Wakeup Early. Waking up early is probably one of the best habits I ever acquired in my life. Waking up early benefits my daily productivity and gives me more willpower and discipline throughout the day. It also gives you more time to prepare for your day and get things done in peace instead of rushing and waking up late. Waking early allows you to complete many of the steps I will list below. I currently wakeup around 6-7am everyday depending on what time I sleep. It is best to wakeup the same time daily and if you need help adjusting do it by the hour until you reach your desired time. I believe waking early and getting your day started off right is what separates the successful from the unsuccessful.
Meditate. Stress Reduction is one of the most beneficial reasons why one meditates. It filters out the anxiety and stress our brain is naturally wired to create. Meditation controls anxiety by helping you focus on the present while shifting focus to the breathing and filtering out the random thoughts. Meditation I believe is very beneficial in lengthening one's attention span by testing your strength and endurance of your attention. This can be very beneficial in testing your focus and patience and training your mind as a muscle to attack your day with the most optimal mindset. As one becomes aware of their senses and thoughts that flow through their head, they can transcend to a mindful state which is accepting the good and bad of the present moment as it is without any judgement. This practice consistently over a while will generate a mind built for attention, positivity, and a better outlook at what life brings to you.
Pray and Be Grateful For Life. The first thing I do when i wakeup is pray to god and be grateful for everything that I have and maybe ask for strength or support when I feel in need. Doing this allows me to connect my soul with God and let him into my deepest thoughts and feelings. This is also a great way of filtering your thoughts and speaking to yourself of what you are going through in life. Being grateful right when I wakeup instantly puts me in a positive and joyful mindset. It really allows me to appreciate everything that I have and not overlook anything in my life. Sometimes people may tend to take things for granted because they are always there, but if you wakeup everyday and have a grateful heart towards it you will always notice the details of what makes your life great.
Make Your Bed. Making your bed is such a simple thing, but it makes a huge difference in generating productivity and starting the day out right. Making my bed is the first task that I accomplish throughout the day, it also makes me feel organized and gives me the feeling of accomplishing something small. If you cannot accomplish little things then when the big things come you will not be ready. Accomplishing small tasks throughout the day are very beneficial in setting up for productivity and success.
Take A Cold Shower. The main reason I do this is to boost my energy levels and boost productivity. Taking cold showers all improves your circulation and can help boost your immune system. Although taking cold showers can be very painful at first, it teaches you to face pain during the first few moments you dive into the cold shower. That initial action of forcing yourself to get into the shower is great for practicing to make yourself uncomfortable. Everyday we will face situations that make us uncomfortable and we just need to do it anyways to achieve our goals. Cold showers also can teach you courage to step into that coldness and fear of being cold. Repeating this everyday can help you with other tasks you have to face.
Read News. I will read through the news everyday in the morning using the App Flipboard on my phone. Reading the news is great for your knowledge so you know what's going on outside the world around us, not just living in your own bubble. My strategy of reading news quickly is just reading through many headlines of interesting topics. If I find one that I like I will read more and try to catch the main points quickly.
Drink Water And Eat A Big Breakfast. Always hydrate and drink a lot of water, but especially in the morning when you have not hydrated as much during sleep. Morning Hydration will also be better for your metabolism so you have a better appetite to eat your breakfast. Breakfast is the most crucial meal of the day to start your day off with energy and essential nutrients your body needs. When we sleep overnight we are basically fasting for hours, breakfast is what replenishes our body with the nutrients we need to give us a great dose of energy to kick off the day. Breakfast is often skipped because not enough time or people get lazy to prepare it and decide to wait until lunch. There are many easy ways to make breakfasts. I am often lazy to cook in the morning so I have two go-to meals. I will eat overnight soaked oats which i prepare the night before that takes five minutes and will be ready in the fridge in the morning. Another meal is Kodiak Pancakes which has all the macro nutrients inside, and takes about 5-10 minutes to make. Both these meals are packed with protein, but sometimes I will add egg whites for extra protein. Find what works for you and experiment to find your routine breakfast. Having a full stomach and energy going into your day will put you in a positive mood and boost your productivity.
Read A Book. I like to read at least 30 minutes to an hour early during the day when my willpower is at its peak. During these times I have the best focus to absorb what I am reading and I enjoy the process. Sometimes when I don't have time I read at night before I sleep, but I realized i enjoy reading and am most efficient at it earlier in the day. Reading is a great daily routine because you are constantly learning and absorbing knowledge from somebody else's past experiences. Reading many books in a way is like living many lives because you can see through more peoples experiences and learn much quicker than what you would experience in your life alone.
Read To Do List and Plan Your Day. Reading my To Do List is crucial to knowing my goals and what I have to get done for the day. I try to plan my day everyday the night before I sleep so when I wakeup I know what I have to get done for the day. Writing down what you have to do is so much more effective then just remembering it. When you write it down it feels more ingrained and urgent. When you just think about doing something you tend to procrastinate more and put it off for later. What works for me is reading through the list daily then planning when and how I will execute.
Find What Morning Routine Works For You. Everyone will have slightly different strategies and approaches in what works for them, these are some of the tips from my experience that helped me gain the most efficiency and success to start off my day. Although all morning routines may be different, one thing in common is every successful person has a very solid morning routine. Creating this solid routine foundation will set your life up for success. Creating a solid start to the day provides momentum into our day and creates a domino affect in allowing us to take down our daily tasks more efficiently.
