I want to start this with the fact that I am NOT a morning person. I absolutely love to stay up until two or three am binging Netflix or YouTube. However, I really do love mornings. In this post, I want to cover nine things you need to do every single morning to increase your productivity.
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.
When it comes to morning routines, sometimes it can be unpredictable. For me personally, I struggle with maintaining a solid routine. I tend to wake up anytime between seven am and noon. I then go about my morning routine in a way that suits each day. (View my blog post on a productive morning routine.)
So, I’ve procured nine different aspects to include in your morning in order to boost productivity, motivation, and self-discipline.
Wake up Early
This is the hardest step. Believe me. I also struggle to wake up early every morning. My goal is to wake up around six or seven am every day, but at the moment, I’m lucky if I wake up at nine.
The thing is, a number of studies have been done proving that people who wake up earlier tend to perform better on more challenging tasks and are less tired than those who sleep in. Crazy right?
Personally, I enjoy waking up earlier because it helps me to feel as if I have more time (because I do!). Waking up at seven gives me two extra hours in my day (assuming I go to bed at the same time as before).
The best thing about waking up early is the opportunity to have a slow morning. I wrote a post recently on simple, slow, and intentional living. It’s a mindset, but it’s worth looking into!
Make your Bed
Okay, this is cliche but hear me out. I hadn’t been making my bed every morning and in all honesty, sometimes I would climb right back in. The reason so many people say you should make your bed every morning is because it helps to prevent the urge to go back to sleep.
Moreover, I’ve found that it just plain makes me feel good. I feel productive when I make my bed in the mornings. I feel as if I’ve already done something worthwhile and it’s really motivating!
Drink a Glass of Water before Breakfast
I’ve been one to just run straight to my coffee pot in the morning just to down a whole cup to wake me up. I’m not saying that coffee is bad for you, but I am saying that drinking water FIRST is so beneficial. It’s weird, but drinking a glass of water when I first wake up refreshes me and awakens me more than coffee ever could.
I also enjoy drinking water because it helps me realize that I am not as hungry as I might have initially thought. This helps me to control what I eat and I make less “sugary” decisions.
Right now, I love drinking water as soon as I wake up, followed by a fresh cup of Cafe Bustello coffee and peanut butter and banana toast!
Journal/Self-reflection
I have a whole post on how to get into journaling if you’d like to get started. In that post, I went over my experience with journaling each day. Therefore, I don’t necessarily want to repeat myself. But, I will tell you why it is beneficial to do each morning!
Journaling is a great way to reflect on your life, goals, thoughts, relationships, moods, etc. Personally, I love journaling in the morning about the days goals and what I want to accomplish. Sometimes I will write short snippets of poetry or stories. My favorite thing to write in the mornings are any dreams I happened to have the night before.
Journaling is a form of expression and self-reflection. It’s a great way to sort through your thoughts. You can free write or use guided prompts. I highly recommend you look into it as a task to include in your morning routine!
Exercise
To be honest, I don’t enjoy working out in the mornings. I don’t mind light yoga or stretches or a slow walk outside. Personally, exercise wears me out and doesn’t always make me feel good on an empty stomach.
I tend to workout during the middle of the day, around noon. So why am I including it here? Because more people tend to enoy morning workouts than at any other time of the day.
I follow a number of motivational speakers and entrepreneurs and many of them implement a workout routine in the morning after they first wakeup. One lady (that I mention all the time) from YouTube, Sarah Therese, works out as soon as she rolls out of bed at five am! Which is insane to me!
It’s hard to deny the evidence though. Working out in the morning is really good for you and your body. Or, it is for most people!
Read/Listen to a Podcast
This is my favorite part of my morning routine (aside from breakfast). I LOVE reading in the mornings. It’s such a great way to relax and calm down. At the moment, I’m reading The Evolution of God by Robert Wright. Reading is such a great way to implement slow living and to really stop and appreciate your time.
I also really enjoy listening to a podcast in the morning. My current favorite is The Blogging Millionaire. I listen to podcasts (and sometimes audiobooks) while I make and eat breakfast. I think, for me, sometimes its a distraction form the silence. But also, it’s a great way to get my brain thinking and prepared for the day.
Make a to-do List for your Day
I love lists. That might be the single most obvious reason on why I made my blog about productivity. I love scheduling my weeks and days, creating plans and to-do lists. I find it so relaxing and rewarding.
Now, again, I don’t want to continuously repeat myself. If you haven’t already, check out the links below to learn more about list-making:
Needless to say, planning your day/week has a number of benefits. You are able to stay organized, have a proper set-up for your day, and are able to tackle chores and tasks. I love the feeling of crossing items off of my to-do list and knowing that it will help me to feel more productive and motivated.
Get dressed/look Nice
This seems odd, but in all seriousness, when you dress up and look nice, you feel better. I always feel more in the zone when I’m not wearing pjs while I’m working.
For those of you who work from home, getting dressed and ready as if you were going out is so psychologically helpful when you go to work. I do most of my work in my office to seperate my living space from my workspace. But to seperate it further, I get dressed in the morning.
The more I focus on my appearance (even if no one but myself happens to see it) the more I feel prepared and ready for my work day.
Take some Quiet time for Yourself
This can be hard for many of us who are so used to being constantly surrounded by noise and technology. We get lost in social media, movies and tv shows, text messages, emails, podcasts, music, etc.
Sometimes it’s just nice to take a step back and remain silent. I typically implement my quiet time after nine pm when I shut my phone off. However, I have also begun to include quiet time in my mornings. I’ll turn the podcast off after breakfast and I’ll sit outside or on the couch with my coffee in silent thought. I’ll wait about ten to twenty minutes before I pick up my book or journal.
I love doing this because it helps me to really slow down and get away for a second. It helps me to be present and to better listen to myself and my body.
If you like this post, check out some similar posts of mine below:
Feel free to leave a comment below and let me know what habits you like to include in your mornings.
You can also email me with questions or concerns you may have at info.amelia.wilson@gmail.com
Also, check out my poetry book, The Lights are on but Nobody’s Home, available now on amazon for $6.99!
Disclaimer: All of the views and opinions in this post are solely my own and are not sponsored. This post includes affiliate links, meaning I earn a commission through links at no cost to you.
Thanks again