Starting your day off right can make you more productive, help you strengthen your relationships, and motivate you for success. There are several morning rituals that successful people swear by, and incorporating one or more of these into your morning routine may have surprising benefits.
Express Gratitude
Starting your morning with expressing gratitude can go a long way toward putting you in the right frame of mind to handle all of life’s challenges. So often, we miss out on being thankful for what we have – home, family, job, or their blessings. Practicing mindful gratitude will have a calming effect on your mind.
Modern life can be overwhelming, but when we take the time to appreciate those around us and everything in our lives, then we tend to have greater peace of mind. Practicing meditation, gratitude, and mindfulness has been shown to lend a sense of calm and peace that can reduce stress throughout the day.
Set Your Daily intentions
Determine what you need to accomplish each day, and set a few “must-do’s” for your intentions. When you’re focused on what you need to get done each day, you’ll be better able to complete your priorities. Each act begins with a thought, and when you’re purposeful about what your intentions are, then you’re better able to see it completed.
Setting intentions helps you stay organized and able to determine the most important things for your day. This may be working on an important project, or it may be a difficult email that you have to write. When you are intentional about what you wish to accomplish, then you’ll be able to structure your day around it, making you more efficient.
Work Out in the AM
It’s probably hard to wake up and do an early work out, but many people swear by a quick workout in the morning. You’ll get your blood flowing, and start the day with a rush of endorphins. Plus, if you knock your gym session out early in the day, you’re less likely to put it off. The morning may be the ideal time for exercise, according to many personal fitness experts. If you start your morning by working out, you’ll be more likely to stay active throughout the day. Plus, you’ll be more likely to avoid unhealthy eating choices.
If you aren’t sure how to start, begin with just a short workout – you can find videos on YouTube or join a local boot camp. Sometimes, the gym isn’t crowded in the morning, making it easier to get your favorite machine or area in the weight room.
Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a few reasons. Starting the day off with a well-balanced breakfast can give you the fuel you need for a successful day. After sleeping, your body needs the quick energy from complex carbohydrates or fruit and the protein from sausage, eggs, bacon, or country ham, so eating breakfast will give you the nutrients you need for better performance.
When you eat breakfast each day, you’re telling your body that there are plenty of calories to be had for the day and that it doesn’t need to conserve the calories it has. If you’re dieting, it’s especially important to eat breakfast, as it jump-starts your metabolism, and gives you something to eat. This keeps you from having hunger spikes throughout the day, which could otherwise lead to unhealthy food choices.
Make a Plan the Night Before
Set yourself up for success by getting everything ready the night before. Lay out your clothes, assemble anything you need to take with you for work or school, and write down a list of things you need to accomplish. You can even write out a little schedule of what you need to do. This way, when you wake up, you’ll have peace of mind knowing that you don’t have to scramble around in the morning.
Wake Up Early
The early bird truly catches the worm, and many CEOs and successful businesspeople typically start their days early. Going to bed early can help with waking up early. You may also discover that having a few extra hours of peace and quiet in the morning helps you tackle some of the projects you need to accomplish without interruption.
It can be difficult to start getting up early, but avoiding hitting snooze and train yourself to get out of bed. Start by gradually waking up earlier and earlier each day, to gradually ease into it. You can also make it a practice to lightly stretch for a few minutes to help your mind and body awaken.
Work On High Priority Projects First
Tackling high priority projects first thing means that these tasks will get completed first. The quiet early morning hours, especially once you’ve trained yourself to wake up early, can be a great time to give all your attention to complicated projects. If you’re rising or getting to the office early, there’s less likelihood that you’ll get interrupted by co-workers or phone calls.
If you work in an office where you’re constantly being interrupted, you may have a difficult time being productive. Working early in the morning can help increase your productivity.
Conclusion
Teaching yourself to be a morning person can help with your productivity and give you time to accomplish more during the day. By incorporating some of these habits, you too can use these early morning hours to your advantage.
