The morning is the most important part of your day and what happens during those first few hours can make or break the rest. I have experimented a lot with different morning routines and habits to improve my days. It has taken countless trials and errors but I have now found a solid way to set all days off to a great start.
You must have a reason!
The most important variable in having a good morning is to have a plan. You must have a solid plan and a real reason to get out of bed or else you will inevitably hit the snooze button. We all want that “five more minutes!” of sleep which turns into hitting the snooze button several times and having to get out of bed groggy and rushed to make it to work or school on time.
Having a reason subconsciously pulls you out of that bed no matter how much more your body keeps telling you to sleep in. It is a second wave that convinces you to get up.
The structure of your reason is vital in making it effective. A good starting outline would be “I am going to get out of bed at [insert time] to do [insert activity]!” For example my reason yesterday was “I am going to get out of bed at 5:45 a.m. to swim!” It is short, simple, and straight to the point.
“I am going to get out of bed at 5:45 a.m. to swim!”
I am going to dissect the above statement to offer a better understanding of this method. There are four major elements involved:
- A factual statement
“I am going to get out of bed” This is a fact that I have stated and will become reality. - A time-sensitive statement
“at 5:45 am” This creates accountability and adds more pressure to not hit the snooze button. I am telling myself exactly when I will be getting out of bed. - An activity that is personal to you
“To swim” It is vital that the activity you use in this statement is relevant to you. It has been a goal of mine to integrate swimming into my fitness for fun and well being. - An exclamation point
add emphasis! This is important and will contribute to success so punctuate it like you mean it!
How do you integrate this?
The best time that I have found is to do this before you go to bed the night before. You do not want to wake up and have the pressure of coming up with a reason to get yourself out of bed. Do it before you go to sleep and let it ruminate while you rest.
Once you have strong reasons you have set yourself lightyears ahead of your past self. This step makes your mornings so much more productive because the most important step to anything is getting started!
Prepare yourself for success
The night before can set the tone for the morning. If you do not prepare and just haphazardly throw your work clothes on the ground and jump into bed you have already disadvantaged your morning.
That is why it is important to prepare your morning for success. There are several easy to integrate steps you can do the night before that will set your morning up for greatness.
- Have a reason!
Prepare your reason the night before and make it a meaningful one. - Make a list
Having a task-based list that you can follow eases the mental struggles of keeping yourself on track in the morning. This is not an exhaustive list of the whole day this is a quick list you make before you fall asleep that will help you in the morning. I use the same list every day it is as follows,
a) Get out of bed
b) Reflection
c) Drink two glasses of water
d) Brush teeth
f) Eat breakfast
g) Go to the gym
This is my morning routine. They are all short and easy tasks that get me up and moving. Once you get the momentum flowing in the right direction it tends to keep moving. - Pick out your clothes for the next day
Picking out clothes only takes a couple of minutes maximum and it relieves so much stress in the morning. Check the weather for the next day and pick out clothes accordingly.
This is not limited only to clothes though, the point is to prepare the night before so that you can focus on being productive in the morning. I also load up a backpack with gym clothes and shower supplies because I know that I will be working out during the day and I will need those things. Being a college student I also make sure that I pack my school supplies and have them ready for whatever classes I will be attending that day. - Set your alarm on the other side of the room
This is a small action that has great effects on your morning. This compels you to get out of bed once the alarm goes off. It is all too tempting to sleep in if you can reach your arm out and hit the snooze button from the comfort of your bed. So set yourself up for success and don’t even make it an option to stay in bed. - Have a bedtime and a time to rise
Getting to sleep at a decent hour is vital to waking up on time. Never sacrifice sleep it is one of the most important factors of your health. This requires discipline and you have to put in the work to get to bed at a reasonable time and use judgment and experimentation to make sure you are waking up at the right time. If you follow the tips I have laid out for you here, then your body will naturally tell you when it is time to go to bed after you have had a full and productive day.
Morning
- Have a reason!
Helps you to get out of bed more motivated. - Get out of your bed
This is a very important part of starting your morning. - Recognize sleep inertia
Usually, when you first wake up very early you feel tired and like you are not ready to get up. Most of the time this is your body adjusting from the sleep state to being awake. This will persist for a couple of days until your body adjusts to new timing and you may even begin waking up before your alarm refreshed after the adjustment. - Reflection
Taking a quick moment for reflection in the morning can have great benefits. Even a quick 30–45 seconds of contemplation and preparation for the day ahead can be beneficial and help to set your morning off on the right foot. During this reflection, you can recall the list you made the night before of what you want to accomplish. This is also a good opportunity to reframe negative thoughts that pop into your head. Such as instead of thinking “I have to get up now” you could frame it in a manner more like “I have an amazing day waiting for me!” - Action!
So now you are up and you are prepared for your day. The next logical step is to get out there and claim the day. Accomplish the things that you set out to do that day and make it a great day that you will be proud of come night time.
Some final tips
Do not give up just because of a bad day or a bad week, learn from it. This process takes experimentation and leads to growth. This rule applies to every area of life, you must get through the tough work to see the benefits.
Be realistic about implementing these goals. They do not all need to be implemented at once and what works for me may need to be modified for someone else. Also be realistic in execution, someone who can not get to bed before midnight is not going to wake up at 6 am and have a healthy amount of sleep, make sure the goals make sense.
But most importantly get started and have a wonderful morning!
