We all have a morning routine, what does yours look like?
Morning routines are always going to be there. If you’re like me, you jump up as soon as your alarm goes off. It’s time to get the day started!
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I am a night owl turned into a morning person. When I was in university, I used to party, party and party until the sun came up. I would get home at 4am and have I would usually have a 9am lecture. Guess what? Your girl went to her lectures!
Of course I fell asleep during a lot of my lectures but I was there physically! Sure, those were the days when I didnt have as many responsibilities as I do now and I was able to let loose pretty much all the time.
With growth comes change. Now, I know that staying up late at night does not serve me anymore. I get tired easily so by 11pm, my eyes are closing anyway so theres no need for me to fight sleep. I like sleep. We all need sleep to function properly.
As I get up in age, and as I read more self care books, I realised that waking up early has many benefits:
- According to the BBC, studies show that waking up early may be linked to success!
- Increased Productivity
- Better organisation skills
- Better concentration
- A more positive attitude
On the weekdays (whilst I’m not working and whilst in quarantine), I wake up at 7.30am. For a solid hour and a half, I go through my morning routine. This is time for myself. I forget the outside world and focus on me before doing whatever I need to do for the day which usually consists of working on my blog and Youtube channel.
I aim to be in bed and asleep by 12am. Having a solid routine including my morning routine makes me feel more relaxed, alert and ready for the day.
If you’re a night owl, with things to do in the morning, i.e. work, I would suggest trying to identify why you feel the need to be up super late. What are you actually doing? Are you studying? Reading? Are you planning the day ahead? If you know deep down that you are just chilling and could and SHOULD really be in bed, maybe you could chill a little earlier or chill during daylight hours or during your break/lunch time instead.
Do you want to be productive? Do you want a great morning routine?
Being productive will make you:
- Feel good! Getting tasks done and not letting procrastination take over is a confidence boost. If you put your mind to it, you can do it!
You need a morning routine if:
- You feel sluggish in the morning
- Rushing in the morning has become part of your routine
- You are not making use of your time
If you answered yes to any of these, you need to make some adjustments.
But first…
In order to have a good morning routine, you need to start the night before.
If the following day is going to be hectic, you need to start planning your morning the night before. I’ll give you an example.
When I was working as a support worker, my day shifts were 8am-4am. I woke up around 6am and gave myself a solid hour to complete my morning routine. An hour was a good enough time for me as I didnt want to have to rush to get ready for work. Luckily, I lived close to work, so I left home around 7:45am.
As the job role was unpredictable and stressful at times, it was important that I had time for me before I had to focus on the needs of others. As I was able to pour into me, I was able to pour into others as I had something in my cup.
To reduce the ‘need’ to rush to head out the door ensure that you:
- Prepare your meals the night before- I go into detail in the video below.
This saves so much time!
- Prepare your workbag and outfit. Another time saving hack! I get this from my mama.
Now that you’ve got that sorted, lets home in on the things I have done that has helped to keep my anxiety at bay. Check out my post on 7 Effective Ways To Cope With Anxiety.
Tips for a great morning routine
Tip 1: Meditate or pray
The first thing I do in the morning is medtiate.
Meditating is a mindfulness practice whereby we become aware and hone in the ability to be present in the here and now. There are so many different types of meditation so you can find which one works for you. It doesn’t take a lot of time to meditate. I find that meditating in the morning, lets me focus on my breath instead of what the day may bring.
If meditation is not for you, prayer is key. Pray to whoever you worship. Pray for a good day, health, your loved ones, anything you want.
Tip 2: Eat Breakfast
To this day, I dont understand how people can leave home without easting breakfast! I am always hungry!
Does anyone else experience hangriness?
You dont want to let your hangriness to impat your work or your attitude for the rest of the day.
Eating breakfast has so many benefits:
- Weight loss- In a study, women who ate breakfast, before the study, lost 8.9kg when they stopped eating breakfast whereas those who only ate breakfast during the study lost 6.2kg. “Meanwhile, those who usually skipped breakfast lost 7.7kg when they started eating it – and 6kg when they continued to skip it.”
- Boost your energy levels
- The necessary nutrients to fuel your body
- Good for your brain.
If you dont want to eat breakfast super early, thats fine. You can make breakfast to go. You can prepare it the night beofre, keep it in the fridge and grab it when you are ready.
Tip 3: Make your bed
They say a cleaniness is next to godleness. Ha! But honestly, making your bed is something small but helps your room to look presentable and says a lot about your personality apparently!
It can also lead to better productivity, improves your mood and starts your day off on the right foot!
After a long day, I’m sure that you dont want to come home to mess. That requires you to do more work!
Tip 4: Say thank you!
You made it to another day! Say thank you. In times like these, everyday is a blessing. We are beyond blessed to have access to food, water and shelter. It sounds like a little but it a lot.
Reading ‘The Secret’ has helped me to practice gratitude on a daily basis. Wake up and say thank you. If you feel like your mood is shifting during the day, maybe something triggered it. Someone may have annoted you at work, say thank you.
WHY?
Becuase you have a job! You have income! Many people are unemplyoed due to the pandemic so make sure you count your blessings every single day.
Tip 5: Refer to your to do list
Having a to do list has really helped me to stay on track. It helps me to keep my goals in mind.
My memory isnt what it used to be so writing tasks down helps me immensly. Do you need help to manage your time and make lists that stick, check out 4 Tips To Manage Your Time Like A Boss.
List making is a good way to have structure, can be a stress reliever and helps me to break down bigger tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks.
So do try to do lists on a weekly basis.
I hope your year has gotten to a good start. Let’s continue to work on ourselves and make our mornings the best that they can be.
Thank you for reading, stay safe and take care.
A great post indeed, Was worth the read! Keep up the good work.
Thank you for reading!
“Say thank you”
This may be the greatest piece of advice in this entire piece! So often a simple act of giving thanks just for the sake of giving thanks, can start our entire day from a different perspective.
Instead of “going into the day” we are opening ourselves to the day.
Great piece!
It is so simple and requires little time and resources. Thank you for reading
It’s great to start the day with a healthy morning routine. I’m an early riser, but get a lot done first thing. Exercise & Meditation are an important part of my daily routine, all before breakfast! Some great tips for others 🙂
Yes! I can not start my day without meditating! It is very needed! Breakfast too. Thanks for reading.
I like how this read reminds us to go back to the basics!
Thank you for taking the time out to read my post!