How to Have a Productive Morning Routine
Not everyone is a morning person, but mornings can have such a powerful impact on everyone's mood and productivity throughout the day. The way to become a morning person is by incorporating consistent habits into your morning routine. For your benefit, we have compiled this list (in no particular order) to help lower your stress levels and strive for maximum productivity with minimum burnout.
Habits for a Productive Morning Routine
Wake up early
This one is a no brainer, but for some can be very difficult. You don't have to wake up at the crack of dawn everyday, although it wouldn't hurt. Just make sure set your alarm early enough to finish your morning routine before your day officially begins, and whatever you do, do not click that snooze button. To make the most of your morning, consider treating yourself to a Home Sweet Home bundle, which includes a velvet robe made right here in Boise (comes in multiple colors), a soy wax candle, a bath bomb, and a stemless wine glass. You can't go wrong with slipping into a soft robe and lighting a candle to start your morning.
Journal and Meditate
Yes, I know you're sick of hearing this by now, but it really does make a difference on your mood. There are numerous apps and other resources available to help guide you through meditation and journaling. A simple exercise that I do when I don't know what to write is to list 5 things I'm grateful for in that moment. If I'm feeling particularly stressed that day, I write down what it is that's making me uncomfortable. Some days I'll pull a tarot card, listen to a guided mediation, or research prompts to get my thoughts flowing. I also strongly recommend making a list of some positive affirmations every morning to get yourself in the manifesting mindset. Say them out loud for the best results. These affirmations must be in the present tense in order for them to be effective. For example:
- I am magnetic
- I am capable
- I am successful
- I am abundant
- I am intelligent
- I have everything I could possibly need
- I am where I am meant to be
Reset your living space
This is the time where you make your bed and pick up anything that is cluttering your living area. You'll find that it is much easier to organize your thoughts and priorities when the space around you is clean. There's no need to do any deep cleaning during your morning routine; for that you should plan specific days out of the week/month. Making a habit of a quick 10-20 minute power pickup every morning will be a huge game changer when it comes to brain fog and overall organization.
Avoid social media
A lot of us are guilty of checking our socials first thing when we wake up. However research has shown that the chemicals released in your brain from interacting on social media can make it very difficult to focus. Set a time for when you are allowed to start looking at social media, for example, wait until 1 hour after you wake up to go on social media. If you don't trust yourself with this challenge, you can toggle with screen time in settings (if you have an iPhone) and set time limits on specific apps so you don't cheat.
Fuel
Always set a full cup of water next to your bed before you go to sleep, I promise you will thank yourself in the morning. Once you've finished the whole cup, you can then move on to your morning cup of coffee or tea. Don't forget to fuel your body with food to turn into energy. Some people find it difficult to eat early in the morning, so making a smoothie or protein shake can be a good alternative to get your nutrients in and start your day.
Move your body
Whether it's a 3-mile run or a 10-minute stretch, moving your body in any way is guaranteed to boost your mood. The longer you push off your movement for the day, the more likely you are to make excuses not to. There are a number of reasons why moving your body is a good idea (besides losing weight.) Here are just a few: boost energy levels, increase strength, increase flexibility, improve mood, strengthen memory, decrease brain fog, reduce anxiety, and increase overall happiness.
Set priority goals
This can be done in your journal, planner, notes app, tablet etc. Always write down your goals whenever you think of them. If it's the beginning of a new week, month, or quarter set priority goals for that time period. It has been shown that if you physically write down a task you are significantly more likely to actually accomplish the task.
If you try out any of these habits in the morning, let us know. Happy mornings to you all & thanks for reading!