze your alarm, fidget with your phone a little, and before you know it, it’s late afternoon and you haven’t done the things you set out to do for the day?
If it’s a “yes”, then having a morning routine may benefit you.
For some people, having a routine can be boring and may seem like they are living in a box with no room for fun or spontaneity. If you’re one of these people, then prepare to be proven wrong.
Why are morning routines (or routines in general) important and how are they helpful?
Routines are helpful because it keeps your body and mind in a certain rhythm.
It can help lower your stress level by setting aside time for important things, sets you up for success and makes sure you follow through with your plans. It also helps ensure better sleep and lesser anxiety which are ingredients to a better physical and mental health.
Having a routine also helps you feel more in control of your day, versus your day controlling you.
Feeling motivated to kickstart your morning routine? Start with these 5 steps!
1. Start the routine the night before
In every task that you want to do, you always want to set yourself up for success. How do you do that when it comes to your morning routine? You start the “routine” as early as the night before!
An average adult is recommended to sleep for at least 7 to 9 hours daily. Although sleeping an hour more or less than this recommendation may be acceptable depending on a person’s circumstances, significantly reducing this number may lead to fatigue, excessive sleepiness, and irritability the next day.
Think about it, a successful morning routine starts with you waking up feeling energized and ready to face a new day. How do you expect yourself to wake up energized and refreshed if you stayed up late the night before?
Depending on the time you’re supposed to wake up in the morning, count backwards so you can sleep for at least 7 to 9 hours. Make sure to allot at least one more hour for your pre bedtime preps. Ideally, no screens before bedtime to give your eyes a break and take Neuro Calm & Clarity Mints before bed to ensure a relaxing snooze.
The next time you’re tempted to browse another video on YouTube before going to bed - DON’T. Your well rested future self, about 7 to 9 hours later, will thank you for it.
2. Wake up an hour (or two) before you have to be somewhere/do something
Waking up an hour before you need to be somewhere or do something gives you ample time to prepare yourself for the day ahead. It gives you the mental clarity and space to actually focus on the task/s at hand by giving your body time to adjust between sleeping and waking state.
Rushing to do something the minute you wake up (because you have snoozed your alam for the nth time) will leave you feeling exhausted, and you haven’t even reached the middle of the day yet.
If you have at least an hour to yourself, you have time to accomplish your actual morning routine!
3. Make Your Bed
Admiral William H. McRaven, a NAVY Seal, shared that, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed”.
Simple, right? But how can something so simple be so powerful and effective? Again, in everything you do, you want to set yourself up for success. Making your bed, despite it being a small task, as soon as you wake up in the morning is one thing you’ve already accomplished and it’s one success you can already count in your book!
Accomplishing this simple task also reinforces the power of paying attention to little things. If you’re able to exercise that muscle of caring and being attentive to the little things, it’s much easier to break down complex tasks and deal with them little by little.
Plus, wouldn’t you feel more relaxed if you come home after a long day and your bed is made?
4. Drink a full glass of water upon waking up
It’s a no-brainer that the body needs water to survive.
Aside from the bodily functions that it supports and sustains, drinking water first thing in the morning rehydrates the body, increases alertness and jumpstarts the metabolism process.
Not only is this a very easy addition to your morning routine, it’s also beneficial to your body in the long run. Win-win!
5. Meditate
Carving out a time in your day (especially in the morning) to meditate is a gift that you can give yourself - and it’s a gift that keeps on giving.
Aside from the many mental and physical health benefits of meditation, it can also influence how you approach and handle the rest of the day.
Because you are able to breathe out stress, anxiety and negative energy early in your day, you intentionally create space for inner peace, compassion, understanding and focus.
If the world is filled with people who intentionally create mental spaces for these things, it surely will be a better place.
Important things to remember
Keep your routine basic and suited to YOUR lifestyle
Not everyone works a 9 to 5 job; some people work different parts of the day. Some people have families and chores to attend to and may not be able to spend an hour or two “slowing things down”.
These things shouldn’t stop you from establishing a morning routine! Find suggestions and then tweak them to fit YOUR lifestyle and YOUR schedule.
If time is an issue, find it! If you have 15 mins in your day to browse Instagram, then you have 15 mins for a morning routine.
Have some flexibility
Some people cringe at the thought of having a “routine”, almost as if the very word is constrictive and suffocating.
Routines are not meant to be a box to limit you, rather it’s a way for you to efficiently account for your time so you can dedicate more time doing the things that you actually love doing!
Having said that, don’t let your routines be rigid to the point of limiting what you can and can’t do on a daily basis. Incorporate flexibility and always leave room for adjustments.
Consistency is key
The first few days will be hard. When it’s hard, remember your “why” and dig deep to find the motivation to get up and keep going.
Keep at it until it becomes a part of your rhythm, until you feel almost incomplete when you don’t do it. Exercise it like a muscle; develop and improve it over time until it becomes a part of your personality.
Most importantly, start TODAY!
Hero Image by Dapo Oni on Unsplash
