Why do we need a morning routine? Especially with lockdown wreaking havoc on our daily plans it's important to stick to our morning rituals.
Success
You may ask why do we need a morning routine? Some of the most successful people in history have relied on morning routines to help them start their day consistently. From the likes of Oprah Winfrey to Barack Obama, just to name a few...
A morning routine gives you a chance to start with positive momentum that will carry you through the rest of the day. It also gives you a chance to set your priorities and focus on the productive work that’s most important to you.
Rather than letting other people, emails, and notifications interrupt you all morning and start your day re-actively, creating a morning routine gives you the control to start your day in the way you want to and to prioritise what you care about most.
What should your morning routine look like? I hear you ask…It depends, of course, but there are some common aspects of a morning routine that can get you started and help you figure out what will work best for you.
Obviously, the first part of your morning routine will be waking up. But even if you’re well-rested when you first wake up, you’ll still face sleep inertia. That’s the groggy feeling you get just after waking up, which makes your eyes feel heavy and makes you feel like going back to sleep is the best thing to do.
Building elements into your morning routine to help you overcome sleep inertia more quickly can make it easier to wake up and get started with your day. Try the RISE UP approach, it can leave you feeling alert and awake just minutes after waking up:
Refrain from snoozing
Increase activity for the first hour
Shower or wash face
Expose yourself to sunlight
Upbeat music
Phone a friend
Clear your mind through writingIf you find yourself feeling scattered or unfocused first thing in the morning, writing can help you clear your mind, deal with what’s worrying you, and prepare to focus on the days work.
Writing in your journal can help clear and organise your mind.
I have mentioned before if your mind is busy and you are feeling stressed, try unconscious writing. This is basically just putting pen to paper and without really thinking about what you are writing just write anything. If you feel tired, just start ‘I feel tired today and …’ (Don’t use a computer, it needs to be pen to paper for this).
If you attempt to write 3 pages of your journal this will clear your top thoughts and discover deeper, more interesting thoughts and ideas after the first page. Many people claim to be more in-tune with their intuition by doing this, because we start to listen to inner selves more.
You do not need to re-read or share these morning papers, this way you’ll hopefully feel freer to express your thoughts without judging yourself.
Once we get those muddy, maddening, confusing thoughts on the page, we face our day with clearer eyes.
Start your day with positivityIt might sound obvious but starting your morning routine with something you enjoy adds some positive momentum to your day. Many of us fall into the trap of reacting to negative news, emails, or customer support issues first thing in the morning, starting our day with negativity and setting ourselves in motion with negative momentum.
Instead of looking at my phone or firing up my laptop (where I could find negativity) while the kettle is on I do some deep breathing and think of things that make me smile. Or I just have a quick cuddle with one of my cats.
My starting your day with positivity, its like a shield of armour from the negativities of the rest of the day. If you were to start with negative influences first, the rest of the day is an uphill battle to reach positivity.
Create your own positive morning routine by finding activities that make you smile to start your day with.
Exercise is what helps my mindset and I stand by this to start your day well. Exercise releases happy feelings. I am not saying you need to take up running, but a quick walk around the block would work! Find what works for you… Try a few ideas until you find the one that is right.
Have a look at my 30 day planner to help give you some tips to get your mind in the best possible place
Do what’s important to youWhile starting your day positively will help you control the feeling of your day; a morning routine can also help you find time to prioritise projects/tasks.
This then is the purpose of the morning routine: You should get one “small win” to create momentum in each life domain that’s important to you.
Try making a list of all the areas of your life you want to work on every day. This might include your own business or side projects, keeping in touch with friends and family, stretching your brain, or staying fit and healthy.
For each area on the list, add one action to move it forward to your morning routine. This way, you’ll start your day by working on the areas of your life that you care about most, setting the tone for your day.
RecapHere are four ways to get you started on your own positive, productive morning routine:
With a little tweaking you can develop a personal morning routine to set you up with positive momentum to carry you throughout the rest of your day.
Read more at:
https://louisaashforth.co.uk/blog
Success
You may ask why do we need a morning routine? Some of the most successful people in history have relied on morning routines to help them start their day consistently. From the likes of Oprah Winfrey to Barack Obama, just to name a few...
A morning routine gives you a chance to start with positive momentum that will carry you through the rest of the day. It also gives you a chance to set your priorities and focus on the productive work that’s most important to you.
Rather than letting other people, emails, and notifications interrupt you all morning and start your day re-actively, creating a morning routine gives you the control to start your day in the way you want to and to prioritise what you care about most.
What should your morning routine look like? I hear you ask…It depends, of course, but there are some common aspects of a morning routine that can get you started and help you figure out what will work best for you.
Obviously, the first part of your morning routine will be waking up. But even if you’re well-rested when you first wake up, you’ll still face sleep inertia. That’s the groggy feeling you get just after waking up, which makes your eyes feel heavy and makes you feel like going back to sleep is the best thing to do.
Building elements into your morning routine to help you overcome sleep inertia more quickly can make it easier to wake up and get started with your day. Try the RISE UP approach, it can leave you feeling alert and awake just minutes after waking up:
Refrain from snoozing
Increase activity for the first hour
Shower or wash face
Expose yourself to sunlight
Upbeat music
Phone a friend
Clear your mind through writingIf you find yourself feeling scattered or unfocused first thing in the morning, writing can help you clear your mind, deal with what’s worrying you, and prepare to focus on the days work.
Writing in your journal can help clear and organise your mind.
I have mentioned before if your mind is busy and you are feeling stressed, try unconscious writing. This is basically just putting pen to paper and without really thinking about what you are writing just write anything. If you feel tired, just start ‘I feel tired today and …’ (Don’t use a computer, it needs to be pen to paper for this).
If you attempt to write 3 pages of your journal this will clear your top thoughts and discover deeper, more interesting thoughts and ideas after the first page. Many people claim to be more in-tune with their intuition by doing this, because we start to listen to inner selves more.
You do not need to re-read or share these morning papers, this way you’ll hopefully feel freer to express your thoughts without judging yourself.
Once we get those muddy, maddening, confusing thoughts on the page, we face our day with clearer eyes.
Start your day with positivityIt might sound obvious but starting your morning routine with something you enjoy adds some positive momentum to your day. Many of us fall into the trap of reacting to negative news, emails, or customer support issues first thing in the morning, starting our day with negativity and setting ourselves in motion with negative momentum.
Instead of looking at my phone or firing up my laptop (where I could find negativity) while the kettle is on I do some deep breathing and think of things that make me smile. Or I just have a quick cuddle with one of my cats.
My starting your day with positivity, its like a shield of armour from the negativities of the rest of the day. If you were to start with negative influences first, the rest of the day is an uphill battle to reach positivity.
Create your own positive morning routine by finding activities that make you smile to start your day with.
Exercise is what helps my mindset and I stand by this to start your day well. Exercise releases happy feelings. I am not saying you need to take up running, but a quick walk around the block would work! Find what works for you… Try a few ideas until you find the one that is right.
Have a look at my 30 day planner to help give you some tips to get your mind in the best possible place
Do what’s important to youWhile starting your day positively will help you control the feeling of your day; a morning routine can also help you find time to prioritise projects/tasks.
This then is the purpose of the morning routine: You should get one “small win” to create momentum in each life domain that’s important to you.
Try making a list of all the areas of your life you want to work on every day. This might include your own business or side projects, keeping in touch with friends and family, stretching your brain, or staying fit and healthy.
For each area on the list, add one action to move it forward to your morning routine. This way, you’ll start your day by working on the areas of your life that you care about most, setting the tone for your day.
RecapHere are four ways to get you started on your own positive, productive morning routine:
- Overcome sleep inertia
- Clear your mind with writing
- Start with positivity
- Take action towards your goals
With a little tweaking you can develop a personal morning routine to set you up with positive momentum to carry you throughout the rest of your day.
Read more at:
https://louisaashforth.co.uk/blog
