If you win the morning, you win the day. It’s a good way to think about your morning routines. Your morning routine sets up the positive momentum and successful day.
I’m not the first person to say about the importance of your morning habits, but by listening to a lot of podcasts (this is a topic for another post) I’ve learnt how impactful it is and changes the performance of highly effective people. After looking at the routines of these successful folks I created a morning routine of the most common things they do first thing in the morning.
1. Stay Unplugged from Tech
For 2 hours in the morning I stay away from my phone and tablet. These gadgets are my work tools and I start working only when I’m at work, not when I open my eyes first thing in the morning. This comes to a category of what not to do rather what to do in the morning. But a part of morning routine is also what you don’t do says Arianna Huffington founder of “The Huffington Post” who also stays away from looking at her phone in the morning.
If you check your smartphone while you’re still in bed, then you are immediately cultivating a reactive mindset, instead of a proactive one. This will cause you to start your day in a defensive state, rather than a place of inner peace and control.
Instead, try remain detached from technology for the first hour or two of your day so you can begin your day with a positive focus.
You can listen to my favorite Ted talk of Arianna Huffington here. She talks about how she discovered the importance of sleep after sleep deprivation and fainting in front of her desk. It’s not directly related to the topic, but I think this is how she learned to respect time for herself.
2. Make Your Bed
If you make your bed in the morning, you’ll have accomplished first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to complete other tasks throughout the day. Making your bed in the morning will also reinforce the fact that little things matter.
Making bed in the morning helps Tim Ferris author of NY Time bestseller “4-hour Work Week” control what he can control. He says that no matter how bad your day is or how catastrophic it might become, you can still make your bed. He explain this that it gives him the feeling that he have held to the cliff ledge by the fingernail and haven’t fallen. And at the end of the day, the last experience you have is coming back to something you have accomplished. So as Tim overstated how important this ritual is: make your bed in the morning.
3. Hydrate Your Body
Drink a glass water after you roll out of bed to keep your body hydrated after the night sleep. Some people add lemon to their water and spice it up with sea salt like Mike Mahler the strength coach. He says it nourishes your adrenaline, it’s very alkaline and cleansing. His advice it’s a good morning ritual that everyone could add in to their life. Because as he says if you live in a modern society, you should have adrenaline issues. Just get this in, it has a lot of health benefits!
You can listen to the full podcast where Mike Mahler mentions this and talks to Rich Roll about hormone health and strength here.
4. Meditate
Developing a morning meditation practice improves focus, enhances your awareness and clears your mind. Moreover, establishing a daily meditation practice also reduces stress, promotes emotional stability and strengthens the immune system.
David Lynch filmmaker described by The Guardian as “the most important director of this era” meditates twice a day, everyday. He says it gives him effortless access to unlimited reserves of energy, creativity and happiness deep within.
I like to use guided meditation because I’m still new to the practice and started meditating 1 year ago. You can use this free app – Inside Timer that I love to choose from thousand of guided meditations and see how many people meditated with you.
5. Morning Workout Routine
Whether it’s a simple yoga routine, a walk with your pet or a quick set of push-ups, starting off your day with movement energises the body and the mind. Richard Branson the founder of Virgin group, also loves early morning exercise! He participates in sport activities that most people can’t even fit into their leisure time. Branson often goes kitesurfing and plays tennis before he sits down to have a healthy breakfast.
Determine what kind of exercise is right for you and enjoy it. It doesn’t have to be complicated, long or intense, but having some sort of physical activity in the morning will get your blood flowing and help quiet down any mental chatter. I sometimes switch up, so can you, meditation with the workout and dedicate peaceful time for my mind after the yoga practice. I open up a yoga video on Youtube and usually do one of the Boho Beautiful yoga routines. I practice with them for about 2 years now and can recommend them.
6. Read Valuable Information
A lot of people like to read in the evening when their mind is tired and filled up with the information already. The best way to start your day on a positive note is by reading an important book for you.
Tim Armstrong, CEO of Aol, said that he reads during the first two hours of his day before he moves on to work-related matters. Being informed is an important habit of highly successful people.
7. Write Down the Most Important Thoughts
Keep a journal and write down the thoughts from the book you read, think about what you’re grateful for and your daily affirmations. When you think about what you’re grateful for try not to fall into autopilot repeating the same things. Also consider daily affirmations as the visualisation process where you can visualise what you want as you already have it!
Every morning Whitney Cumming, comedian & actor, makes herself write a gratitude list, regardless of how bus she is, or how much she doesn’t want to. It can feel silly and redundant at times, but it’s atrophies negative thinking. It’s built up the muscle that focuses on what’s going well and how fortunate you are, which helps Whitney be more productive, creative, and focused. It yields a type of mental freedom that’s hard to explain. Negativity used to consume and exhaust her, so now she literally has more energy. So can you.
It’s clear that they highly performing people work on their mind, body, or spirit first thing in the morning, and I want to add the last note to morning routine habits of successful people. Finish your morning routine with healthy breakfast and you’ll start your day on the right foot!
Share in the comments what habits you will try to incorporate to your morning routine 😉
Thoughts by Eisve Treciakauskaite
Photos by Justinas Lekavicius
© LongWeLive
