Want to have a day filled with positive momentum and fewer distractions?
Here's what I suggest to make it happen. The key is to put aside at least 1 hour in the morning every day. By creating a solid morning routine, you carve out some ‘you’ time in which you can work on your self-improvement and on your goals.
This is incredibly powerful, as it becomes harder and harder to work on your self-improvement later on in the day.
Own the morning and you will own the day!
#1 Wake Up Early
Most people wake up and they are instantly distracted by their kids, smartphones, tv or the news causing unnecessary stress and anxiety which continues for the remainder of the day.
I suggest waking up early before anyone else, usually 5am. When you wake up at 5am, you give yourself some alone time to reconnect. While this morning habit will make you more productive, it’s about so much more than that. It’s about lowering your stress and maximizing your patience, creativity, happiness, and growth throughout the day.
#2 Make Your Bed
Start with small wins. By getting something so simple finished first thing in the morning, it gives you the momentum you need to tackle more complex tasks throughout the day. When you start your day off with order, the rest of the day seems to fall in line.
#3 Avoid Distractions
Life, for most people, is very busy. Nowadays, most of us are glued to our smartphones. And even though they can help us be more productive and improve the quality of our lives — it can also be a major source of distraction and stress. Checking your phone as soon as you wake up not only distracts your mind but also sets the tone for distraction for the rest of the day. So if you can, leave your phone off for at least the first hour of the day and just be present with yourself or your family.
#4 Rehydrate
Your six to eight hours of sleep is a long period to go without any water consumption. Starting your day with a glass of lemon water will hydrate and detox the body, boost your immune system and balance your body's PH optimizing your health and wellbeing.
#5 Exercise
Trying to incorporate exercise into a morning routine can be quite the challenge. However, exercise is vital to both mental and physical health and the benefits of simply going for a ten minute walk or stretching in the morning for as little as five minutes outweigh any inconvenience you think it might pose while you're rushing to get ready for work or eat some semblance of a breakfast.
#6 Cold Shower
If you have a hard time getting going in the morning, jump in a cold shower. Even if it’s really hard to do. You’ll see how quickly it wakes you up. The cold water increases the circulation in your body, which leads to a higher demand for oxygen. You automatically start breathing deeper – this fights off fatigue.
A cold shower in the morning does more than wake you up and improve your circulation. The cold stimuli constrict and dilate your blood vessels, which strengthens your immune system, reduces stress levels, creates higher levels of alertness, increased willpower.
#7 Meditate
With life running a thousand miles per hour, meditation forces you to slow down. Meditation is a great way of slowing down the mind, developing more awareness, and taking time to be more mindful and present in order to start the day fresh. Research also shows that meditation also has some other amazing benefits including reducing stress, anxiety, enhances self-awareness, improves focus, patience, sleep and much much more.
#8 Motivation
Reading a book, listening to an inspirational or motivational speaker, a podcast or even just your favorite inspiring song will start the day off with you feeling uplifted, inspired, motivated and with the drive you need to tackle the day ahead. Make it a habit, just like brushing your teeth and tying your shoelaces, to seek sources of motivation every single morning.
#9 Intermittent Fasting
One of the most surprising reasons why intermittent fasting is so great is because of the impact it has on productivity. When practicing intermittent fasting, many people report feeling more focused, energized, and at higher levels of concentration.
The most common and popular intermittent fasting is the 16:8 intermittent fasting. People who follow this eating plan will fast for 16 hours a day and consume all of their calories during the remaining 8 hours.
The easiest way to follow the 16:8 diet is to choose a 16-hour fasting window that includes the time spent sleeping. For example, you would have dinner at 5pm and not eat breakfast until 9am the following morning. People also may choose one of the following 8-hour eating windows, 9am to 5pm, 10am to 6pm or 12pm to 8pm.
Closing thoughts
I suggest this routine as a morning framework and adapting it to fit your lifestyle. Have fun with this and remember, you're not in a race. This process is something special for you to perfect on your own schedule and implement at your own pace.
