There are a ton of think pieces out there declaring the importance of a morning routine. If you’re always flustered and running around in the morning, you’re starting your day off on the wrong foot. Here are 4 fast ways to get started on developing a morning routine that works for you!
Avoid Electronics
Most people use their phones as alarm clocks, but more often than not, that leads to endlessly scrolling Twitter in bed instead of getting revved up for the day. This eats up your time, wakes your brain up with harsh blue light, and can get you in a frantic mindset when you see everything you missed while sleeping. It’s tempting to check that email, too, just to get a headstart, but that’s a false step ahead. You aren’t actually getting any more done.
Get an old-fashioned alarm clock, and start waking up without your phone. Everything else can wait, at least for forty minutes.
Drink and Eat
When you’re on the go, it can be easy to grab a pastry with your morning coffee that you gobble down on your commute or to just skip breakfast altogether.
This is setting you up for failure (and hanger!) Don’t let yourself get behind. While skipping breakfast isn’t as detrimental as we all once believed, it can lead to higher levels of inflammation and harm your body’s ability to process glucose.
If your stomach is sensitive in the morning, something simple like a banana or a greek yogurt can go a long way in staving off future hunger. A hot drink, like coffee or tea, will give you that first boost you need to get started. If you can’t handle caffeine too early, hot water with lemon helps dental health, digestion, and reduces muscle pain.
The point is, you should value yourself. Sure, you have a jam-packed day ahead, but taking a few minutes to nourish your body and have a strong sensory experience grounds you in the moment.
Take a Moment to Meditate
We’re shared before that “if you’re thinking meditation is reserved exclusively for yogis, you’re wrong. Meditation has gone mainstream in recent years, and for good reason: the physical and emotional benefits are undeniable and just a few minutes a day can drastically change your life.” Meditation decreases stress, increases empathy, and sharpens your memory. That’s a lot of benefits for a simple daily habit.
Meditating doesn’t need to be perfect or happen in a marathon-focused session, either. Five minutes a day of focusing on your breath and gently redirecting wandering thoughts can be enough for you to see benefits. By taking this quiet time early in the morning, you are once again valuing yourself. You can capitalize on your early morning brain, which isn’t yet filled with worries (especially if you aren’t on social media early)!
Wake Up Earlier
All of this might sound great so far, but you might be wondering when you can find time for these slow-paced moments. The answer is simple: wake up earlier.
Now, you don’t have to wake up at the crack of dawn. Trying to turn yourself into a morning person if you aren’t one might make you less productive in the short term, which makes you more likely to give up in the long term. So, don’t wake up when the rooster crows. Simply set your alarm for ten minutes earlier than normal.
This gives you more time to wake up naturally, which will allow for breakfast, meditation, and thoughtfulness. It takes about three weeks to form a habit, so if you’re able to wake up a little earlier for that long, your body should start waking up naturally. If you’re enjoying the extra time, try ten minutes more. Who knows, you might become a morning person after all!
Get Your Head Start
All these tips combined shouldn’t take more than 20 minutes. However, investing in this small amount of time every day will make a difference in the quality of your sleep, your health, and your productivity. Once you’ve got these four steps down, you can add on early morning journaling, an exercise routine, or any other productivity boost you want to attempt. The good news, however, is that you don’t have to.
Being an entrepreneur is already stressful enough! Don’t contribute to that with a hectic morning. These 4 simple steps are enough to get you started with a solid morning routine.
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