Like many, I strive to set myself up for success in the morning, but often fall short. I set my intentions the night before with thoughts of me leaping out of bed in the morning, ready for the day. In reality though, when my alarm goes off I continually hit the snooze button until my drop dead get out of bed time. This leaves me scrambling to get out the door as quickly as possible, half asleep and unprepared.
I knew something had to change.
Your day is dependent on how you start off your morning. If you don’t set yourself up for success, you often spend half the day just trying to catch up, leaving a lot of productivity time on the table. A morning routine does not have to be long and complicated to be effective. It’s simply a way for you to get up and get started on the right foot. If I’m being honest with myself – I am simply not a morning person, but there are a few small things I do that have made a big impact on my day. Here are 4 easy ways you can enhance your morning routine, even if you’re not a morning person.
1. Start the Night Before
Your morning routine starts even before you go to bed. Set your intentions for the day the night before by asking yourself what your priorities are when you wake up and how you will accomplish them. Write a list, starting with your most important tasks. That way you won’t be spending precious time trying to figure out what needs to get done and you can jump right into them first thing in the morning.
2. Get up 10 Minutes Earlier
If you’re like me, you like to hit the snooze button maybe one too many times before you actually get out of bed. A way to get up earlier without sacrificing that precious snooze time is to set your alarm 10 minutes earlier. Having that 10 extra minutes may motivate you to ditch the snooze all together, but in the meantime, it will give you a little head start.
3. Focus on Your Mindset
Once you’re out of bed, sit in a comfortable place and answer these three questions. These prompts will jumpstart your brain and get your mindset right for the day. Your answer doesn’t need to be extensive, just name one thing for each question.
What is one thing you are grateful for?
Naming something you are grateful for will often lead you into thinking about other positive aspects in your life and this will generate good feelings that will ultimately put your brain in the right state of mind.
What is one thing you are worried about?
Address that one thing that might be nagging at you, like a big meeting or presentation. After you state this concern, talk back to it and tell yourself why you are going to be successful. Working through this will help you feel confident when you enter this situation.
What is one thing you want to accomplish today?
If you could accomplish just one thing today, what would it be? Just focusing on one task takes the pressure off everything else that needs to get done and will leave you feeling productive.
4. Eat Breakfast
As the old saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. A good breakfast will fuel your brain, helping you concentrate on your most important tasks first thing in the morning. Making breakfast a priority will impact your mood and motivation positively for the rest of the day, so grab a granola bar for the road.
There is no right or wrong way to create a successful morning routine for yourself. Try this out and tweak it as you go. Remember, what works for you, may not work for everyone else but this is a great start. Do whatever will set you up for success and make the greatest impact on your day.