Have you ever overslept and had to rush to get ready? Have you ever missed breakfast? Do you ever feel like you spend the rest of the day trying to catch up after you had a late start? It is no secret that when your morning goes smoothly, it gives you momentum to take on the rest of your day. The key to a consistently great morning is establishing a morning routine.
A study showed that most adults perform best cognitively in the late morning. Standardizing the first part of your day with a morning routine allows you to be ready for when this cognitive peak time arrives. Many successful people, such as Benjamin Franklin, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Victor Hugo and Beethoven, all had morning routines.
Morning routines have other amazing benefits aside from setting you up for a productive day. Morning routines allow you to have some “me time” -- a chance to check in with yourself and reflect on how you want the day ahead to unfold. “Me time” can be spending five minutes to journal about your goals and intentions or just enjoying a quiet cup of coffee by yourself on the back porch. Once your routine becomes second nature, you’ll look forward to waking up and having structure before a busy day.
Everyone’s morning routine will look different. Whether you have kids to get ready for school or a dog to take on a walk, you can benefit from a routine. Here are some tips for a successful morning routine that anyone can adopt.
Read something. Reading opens your mind to learning more and thinking more clearly throughout the day. It doesn’t matter if you read a chapter of a book or a newspaper article, as long as your read something.
Exercise. Spend five minutes going through some yoga poses or a quick work out. Exercising wakes your body up and encourages you to move more throughout the day.
Plan. Loosely plan out your day and set goals for what you would like to accomplish. Setting goals and jotting down tasks keeps you mindful and prevents you from going off track.
Show gratitude. No matter what the day ahead may look like, be grateful for all that you have and all that is to come. This will help you have more meaningful connections with people and events in your life.
Written by: Amanda Pelletier, Wellness Workdays Dietetic Intern. Learn more about the Wellness Workdays Dietetic Internship.
Sources: 1. Taylor Pearson 2. Examined Existence