Following wellness and fitness gurus, I always feel I suck at my morning ritual. My 5 alarms ringing, followed by getting ready quickly (I’m usually late) and a quick breakfast feels like I have failed in comparison to their 6am run, green smoothies galore and yoga before they’ve even started the day. But if you don’t want to wake up at 5am every day and still feel the benefits of a good morning routine I’ve got you covered.
No, I’m not going to tell you to do any exercise and you won’t need to wake up earlier, there are a few tricks you can weave into your morning routine to increase your productivity throughout the day.
No Tech for an Hour
When I wake up my natural reflex is to seek out my phone, look at emails I received overnight and check my social media to see what the world has been up too. This not only makes me late from scrolling too long, but it also starts my day off feeling already under pressure to reply to colleagues, respond to friends and frantically throw myself into the day. Far healthier and stress busting is to take the first hour of the day completely for you and take time being peaceful with yourself. Getting ready for the day and enjoying breakfast is precious time that if spent calmly will set you up for a day of feeling zen.
Pick 3 Wins for the Day
Before going to bed set three goals you want to achieve for the next day; these goals can be big or small but they must be achievable. When waking up bring these goals into conscious thought and tell yourself you are going to get all three done that day. Goal setting is a great way of increasing productivity and is also self-satisfactory rewarding for every goal you tick off each day; it is a self-fulfilling prophecy the more you win the more you want to achieve.
Feed Your Soul
Mornings should be relaxed and easy, setting your rhythm for the day. Whatever it is that makes you happy in the morning you should do it to set you up for the day. Many people enjoy reading a book for ten minutes, meditating or practising yoga, I enjoy dancing to music as I get ready – it feeds my soul with good music and leaves me feeling happy and positive about the day ahead.
Choose a Protein Packed Breakfast
Choosing the wrong breakfast can decrease your productivity over the day; empty calories from cereals burn up fast and leave us hungry and with low energy levels. Your breakfast should be packed full of protein to keep you full until lunchtime and also stabilise blood sugar levels. Try peanut butter and banana on brown toast, eggs or protein pancakes, whatever you fancy as long as it is delicious and filling.
Stretch a Bit
Stretching for a few minutes in the morning releases tight muscles and also kick-starts the feeling of blood pumping for the day. A few stretches can make you feel taller and engaging your body makes you feel energised. Our emotions are linked to how we are feeling and a quick stretch could make all the difference to a good or bad day productivity wise.
Let me know if you have any tips to start the day off well.
