If your morning routine consists of waking up, taking a quick shower and rushing out the door, then it is also possible that most of your day’s activities are rushed through and a chunk of them feel a bit out of your control and by the time your day is over, you are too tired to plan for the next day and so you fall asleep and the cycle continues till the next day. It is my unappointed duty to remind you that you are working to live, not living to work. Your life can in fact be steered in much more intentional direction, a direction that you wish it to go. And one of the best ways to start making change is to change the way that you start your day.
So, here are ways to start off your day in a great way:
1. Get A Good Night Sleep
Your morning routine begins the night before; a good night sleep can easily mean a good day. So, it wil be best for you to do all that you can in order to have a good night sleep; whether it means going to bed earlier than you normally do or not eating late in the night as the active digestion process can keep one awake. Getting good sleep every night will improve your health and appearance in the long run.
2. Write A To-Do List
Writing a list of things that you want to accomplish a night before, is a good way to stay motivated and organized when you plan out your day, especially with a list written a night before, you have given your subconscious the opportunity to find ways for you to do your tasks easily. Way ahead of the time that you are supposed to do those tasks. Remember, no task is too small or too big to put on your to-do-list; and be sure to be kind to yourself if you do not fulfill everything on your list for the day, tomorrow is a new day and only the living can do tasks.
3. Do Your Most Difficult Task First
When you start your day, either at work or at home, it will be best for you to do your most difficult tasks first; as the writer Brian Tracy puts it: “eat that frog”, your day will be easier if you eat the biggest frogs first and then leave the small and easiest frogs for later or whenever you are ready. In the morning, your energy is full, your will power is at its strongest, you do not have decision making fatigue nor physical fatigue; so, this is the best time to do all your most difficult tasks. Once you are done with your most difficult tasks, you gain a sense of relief that boosts your energy level, energy in which you can also use to complete other tasks of the day.
4. Drink A Glass of Water Right After You Wake Up
What is life without hydration? Scientific research has shown that most of us do not drink the amount of water that we need on a daily basis. Drinking water from the start of your day is a great way to stay ahead on your hydration journey. Consistently drinking a glass of water right after you wake up will help you develop the habit of drinking more water and it will also help keep morning fatigue at bay. For extra health benefits, you can add a lemon slice to your water before drinking it.
5. Layout Clothes The Night Before
Trying to figure out what to wear in the morning can take out of your valuable time and even interrupt your healthy morning routine, this is why picking out the clothes that you plan to wear a day before will make things much easier for you. I would go farther to say that it will be best for you to even pick out the clothes that you plan to wear for the entire week especially if you are a white collar worker; this will create a smooth weekday morning synergy. One of the last things you want is to cut your self-reflection time by half just because you need to figure out your outfit of the day.
6. Eat A Healthy Breakfast
It is often said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and this is true; a healthy breakfast will fuel you properly for your earlier tasks of the day. Although it is easy to skip breakfast when you don’t feel hungry , this is no excuse as stomach acids can do more harm than good if left alone with no food for too long a time. Eat something light like oatmeal, fruits, or scrambled eggs with chicken sausage. Protein or fiber are the best choice for breakfast because they burn slow and retain energy which means not getting hungry too early in the day.
7. Making Time For Reflection
In the word of Dzigar Konagrul Rinpoche, “Self-reflection is the gateway to freedom”. How does one discover who they truly are without self-reflection? Keeping 30 minutes to an hour of your morning for quiet reflection will change your life. You can write a list of the things that you are grateful for during this time, you can say your positive affirmations, meditate, read, journal or just sit in silence with your thoughts. Listening to the silence can move mountains, for it is in the silence that we often hear the voice of inspiration.
