There’s a popular saying that “morning sets the day.” Whoever said this proverb was definitely living a productive life. Because how you start your morning impacts a lot on your entire day.
You can approach your morning with a cold bath, or you can enjoy a hot cup of tea in solitude. When you start your day on the right foot, you create a positive outlook towards your work. You’ll find yourself feeling more focused and productive for the whole day.
But, are you one of those people who don’t follow a morning ritual or rush to work right after breakfast? (I’m not judging you, I’ve been there once!) Then consider this post as your wake up call!
Recently, I’ve started following a morning routine to make my mornings better. And you can do that too! Here are seven simple steps you can try to have a better morning than yesterday.
1- Wake Up Early
The first thing you should do to have a productive morning is to wake up early. If you are a sleepyhead like me, I know it can be a real pain for you to wake up early. So, don’t make any drastic changes in your sleep circle. Start by waking up 30 minutes earlier than your usual routine.
And to wake up early, you must go to bed at the right time. Try to restrain yourself from surfing internet or watching Netflix before you sleep. Practice this regularly until you become an early riser.
2- Hydrate Yourself First
Before you take a shower or sip the first cup of coffee, reach for a glass of water. Drinking water in the morning will give your body a refreshing start.
I drink lukewarm water with lemon first thing in the morning. Now, this is probably a cliché tip, but trust me it works! Lemon water is an excellent way to boost your energy and fight morning blues.
Here’s a quick tip, after drinking lemon water, wait for at least 15 go 30 minutes before breakfast. This will allow your body to digest the benefits of lemon fully.
3- Eat a Healthy Breakfast
What does a healthy breakfast mean to you? A perfectly poached egg? French toast? Maybe your favorite cereal? My point is that whatever you choose to eat as your breakfast, always opt for something healthy. Be it an egg, fruit, salad, or protein shake. Beauce a healthy breakfast will fuel you up with energy for the entire day.
4- Set Your Working Hours
When you have a jam-packed day ahead, it’s best to create a schedule first. Instead of worrying about what work you need to complete in the morning. Make a list of things you need to do first thing in the morning. If you have some work in mind, put it on your schedule. You’ll get loads of online applications to to create a schedule. And if you are a bit old school like me, you might want to grab a pen and write it down in the diary.
5- Deal with the Terrible Task First
Ever heard the famous quote “eat a frog first thing in the morning?” Before you start to cringe in disgust, let me break this to you, I’m not encouraging you to eat a live frog!
It’s based on a famous quote by Mark Twain. The frog is a metaphor here, and it represents an unpleasant task. If you want to do something boring or unpleasant, you should do it first thing in the morning!
It can be attending a video conference or something else. If you do this, you can focus more on the rest of your task.
“If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.”
Mark Twain.
6- Avoid Distractions
Distractions are like those mess you never want to clean up while working. It holds power to stop you from reading a book, completing a project, or writing an article. In short, it kills productivity.
You can avoid distractions by breaking works into smaller tasks. Make sure to take a 10-15 minute break or every 60 minutes of work. When you’re working, turn your phones off or use any application to turn on the ‘’Do not Disturb Mode’’.
Distractions are like gravity holes where you keep sinking in when you have piles of work to complete, yet you couldn’t resist yourself from reading one last post or watching a video.
7- Apply, Apply, and Apply
“Ideas are dime a dozen. People who implement them are priceless.”
Mary Kay Ash
It’s easy to plan things but hard to implement. These ideas will mean nothing to you if you don’t implement them in real life. Don’t be the “I’ll do it later” person and start to apply these morning rituals into what you’re everyday routine.
However, one size doesn’t fit all, so don’t forget to test these tips to see what works best for you. Now, get started with this morning routine from tomorrow. And be the happiest, productive, and grateful version of yourself!