7 Habits of a Productive Morning Routine
Your morning sets the tone for the rest of your day. So, in order to make the most of it and get ready for whatever the day brings, developing healthy habits to start your morning should be at the top of your list. Not only is a great and productive morning routine ideal for your mental health, but it’s also great for keeping your life organized. So, Grey Matters of Carmel is here to walk you through some changes that will set you up for success each and every day!
1. Plan Things the Night Before
You have two choices when establishing a productive morning routine: you can start calmly and pre-planned, or you can rush around, not sure what you put in your bag and what you did not. You have a ton of things in your hand, including your breakfast, your hair is undone, your shoes are missing, and everything is chaos. To ensure a pleasant morning, plan a few things ahead of time. Before you go to bed in the evening, you can shower, set out and iron your clothes, set out the products that you are going to use, pack your essentials, and make sure your shoes have their match and are waiting by the door.
2. Wake Up a Little Earlier
If you find it hard to plan out your routine the night before, try waking up a few minutes earlier than the time you actually need to be up. You will reap a lot of benefits if you wake up just ten minutes earlier. You can have a calm and enjoyable morning instead of a rushed one. You will have the time to actually wake your brain up so you can inspect your essentials with an alert mind and avoid mistakes.
Hint: Start by waking up 10 minutes earlier each day, gradually working toward 30 minutes by the end of the month. This will set you up for success in having a productive morning routine.
3. And Wake Up Immediately
You snooze, you lose. So, always wake up the instant you hear your alarm go off. That five minutes of extra sleep is doing nothing but harm and may be confusing your brain. What is the guarantee that you will wake up after five minutes and not an hour later?
4. Make Your Bed
To make sure that you do not jump right back in, make your bed right after you get out of it. This will make you feel productive and motivated to start the rest of your morning right. You will feel like you have already checked one thing off your morning’s to-do list.
5. Stretch and Smile
Wake up with a stretch and a smile. Stretching wakes up your body and smiling releases endorphins that will make you feel more positive throughout your morning and the rest of your day. If you don’t try to shake that groggy and grumpy feeling first thing in the morning, chances are that you will be more passive-aggressive throughout the rest of the day.
Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash
6. Brush your Teeth
Some people believe in brushing their teeth after they are completely done with their morning routine, but it is actually better to brush your teeth first thing when you get into the bathroom. It will wake you up by getting rid of your morning breath and increase alertness by activating your senses.
7. Let the Natural Light In
Open up your blinds and push back your curtains. Let all that natural light in. It will make you feel happy and positive. You will be a lot slower in the morning if you skip this step. This little night-to-morning transition will go a long way toward powering you through your productive morning routine.
Starting Your Day Off Right
When it comes to starting your morning right, it’s important to take care of yourself first. Diving right into work and emails not only takes mental energy but also takes away time from yourself. Furthermore, neglecting your own physical and mental needs is a great way to burn out. But setting yourself up for success and the energy it takes to tackle every day starts with how you begin your morning. So, remember – Those emails can wait 10 minutes while you make some coffee and breakfast.
Still feeling sluggish, scatterbrained, and unmotivated even after going through your morning routine? Then you need a neurofeedback training session at Grey Matters of Carmel! To schedule your peak performance maintenance appointment, contact the office today. To learn more about neurofeedback training and how it can also be a great way to start the day, call (317) 215-7208 for a brain training consultation!