6 Morning Routine Ideas For A Happier Day Ahead
At some point in our lives, we have all desperately wanted to be “morning people”. But the reality is that most of us struggle to pull ourselves out from under our comfortable sheets and lift our heads off of our pillows in the morning. Add it being a cold, rainy morning to that equation and it can be nearly impossible.
Most of us already have a morning routine in place, without us even being aware. While waking up, having a light breakfast, heading out for a jog, and doing some reading might be one person’s morning routine, sitting in bed after waking up and scrolling through social media mindlessly might be another person’s routine. Both of these are indeed morning routines, just vastly different from each other.
But starting your day with the right energy and mindset is far more important and impactful than we may think. How do we go about fixing a set of morning tasks for ourselves that would ensure we start our day on the best note possible?
What is a morning routine?
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
A morning routine is a fixed set of activities that you take yourself through from the point of waking up until you embark on the day’s main activity or task; going to work or to school. A grounded and energizing morning routine sets the tone for your day ahead, and ideally gets you started with positive headspace and mindset.
Why are morning routines important?
1. Start your day on a calm note
After getting out of bed, you may be feeling stressed or anxious about a possibly packed schedule and a long day ahead. Taking yourself through a fixed morning routine gives you the chance to start your day on a calmer note by getting yourself on track and feeling in control.
2. Strengthen relationships
Starting your day with a morning routine can have positive effects on interpersonal relationships and strengthen bonds with people you live with. A fixed routine can be a mood stabilizer. Jumping out of bed and rushing to get to work or school can cause you to become irritable and moody. This might strain personal relationships. With a morning routine, you have the chance to recalibrate and not risk lashing out at the people around you.
3. Increased productivity
Developing a morning routine that works for your mind and body leads to higher levels of energy, sharper focus, and a more positive mood. In turn, this allows for a productive day ahead and results in a higher sense of personal accomplishment.
6 morning routines ideas to start your day on a happy note
Photo by Gian Cescon on Unsplash
1. Make your bed
Making your bed might seem insignificant at first. But setting aside less than 5 minutes to make your bed will set you off on the right foot for the day, with one task successfully accomplished within the first 5 minutes of waking up and you can take this sense of accomplishment with you for the rest of the day!
2. Stay clear of your phone
It is common for us to frantically look for our phones the second we wake up in the mornings. But consciously steering clear of the screen for the first 30 minutes after waking up prevents mental clutter and creates a clearer headspace. Instead of passively scrolling through social media the first thing in the morning, you can practice reading inspiring content, affirmations, or quotes from your favorite author or movie to start your day!
3. Drink a glass of water
Drinking a glass of water when you wake up may not seem significant, but it aids in kick-starting your digestive and lymphatic systems. It also promotes the clearance of toxins and waste that is building up. Think of it as the essential fuel that your body needs to get its gears running!
4. Get moving!
Photo by Dennis Ottink / Unsplash
Clocking in a short workout in the morning has physical, mental and emotional benefits. Together with getting blood circulating and endorphins running, the neurotransmitters that get charged allow for mental clarity and a sharper sense of focus; just the things you need to have a productive day ahead.
5. Have a healthy breakfast
This can seem like a hassle when you’re in a rush for time. But preparing a simple, healthy breakfast for yourself in the morning is a great way to start the day with some self-care. An everyday morning routine idea like preparing breakfast can be the time you spend doing some self-reflection and recalibration before conquering the day ahead of you.
6. Review your task-list or action plan for the day
Taking the time to review your schedule for the day and tasks at hand in the morning gives you a head start to visualizing how your day is going to play out. Instead of diving head first into your plan, setting aside a quick 10 minutes to schedule, shift around, and reallocate your commitments to ensure your day is practical but maximized puts your mind at ease and in control.
What better day to keep track of your to-do list in the mornings than with Journey? Journey provides users with a platform to pen down their tasks at hand for the day and to review their daily, weekly, monthly or yearly schedules with respective calendars. The calendars and daily to-do lists allow you have overviews of your plans in whichever format you desire. The satisfaction that comes from ticking off tasks from your daily checklist is like no other, and it is made all the more convenient and hassle-free with Journey's functions!
The power of morning routines
We have all woken up on the wrong side of the bed in the morning and felt the slump and weight of a possibly long day ahead. But developing a morning routine for yourself encourages time-management, discipline and the commitment to self-care.
Establishing a morning routine that works for your mind, body and soul can take some trial-and-error, but you will reap the benefits of it in the long run and you will find yourself experiencing less of those grumpy mornings.
Here's to more productive mornings ahead instead!