Your morning routine gets you out of bed, kick-starts your day, and ensures you have a productive first few hours each day. It is essential to ensure that your morning routine includes time for both works and play to ensure you can perform well throughout the rest of the day. Utilizing this checklist as a guide will assist you in starting the path to establishing your most successful mornings ever. We are all aware that establishing healthy habits in the morning can significantly impact how the rest of the day goes for you. I adore having the assurance that if I wake up, have some water, take my vitamins, read something inspiring, and eat breakfast before heading to work. Then, the day will go swimmingly. But what about the days when you sleep in until late in the morning? Or do I need to remember to complete an essential task? Wouldn’t it be great if there was a single checklist that contained everything you could do to guarantee that you are performing at your absolute best at all times? It can be challenging to get up early for the day, and it can be even more challenging to determine what activities you should complete before going to work. But you have nothing to worry about because we have a checklist to help you with your morning routine. This list will provide you with some pointers on how to get yourself ready in the morning, which will assist you in getting your body ready for a day of productive work. How do you feel when you first get out of bed in the morning? What is the first thing that goes through your mind when you wake up? What kind of an impact does this have on the rest of your day? If you are experiencing a negative emotion or if your first thought was, “ugh, I have to go to work now,” then reading this blog post will be helpful. An uplifting morning routine is the first step towards achieving happiness. This checklist provides an easy way to ensure you get off to a good start each day. If you’re anything like me, you find yourself wishing the mornings were less chaotic. It isn’t easy to get everything done on time, and it can be challenging to ensure that everyone has the same understanding of the situation before the start of the day. To assist you, I compiled this list of things to do first thing in the morning for some mental clarity and, hopefully, increased productivity at work. I hope this helps! It is important to get started with what’s most important right away so that when other things come up later in the day, they won’t be able to derail your progress. Every one of us adheres to a specific pattern when we get up in the morning. Some of us get up and immediately head to the gym, while others immediately get a cup of coffee or tea, and still, others choose to lie back down and continue sleeping. No matter what you choose to do first thing in the morning, it is essential to keep track of your routine to improve it and set yourself up for a successful day. I have compiled a list of activities I enjoy doing first thing in the morning, and I look forwards to discussing it with my close friends. So continue reading if you are considering giving this a shot! Let’s get started!
So How Do You Get Your Day Off To A Successful Start?
Many people seek motivation and direction from the morning rituals of highly successful businesspeople, artists, chief executive officers, politicians, and productivity experts. It was said that Benjamin Franklin would get up at five in the morning and ask himself, “What good shall I do today?” Anna Wintour starts her day with a tennis match that lasts for one hour and begins at 5:45 in the morning. Tim Ferris begins each morning with a cup of black tea, meditation, and writing in his journal. However, one thing becomes abundantly clear after reading through a dozen more examples like these. Every successful person uniquely begins their day. Still, the one thing they all have in common is their dedication to a routine that assists them in remaining focused, motivated, and productive throughout the day.
Why Creating A Routine Is So Important
What we do over and over defines who we are. Therefore, excellence is not an action but rather a habit. The philosopher Aristotle. The act of brushing one’s teeth before going to bed or washing one’s face first thing in the morning are examples of routines that involve a series of actions performed regularly. A behaviour can develop into a habit if it is performed frequently enough. Because they enable us to complete various tasks with minimal to no overt effort, habits are an extremely effective instrument for increasing productivity. Therefore, when all of the little activities of your morning start to happen automatically, it removes the need to make all those tiny decisions, which frees up your mind to focus on what is important. Deciding on what aspects of your life are most significant in advance enables you to go through each day with purpose rather than just reacting to whatever comes your way.
Productivity + Morning Routines
Finding yourself on the wrong side of the bed when you wake up. You oversleep, quickly consume some breakfast, frantically search for socks that match, and then spill coffee on yourself as you rush out the door, only to realise that you forgot to pack your gym bag while you were in the middle of your commute. We have all felt the lingering effects that can be caused by a poor beginning to the day. The majority of us have learned through our own experiences that if we have a bad mood to start the day with, it is very likely that it will carry over into the rest of the day. As it happens, there is a rationale behind this. Research has demonstrated that a bad mood can hurt cognitive performance and flexibility. In addition, it means that your productivity and creativity will suffer if you are in a bad mood when you get to work. Another study that investigated the relationship between the mood of customer service representatives and their productivity came to similar conclusions. According to the study’s findings, participants who were in a positive frame of mind provided higher quality service and were more articulate, using fewer verbal tics such as “um.” On the other hand, people in a bad mood answered fewer phone calls, took more breaks, and had an overall 10% decrease in productivity. In addition, the study’s findings demonstrated that employees who got off to a poor start in the morning tended to remain in a negative mood throughout the workday or felt even worse by the time it was over.
The Benefits of a Morning Routine
Do you start your day by pressing the snooze button four times, then getting dressed, eating a protein bar, and checking your email on your phone while walking out the door five minutes later? If so, this might describe your typical morning routine well. After that point, the rest of our day might feel like we’re constantly rushing around and playing catch-up; we might need to get a sense of being particularly on top of our game or very productive.
Reasons to Set a Routine
It is common knowledge that people with great, productive days have morning routines that set the tone for the rest of the day. Therefore, establishing a reliable morning routine is one of the most important factors in terms of productivity and success. It is especially true in the professional fields of sales and leadership. Even though not all of us are in management or other leadership roles at our jobs, we are all intended to take charge of our own lives in some capacity. It includes providing ourselves with the best possible opportunities to experience a sense of self-assurance and productivity daily. An individual’s daily routines are a potential leading indicator of increased productivity and achievement by productivity coaches. Although different coaches have different ideas on the different kinds of daily habits that should be included, the majority of coaches agree that how we start the day significantly influences how the rest of the day seems to go. When developing a morning routine, the goal is not to see who can complete the most tasks or tick off the most boxes compared to everyone else. Instead, it is about permitting yourself to start each day with self-assurance, inner calm, and a constructive frame of mind. When we get our day started in this manner, it may be easier for us to effectively complete tasks and deal with things as they come our way without feeling overwhelmed or stressed out all the time.
Physical and Emotional Benefits
It has been found by researchers at Harvard Business School and Stanford University that stress in the workplace can be just as hazardous to our health as being exposed to secondhand smoke.
1. Physical and Emotional Connection
Feeling good in our bodies can unquestionably affect how we experience our emotions. When we have the flu, for instance, the last thing most of us want to do is go around with a smile or be overly optimistic. In addition, our perception of how well we handle the day can affect our mental and emotional health. For instance, when we are always rushing and trying to make the next appointment, when we are consistently running behind schedule, or when we feel lost in a sea of tasks, it is easy for us to become overwhelmed, stressed out, depressed, and frustrated. It makes perfect sense that if this were to be a pattern that persisted over time, we might eventually start to feel helpless and as if we’ll never be able to catch up! Maintaining positive emotional health and becoming significantly more resilient in the face of adversity can be facilitated by cultivating a daily sense of inner calm and self-assurance.
2. Relationships
When we are experiencing feelings of being overwhelmed and stressed, it is easy for our feelings to manifest themselves in the relationships we have with significant others in our lives. How often have you come home from a long and stressful day only to take out your anger on a family member or a close friend? It can happen when we vent our frustrations, become angry, or even withdraw from the people we care about. As we begin to establish a morning routine that enables us to feel more self-assured, productive, and resilient, we will also find that our relationships feel more positive, connected, and intimate.
3. Productivity
The morning routine helps us to set the tone for the day and better allows us to control our schedules so that they don’t control us rather than the other way around. Because we begin each day with a clean slate, we are better able to concentrate on the tasks at hand, set priorities for our time, and, as a result, boost our level of productivity. Productivity does not always refer to how much work we are getting done; rather, it can also refer to the quality of our work and the intention with which we approach it. It is a very different sensation to reach the end of the day with ten tasks that are only partially finished as opposed to finishing six tasks and feeling proud of the quality of your work. When we are constantly reacting to additional tasks, stressors, or needs, it can be very difficult for us to prioritise, and it can also be difficult for us to follow through effectively.
4. Confidence
Being able to say “I like myself” is not the same as having true self-assurance. However, various life experiences facilitate the development of genuine self-assurance. Self-efficacy is a term that refers to the belief that we have in ourselves that we can accomplish the goals that we set for ourselves and the tasks that we take on. Self-efficacy, in contrast to self-esteem, which is an overview of our feelings of self-worth, is a more influential factor in assisting us in building both confidence and resilience. Reinforcing our belief that we can achieve our goals by actively participating in the activities that make up our day, watching ourselves complete challenges, and appreciating the results of our efforts all contribute to a stronger sense of self-efficacy. Having a set pattern to follow first thing in the morning helps to improve one’s ability to prioritise tasks, manage time more efficiently, and increase overall productivity. Our sense of self-efficacy is likely to improve due to all of this, which is a very good sign.
5. Peace
The effects of stress on our mental and physical health, as well as the quality of our relationships and performance at work, can be significant. The feeling that we cannot complete tasks or that we are always falling behind is a major contributor to the stress we experience. Our sense of self-efficacy is low, and we may start having negative conversations with ourselves, which can lead to feelings of anxiety and helplessness. A solid and consistent morning routine can give us time to practise intentional mindfulness and prayer, which can lead to increased feelings of peace as we go about the rest of our day. A sense of accomplishment at the end of the day can pave the way for a calmer evening, leading to a more restful night’s sleep and a more revitalised start to the next day.
Creating A Routine Checklist For All-Day Productivity
- Keeping track of the time and how you’re feeling is the first step in developing a morning ritual. It would help if you first became aware of how you spend your time. Spend one week recording how you spend your time. At the end of each hour, make an effort to jot down what you did with that hour. Then, rate how you feel on a scale that ranges from one to ten.
- After that, list all the things you need to accomplish in the morning, such as eating breakfast, taking a shower, getting dressed, preparing lunches for the kids, and so on. Include an approximation of the time required to finish each activity on the list next to that activity.
- The next step is to compile a list of things to do that will assist in setting a productive tone for the day. It may involve engaging in activities such as meditation, prayer, journaling, gratitude practises, physical activity, establishing an intention, listening to a podcast, playing an instrument, reading, or other activities.
- These activities should help you achieve a state of calmness and positivity, which will energise you for the day that lies ahead. Once more, include the amount of time required for each activity and the amount of time you would like to devote.
- When you’ve finished making your lists, the next step is to calculate how much time you’ll need to finish your morning routine.
- The next step is to base the times you wake up and go to bed on your morning routine. If it takes me two hours to complete my routine and I have to leave the house by nine in the morning, I will, for instance, set my alarm clock for seven in the morning and go to bed at eleven in the evening so that I can get eight hours of sleep.
- When setting your wake and sleep times, do your best to be as realistic as possible; for example, if it takes you half an hour to get out of bed in the morning, you should make sure that your alarm takes this into account.
- Create a routine morning checklist to help you turn your ideal morning routine into a habit. You can use a template to help you create the checklist.
- Experiment with it and modify it as required. Developing a consistent morning ritual calls for both time and practice. If the thought of completely altering your current routine seems overwhelming, try beginning by incorporating one new habit every week.
- As time goes on, you’ll better understand what approaches are most successful for you and how you can end chaotic mornings once and for all.
Helpful Strategies
The following are some suggestions that can assist you in developing an efficient routine for the morning.
1. Give Yourself Time
Don’t hit snooze! It can be very challenging, particularly in the beginning, to avoid falling back into old routines and not pressing the snooze button to stay in bed for a little bit longer. A solid morning routine gives you enough time to benefit from, as well as take pleasure in, your morning routine. The amount of time required could vary greatly from one individual to the next, but it could be anywhere from thirty to ninety minutes. Unfortunately, there is a common misconception that to have a successful morning routine, and you need to get up at 4:00 in the morning every day. Productivity experts recommend that you pay attention to what you have to say to yourself and consider what you can accomplish and maintain at any given time. Don’t be concerned with the actions of other people.
Key things to remember:
- Make sure you get up at a decent hour every day.
- Don’t even think about pressing the snooze button.
- Give yourself between 30 and 90 minutes to complete your routine.
2. Move Your Body
Your previous morning routine may have consisted of waking up, reaching for your phone right away, staying in bed for forty-five minutes while scrolling through Instagram, or even checking your work email. Rather than focusing all of our attention on what to add to our day, productivity coach Jim Collins suggests that we should consider some things that we could “stop doing” to develop a morning routine that works best for us. If we give ourselves some time away from the screen, we can use that time to get up and move around, do some stretching or yoga, or even go for a short walk. Anyone who gets up and goes in the morning will have a better day than someone who stays in bed all day and checks social media. It is because we are purposefully activating our muscles and minds.
Key things to remember:
- When the alarm goes off, you shouldn’t continue to lie in bed.
- Any movement, even light activity, can be beneficial; the intensity level need not be high.
- Some good examples include walking, stretching, and doing yoga.
3. Practice Stillness
Even though moving your body in the morning is beneficial, practising stillness can be just as beneficial. Michael Hyatt is a best-selling author, entrepreneur, and professional coach. He is also the former CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers. Hyatt suggests that stillness can be an important factor in assisting us in getting our days off to a good start. As an example of what this might look like as a part of your morning routine, some activities that are great examples include meditation, deep breathing, and prayer. Stillness meditation can help us feel more rooted, focused, and prepared to prioritise our to-do lists effectively. However, skipping this step can make us feel rushed throughout the day and make us less productive, which completely defeats the purpose of developing a good morning routine in the first place! Stillness meditation allows us to reset our minds and be fully present in the here and now. When doing things like looking at emails, scrolling through Instagram, or multitasking, we aren’t fully present at the moment, which can lead to increased stress and anxiety. Setting the tone for the day by doing activities that require stillness, such as meditation or breathing exercises, can help you feel calmer, more relaxed, and in control of the situation.
Key things to remember:
- In the morning, it’s equally as important to have some stillness as it is to have some movement.
- Learning to be still and practise it regularly can teach us how to channel our energy more effectively.
- Examples such as meditation, prayer, and breathing exercises are helpful.
4. Fuel Properly
The idea that a healthy breakfast is key to a successful day has been drilled into our heads since we were young. The way we provide our bodies with fuel in the morning can significantly impact the state of our health, our levels of energy, and how we feel mentally throughout the rest of the day. If we consistently consume foods with little to no nutritional value, we will not feel as good as we could, and our energy levels may peak and crash throughout the day. We will also experience a feeling of being out of control. Breakfast allows us to properly fuel our bodies, which in turn can lead to more consistent energy levels and a sense of being more alert and focused.
Key things to remember:
- Please do not give in to the temptation of making unwise choices when it comes to food.
- Invest some time in planning and preparing a nutritious breakfast.
- Foods high in protein, fruit, and whole grains are nutritious options.
5. Review Your Day
It can be helpful to take an intentional look at the day at the end of your morning routine when you are finishing up your routine for the day. If you review your day to improve it, you can keep control of your schedule rather than have it control you. Be trustworthy in assessing the significance of various activities, and remember that one cannot give top priority to everything. Even though it may feel like that on an emotional level, the fact is that we cannot function in such a manner without becoming overwhelmed. According to productivity coach and business owner Tor Refsland, who offers this advice, focusing on one task at a time can be beneficial. Be deliberate in determining where you should direct your efforts and energy, finish what you started, and only then move on to the next thing. Attempting to manage your time for multiple projects simultaneously can result in poor time management, decreased productivity, and burnout.
Key things to remember:
- When you look back on your day, be completely honest with yourself.
- Keep in mind that only some things can be your top priority simultaneously.
- Put your attention solely on one task at a time.
Creating Your Routine
Make use of these suggestions to develop the perfect routine for your mornings:
1. Be Flexible
Let go of any expectations that you can create the ideal morning routine and execute it flawlessly every day. You are not looking for perfection in this new habit; rather, you are focusing your intentional energy on developing a morning routine tailored to your specific needs and preferences. Being flexible means allowing yourself to adapt and adjust to new circumstances, discovering what works well, and letting go of what doesn’t work well. Keep in mind that the purpose of developing a morning routine is to help you live a more fruitful and peaceful life, not so that you can live a life with even more stress.
2. Be Consistent
The behaviours that are the most beneficial to us are the ones that we can maintain regularly. Don’t worry if the concept of a morning routine is completely foreign to you. Maintaining a routine will help it feel more and more natural to you as time goes on if you are consistent with it. When you see the positive impact of a good morning routine on your day, you will find it motivational to continue practising that habit because you will feel and see that it has made a difference. It will start to feel less like something you “should” do and more like something you want to do in the future. If you miss a day, begin again the following day where you left off. To reiterate, this is not about achieving a perfect performance; rather, it is about allowing yourself to live your best life.
3. Take Charge of Technology
Even though we try our best not to let technology take over our lives, we frequently find that it either interferes with our activities or is impossible to avoid. When you are putting together your morning routine, please don’t emphasise eliminating technology because, let’s face it, that won’t work. Instead, you should use your phone as an alarm clock! What you want to do, though, is reclaim your authority over your technological resources. Allow the technology to work for you and appropriately use it, as the time management coach Craig Jarrow recommends. After that, you determine what function, if any, your various electronic devices and technology, in general, will play in your morning routine. If you find that you are allowing aimless screen time to creep into your morning routine, permit yourself to reinstate those boundaries so that you can refocus on the goal of developing a healthy morning routine.
4. Plan at Night
Even though we are discussing the best ways to build a productive morning routine, getting started on this process the night before is sometimes beneficial. If there are things you can do before bed to make your mornings easier, then go ahead and do those things. Organizing your clothes for the next day, preparing the food you will have for breakfast the next morning, and packing your lunch the night before are all examples of simple ideas that could help. Your early morning self will be grateful to you for it.
5. What If I’m Not a Morning Person?
To have a successful morning routine, you don’t need to be a morning person by nature. It is up to you to design your morning routine, and it should be based on what you feel motivated to experiment with and what you feel you could be consistent with over a longer period. If you only keep up with your morning routine for a few days, you won’t see any real benefits.
Tips + Easy Wins For Any Morning Routine
When putting together your new morning routine, keep the following expert advice and simple strategies in mind. Eliminate the need to make decisions. Exercising your brain to make a lot of decisions wears it out and lowers the quality of your decisions.
Establishing a morning routine that removes the need to make decisions saves time and clears the mind, making it easier to concentrate. Prepare for the following morning’s activities the night before to make your mornings run more smoothly:
- Prepare your outfit or your gym clothes.
- Before going to bed, set the table for breakfast.
- Put together a lunch for yourself or your children.
- Get your suitcase or briefcase ready.
- Set out your vitamins.
- Take a sip of water as soon as you open your eyes because most people become dehydrated while sleeping. So therefore, if you sleep for eight hours, you go without water for those eight hours.
Consuming water is an essential step in helping your body operate at its maximum potential. It is because the water content of your brain tissue alone is 73%. If you want to help your body wake up and get your metabolism going first thing in the morning, it’s a good idea to drink some water before you drown yourself in coffee. Working up a sweat first thing in the morning is a great way to increase blood flow and oxygen levels, but it can be challenging. Exercising and stretching are two of the best ways to accomplish this. So what’s the upbeat report? To reap the benefits of exercise, completing a workout that lasts for seven miles is optional. The task can be accomplished with a brisk walk or simple stretching. In addition to this, regular stretching not only improves posture (which is especially important for people who are about to spend eight hours hunched over a computer), but it also helps reduce aches and pains that occur throughout the body. Endorphins are released when you exercise, which can make you feel great first thing in the morning, which is why it’s important to get some exercise. The most enjoyable mornings begin the previous evening: Establishing a routine for when you go to bed at night can be just as significant as doing the same thing in the morning. Taking a few minutes at the end of each day to think about the upcoming day and formulate a list of priorities is one of the most effective ways to increase the likelihood that you will have a productive day. The stress associated with deciding what should take precedence first thing in the morning can be reduced by planning the night before, providing your day with a more purposeful sense of direction.
Eliminate Distractions: How often have you woken up and immediately picked up your phone to check email, social media, or any other notifications, only to realise 30 minutes later that you are now running late for work and have to skip breakfast? Eliminating distractions will help you avoid this scenario. With Freedom, you can say goodbye to the alluring distractions your phone presents. Blocking distracting websites, apps, or the internet can create a state of sustained focus and serenity throughout the day.
Conclusion
In the end, having a reliable morning routine is the most important factor in determining how productive the day will be. There is not one single routine that is effective for everyone, but there is the best way for you, and with some time, some practice, and some experimentation, you can find the routine that works best for you in the morning.