The morning routine has a big influence on how the day will go. Either you succeed or fail because of it. We check our smartphones before bed in our hectic lives and wake up to notifications. Now, if there’s one thing I’d like to learn this year, it’s how to create a fantastic morning routine that many productivity gurus and experts have recommended.
It’s not me who wakes up at five in the morning (yet!). I do, however, awaken between 7-8 am. That’s fantastic that you might wake up much earlier than I do. I’m attempting to get up at six in the morning in order to fit in an hour of intense work.
Gratitude (First Thing in the Morning)
People have thus concentrated on beginning each day with thankfulness. This trait of gratitude is vital to getting ahead of the 99% of people, in my opinion. Perhaps you slept less the previous night, or perhaps something negative is now happening in your life. Always begin your day with thankfulness and gratitude. Begin your day with a prayer to the higher consciousness if you consider yourself to be a believer in God. This way, your brain is trained to focus on what you have rather than what you lack, as a result, giving you a sense of abundance.
Now, beginning your day by concentrating on your blessings sets the tone for the rest of the day. If you are unable to discover something for which to be thankful, consider how you came to be and how you just woke up this morning. Just this past week, millions of people passed away. Thus, it goes without saying that having a life is a great enough reason to be grateful. It will also help you recognize the significance of life and help you stop focusing on your anxieties, bad self-talk, and other things.
Aside from that, pay attention to minor details to find more avenues to be grateful for in the morning. This can be as easy as a lovely morning, a strong cup of coffee, or a loving companion. If you are married and you wake up beside your spouse, be thankful that you have a spouse (this one works really well for me to cultivate this amazing practice). Loneliness affects a lot of people. Therefore, keep in mind that there are others who are waiting to receive what you would consider a modest blessing, no matter how small you think it may be. Why am I advocating this practice so strongly? Because, in my opinion, the majority of our issues stem from comparison and ungratefulness, which create a vicious cycle that is difficult to escape once ingrained in the subconscious. Therefore, recognize and count your blessings.
Set Intentions
I spend thirty minutes in guided meditation after praying and engaging in gratitude practices. I’m not quite excellent at this yet. I’d give my level of meditation right now a five out of ten. However, I made the decision to resume this practice after ten years when I first started, and for the past two years, I have been practicing it nearly every day. It is this exercise that gives me self-confidence.
I persist in this practice every day despite my brain’s procrastination feature (read limbic system, aka the primitive brain), and when I finish this 30-minute ritual, I already feel accomplished that I overcame my inner critic and completed the practice. I now feel as though I am missing something during the day if I don’t meditate.
You may select any mediation of your choosing. I only practice relaxation and goal visualization meditation. I picture the bigger goals, the necessary actions, and how I may incorporate those actions into my everyday schedule. I feel more purposeful during the day because of this, which provides me more clarity regarding the day.
After Task A is done, I know what I need to do for Task B. I don’t have to waste time considering what I should work on next. Making a to-do list is another way to substitute for this. However, I believe that breathing exercises establish a calmer atmosphere and better synchronize your thoughts than just making a to-do list and becoming overwhelmed by the number of tasks left undone. I am a visual person as well, so planning out my day with visualization helps me stay grounded.
Move your body
It’s time to focus on the body now. If you have the time, go for a run. However, if you’re busy, take advantage of your home’s resources. I work out for ten minutes on Apple Fitness or sometimes I practice yoga for a quick ten minutes. I barely have time for a whole 30-minute workout because I spend an entire hour with the practices mentioned above. However, I make sure to meet my daily activity goal by walking 8,000 steps or more each day. Once more, it is up to personal preference. Whatever you wish to do depends on your fitness objectives.
You may enhance your energy, concentration, and mood by making physical exercise a part of your morning routine. Workouts and happy hormones are highly correlated and this is backed by science. So, whatever it is that brings you joy, whether it’s a short yoga session, a morning walk, or a workout, incorporate it into your daily routine.
Feed the mind
The goal of your morning ritual is to position yourself for success, and there’s no better way to do this than to delve into the wealth of knowledge found in books. Whether you choose to read a fiction, autobiography, or other non-fiction book, you are rewiring your brain to pick up a book rather than browse through grim news on your way to work every morning.
I always have a book with me when I take the bus to work, and I read it while commuting. This is also a new habit I am cultivating. I feel like a strange person reading a hardcover book on the bus and not using a phone. However, I refuse to let that destroy my practice, and I hope that more and more people on my bus route will be motivated to read in the morning rather than pull out their cell phones.
As long as we use our smartphones purposefully, there is nothing wrong with it. However, we can hardly escape the snares set by the large tech businesses unless we have a very strong will and are adept at navigating our awareness.
You can try the following things as well:
- Make yourself a cup of coffee or tea and relax with the purpose of doing nothing for a few minutes. It is a Dutch notion called Niksen.
- Niksen: Deciding to do nothing, but doing so with the aim of doing nothing at all, may help relieve anxiety, promote creativity, and boost output.
- Water your plants, whether they are indoors or outdoors. Look at the lifeforms around you and draw inspiration from nature.
- I did not include the breakfast portion. I skip breakfast because I am trying to lose weight through intermittent fasting. However, you can incorporate a healthy breakfast to your liking. If eating too many carbs makes you sleepy and tired, limit your intake.