This blog explores powerful morning routines that empower our day. These activities are essential to kickstart our mornings and set the tone for a productive day ahead. Discover the key to a successful morning routine and embrace a more energized and fulfilling start to your day! (Featured image credits: Photo by Tahir Shaw)
In the last two blogs, we saw: (1) Why we should not snooze the alarm when we wake up and (2) what to do for a good night’s sleep.
Thus, along with this blog, these three blogs complete the entire chain from (1) What to do in the evening for good sleep, (2) How to wake up the proper way and (3) Getting started with the right activities in the morning for a productive day.
Below is the mind map with key ideas of this blog.
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What are Morning Routines?
These activities form a morning routine that you perform from the moment you wake up until you start your regular schedule for the day. Moreover, these routines typically last from 30 to 90 minutes and play a crucial role in setting you up for “All Round Success all day long.” So, embrace a healthy morning routine to kickstart your day on a positive and productive note!
A Word of Caution
- Searching the internet will yield tons of articles and videos on the morning routines of successful billionaires, industrialists, entrepreneurs, sportsmen, and more.
- These contents pitch that following their routines will enable us to achieve similar success and wealth.
- However, it’s crucial to remember that we are all unique in our professional skills, lifestyle, life goals, ambitions, and limitations.
- While these videos can be inspiring, they cannot be simply copy-pasted for guaranteed success.
- True success requires hard work, discipline, vision, focus, and many other traits that go beyond just adopting morning routines.
So, let these routines inspire you, but remember that your individual journey to success is defined by your own dedication and efforts
Before we discuss a few activities that can fit into a routine, let us quickly see the activities that MUST NOT be part of the routine.
Say ‘No’, to …
News
Do not read or watch news. As an extension do not watch television programs.
E-mails
- Once you check your email, others take control of your day and dictate your next actions. As Jocelyn K. Glei writes in Manage Your Day-to-Day, “..the trouble with this approach is it means spending the best part of the day on other people’s priorities.“
- Consider an example where you receive an email requesting work-related documents. You might feel compelled to provide them immediately, even though you had plans to work on something else important to you.
- Email can wait for an hour until you finish your morning routines. If checking mail is essential, wake up one hour earlier, complete your productive morning routines, and then attend to your emails.
Take charge of your day and focus on your priorities first!
Social Media
We crave an update on what all our friends, peers, and relatives have posted over the night.
No. Avoid this. Taking up social media in the morning can wait for the later part of the day. Focus on your morning routines and important tasks first.
Mobile
- Avoiding mobile use may be a single-stop solution for all the above.
- We primarily use mobiles to check emails, social media, and news headlines.
- Many of us keep our mobiles near our bed or under our pillows, naturally picking them up as soon as we wake up.
- Consequently, even before refreshing and while still in bed, we dive into emails, social media, or news headlines, seeking updates on what happened while we slept.
Avoid this tendency.
Your morning time is precious and should be utilized for other activities. All these can wait. Now, let us move on to activities that best suit morning routines.
Ideas for Morning Routines
Below is the list of activities for morning routines. You pick the routine that best suits your lifestyle and needs. Each of these activities has a scientific reasoning behind it.
Make your bed
- Once you wake up, even before you move out of bed, make your bed.
Reason: This simple action holds great significance. Completing what is started is essential, and making your bed is completion of your sleep activity. Additionally, it registers the first success/completion in the morning.
Hydrate yourself
- After waking up and brushing your teeth, actively reach for a glass of water to hydrate your body.
Reason: Your body is completely dehydrated during 7-8 hours of sleep. Replenishing your body with water in the morning kickstarts your hydration and prepares you for a refreshing and energized day ahead.
Fresh Air
- Go out and actively breathe fresh air for 2-5 minutes.
Reason: Throughout the night, you were sleeping in a room without fresh air. Taking this time to step outside and inhale the fresh air helps to rejuvenate your body and brain with plenty of oxygen, setting a positive and invigorating start to your day.
Sun Light
- Once you wake open the curtains to let sunlight in your bedroom
- Expose yourself to sunlight
Reason: Sunlight stops the secretion of melatonin and thus you avoid sleepiness. Another benefit is sunlight is a natural source of Vitamin D and makes your bone strong. In fact, this is one major deficiency that most people have.
Walking / Exercise
- Take up brisk walking or engage in exercise.
- When you walk in a park, you actively get the needed fresh air and sunlight.
Reason: It improves blood circulation and helps you feel fresh and energized for a good part of the day
Meditation
- Do meditation or practice Yoga for 10 minutes.
Reason: Meditation helps keep your mind calm and allows your inner peace to guide you.
Time with Family & Kids
- Talk to your family members, and pay particular attention to your kids.
- Help your kids in their morning routine, such as getting dressed or playing with them.
The reason behind this activity is essential: It brings in a great amount of positivity and much-needed happiness into our everyday life. Engaging with your loved ones in the morning sets a warm and loving atmosphere for the rest of the day.
Work on creative or difficult tasks
These tasks should be done between the above routines, before breakfast, and before stepping into your regular routine. The reason to take up these tasks is that the morning time after waking is very special. At this time, our energy levels, creativity, attention, willpower, and decision-making capacity are at their maximum. (Psychologist Roy F. Baumeister, has found from his studies that our willpower is greatest in the morning.)
You need to harness these to your benefit. How to do this?
Creative Tasks
- Take up tasks or problems that require a creative solution or ideas.
- If there is a new project idea that needs brainstorming, this is the perfect time to do it!
The morning, with its heightened creativity and mental clarity, provides an excellent opportunity to tackle challenging problems and come up with innovative solutions.
Willpower
- Utilize your high willpower to resist distractions, such as social media and email, until you finish your morning routines.
- By staying focused and disciplined during this crucial time, you can maintain a productive and distraction-free morning.
Tasks that demand attention
- Take up a difficult or complex task that requires deep thinking or close attention.
- Reading a new topic or writing a blog/book are perfect tasks for the morning, where your mind is fresh and focused.
Avoid starting your day with social media as it diverts your valuable morning attention to things that have little impact (or even no impact) on your life.
Important Decisions
- Some projects or problems require decision-making.
- Utilize this time to thoroughly analyze each possibility, consider different outcomes, and make the best decision.
By completing your morning routines and engaging in productive activities, you set a positive tone for the day. Avoid connecting to your mobile, internet, laptops, or email until after you have accomplished your morning rituals.
Build Your Morning Routines
The activities discussed above are adaptable by anyone. There is no magical formula that prescribes the best morning routine. Instead, it’s a trial-and-error approach where you need to identify your winning combination.
Select the above activities that resonate best with you and give them a try for a few days. If something doesn’t work out or doesn’t fit your lifestyle, try another option. The most important thing is to get started and take action.
A simple method is to choose one item from the list, implement it consistently until it becomes a habit, and then add the next activity. This approach requires determination and commitment for a few days, but the benefits of such a routine will become evident in no time. Craft your personalized “Win the Day Routine” to set the stage for a successful and fulfilling day.
My Morning Routines
On an ideal day, my morning routine commences seamlessly, waking up naturally without the need for an alarm.
- I don’t use an alarm to wake. However, if I do set an alarm, I ensure prompt wakefulness without resorting to snoozing.
- Expressing gratitude for another day in my life follows this, setting a positive tone for the day ahead.
- Afterward, I proceed with my morning essentials, including brushing, face washing, and hydrating with a good amount of water.
- Next, I embark on a refreshing 20-minute walk, allowing me to breathe in the rejuvenating fresh air and bask in the invigorating sunlight.
- However, in situations where walking isn’t feasible, I retreat to the terrace for a few minutes to still reap the benefits of fresh air and sunlight.
- The revitalizing experience is followed by a calming bath, after which I dedicate 10 minutes to meditation, finding inner peace and tranquility.
- The next step involves immersing myself in activities that demand creativity or tackle difficult tasks. For instance, I may spend 15 to 30 minutes writing a blog that calls for creative thinking or delving into reading about some sector (Diagnostics, Power Sector etc), which requires utmost attention and focus.
- Only after completing these meaningful tasks do I allow myself to connect to my mobile and the internet.
- Post-breakfast, I kickstart my day by organizing my To-Do list and setting my priorities, ensuring I am fully prepared and focused for the day ahead.
Though my routines typically last from 60 to 75 minutes, during my frequent and impromptu travels, I remain adaptable and adjust to a condensed version of 30 to 45 minutes when pressed for time. The flexibility of my morning routine empowers me to accommodate and adjust based on the environment and situation, ensuring that I start each day with purpose, productivity, and a sense of fulfillment.
Conclusion
Morning routines hold the key to unlocking a successful and fulfilling day. By incorporating a mindful and intentional approach to our mornings, we can tap into our maximum energy, creativity, and focus. The activities we choose can vary based on our unique lifestyles and needs, but the underlying principle remains the same: to set ourselves up for “All Round Success all day long.” Whether it’s starting with a moment of gratitude, engaging in physical exercise, meditation, or tackling challenging tasks, each activity contributes to a positive and productive morning routine.
Let us remember that there is no one-size-fits-all approach, and the key lies in discovering what resonates best with us. So, let’s prioritize our mornings, embrace the power of a purposeful routine, and witness the profound impact it can have on our overall well-being and success in both personal and professional spheres. With a well-crafted morning routine, you can greet each day with renewed energy, clarity, and enthusiasm, paving the way for a life of achievement and contentment.
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