Jump Start Your Morning Routine

One of my goals this year has been to develop a morning routine. Let’s be clear. I am not a morning person. If I have been awake for less than an hour and a half I suggest you leave me be. But I do think that have a good morning routine can set the pace and direction for the rest of your day. Think about how your day turned out after a particularly bad morning versus a mediocre one. Extraordinary circumstances aside it probably turned out a lot better. So this summer I am determined to form better morning habits that will hopefully improve my day. I really want to get up, enjoy my morning, and get my day off to a good start. Here is a round up of a few things that have helped me so far.

Prep the night before

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve left stuff behind or wasted time in the morning because I was too tired (i.e. lazy) to prep the night before. You can just take some time to pull some clothes out and anything you’ll need for the next day. Even if you do a tiny bit of prep on a particular night you’ll still save a ton of time in the morning.

Get up early

I try to cushion my time to make sure I arrive at my destination on time whether I’m going to school or to the mall. Factoring in time for traffic, delayed buses, or just accidentally losing track of time is super helpful. If everything goes according to plan you can be early. But if life happens like it usually does you can still be on time. I also find that this cushion time cuts down on time that I spend in a panicked frenzy as I try to make it out the door in one piece after waking up late.

Making your bed

I once read that making your bed gives you a sense of accomplishment the first thing in the morning. It is a quick, simple task you can do as soon as you wake up. For me, making my bed makes me feel that my time to sleep is over. I’m less likely to crawl back under the covers if I see my comforter neatly folded over it.

Eat breakfast

I am a firm believer that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. If I don’t get my breakfast at the start of my day I feel like my whole day is jumbled. I’m also get super grumpy, but that’s a story for another day. Many times as students and people on the go we tend to skip breakfast, but a small meal it is better than having nothing at all. I tend to use breakfast as a time to relax before the rush or the day or to catch up on anything I need to get done like reading articles or sending emails.

Don’t hit snooze on your alarm

This is something that I find super hard to do. I am one-hundred percent guilty of rolling over and hitting that snooze button repeatedly until I have only 20 minutes left to get ready or I will be late. One trick to combat this is leaving your phone somewhere other than next to your bed. This should force you to start your day because you have to physically get out of bed to turn off your alarm. Another way to fix this is using an alarm clock. My alarm clock doesn’t actually have a snooze button. So if I hit the alarm button while it is ringing it actually turns the alarm off which means I have no choice but to wake up.

Wake yourself up

Do something that is engaging for your brain, body, or both. For some this can include taking a cold shower, working out, or reading a book. I prefer having something to listen to like a podcast or audiobook because I can play it in the background while I get ready.

Don’t work on your emails

I once read that you should start your day by doing something you truly enjoy. While you may love your job I am pretty sure you do not love emails. When I check my emails first thing in the morning it makes me anxious. I begin to think of all the things that I need to do, how I should respond to these messages, and I’m immediately overwhelmed. Recently I stopped scrolling through all my notifications first thing in the morning and I feel a lot better. I try not to go through them until I am showered, dressed, and have something in my stomach. Once I have spent some time with myself in the morning then I can worry about the various tasks and appointments I have that day.

Keep in mind that making changes to your daily routine will take time. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day or start later than you had hoped. I don’t have great morning everyday despite my many efforts. It’s always better to start small and start somewhere than not starting at all.

– Tatyana x

In what ways would you like to improve your morning routine? How about in your daily routine?