5 Steps To Making The Most Of Your Morning
- November 17, 2017
- Sean Dickens
Mornings. Everyone’s least favourite time of the day. Trains to catch, meetings to get to, things to be done. Heading into the day with a chaotic, unorganised routine can lead to a rushed, unproductive day.
A simply crafted morning routine can help break the monotony of your day and get you ready, focused and prepared for whatever the day throw at you. Everybody can benefit from a simple morning routine. The most successful people all have one. Even if you’re not a morning person, a few changes can make a world of difference.
Following these simple steps can make a major difference to your productivity, mood and motivation throughout the day.
Start the night before
Before bed, think about your day and write down how it was and what you achieved, no matter how big or small. Look at your list and reflect on it positively.
Now think about tomorrow. Write down what you want to achieve the next day and how you can do it. Write down tasks, thoughts and questions that you have.
Look at your list as soon as you wake up, imprint your list in your mind and work on achieving what you wrote down the night before. Add new thoughts and ideas to your list – whatever it takes to get you focused on the day ahead.
Adopt a positive mindset
Asking yourself questions in the morning can kick your brain into gear and get your mindset in a positive place. Find somewhere comfortable and spend 10 minutes asking yourself these questions:
What am I grateful for today?
Expressing gratitude for what you have is imperative in crafting a healthy mindset. Remind yourself of things you’re grateful for, big or small. Embrace what you have and what you have to look forward to. This creates a aura of positivity and well-being, setting your brain in a healthy frame of mind.
What can I do better today?
Think about what you did yesterday. Did you get everything done? If not, think of ways that you can improve on your previous day. It could be a tweak to your work patterns, spending less time on unproductive things or eliminating something from your day. Start small but think big.
What is the one thing I want to accomplish today?
Set yourself one key task that you want to achieve during the day. A new project, a breakthrough with a client or something at home. Focus on this and complete this first or place a higher priority on completing this. This will set a productive tone for your day and leave you motivated and ready for the next task.
Embrace the silence
Life is noisy, loud and intrusive. Noise is everywhere as soon as you leave the front door. Cars, people and nature fill the streets. Loud beeps and tedious announcements make train commutes seem neverending. Even if you’re listening to music or the radio, it’s still ambient noise. Noise that can interrupt your mood and motivation for the day.
I suggest finding the quietest place in your home in the mornings and spending 5-10 minutes to reflect on what you want to achieve or do something peaceful. You might even want to take up yoga or meditation. Mindfulness and meditation has been proven to change your brain and your outlook on life. Focus on your breathing. Close our eyes and reflect on something that brings you great joy. Embrace the silence.
Eat your fill
It’s been proven numerous times that breakfast is actually the most important meal of the day and promotes positive mental health. Skipping breakfast also affects our physical health more than we know it. A healthy, balanced breakfast is the perfect way to get your day started the right way.
There’s always time to make a big breakfast. if you don’t have time, make time! It’s imperative to start your day the best way possible. You can even prepare it the evening before! Breakfast is there to wake us up so a bigger breakfast means more energy to go into our days the best way possible.
It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Oats, wholemeal toast, fruit, a cooked breakfast or even yoghurt is the perfect way to start your day. There’s an abundance of recipes out there for easy, quick breakfasts. Start your day the best way possible and eat your fill in the mornings!
Whatever changes you want to make, big or small, just the slightest change to your morning routine can give you a new burst of energy, a productive streak you never knew existed or even a new outlook on life. Try one today and embrace the changes that a positive morning routine can bring into your life.
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