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- Wake up at YOUR right time. “Morning people” are supposed to be the high achievers. The early bird is supposed to catch the worm, right? And a cold shower to wake up?
- Prepare the night before. Many productivity experts and successful people spend evenings preparing for the next day. Their reasoning: It leaves mornings free for an early start on important work (and breakfast).
- Focus on what matters. Erik Fisher is the voice behind the Beyond The To-Do List Podcast. He’s interviewed over 100 different productivity experts on topics like lifehacking, work-life balance, and creativity.
- Move around and hydrate. When you feel great, it makes it easier to handle the morning alarm clock. If it’s hard just get out of bed, you probably won’t be excited to run to the gym—and that’s ok.
- Overview
- 1. Set your alarm for success
- 2. Let the light in
- 3. Wash your face
- 4. Eat a nutritious breakfast
- 5. Move your body
- 6. Tackle a few chores
- 7. Meditate or journal — or both
- 8. Make a to-do list
- 9. Do something you enjoy
Each morning that dawns offers a new opportunity to take charge of the day and make it yours — if you’re a morning person, that is.
Not a morning person? Well, suffice it to say that you probably don’t sit up and stretch after waking naturally from a full night of refreshing sleep.
Instead, you might groan at your alarm and smack the snooze button a few times. When you finally drag yourself out from under your cozy duvet, you blearily wander from room to room, gulping coffee as you try to wake up, wondering how it could possibly be so late already.
But even if you’re a diehard night owl, you can learn to make your mornings more productive and refreshing.
Shaking off that lingering morning grogginess, or sleep inertia, may be as simple as updating your old-fashioned buzzer alarm to a more melodic tone.
Research from 2020 suggests waking up to a melodic alarm — think pop song, rhythmic instrumental tune, or natural sounds like birdsong — may help wake you gently instead of jarring you abruptly from dreamland.
Older research supports this, noting that preferred music can help reduce grogginess after napping. In other words, choosing an alarm tone you actually like may have the most benefit.
So, why not take a few moments to evaluate your phone’s alarm ringtone options and find your favorite cheerful melody? You’ll thank yourself in the morning.
Natural light is a major player in your morning routine, whether you realize it or not.
Sunlight helps “wind up” your internal clock, so to speak. Facing the bright light of day first thing in the morning can help your body realize it’s time to wake up, leaving you more alert before you’ve even approached the coffeepot.
Of course, daylight doesn’t just help you wake up — natural light in the morning can leave you feeling sleepier earlier in the evening, making it easier to get to bed on time. And what better way to kick off your morning than the satisfaction of feeling well-rested?
If you have the time to venture outside before you start your day, go for it. Mornings already jam-packed? Open your curtains and window as soon as you get out of bed, and take a moment to breathe deeply and enjoy the fresh air.
Splashing some cool or lukewarm water on your face can refresh tired eyes and make for an invigorating wake-up call.
It may not be strictly necessary to give your face a full wash in the morning, especially if you do a multi-step skin care routine at night or have very dry or sensitive skin.
Regardless of which camp you call into, try a gentle fingertip wash to lightly wake your senses, and feel free to skip the cleanser if you’re worried about drying out your skin.
Learn to wash your face the right way with these 15 tips.
Starting your day with a balanced, protein-packed breakfast doesn’t just fill your empty stomach. It also energizes you and provides fuel for the day ahead.
Breakfast isn’t an absolute must, but it can give your morning a satisfying boost — especially if you opt for ingredients like whole grains, whole fruits and vegetables, and proteins like eggs or plain yogurt.
And don’t forget to stay hydrated. A balanced breakfast can also include coffee or green or black tea, along with a glass of plain water. Try taking a mindful moment or two to savor your morning beverage of choice slowly instead of gulping it down as you rush to get ready.
Check out our list of 12 great foods to eat in the morning.
Stretching in the morning can help ease tightness in your muscles and leave you feeling more limber and alert instead of tense and sluggish.
Morning exercise may not feel quite as instinctive as that early morning stretch, but it offers benefits, too. Physical activity can increase blood flow throughout your brain and body, energizing you and improving cardiovascular health.
Exercise in the morning may also boost important brain functions like decision-making, working memory, and attention. Plus, if you favor outdoor exercise, a morning workout can help you avoid afternoon and early evening heat.
If you’re able to exercise, these tips can help you get moving in the morning:
•Take 15 minutes for a neighborhood walk or jog.
•Walk or bike to work, or get off the train or bus one stop earlier.
Sure, chores may not be all that exciting. But taking care of a few simple tasks in the morning can help you start your day with a sense of productivity — a feeling that can follow you into the day and jump-start your motivation to handle other important responsibilities. Plus, you’ll thank yourself later in the day.
Tips to try:
•Make your bed.
•Wash your breakfast dishes.
•Unload the dishwasher.
•Toss in a load of laundry — you can always start it later, if you’re heading out.
While meditation can offer benefits at any time of day, starting a morning meditation practice can help you clear your mind, collect your thoughts, and set a mindful intention for the day ahead.
Many people find meditation particularly helpful for decreasing stress and easing feelings of anxiety. Meditation can boost self-compassion and self-kindness, so it can make a big difference if you often find that morning worries and frustrations set a negative tone for your day.
Meditation doesn’t work for everyone, so if you don’t find it helpful, there’s no need to force it.
Instead, you might try a daily journal: Writing for 10 or 15 minutes each morning can similarly give you space to sort through your thoughts, affirm yourself, or set a daily intention.
You’ve got plenty of things to do each day, and somehow, a few of them always seem to slip your mind.
Jotting down essential tasks — returning overdue library books, revising your project outline, and picking up ingredients for dinner — first thing in the morning can help you keep track of everything you need to handle at home or at work.
It serves another purpose, too: It helps you prioritize your responsibilities and gives you a clearer idea of what items are better suited for tomorrow’s to-do list, keeping your workload more manageable and reducing feelings of overwhelm.
To-do lists also come with a built-in bonus. Writing down a tasks gives you a paper (or electronic) reminder, so you don’t have to keep reminding yourself to take care of it.
You don’t have to limit your morning routine to preparation and productivity. Setting aside some time for things you really, truly enjoy can help make mornings something to anticipate instead of dread.
Certainly, practices like meditation, yoga, and journaling can eventually become enjoyable, even if you don’t love them from the start. Still, it’s worth dedicating a portion of your morning to a hobby, something you do purely for fun.
You might, for example:
•play a video game
•catch up on your favorite YouTube channel
•read or listen to a book
Nov 8, 2022 · 1. A Healthy Morning Routine Starts the Night Before. 2. Keep it Simple. 3. Take a Test Drive. 4. Set a Reminder. 5. Integrate. What Not to Do. Time to Build Your Ultimate Morning Routine! Conclusion. The Benefits of a Morning Routine. As Hal Elrod, author of “The Miracle Morning”, says,
- Get Enough Sleep. The best morning routines begin with healthy nighttime routines. Learning how to go to bed early and sleep through the night without waking up is essential to starting your day off on the right foot.
- Morning Routine Ideas: Ditch the Snooze Button. Once you’ve hit snooze once, chances are you’ll do it again. Start your day off the best way you can and leave the snooze button out of your morning routine.
- The Best Morning Rituals are Offline. We’re awake, we open our eyes, and the first thing we do is look for our phones. Although checking Instagram may feel better than hitting the snooze button and conking out again, your simple morning ritual should be all about you.
- First Thing First: Brush Your Teeth. Before you eat or drink anything after waking up, brush your teeth! Central practices within the traditional Indian system of medicine — known as Ayurveda — center around personal hygiene.
- Get a good night’s sleep. With 35.2% of all adults in the U.S. reporting seven or fewer hours of sleep per night, getting a good night’s rest is crucial for productivity.
- Avoid the snooze button. Hitting the snooze button can be detrimental to your morning routine. While you may intend to only get five more minutes of sleep, hitting snooze can quickly become a half hour.
- Give yourself enough time to get to work. Whether you work from home or commute to the office, giving yourself enough time to mentally and physically show up for work is essential—especially if you don’t consider yourself a morning person.
- Drink a full glass of water. Hydration is key to your health and well being. Drinking water is a crucial component of a great morning routine because when you feel good, you’re more focused and, as a result, more productive.
May 12, 2023 · That said, various research has found that sticking to a set morning routine - whether that's as simple as showering, brushing your teeth, and feeding your cat before heading out, or going...
Nov 26, 2018 · 1. Start with exercise. Researchers at the University of Bristol found that people who exercise during the workday have more energy and a more positive outlook, which are both critical to...
