The elements of a great morning routine

Waking up is the most important ritual of the day. It is a mighty truth that your morning habits set a precedent to the kind of day you are going to have. Most of us hit the snooze button and choose to ignore the wealth of time gained by getting up on time. But early mornings are perhaps the most peaceful time of the day, allowing you to concentrate on your task at hand.

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A study by the American Psychological Association says that by following a morning routine, your stress and anxiety will dip, while your satisfaction levels will see an unprecedented increase. Additionally, morning-type individuals, usually referred to as ‘larks’, rate their health as good, while the evening-type individuals, also called ‘owls’, rated their health as poor.

So how can one develop an effective morning routine to ensure abundant health and productivity?

Start with gratitude

As intriguing as it sounds, the power is gratitude is a topic that has been discussed in detail. Most of the days I am just grateful that I woke up alive. There could have been 674 things that could have gone wrong. But they didn’t, and I am grateful for that. I am grateful that my parents are in the pink of their health and that I have tonnes of things going my way, even if that very day I might have a presentation at my workplace I barely prepared for. The point is to feel thankful.

Have a to-do list prepared

Do you sleep with a to-do list prepared for the next day? If you do not, you are missing out on a potentially ultra-productive day ahead. Write down a list of all the tasks at hand in its order of importance. As Brian Tracy says, “Eat the frog” first. In other words, complete the most difficult task at hand.

Spend an hour on your favourite game

Nothing can prep you up for the beginning of the day than playing your favourite game with your buddies.

Meditate

There have been countless studies detailing the good effects of meditation on the human body. For men, meditation can increase testosterone levels, resulting in stronger muscles and increased energy levels. This helps you give a top notch performance at the workplace. Twenty minutes of meditation will give you energy boosting endorphins that will reduce your reliance on coffee.

Eat a good breakfast

There’s nothing like a good breakfast to get your day going. If you think making breakfast in the morning is a time-kill, then save time by keeping everything ready the night before. A simple breakfast like oats and a banana is not only filling but also rich in fibres, giving you good strength for the rest of the morning.

Have a routine that you can follow on weekends too

If your morning routine involves getting up at half past three in the morning, it would be wise to relax on weekends. But for lesser mortals like us, it would be imperative to follow a routine that is easy to follow on the weekends too. Allowing imperfection and slacking a bit on weekends is perfectly acceptable, but make sure there is not much divergence from your original routine.

If you want to see what routine suits you best, write down the different ones that you would like to follow on a piece of paper and evaluate them each for a week. If there is one routine that you’ve identified which makes you eagerly waiting for the morning, then stick to it like your life depends on it.