Having a morning routine can set you up for a more productive day, provide structure, reduce stress, and even provide health benefits. The only tricky part is how to create a morning routine and actually sticking to it. Keep reading to find out our tips that will help you plan your best morning yet.
1 Your Morning Starts the Night Before
To help improve your chances of getting out of bed on time and following through with your morning routine, you need to make sure you are getting enough sleep. Setting a bedtime and creating a wind down routine before going to sleep will help you get a better quality sleep and make waking up in the morning easier.
2 Know Your Goals and Pre-Plan
Be specific with your intentions and make things easier for your morning by spending a bit of time preplanning. Knowing what you want to achieve before the morning rolls around will not only save time but will also give you purpose.
Some time-saving ideas:
- Have a go to work out planned and gym bag packed
- Prepack your lunchbox and handbag
- Pick and layout your outfit for the day the night before
- Have easy breakfast options ready
- Create a playlist or have a list of go-to podcasts
- Wash your hair the night before
3 Morning and Order
Putting your morning into an order will help you allocate time for each task and also eliminate time wasting. Everyone’s day will look different but a snapshoot of what your morning could look like:
5am – wake up, toilet, drink water, change into gym clothes
5.10am – workout
5.40am – take dogs for a walk
6am – shower, brush teeth, bathroom and get dressed
6.40am – eat breakfast and write in gratitude journal
7am – drive to work
4 Set Your Time
Timing is everything, by waking up at the same time every morning you are improving your sleep, establishing a routine, and may even see some health benefits.
Setting an ‘end’ time for your morning routine such as the time you have to leave for work or school, will create a set timeframe. By having a time limit on your morning routine, you are less likely to dawdle or procrastinate and will help develop your self-discipline.
5 Wake up and go-go
Stop hitting the snooze button! Every time you decide to hit the snooze button to get some extra Z’s you enter a new sleep cycle. That bit of extra sleep can be light and fragmented which can make you feel more tired than when you first woke up.
6 Hydrate and Move
Drinking more water is a healthy habit that should be part of more than just your morning routine. But by making sure you have a big drink of water as part of your morning routine, you can help improve your cognitive function and start getting your body rehydrated for the day.
Exercising has been proven to improve moods so it only makes sense to start your day in the right mood with some movement. Try alternating the types of workouts you do and aim for 30 minutes a day.
7 Be Consistent
Try and stick to your bedtime and wake up time as much as possible and avoid changing your routine on weekends and when travelling. To avoid ‘sleep onset insomnia’, you should still wake up at your normal time and catch up on the lost sleep with a nap later in the day.