A Morning Routine that Will Make Your Day Better
A morning routine helps you start your day off right. Starting the day feeling good and energized will prime you for success during the rest of your daily activities. It does not have to be a long and complicated process.
Just a few simple things will help you feel better and get your mind and body going.
A great reason to create a morning routine is to make things easy. If you start your day thinking about what to do, you will burn out your decision-making capabilities well before the day is over. Morning routines prevent decision fatigue: You just do the same thing as always without even thinking about it.
Here’s a quick and easy morning routine that I use to start my day off right and feel happy and creative.
My routine takes about an hour to go through, but it can be done in as little as 35 minutes.
The morning routine consists of addressing the needs of mind, body, and spirit in 6 steps.
1. Make your bed
Time needed: 3 minutes
The simple act of successfully completing an arbitrary task and receiving a small reward boosts your motivation and self-esteem. Completing even the most non-essential task will release dopamine, the “feel good hormone”, in your body. Dopamine will make you feel good and want more. It’s a win-win.
Accomplishing a task will also give you a sense of being in control of your life. This has been found to be the number 1 contributor to happiness. Happiness, motivation, and self-esteem get a nice boost from the dopamine that you get from making your bed and set you up for success during your day.
It seems such a meaningless task, but it’s proven to be effective!
2. Drink water
Time needed: 2 minutes
After a good night’s sleep, your body is dehydrated and needs water. Start your day by drinking plenty of water, at least 17 oz (0,5 liters).
For extra benefit, you may want to add a tablespoon or two of freshly squeezed lemon. Lemon water will help prevent kidney stones, supply your body with vitamin C and potassium, and prevents oxidation (a factor in cell damage).
3. Physical exercise
Time needed: 10-15 minutes
After drinking water, engage in some form of physical activity. This can be stretching, yoga, a morning walk, etc. Make sure it’s something that you enjoy doing. Just 10 to 15 minutes will be enough to get your body started for the day.
Physical exercise triggers the release of a protein known as BDNF. It is one of the key molecules that encourage the growth of new brain cells and studies show that people with depression have lower levels of BDNF. So working out will boost your mood and act as a natural antidepressant.
If you don’t already have a favorite exercise, then start with anything. Just taking a walk outside will bring you many of the benefits of physical exercise as well as the benefits of nature.
4. Coffee / Tea
Time needed: 0 minutes (combined with the next step)
Pick your favorite morning drink. I like both coffee and tea, but I usually lean towards coffee in the morning and save the green tea (decaffeinated) for later.
Each has its benefits. Green tea regulates cholesterol, mediates weight loss, regulates aging, lowers blood pressure, and reduces inflammation. It’s a good relaxing drink to have in the morning.
Coffee can improve your mood and boost physical performance, but also prevent inflammatory and oxidative stress-related diseases, such as obesity, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes.
And of course, the caffeine will give you a boost of energy.
So pick your poison! Well, not really poison, but a healthy beverage.
5. Mental exercise
Time needed: 15-20 minutes
I like to combine this with my morning coffee. Read, learn, or challenge your brain by solving sudokus or crossword puzzles.
Much like your body needs some activity to get going, so does your mind. My favorite “life hack” back when I was a university student, was to solve sudokus in the morning. This worked well, especially on test days. It gets the “brain juices flowing”.
Nowadays, my favorite activity is to try and learn something new. I read a book, work on an online course, or listen to a podcast (while making notes to keep active) for 15 to 20 minutes in the morning.
This will “kick-start” your brain by giving it something to work on. Also, this means that you will commit to improving yourself. 20 minutes for 5 days a week equals over 6,5 hours of learning every month. That’s two normal workweek’s worth of learning in a year.
15 to 20 minutes a day is easy to slot in on weekdays, but it adds up. The 6 to 7 hours a month you spend learning this way equals one 200-page book. So that makes 12 books a year.
This is a great way to prime your mind for the day and learn new things.
6. Meditation
Time needed: 5-15 minutes
My morning routine ends with meditation. I usually take my time and meditate for 15 minutes, but the benefits from meditation can be gained in as little as 5 minutes.
Start your meditation routine with deep breathing. This will give your body and brain some much-needed oxygen. If you want to meditate for just 5 minutes, do a meditation to visualize your ideal day. Imagine being happy and effortlessly solving every situation that you face. End with gratitude: Be grateful in advance that your day went so well.
You can also use guided meditation audio or your routine. Read more about the benefits of meditation here
Enjoy the benefits, you are done!
Total time spent: 35-55 minutes
The key to creating a morning routine is to keep at it until it becomes second nature. To help you make your morning routine stick, read about starting new habits here
This is a sure-fire formula endorsed by many self-help experts. I’ve done this for well over a year now, and the benefits are obvious. I especially enjoy learning new things first thing in the morning, before my mind is fatigued from all the problem-solving that I do during the day.
I can concentrate better and have more energy and during the day I get things done (which has been difficult since I now employ myself and work full-time from home: Can you imagine the temptation to sleep late and push off any non-critical task?).
Try it and see the results for yourself! It can, of course, be combined with your current morning routine or adapted to your needs.
Bonus tip
I also brush my teeth in the morning but don’t count it as a part of the routine. When brushing your teeth, use your weaker hand. For example, if you are right-handed, brush your teeth with your toothbrush in your left hand.
This will challenge your brain and create new neural pathways. Check out Jim Kwik and his learning methods for more tips like this.
Conclusion
Creating a morning routine helps you start your day off right. Starting the day feeling good and energized will prime you for success during the rest of your daily activities.
Routines are great for making things easy: They prevent decision fatigue: You just do the same thing as always without even thinking about it.
Here’s a quick and easy morning routine that will energize you and prime you for success. It has 6 steps and takes 35 to 55 minutes to complete.
1. Make your bed: 3 min
Completing even the most non-essential task will release dopamine, the “feel good hormone”, in your body. Dopamine will make you feel good and want more. It’s a win-win.
2. Drink water: 2 min
After a good night’s sleep, your body is dehydrated and needs water. Start your day by drinking plenty of water, at least 17 oz (0,5 liters).
3. Physical exercise: 10-15 min
After drinking water, engage in some form of physical activity. This can be stretching, yoga, a morning walk, etc.
4. Coffee / Tea: 0 min, combined with the next step
Pick your favorite morning drink. Each has its benefits.
5. Mental exercise: 15-20 min
Read, learn, or challenge your brain by solving sudokus or crossword puzzles.
6. Meditation: 5-15 min
Start your meditation routine with deep breathing. This will give your body and brain some much-needed oxygen. If you want to meditate for just 5 minutes, do a meditation to visualize your ideal day.
Disclaimer
The entire contents of this blog are based upon the opinions of the author. It is intended for informational and educational purposes only. The information in this blog is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care professional before trying any of the products or methods based on this content. I cannot guarantee that you will be free of stress, anxiety or depression, or that you will be happy. I simply want to share with you what I have discovered during my twenty years of seeking happiness and what has worked for me may not work for you.
