Many people take a lot of time to plan their day, but completely fail to plan the most important part of the day, their morning!! How do you start your day, for many people mornings can be the toughest part of their day. They find that the duvet has magnetic qualities and will not allow them to get up and get the day started. But mornings are important. A good morning routine is the most important step to ensuring that you get your day off to a great start. Stumbling out of bed, grabbing a quick shower and rushing out of the door with a cup of coffee, is not setting the stage for a productive day.
How to get your day off to a great start:
- Drink plenty of water. You’ll be surprised at how dehydrated you become during a night’s sleep. So the first thing your body requires when it wakes up is water. The effect of dehydration can be lessened by avoiding caffeine after 9pm in the evening.
- Start your day with exercise. It doesn’t have to be vigorous exercise, put on your walking boots and go for a walk. A morning exercise routine is a great way to clear your mind and get ready for the day. Any form of exercise is acceptable, provided you feel better at the conclusion than you did at the beginning. You should not be aiming to wear yourself out. You should feel invigorated at the end. Find the best form of exercise for you and you’ll feel great and get a head start over your day.
- Eat a good healthy breakfast. A big healthy breakfast will provide you with the required nutrition to get you through the morning. I’m not here to give you a lesson on healthy foods, I’m sure you know which foods are healthy and which aren’t. You may need to experiment and make a few choices and note how you feel during the morning, and continue experimenting with different combinations until you find one that works best for you.
- Recite affirmations. Affirmations can be recited whilst in the shower, exercising, or driving to work. The key is finding a time of day that works for you and be consistent. Use affirmations that address the challenging areas of your life. The things we say to ourselves repeatedly become the truth.
- Get up earlier. How do you expect to take control of your day if you’re behind schedule from the get go. It’s much more enjoyable to spend your morning without the pressure of being on time. Go to bed earlier and get the sleep you require and arise earlier to take control of your morning and therefore your day.
- Make a to-do today list the night before. You can’t get your morning off to the best start if you don’t know what you have planned for the day. Do you need to wear a tie or skirt instead of your normal wardrobe choices? If you know how you’re going to spend your day, you can get your mind in the right place.
- Start your day with your most important task. Once you have made your To-Do-Today list, it should be easy to identify the most important task of the day and hence what you should work on first. Have a plan and get busy, even if you can’t complete your most important task, you can make a start on it and work on it until you can do nothing else with that task.
For many people life is hectic. However many people do nothing to help themselves by staying in bed until they can’t stay there any longer. They then rush out of the house and grab a coffee and cake on the way to work. Get your day off to a great start by giving yourself the time you need in the morning to gather your thoughts and prepare properly for the day ahead.
Till Next Time
Mike Gardner is The Time Doctor
To Do Lists the night before are something I recommend, even just to empty your head of thoughts before bed. I also do a braindump first thing in the morning which helps me get things on the list ready to take charge. Great tips 🙂
Thanks for dropping by Alex, totally agree with your thoughts about emptying your head
I used to suffer from Epilepsy I had to take a cocktail of three anti epileptic medication so had to get up have a drink and eat and take the drugs this was my daily routine I thank go d for it because even now when I don’t take them daily I take other supliments and eat I’m prepared for the day ahead which I find is 9/10 of the reason for my success in life . I say to myself I’m giving myself time to be me so I can spend the rest of the day or at least as much of it as I need to give to others. I try to be grateful to all I come across even if they don’t appreciate me. Maybee they’ve just never given themselves time to be them and feel hard done by but my philosophy help s me cope with their idealogy.
Wow, this is a great list, Mike! It’s too dark and cold here when I get up to go for a walk, but I wish I could. I go out later and do a brisk walk and have a nice “second wind” for the rest of my morning. Great post!
Thanks for your kind comments Amy, glad you enjoyed it
Agree with all of these – especially the hydration and the “good breakfast”. I wince remembering how, when I was young, I rarely ate breakfast. Now, it’s something I must do if I want to perform at my peak. I was amused at “no caffeine after 9pm” – for me it’s more like 2pm.
Thanks Alana, with the caffiene, I used to be in the same camp as you, since I have stuck to the “no caffeine after 9pm” rule, my sleep has improved dramatically, I have also stuck to a “no blue screens after 9pm” rule
Great tips, Mike. I found setting out my to-do list the day before really helpful for (almost) keeping a day on track. I still have wobbles – unexpected issues, unexpected calls etc. At least I get my priority things done. Just need to move tasks “for me” higher up the priority list!
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Thanks Jan, its so important to make time for ourselves