Morning Routines
22 Ways To Wake Up And Feel Super Positive For The Day
Do you ever wake up and you remember all the stuff you have to do, and you just want to hide under the covers and not come out? That feeling is all too known for many of us but thankfully you don’t have to ever feel this way.
Did you know that our thoughts create our emotions? Since we have total control over our thoughts (I know it might not feel like it sometimes), you also have the power to start your day on a super positive note each and every day. Here are some ways to help you get in the right mindset and enjoy every day as it comes.
- 1. Try to remember your dreams
Whether you want to analyze them later or just use them as an entertaining and fun video that plays in your head, dreams are a great way to feel more positive for the day. I recommend making sure you get enough sleep but also keeping a dream journal next to your bed so that you can write the dream down as soon as you wake up. Over time, remembering them will become easier and you will be able to make more sense of them as they relate to your own life.
- 2. Consider what makes you happy
Thoughts create emotions. Happy thoughts create happy emotions. It’s super simple but it’s so true – think about the things you love to do that make you happy. Just visualizing doing something that makes you happy is bound to make you actually feel happier in return.
- 3. Give gratitude
Gratitude is one of the most important practices I always recommend my clients. It’s easy to get caught in the cycle of negative thinking and eventually forgetting how good you actually have it. When you spend some time in the morning to list out 5 things you are grateful for, it shifts your whole mindset and your day becomes so much brighter.
- 4. Relax your body
Without physical relaxation, we breed stress and anxiety in our body. Make sure your daily routine includes self-care that allows you to relax your body. Whether it’s a massage, yoga, or a nice bath – relaxing your body is important ingredient to feeling positive every day.
- 5. Focus on breathing
Throughout the day, the more stress and to-do’s get put on our plates, the more anxiety heighten. We may not even realize that our breathing changes and becomes more shallow as we get stressed out. A really quick and simple tip is take a moment and notice your breathing. Is it shallow? Take some deeper breaths and let them out very slowly. Do this a couple of times and enjoy an increased feel of relaxation within minutes.
- 6. Don’t attach to your thoughts
Each day we create stories around the circumstances and events that surround us. Researchers say that we have about 60,000 thoughts per day! How exhausting is that? The less you attach to your thoughts and let them pass through without believing them and letting them affect you, the more likely you are to feel at peace and relaxed throughout the day.
- 7. Stay off social media
If you’re one of the people that checks their social media or email as soon as you wake up – stop that now! I didn’t realize how much it affects you until you stop doing it for a while. Each morning spent away from social media is so much more relaxed, peaceful, and joyful. We aren’t screamed at by a constant influx of information and messages and our mind has the capacity to just be.
- 8. Prepare a delicious breakfast
Instead of wasting your morning checking your Facebook feed, get yourself to the kitchen and prepare a beautiful delicious (and nutritious) breakfast! Protein pancakes anyone? Sunny side eggs? Perfection. Now, isn’t that so much better?
- 9. Establish a meditation practice
Making meditation a non-negotiable in your routine can be a real life-changer! Not only will you feel more peaceful and centered, you will feel more in tune with your body and your surroundings. Don’t worry if you aren’t a seasoned meditator yet. Meditation isn’t just sitting cross-legged humming “Ommmm” – you can do so much more, including dance meditation, mindfulness techniques, hypnosis, and more.
- 10. Try self-hypnosis recordings
Speaking of hypnosis, this is one of the easier and best ways to get yourself into meditation. There are tons of recordings available for purchase online (99 cents per track on Amazon!) and each one is created specifically to help with a certain problem. Want to feel more positive? There’s a lot of those to choose from.
- 11. Don’t check your phone until much later
Just as you shouldn’t check your social media right when you wake up, try to refrain from checking your phone until a little bit later too. You’ll really notice how much technology can have a negative effect on our mind and energy levels. Don’t get sucked in too early!
- 12. Go for a morning run
Ahhh… endorphins! What better way to start the day than with these feel-good hormones? Go for a nice run in the morning, before the weather gets too hot, and you’ll be glad you did.
- 13. Do an energizing yoga sequence
Another way to get some endorphins flowing in the morning is an energizing yoga sequence. Hop out of bed, roll out your mat and get bendy!
- 14. Play with your pets
I had a friend who always played with her dog in the morning. They would get breakfast, stretch out and play before heading off to work. It helped her connect with her pet, feel happier, and start the day off on a joyful note. I mean, it’s nearly impossible to be angry or sad after playing with your beloved pet.
- 15. Read an inspiring book or article
A nice part of your morning routine could be reading blogs you subscribe to. Reading something inspiring and motivating in the morning is bound to get you revved up and ready to tackle the day.
- 16. Listen to a great inspiring podcast
Similarly as with an inspiring book – listen to a great podcast to get your mind buzzing with motivation to get yourself to the next step in your day.
- 17. Set your alarm to an uplifting tune
Consider changing your ring tone for the alarm. Don’t use the crazy buzzing noise. Instead, put something nice and melodic that begins soft and gets increasingly louder as time goes. It won’t jerk you awake and you are more likely to enjoy waking up to a lovely sound than you are to something intense, like a regular alarm noise.
- 18. Create a routine that includes morning self-care
Whatever that might be for you – meditation, yoga, reading, a walk… whatever it is, make sure you make it a part of your routine and something that is non-negotiable. After all having a great day is non-negotiable! The more you do this, the easier it will become.
- 19. Look at something beautiful
A great way to shift your mood and become more peaceful and uplifted automatically is to look at something beautiful. Maybe it’s a flower, maybe it’s your husband or wife, maybe it’s a painting that’s hanging in your room… whatever it is, take a minute or two just to appreciate its beauty. You’ll be amazed how quickly this tactic works to bring your mood way up!
- 20. Wake up to clean room
The messier your room is, the messier your mind will feel. I always tell my clients that in order to get your mind organized, you have to get your space organized first. Clean up your room and you’ll notice how much the energy in the room becomes more peaceful and welcoming.
- 21. Ask yourself “How can I make this day amazing?”
It’s a simple question but it’s so powerful. By simply asking yourself “How can I make today amazing?” you make yourself realize that you are in control of how your day goes and how you feel about it. Then, do the things to make it amazing!
- 22. Smile regardless of how you might feel at first
Even if you feel like you want to stay in bed for the entire day and mope around, don’t. Smile to yourself. Better yet, look at yourself in the mirror and smile at yourself. My dad does this every single morning for a minute or two and he swears it changes his whole mood and outlook for the entire day. It’s worth a try!
From: Life Hack
4 Step Success Formula Morning Routine
This is a video describing the best 4 step success formula morning routine for law of attraction that will raise your vibration. In the video is a discussion about how the law of attraction can positive impact your morning and I give you my exact morning routine and morning ritual. Most people block the law of attraction because they do not get their morning started right.
There are certain tricks to using law of attraction to easily manifest what you want, but in order to do so you have to create a successful morning routine or ritual. Most people struggle with law of attraction because they’ve never properly understood how to get the day started right. And most people struggle because they do not understand how to use it. So I share my biggest takeaways so you can apply it to your life easily.
In this video you’ll learn how to use the law of attraction, understand it better, and apply it to your life. The first step is to understand that you’re always using Law of Attraction. Most of us spend our whole lives doing it unconsciously. We use unconscious negative affirmations as a technique that holds us back from what we want in life. You have to become conscious of your affirmations and begin to use positive thinking techniques to feel what you want before you have it.
It’s a constant affirmation meditation to visualize success and feel it in your nervous system. This is how you use positive affirmations to reprogram your subconscious mind, how to visualize images, how to visualize what you want, and how to create what you want as a reality.
Source: Jake Ducey
Do this every morning for 17 seconds
“Get out into the sunlight — out where everything is — with a vibration that is so dominant that those who annoy you; those who don’t agree with you; those who make your life feel uncomfortable don’t come into your experience, because your vibration — through your practice — has become so clear, so pure, so clean, so in keeping with what you want, that the world that revolves around you just feels like that. That’s what you planned.” —Abraham
“When you acknowledge what you do not want, and then ask yourself, “What is it that I do want?” you begin a gradual shift into the telling of your new story and into a much-improved point of attraction. You get the essence of what you think about – whether you want it or not – because Law of Attraction is unerringly consistent – therefore, you are never only telling the story of “how it is now.” You are also telling the future experience that you are creating right now.” —Abraham
Links:
But I Don’t Want To…
When I was writing this post, it occurred to me that the morning routine of my boarding school experience mirrors, in many ways, what happens every morning now….
It went something like this… Finally, I am asleep. Feeling warm and comfortable… safe even… and possibly loved. And then clanging and banging, doors open and slam shut… bells ringing in my ears…. and here I am, alone with people who don’t know me, who don’t like me, who want to kill my spirit… and I don’t want to get up. I don’t want to be good. I don’t want to be happy. I don’t want to be a part of it all. I don’t want to fit in. I don’t want it… any of it. They reject me – I reject them. I wake up and I think “fuck you!” Well… not actually those words, but that same feeling of rage and resistance…
And, I have to say, that it served me well. I didn’t turn into a little robot kid, I stayed a squarish peg and never ever fit into a round hole. I maintained my sense of self. My barriers held. My life is my own. And yet, I find that still… all these years later. I wake up all too often in a state of resistance, and a feeling of dread.
“No! I don’t want to … ” is normally my first thought. I have that sinking feeling as the alarm goes off. Yes, it’s not nearly as intense as boarding school, and not nearly as miserable or as lonely and isolating, but it’s there… like a wash of gray where there could be color.
Interestingly, this seems to be true for me no matter what day it is… even when I’m on a camping trip and having fun… I wake up… a feeling of dread… “I don’t want to get out of the warm sleeping bag… I don’t want to hike down to the bathrooms… I don’t want to …” it sets the tone for the day. Everything that happens after is an uphill climb, a downward spiral, or a dead stop.
Clearly, this survival mechanism has succeeded far too well. Yes, some days I need it, but every day? No.
And what about you? Are you stuck in a morning mode that has outlived its purpose? If you examine the morning routines that you find yourself falling into year after year, do you find that they mirror childhood experiences? And if so, how do they serve you now? What would you keep? and what would you change?
I Tried the Morning Routines of 5 Successful People
Here’s a fun little article that ties perfectly into our project. It’s by Amelia Diamond, and is all about her attempts to replicate the morning routines of 5 successful people.
Here it is:
Every single Successful Person in the history of the world woke/wakes up early. Winston Churchill and Linda Evangelista are the only exceptions: The former politician didn’t get up until 11, but at least he was up and doing work from bed starting at 8. Linda Evangelista famously refused to awake for less than $10,000 a day, but that right there is a business strategy of the savvy if I’ve ever seen one. Lean into that satin pillow, Linda.
I am not a Successful Person — not yet, not in the proper sense, with a capital S and P and a TED Talk or a billboard — but I’d like to be. A few years ago I taught myself to wake up earlier in the hopes of getting more of my life together. In retrospect, it worked: I recently got a promotion. But what if jumping out of bed isn’t enough for my more dramatic long-term goals? What if there are other key components that lead to true outlier-level career triumphs, and I am missing them? Nothing a little research and replication can’t eke out. I tried five morning routines of five successful people… mostly because someone has to feed this hungry internet beast. (To its credit, the internet is 24/7 and money never sleeps.)
1. Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer Aniston’s net worth is reportedly $150 million, not to be tacky. You would think this number would encourage me to at least try to set my alarm for her standard 4:30 a.m. wake up time, but it did not. 4:30 a.m. is not early, it is the middle of the night, which seems counter-intuitive.
- She wakes up at 8 a.m. on non-work days, however. So fine, on a Saturday morning, I did this.
- Next on the agenda, the old “drink hot water with lemon” propaganda rhetoric that I conceded to only because of $150 million, and also because my mom keeps saying it’s good for digestion.
- I washed my face with soap and water then spent the whole day panicking about whether or not this would cause acne.
- Said worries interrupted my required 20 minutes of meditation.
Sometimes Jennifer Anniston eats fresh eggs from the butts of chickens that hang out in her own backyard. I don’t have a backyard so I had to settle for her second go-to: a protein shake. Well and Good has the full scoop on her preferred recipe; I went to Juice Generation. I always eat after workouts but wondered if eating before could be the missing link.
It was not the missing link and in fact, it nearly made me sick. Jennifer Anniston spins for 30 minutes, then does yoga for 40. I don’t have a spin bike in my mansion so I signed up for SoulCycle instead (45 minutes), which is a terrible after a protein shake. Following this I did some half-assed yoga on a mat in my apartment, and then, to feel extra Jen, I drank a SmartWater. SmartWater is just regular water with very smart marketing, but in this exercise, you can’t argue with success.
Did I feel successful after this morning, which ended around 11? Not any more than usual, to be honest. I think the call time has to be less insane than Jen’s 4:30 weekdays, but more extreme than 8 a.m. weekends.
2.Oprah Winfrey
Now this is more like it: Oprah wakes up at 6:02 a.m., but she has never set an alarm. “I don’t believe in them,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “They are … alarming!”
- I set an alarm because my internal clock doesn’t kick in until 45 minutes later on a great day. I was tired but like, the whole world wakes up at 6:02 a.m..
- Oprah says her first thought when she wakes up is, “Oh, I’m alive. Thank you!” So I did this. It made for a nice morning mindset. What follows, for her, are a series of downward dogs with actual dogs. I had to do mine alone.
Oprah makes herself a chai tea or skim cappuccino at 6:45 a.m. but I can’t cook. Instead, I put my sneakers on 15 minutes before she says she does and left the house with enough time to stop at a coffee shop by my apartment. (I never leave my apartment early enough to do ANYTHING, so this felt amazing.)
By 7:05 a.m., Oprah is in her home gym so that she can have the TV on and tuned to CBS’s “Eye Opener” to see what her BFF Gayle is wearing. I don’t have any friends on TV but Leandra was in Italy while I did this, so the time difference meant I got to watch her stories like a little morning program on my way to the gym. Ah, nice caftan.
Oprah does 20 minutes on the elliptical and 30 minutes walking on the treadmill. She starts out at the Level 3 incline setting and then every minute adds to the incline until she gets to 12 or 15, then she does sit-ups. I did Barry’s Bootcamp, which is like an…extreme version of this? Then I tried not to throw up. Might have been the cappuccino, though.
At 8 a.m., Oprah does a sitting meditation, so at 9 a.m., I did one too. (I had to shower after Barry’s and also, let’s not forget, I have an office to be inside of that isn’t a palindrome of my own name.) She said that if she’s in a rush she’ll only meditate for 10-12 minutes, which was comforting. I always think of meditation as THE FULL MONTY or nothing at all. Not very zen, I know. Anyway, I liked Oprah’s realistic approach and actually, it allowed me to relax a bit.
At 8:30 a.m. Oprah eats medium-boiled eggs and a piece of multigrain toast for breakfast. “I have actually noticed that lately I have been eating breakfast at 8:38,” she told Well and Good. Wild woman. It was 10 a.m. by the time I ate my Oprah meal, but it was better than a Kind bar and certainly filled me up for longer.
An hour behind Oprah’s schedule and feeling guilty about it, I went through my schedule while eating, as she does, knocked out a few phone calls and had zero bank wires. But wait a minute! “Business transactions and financial stuff… I try to get all of that done by noon or 12:30 when I am home, since that’s 3 p.m. in New York and the banks close soon after that.” Oprah is on California time. Do you realize what this means? Even on a one hour delay, I was two hours ahead of Oprah.
So long as she doesn’t smite me down for saying that, I’d consider this a major success.
3. Barack Obama
Barack Obama starts his days two hours before his first event. I like the idea of working backwards from your first important thing — it seems less monotonous and less militant than a daily call time (although I get that the irregularity could undermine your internal clock, Oprah).
- My first “event” was at 9 a.m., but in order to make a 7 a.m. workout class, I had to set my alarm for 6:20…so turns out this didn’t make much of a difference. But! I liked the mindset.
Obama and I both work out in the mornings, but I get the sense that he never skips. So, on Obama day, neither did I. Something I try to remind myself on mornings where I am tempted to hit snooze is that I never feel better for sleeping in 20 minutes extra, and I always feel better after working out, so…GET THE FUCK UP.
Barack Obama reportedly ate a breakfast of eggs, wheat toast and (until his doctor gave him a cholesterol warning) bacon every day — but no coffee. I could get down with the food portion of this party but no coffee is rough for me. Well-knowing that green tea doesn’t do shit as a caffeine supplement, I tried it and broke down by 10 a.m. for an iced coffee. In the words of Miranda Hobbes about her trash magazines, “It’s my thing, let me have it.”
The fourth and final agenda in Barack Obama’s documented morning routine includes reading the paper — the actual paper, not a digital copy. I bought a paper after my workout and read for 15 minutes on a bench before going up to my apartment. It was nice to delay looking at my phone for a while longer while still feeling productive.
Although this was a watered-down-for-the-press’s version of the busiest man in America’s routine, there’s something really civilized about reading the actual paper, and eating an actual breakfast. Kind of makes you feel ridiculous when you’re not the president and you’re like, “I’m too busy to X.” Completing all of this set me up for a go-get-em-tiger mental space for the rest of the day.
4. Gwyneth Paltrow
If there ever was a morning bird in this whole entire world, it has to be Gwyneth Paltrow. She wakes up at the crack of dawn, so…
- Sigh. So did I. I set my alarm for 5 a.m., woke up, laughed, went back to bed.
But not for long! Because I don’t have an Apple and a Moses to rouse, feed and get ready for school (after dribbling spoonfuls of lemon-flavored flax oil into their baby mouths), I really had no excuse but to get the hell up and get my day started. I used this weird window of time between being…up (barely) and heading toward Hubert Street for my GP-evangelized workout class to brush my teeth and get some work done. It was slow and steady; I wasn’t powering through my to-do list, but it was productive, not to mention gloriously quiet.
Until it wasn’t. I arrived at Tracy Anderson in Tribeca, the eponymous studios of Gwyneth’s favorite trainer. “I am a very longtime Tracy Anderson fanatic,” she told Byrdie.com. “I practice her method religiously. I do it five days a week.” Okay. Now, I work out, but not like this.
The first half of the class was a true dance party to a top tier playlist. If the instructor, Lana, could deejay my every morning, that would be great. The second half was a combination between torture or Broadway on steroids set to hip hop music with leg weights (which I am aware probably is a nightmare for some people)? For me, it was one of those satisfying burns where you want to pass out in the moment but then need everyone to know you attended a Tracy Anderson class after.
It took sheer will and determination to stay alive but I swear to god, I think I grew an ab in the process. I understand the fanfare and I, too, would like to one day to be a Tracy Anderson fanatic.
But on this day, I settled with bragging rights, plus I was 45 minutes early to a freakishly healthy breakfast thanks to my tight edit of a morning. I used this time to start writing a story. Success.
5. Anna Wintour
The fifth and final routine I tried is none other than that of Vogue’s Editor-in-Chief, Anna Wintour. Woudn’t it be weird if you didn’t know what name would follow that comma? Yeah. It would be. Now that’s TED Talk/billboard successful.
- 1. Anna begins the day at 5:45 a.m. with a tennis lesson, so I began my day at 5:45, then took a tennis lesson at 7. (I didn’t want to subject anyone else to such a call time in the name of guinea pig journalism. Just me being thoughtful.)
First of all, if you’re looking for a tennis coach, no matter your level, I highly suggest using PlayYourCourt. You answer a few fast questions about where you live, what you’re looking for and they assign you with a coach who matches the criteria almost instantly. It was very 21st century, very efficient. They matched me with an instructor named Nataliya who is patient, probably going to win the U.S. Open someday and lovely.
I arrived early, 6:30 a.m., to reserve a court spot. At 7 a.m. sharp, we began. At 8:30 a.m., as I walked home to change for work, I thought to myself, “Holy shit. I just played a game of tennis and, if I wanted to, could have an entire hour and a half to do nothing before my first meeting.”
- Instead, I grabbed a coffee from Starbucks and got a blowout, just like Anna, then did emails from my phone under the dryer. I wasn’t mad.
I was the most successful on this day in terms of productivity and creativity, which I credit to the effect of a one-on-one lesson with a professional instructor (rather than a solo run at this same time, or a workout class) had on my brain. My mind felt tuned-up in a way it hasn’t in forever. I was awake and buzzing and full of energy. It was truly kind of remarkable. I think this is how you’re supposed to feel after meditation? I wonder if the effect would be the same if I started my day off with a crossword puzzle or some other non-work-related stimulation. Another experiment for another day. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go immediately to bed.
By: Amelia Diamond
Morning Routines aka YouTube
All these morning routines I have been finding and posting sound a little intimidating. So, I thought it might be fun and illuminating to take a peek into morning routines on YouTube. I don’t know why, but I did expect to find something a little more reflective of real life.
That being said, here’s what I found:
Starting off bright and early with a fall morning routine because what else makes more sense? Especially if you are beautiful and have all the time in the world to plan and execute a video that makes you look so good!
But Wait! There’s More!
I really thought I’d be rolling my eyes at these girls, but I actually think they are kind of cute. Yes the whole thing is staged, and no I don’t think it actually reflects their true reality… but… still… it was cheerful and fun.
The sister vs brother kids are not as horribly annoying as I thought they would be. I think that what bothered me most was that the house was so amazingly spotless and sparkling clean.
Continuing with my vicarious views into the morning routines of YouTubers, here’s a more realistic video… again the house is annoyingly clean… and I am reminded of all those years ago when I had toddlers, and how wonderful and at the same time how tiresome it all was.
Most of the morning routines that YouTube wanted to show me were either kids, moms, or make up. I finally found something just a little bit different… it does however, have that annoying blurb about fit tea, for which he was probably paid.
I did like this one – for the first 30 seconds or so. After that, the blatant advertising and product endorsements begin. “Good job Joe, you don’t stink now.” LOL!
So there you have it… I couldn’t find a single YouTube video that I thought actually reflected anything close to my own reality. It makes me think that there must be a need for real life video on a good routine for when you’re old, crusty, crazy, and well… lazy, resentful, and rebellious!
Here’s a great cover photo for the video I was envisioning:
22 Tricks for an Instantly Happier Morning
Get out the door faster and worry-free with these easy morning tweaks.
1. Give yourself an extra 15 minutes
Don’t hit snooze so much that you end up rushing out the door. Set your alarm clock 15 minutes earlier than usual, and use the time to mentally prepare for the day. Plan your outfit, goals, and breakfast, or take a moment to stretch or read the news. Still tempted to keep snoozing? Here are almost effortless ways to become a morning person.
2. Stick to a routine
The fewer decisions you have to make, the less stressed you’ll be. Most actions—what you eat, your bathroom ritual—can stay the same every day. Everything else should be planned ahead of time. Lay out your outfit the night before, and load everything you’ll need into your work bag. These tips will make waking up in the morning a lot easier.
3. Keep your blinds half-open
When the natural light from the sunrise creeps into your room, it signals your brain to slow its melatonin production and boost your adrenaline, both of which tell your body to wake up. To sync your biological clock to the sun, hit the hay seven hours before sunrise so you get the recommended amount of sleep. Soon you might not even need your alarm clock. Did you know all of these surprising health advantages of being a morning person?
4. Don’t share the bathroom
No matter how close you and your partner are, each of you should get ready in a different bathroom. Instead of fighting for the sink or mirror, you can get ready calmly at your own pace.
5. Set the alarm on your coffee maker
The smell of coffee can lure you out of bed, so buy some high-quality coffee and use twice as many scoops as you typically would to make the scent as strong as possible. Studies have shown that coffee can boost alertness, protect against Parkinson’s disease, and ward off memory loss.
6. Keep baskets by the door
To prevent a last-minute search while you’re trying to run out the door, keep baskets for each family member by the exit. Fill the containers with everything you’ll need for the day—your purse, wallet and keys, and your kids’ backpacks, homework and hats. Check out these daily morning habits of highly organized people.
7. Stretch
Even before you open your eyes, stretch your body to increase blood flow and send oxygen to your tissues. Start with your fingers, hands, wrists, and arm, and then move on to your toes, feet, ankles, and legs. By the time you finish with your neck and back, you’ll be ready to jump out of bed. These are energizing morning stretches you can even do in your bed.
8. Make time for a workout
A 30-minute workout will flood you with mood-boosting endorphins that will last most of the day. Plus, scheduling your exercise for first thing in the morning will make you more likely to stick with your workout program, studies have shown, probably because your schedule won’t have the chance to clog up with excuses. Try hopping on the treadmill, doing yoga, or turning on a workout video you enjoy. Don’t miss these morning habits of naturally thin people.
9. Pick out an emergency outfit
For the mornings you hit snooze too many times or get sidetracked when you’re getting ready, an already-picked-out outfit will get you dressed effortlessly. Store an outfit, complete with socks and jewelry, on a hanger so you can throw it on and dash out the door.
10. Drink a glass of water
Every night, your body goes through a fast while you’re asleep, leaving you dehydrated when you wake up. Drink eight ounces of water as soon as you’re up to hydrate.
11. Read a motivational quote
Start your day on a positive note by reading a motivational quote to guide your thoughts away from negativity. Alternatively, a positive mantra can be meditative, or a poem could help you get focused.
12. Listen to music
At night, your creative juices flow. Taking five to ten minutes in the morning to think or listen to music can help you shape those imaginative thoughts into realistic plans.
13. Brush your tongue
A minty fresh mouth is sure to make you feel clean and ready to start the day. But with more than 300 types of bacteria accumulating in your mouth every night, a speedy tooth-brushing job isn’t going to eliminate your morning breath fully. Take an extra minute to brush your tongue to enjoy a fresher feeling.
14. Have a sprinkle of sugar
Healthy 60- to 80-year-olds who drank sweetened lemonade before breakfast had better memory recall that day and into the next than those who started their morning with unsweetened lemonade, a University of Virginia study found. Don’t go reaching for the doughnut just yet, though—a teaspoon or less will do the trick. Sip a cup of orange juice, or swap the artificial sweetener in your coffee for real sugar.
15. Make a to-do list for your kids
Keeping a checklist of what your kids need to do before heading out the door can help make mornings less chaotic. Write the list either on a whiteboard, or make printouts from the computer. Have your children mark off when they make their beds, brush their teeth, and gather their schoolwork and lunch. If they don’t follow through by five minutes before they need to leave, set a punishment like no TV or computer time after school.
16. Take a quicker shower
The average shower lasts about 12 minutes—a big chunk of time when you’re trying to rush in and out. If you don’t like showering at night, use two-in-one products like conditioning shampoo. To save even more time, don’t scrub your whole body. Use soap for your underarms and groins, and just let the rest get rinsed off. Here are some good reasons you can shower less often.
17. Dry your hair efficiently
Let your hair towel- and air-dry as much as possible before using heat. Use a 100 percent cotton bath sheet to blot your hair, then do your makeup or start getting dressed before touching it again. Once you’re ready to blow-dry, use a tool with at least 1,600 watts for a high-energy heat blast that will dry your hair faster.
18. Go through your calendar
While you’re sipping your coffee in the morning, glance over everything you’ve scheduled for the day. Make sure you write down everything, from plumber visits to bill due dates. You’ll be able to schedule your day effectively without worrying about surprises or forgetting important events.
19. Give a kiss goodbye
Before you head out the door, kiss everyone you love in your house (including your cat or dog). Physically connecting with your loved ones will frame your day with positivity and a reminder of what’s important to you, along with reducing stress.
20. Set a chair in your shower
Sit in a plastic chair for a couple minutes in the shower, letting the water beat down on your back like a massage. You’ll feel both energized and relaxed. When you’re done, stick the chair out of the way and scrub up.
21. Take an aspirin
An aspirin a day could be good for your heart. One study of 220,000 doctors found that those who took an aspirin daily during a five-year course reduced their risk of heart attack by almost 50 percent. Check with your doctor before starting any medications.
22. Cuddle with your children
If you have young children, lie next to them and gently hug them when it’s time to wake up. For older kids, sit next to them and softly smooth their hair as you get them up. The morning could be the rare time you can enjoy the sweetness of tender moments like these.
From: Reader’s Digest
4 Morning Success Rituals
“As a cook, your station, and its condition, its state of readiness, is an extension of your nervous system. The universe is in order when your station is set. Mise-en-place (a French phrase meaning “putting in place”) is the religion of all good line cooks.”
~Chef and best-selling author Anthony Bourdain
As a therapist for many an anxious nervous system, I love productivity hacks. As a die-hard morning fan, I’m drawn to tips, tricks and tools focusing on the wee-hours of each day.
If you found yourself damning the dawn reference above, the following four steps just may convert you to a morning-ish person:
1. Set Your Intentions
“When walking, walk. When eating, eat.”
~Zen Proverb
It’s one thing to want to feel more calm and prepared for the day ahead, and another to actually execute your plan.
I suggest starting the night before, thereby ensuring adequate rest. For adults between the ages of 18 and 64+, that translates to 7 to 9 hours nightly. Sleep is the cornerstone of mental wellness, but it’s rarely a priority. To reinforce this step, ask yourself about the last time you functioned bright-eyed and bushy-tailed after burning the midnight oil? (college kids will kindly exempt themselves).
Now close your eyes and envision the last time you were calm and in control. Channel that situation and remember that you’re capable of slowing down and getting the job done. Mindset is key to starting.
2. Think Proactive vs Reactive
According to social psychologist Dr. Ron Friedman, if you spend the first 10 minutes of each day checking and answering email, you’re priming your mind for a reactive state. Rather than go on the defensive each morning, take that time back and reframe it to “me time.” When you see yourself as having an internal locus of control, you’re less likely to reinforce anxious patterns of thinking.
If you’re at a loss for how to undo your reactive ways, consider these easy options first thing in the morning:
- Drink a glass of water (hydration is vital to mood and health)
- Read a self-help, business, or leisure book.
- Meditate for five minutes.
- Think healthy thoughts.
3. Plan, Plan and Plan
“Chefs like Anthony Bourdain have long appreciated that when it comes to exceptional cooking, the single most important ingredient of any dish is planning. It’s the ‘Meez’ that forces Bourdain to think ahead, that saves him from having to distractedly search for items midway through, and that allows him to channel his full attention to the dish before him.” ~Ron Friedman
Start each morning with a mini-planning session. Because our minds and body are fresh, take advantage of your “clean slate.” Resist the urge to replay yesterday’s soundtrack, or get sucked into worrying about tomorrow. Stay in the here-and-now, and think steps, not lofty goals.
4. Own Your 120-Minutes
“It turns out that most people are productive in the first two hours of the morning. Not immediately after waking, but if you get up at 7 you’ll be most productive from around from 8-10:30. One of the saddest mistakes in time management is the propensity of people to spend the two most productive hours of their day on things that don’t require high cognitive capacity (like social media).” ~Dan Ariely, behavioral economist at Duke University.
Choose two things you can accomplish today, above all else. Just deux. Let’s be honest — those items you want to get through but never seem to are probably not so urgent. After all, we make time for what’s important. Many productive people write their upcoming tasks the night before to establish tomorrow’s To-do list.
Before you roll up your productivity sleeves, remove all necessary distractions. Turn off the notifications on your mobile device, close the open tabs on your computer, and let others in your home or office know that you’re not to be disturbed for the next couple of hours.
When it comes to beginning your day, take it from a master chef. Set up the essential ingredients for the task ahead. You no longer have to be distracted about every single item which requires your attention. Focus on what’s right in front of you and start with a single bite.
From: Psychology Today
16 Better Ways To Start Your Day
I bet I can predict what your morning looks like: You wake up to a generic alarm clock sound, roll out of bed, get dressed, grab a mediocre breakfast, and leave the house still rubbing your eyes and yawning.
How’d I know? Because we all do it—it’s the only way we know how. (And if you’re not one of us traditionalists, I salute you!)
However, there are so many better ways to start your day than by following the usual patterns. Yes, you can journal, exercise, read, or meditate—but you can also get a little crazy and try any of these 16 other unique strategies to having better morning. While you can’t possibly incorporate all 16 (or can you?), you can start with one or two.
1. The Two-Minute Exercise
A lot of people suggest that you meditate every morning to increase your energy, confidence, and sense of stability—but let’s be real: No one has time to really meditate and fully free their mind. Instead, Muse writer Lily Herman suggests trying these two super-quick breathing exercises when you wake up.
2. The Seven-Minute Routine
For the people in a hurry, take seven minutes to think, breathe, doodle, and make a plan. Even this small amount of time can create a positive mindset for the rest of your day.
3. The 15-Minute Routine
We can almost guarantee that John Gannon’s morning routine will change the way you brainstorm.
What does he do? He gives thanks, writes to get his creative juices flowing, and jots down 10 new ideas every day. The results: After 30 days of doing this and sharing his input with others, he came up with an exciting new product for his startup that lead to great success and got offered a job. And it only took 15 minutes out of his day!
4. Take a Shower
Only like to get clean at night? You might want to rethink that. As Muse writer Jennifer Winter says , “Jumping in the shower has a way of shocking your system and getting your circulation going. If you absolutely can’t get yourself into the shower, then at a minimum do a thorough scrubbing of your face in the sink and finish off with a splash of cold water. You’ll look and feel more awake than you would if you’d simply rolled out of bed.”
5. Buy a Festive Coffee Mug
You’d be surprised how much your cup of coffee can brighten your morning—and I’m not talking about the caffeine part. Spruce up your routine with something that’ll make you smile, laugh, or even entertain you while you sip. For some ideas, look at this shopping guide and this one .
6. Use an Alarm Clock That Actually Works
Yes, it is possible to find an alarm that doesn’t make you want to hit snooze a bagillion times. Just remember—once you’re out of bed, everything can only get easier. So try these better solutions on for size—waking up will be a piece of cake. (Just kidding, waking up will never compare to cake.)
7. Blast Some Great Tunes
There’s no better way to stimulate your mind in the morning—without exhausting it back to sleep—than by listening to music. And we’ve got the perfect playlist for just about every mood you’ll face.
8. Stay in Bed Longer
“For many, the hardest part about waking up and getting out of bed is the “getting out of bed” part. So, don’t! Winston Churchill spent the first three or four hours of each day working from bed, reading stacks of mail, and dictating responses to his secretaries,” writes Muse contributor Alexandra Franzen . While it’s unlikely you have the luxury of three to four hours (unless you’re waking up right after you go to sleep), treat yourself to 10 or so minutes.
9. Create Something
Muse’s Senior Editor of Branded Content Erin Greenawald has three suggestions for starting your day right : Have any networking meetings first thing in the morning, listen to podcasts while you get up and ready, and finally, instead of reaching for your phone, reach for paper and a pencil, or ingredients for breakfast: “It doesn’t have to take long, and it doesn’t have to be big—or even good, for that matter—but you’ll be starting your day by engaging a part of your brain that many of us don’t get to work with often.”
10. Create a Step-by-Step Schedule
If you plan out, step-by-step , how long each AM task takes you to complete, you’ll more accurately see how much time you truly need to get ready in the morning. You might also realize what things can be done later in the day, or even the night before. And once you set a realistic timeframe for showering, getting dressed, or eating breakfast, stick to it. Muse Career Coach Adrian J. Hopkins believes that “if you take a moment to plan ahead, you’ll find that one stitch, in time, really does save nine.”
11. Do the Dishes
According to a article by LearnVest , “Rolling up your sleeves to hand wash a sink full of dirty dishes from last night’s dinner may be the last thing you want to do first thing in the morning, but a recent study found that mindfully cleaning dishes—in other words, staying in the moment while scrubbing away—reduced anxiety and made study subjects feel more inspired.” And bonus, you won’t have to worry about them later when you’re exhausted from work!
12. Check the News (Fast!)
The first thing I do each morning is open my email on my phone to read theSkimm, an entertaining roundup of breaking headlines. It’s just what I need to start to stimulate my mind and think about my day without thinking too hard. For even more quick-fix news outlets, check out this list .
13. Exercise for 10 Minutes
Muse writer Kat Moon says that this science-backed exercise tip will increase your mental processing speed—and it doesn’t require any heavy lifting or five-mile sprints. For example, you can take a walk around the block, watch a yoga tape, or even do a few rounds of push-ups. (True story: the Muse team can attest to this strategy.)
14. Set Your Clocks Five Minutes Ahead
It seems silly, but even just tricking your brain into thinking you’re late will help you wake up faster. Plus, you’ll always be guaranteed to be on time.
Muse Managing Editor Jenni Maier loves using this technique to get moving in the morning : “Just seeing the (incorrect) time on your microwave, in the car, and anywhere else you can manually change it will make you start operating five minutes ahead. I can’t explain it, I can just tell you that every morning I leave my house at 8:10 AM, look down at my phone, see it’s really only 8:05, and think about the fact that my stupid stove clock tricked me again.”
15. Play Some Soothing Ambiance
Fun fact: Ambient noise is proven to increase creativity and productivity—so consider turning on the sounds of a coffee shop or a cozy rainy day to set your mood. To create your own background noise, try apps such as Noizio or A Soft Murmur .
16. Keep Your Blinds Open
Sunlight is the best way to naturally wake your body up—so don’t hide from it. Muse writer Lily Herman suggests that this will make the night-to-morning transition a lot easier: “It’s hard to go from pitch-black darkness to bright light (especially if you hop on your phone or computer first thing in the morning), so make it easier on yourself by keeping your blinds somewhat open. I can personally attest to the fact that not drawing my curtains means it’s a little less jarring to wake up to my alarm each morning.”
From: The Muse
9 Morning Habits To Start The Day Right
How you start your morning sets the tone for the rest of the day.
You can start your day by hitting the snooze button, dragging yourself out of bed at the last minute, rushing to get ready, and then running out the door with a doughnut in one hand and your briefcase in the other. Or, you can start your day with good morning habits. I recommend the latter.
Below you’ll find nine morning habits to start the day right.
1. Wake Up Early.
Early risers reap many benefits. Some of these benefits include the following:
- Being able to go through your morning routine in a calm and leisurely manner instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off being rushed.
- Having time for introspection and getting yourself in the right frame of mind.
- The quiet morning hours are a great time to get things done.
- You can get an early start on your goals, such as getting daily exercise or tackling a 30-day challenge.Waking up early will also allow you to practice the eight habits explained below, which will help you to start your day in high spirits, ready to tackle anything that life throws at you throughout the day.
2. Smile and Think Something Positive.
As soon as you wake up, smile. Scientists have discovered that smiling does all of the following for you:
- When you smile your body releases the feel-good neurotransmitters dopamine and endorphins. This means that by smiling first thing when you wake up you’ll be starting your day in a better mood.
- In addition, when you smile your mood is further lifted by the release of serotonin.
- Smiling strengthens the immune system, so by smiling first thing in the morning and remembering to do it throughout the day you’ll be warding off disease, specially during flu season.
- If you have trouble getting yourself to smile in the morning, force yourself: even a forced smile has benefits.
In addition, say something like the following to yourself when you wake up (say it out loud or just say it silently in your head):
“Every day, think as you wake up: today I am fortunate to be alive, I have a precious human life, I am not going to waste it.” – Dalai Lama
“This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” (Psalm 118:24)
Lastly, ask yourself these two questions:
- What am I grateful for today?
- What am I looking forward to today?
3. Make Your Bed.
Get up and make your bed. Gretchen Rubin, author of “The Happiness Project”, indicates that a simple way to be happier is to make your bed every morning. By taking this small step to create outer order, you create inner calm. It’s something small and doable which gets your day started off right.
In addition, Naval Adm. William McRaven, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, said the following about making your bed in his commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin:
- “If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.
- By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little things in life matter.
- If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.
- And, if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made—that you made—and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.
If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”
4. Brush Your Teeth and Scrape Your Tongue.
Most people were taught to brush their teeth after having breakfast. However, it’s healthier to brush your teeth as soon as you wake up. Plaque—which is a film of bacteria–builds in your mouth while you sleep. You should remove this plaque buildup by brushing as soon as you wake up.
Also, brushing coats the teeth with a protective layer of fluoride to guard against the sugars and acids introduced in the mouth at breakfast.
In addition to brushing your teeth, you should also scrape your tongue. Here are five reasons why:
- Fresh Breath – Most bad breath comes from the bacteria at the back of the tongue.
- Better Tasting Food – By scraping your tongue you remove mucus which can block your taste buds.
- Boost Immunity – Scraping your tongue prevents toxins from being reabsorbed into your body.
- Healthier Teeth – The process of scraping your tongue promotes general tooth and gum health.
- Then, after you’ve eaten your breakfast, rinse with a fluoride mouthwash.
5. Drink Warm Water With Lemon.
After brushing your teeth drink a tall glass of lukewarm water with half a lemon–or one whole lemon–squeezed in it. This is an easy health tip which will do all of the following for you:
- Lemon water cleanses and stimulates the liver and kidneys.
- Lemons have lots of Vitamin C, which helps to protect you from catching a cold.
- Drinking lemon water alkalizes the body — when the body does not have sufficient alkalizing substances and is overly acidic, it takes these substances from the bones or vital tissues.
- The antioxidant properties of lemons help combat free radical damage, which keeps your skin looking young and healthy.
- I use a straw to drink my water with lemon in the morning in order to protect the enamel on my teeth from the acid in the lemon.
6. Do a Stretching Routine.
Performing a morning stretching routine will help you to loosen your muscles after sleeping, while increasing blood flow to your muscles. Taking ten minutes to do a few yoga poses will allow you to connect your mind, body, and breath in preparation for the day that’s ahead.
7. Meditate.
Start your day with stillness by meditating in the morning. Meditating does everything from improving your focus to reducing stress, improving emotional stability, and preventing common health ailments. You can start simply by focusing on your breath for three minutes each morning, and build from there.
Do the following:
- Sit in a comfortable position.
- Close your eyes and focus on your breath.
- Inhale for 4 counts, retain for 4 counts, and exhale for 8.
- Every time you feel your mind wandering, bring it back to your breath.
- Do this for three minutes.
8. Eat a Healthy Breakfast.
You’ve already heard this a thousand times, but I’m going to say it again: breakfast in the most important meal of the day. A healthy breakfast consists of lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats. You’ll gain all of the following benefits from eating a healthy breakfast:
- You’ll be less hungry throughout the day.
- You’ll have better focus and concentration.
- Skipping breakfast is tied to being overweight.
- You’ll have more energy.
9. Create Something.
Before you start taking in information–reading emails, listening to the news, attending meetings, and so on–create something. This can be anything: write a blog post; draw something; create an info-graphic; record a video; write a chapter of your novel; and so on.
Start you day in creativity-mode.
Conclusion
Your morning habits can make or break your day. The nine habits explained above are guaranteed to get your day started off right. Live your best life by creating good morning habits.
From: Dare To Live Fully
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