Bell KS We all know the importance of a good morning routine and have felt the negative effects of having to rush through it when being late. It can affect the entire course of your day. However, I personally find it hard to stick to mine or even add new habits to it – I am most definitely not a morning person. I’ve tried the whole ‘get up at 5am, it will change your life’ and it left me feeling super exhausted. It’s just not realistic at this stage of my life. So, here are 10 simple habits that you can easily add to your routine today to help you start your day off right:
1) Plan major tasks the night before
Nothing is worse than waking up and knowing you’ve got important tasks you need to tick off today but not exactly knowing what they are or where to start. Map out key tasks the night before and ideally rank them in order of importance. Also add any appointments or key to-do’s here. It will make you feel much more prepared to take on the day and actually leave you time to do your morning routine peacefully.
2) Take 5 minutes to journal
My entire last post talked about journaling in the morning and I strongly believe this is a habit that can change your entire day for the better. Get those things you worry about off your mind so they don’t float in your brain all day, plan what you want to achieve and maybe even write down your dreams of the night – have fun with it. It will help you tap into your creativity and destress before the chaos of the day!
3) Make your bed
Don’t stop reading here. I’m not a fan of advice like this either. However, it really works. I only recently started doing this (don’t judge me) properly, and it’s transformed how I treat my space and morning. It also means once I’m out of bed I won’t just get back into it again – and yes, when working from home that is a major concern. So, add your pillows and throw and make your space look like it’s in one of those ‘Morning Routine’ YouTube videos – because why not!
4) Put your phone away from your bed
This is the simplest trick to get out of bed, really. Whether it’s because you need to turn off your phone alarm or want to check social media, you will want your phone. A lot of advice says not to check your phone first thing in the morning and I really understand why. I’ve also tried following that, so far unsuccessfully. So, why not at least use my lack of willpower to get me out of bed.
5) Fresh air and natural light
Seems too easy to be a habit but it’s one of those things we often forget about. In winter it may be difficult because the sun is not out yet when we have to get up, but fresh air will still do wonders. It’ll help you wake up and clear the fog in your brain. If there is natural light, it’ll cause your brain to produce serotonin which will improve your mood, increase your energy levels and just make the whole day seem a little less daunting. If we gotta deal with hormones, might as well use them to our advantage.
