There are certain morning habits that, should you adopt them, will transform your life. All successful people, from Elon Musk to Jack Ma and Aliko Dangote, have revealed that they stick to certain morning habits that have contributed to getting them to where they are today.
We’re all looking for ways to live healthier, happier, and more productive lives. Having solid morning habits is all it takes to transform your life completely. Our habits define who we become, as we consistently do the same thing daily, building ourselves to where we eventually want to be.
However, we see multiple articles and stories about the routines of entrepreneurs and wonder what we are doing wrong. Well, the simple answer is, nothing. Morning routines aren’t a one-size-fits-all situation; in fact, every routine is unique and is dependent on the environment you find yourself.
The key to changing your morning routine is deciding what you want to achieve. The same routine won’t work for everyone. First, think about why you need to change your morning habits. Do you want to be healthier? Do you need to be more productive? What are your goals? By establishing this first, you can then decide what changes you need to make.
That being said, there are some small habits you can adopt that will ultimately change how prosperous your days are.
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Morning Habits That Will Transform Your Life
Wake up at the same time every morning
Waking up at the same time every day can lead to several benefits, including; improved sleep quality, greater alertness, sharper focus, improved job performance, reduced irritability, better immune system function, and a brighter mood.
The key is consistency – seven days a week. So, pick a realistic time to go to bed and wake up that fits with your work schedule. This is essential.
The circadian rhythm, which is the internal process that regulates our wake/sleep cycle, relies on consistency. By going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day, your body learns when it should be asleep and awake.
An inconsistent sleep routine prevents your body from releasing hormones at the right time, thereby throwing off your circadian rhythm. This has a significant impact on your day; a research study analyzing students’ sleep patterns at Harvard College showed that students with irregular sleep patterns had a lower grade point average than those with regular sleep patterns.
These results are consistent with other sleep studies showing that irregular sleep is a predictor of worse academic performance. So if you strive towards better sleep quality and improved daily performance, setting a wake-up time that you can achieve seven days a week is a great place to start.
Avoid your phone
“Either you run the day, or the day runs you”, is a famous quote by self-help expert Jim Rohn.
For some of us, the first thing we reach for in the morning is our phones. No thanking God for letting you see another day, or even getting up to see if we can still walk. Nope! It’s time to wake up, pick up your phone, turn on your internet, and check what’s popping up on social media.
This is a bad morning habit.
By looking at our phones first thing in the morning, we’re giving an external force the ability to influence and control our mindset as soon as we wake up.
Avoid looking at texts or social media immediately after you wake up. This can drain your energy before you’re even out of bed, putting you in an unbalanced mood as soon as you start your day.
Instead, protect your energy by putting your phone on airplane mode. Give yourself a few hours in the morning to wake up and set your daily tone before reaching for your phone.
SEE: Talent VS Hard Work: Which Always Wins?
Give yourself some alone time
Give yourself a few minutes in the morning to be completely alone. Use this time to meditate and set intentions, and think about what you want your day to look like. Ask yourself a few questions:
- What would the perfect day look like today?
- What’s the most important thing I need to do today?
- What can I focus on today that will bring me closer to where I want to be a year from now?
Having some alone time in the morning can be tough if you have kids or roommates, but try your best to carve out some time. Even if that means you’re waking up 15 minutes earlier than normal.
Start the day with movement
It is probably not news to you that exercise is beneficial. However, research shows that people who exercise during the workday have more energy and a more positive outlook, which leads to increased productivity. In addition, morning exercise has been shown to boost your immune system, meaning fewer sick days.
Why exercise in the morning? Well, you’re more likely to fit it in, it gives you an energy boost to be more productive, and it puts you in a positive mindset for the day.
It will also help you sleep better, as researchers found that individuals who exercised at 7 a.m. experienced better quality and longer sleep than those who exercised later in the day. This morning habit doesn’t have to take long; just a few minutes of morning exercise can positively benefit you.
Read a book
If you’re looking to switch things up with these morning habits, try this: instead of reading the news in the morning, read a book instead.
It is important to stay up to date on current events, but sometimes you need to ease into it. Reading a chapter of a fiction book to get your imagination going, or reading a few paragraphs from your favorite self-help book to get your mind in the right place is a positive form of consumption.
If you don’t have much time, set a timer for 5 to 10 minutes and read just a few pages at the least.
ALSO READ: From a Book Lover: A Guide to African Non-Fiction
Have a range of easily accessible breakfast options available
How many times a week do you skip breakfast or grab something not so nutritional on the run? The saying that “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” is not particularly news, but it is well-researched. Missing breakfast negatively affects productivity due to affecting your short-term memory and not giving you that boost in cognitive performance.
However, mornings can be such a busy and stressful time, and some people insist on making it worse that they can’t eat anything that doesn’t involve this level of preparation.
The key is to have a few easy breakfast options ready so that you have no excuse to skip this meal. This also means you don’t waste time wondering what to eat. Pre-prepare, grab, go, and reap the benefits.
Start your day the night before
Creating a good plan the night before sets you up for a productive day. In fact, research shows that even just writing your tasks down makes you more effective, and you perform better. So, having a schedule or to-do list will ensure that you start the day on the right track.
By planning the night before, you remove some of the decision-making for the next day. Researchers state that by reducing the number of decisions you have to make, you free up time to complete what is important in your workday – making you more productive.
SEE: 75 Good Morning Message for Her
Listen to upbeat music
Music has the ability to improve your mood and reduce stress in just minutes. Listening to some upbeat music as you wake up is a great way to perk up your energy in the AM.
Set some upbeat music as your alarm clock, or play some music as you brush your teeth and get ready.
Make your bed
Making up your bed as soon as you get up is a good morning habit. This provides you with a sense of accomplishment before your day has even begun.
It’s also important to take care of the space that you sleep and rest in. Making your bed allows you to crawl into a nicely done bed at the end of the long day. It takes less than 3 minutes to do and keeps your room looking tidy and clean, too.
Remember, “as you lay your bed…” I don’t need to complete that for you. Y’all went to primary school.
Have a morning routine
Last but not least is to create a morning routine.
Build a set of morning habits that is custom to you and your liking. It might include several of the habits on this list and a few more of your own. Either way, how much time you want to spend on your morning habits and what you want to be doing is up to you.
Conclusion On These Fantastic Morning Habits
The key, however, is to be consistent. This helps you build up to a larger transformation that’ll eventually change your life. You may need to adjust your morning until you find the routine that works for you, but creating positive morning habits reminds you how you will be spending your morning every day.
READ ALSO: Is Breakfast Really The Most Important Meal Of The Day?
However, it soon becomes automatic by being consistent, making your routine simple, and setting you on the road to success. And before you know it, these morning habits will become a lifestyle.
