One of the most essential steps to success is establishing a morning routine. A productive morning generally leads to a productive day. It gives you a head start and focuses your mind and body on what is to come ahead.
In a Forbes article titled “Feel Like a Boss Before 7:30am With These Five Habits,” writer Leif Walcutt recommends the following 5 habits to start your day:
- “Disconnect.” I recently watched a video on the addictiveness of the Internet. This can include email, social media, or even mindless browsing. How many of you are guilty of waking up and immediately grabbing your phone and clearing through the notifications and catching up on anything you missed? Is it necessary? Walcutt recommends disconnecting instead of “cluttering your head before the workday has even started.”
- “Exercise.”I can’t emphasize this point enough. Morning exercises enhance your metabolism, give your mind a boost, and give you a fresh start to the day. I firmly believe that taking care of yourself physically sets you up for success. The worst thing you can do is neglect your health. Setting up a morning exercise routine will require discipline but be well worth it.
- “Meditate.” Meditation is a good practice and helps establish the positive “disconnect” mentioned earlier. This can be a time of silent reflection or an established quiet time set aside to study the bible or pray.
- “Set Goals.” Know what you want to get done and take time to prioritize your day. Walcutt writes, “Making a list of the most important things you need to do throughout the day will solidify your focus and lead to a higher likelihood of getting stuff done.”
- “Eat a Healthy Breakfast.” This goes hand in hand with setting up a morning exercise routine. Don’t follow a round of push-ups with a box of donuts. Make time to eat a healthy breakfast. Find a well-balanced meal that works for you and prioritize breakfast as an essential meal and great start to your day.
What do your mornings currently look like? Do you have an established routine or is it a hit or miss? If you already have a morning routine that gives you a great start, fantastic! But, if you find yourself struggling to get up and going, I would encourage you to start by picking at least 2-3 of these items.
Perhaps after establishing a schedule with 2-3 of these items, you can add in another one and slowly build up until you have an effective morning routine that sets you up for success!
