You know those mornings where your alarm goes off and you hit the snooze button eight times before you wake up? Then when you finally wake up, you’re in an incredible rush to get everything done so that you get started on the day’s tasks. You might even find yourself having breakfast on the go cause you don’t wanna be late. There are also other kinds of mornings where you wake up, pick your phone, and laze about scrolling on social media and then just go about your day lazily and struggle to be productive. Then there’s my favorite kind of morning where you wake up, maybe make your bed, play some music, enjoy a nice shower, have breakfast while reading your current book or listening to your favorite playlist/podcast or talking to someone you care about. This day goes on with a certain vibe to it. You’re more peaceful, you feel confident and good about yourself, you’re quite productive, organized and have some sense of control over the day. These three scenarios show the impact of how we choose to spend the first few hours of our days.
the first things I do in the morning is have a glass of water & read a book
What Difference Does A Morning Routine Make?
The thought of waking up everyday and there’s already a list of things that require, if not demand, your attention is so overwhelming. Consequently, I just couldn’t help but hate mornings for a huge chunk of my life. Because of this feeling, I would end up switching between the first two morning scenarios depending on what side of the bed I wake up on. I never understood why the mentors brought to us by school or self-help book authors, productivity coaches, therapists, life coaches, and all the Robin Sharmas and Elon Musks in my life loved mornings and would always swear by this wake up early crap. I’m obviously not gonna tell you to wake up at 5am to crush your goals. But what if I told you these guys were actually on to something.
Mornings aren’t meant to be these painfully inevitable moments that we dread daily. In fact, if anything, it’s one of the few moments that we have to ourselves. Meaning we can get what we want out of it and shape out how we want the rest of the day to look. Having a daily ritual that you consistently follow to make your life that much easier may sound too good to be true. However, a lot of these super content, grateful, joyful and successful people have their own morning routines in place so it is worth the shot, right? Morning routines are not hyper-focused on accomplishing more. In fact, they’re a great way to be mindful, check-in with yourself, and allow yourself to start the day off with good vibes, peace, confidence and a positive, go-getter attitude.
my current favorite products for my morning shower
So how exactly does a morning routine help you feel these things and be a happier and healthier version of yourself? There’s a whole chunk of benefits of having a morning routine but in this post, I’ll focus on the six that have applied personally to me.
More Structure & Feeling In Control
I find that having a morning routine allows you to take control of the day before it takes control of you. You already have a set order of how to do things and are on track from the moment you wake up thus putting you in the right frame of mind and bringing more structure to your life.
Less Stress
With a morning routine, you know what you’re doing and what comes next and that you’ll have enough time to finish everything without being in a rush. You will no longer arrive at work or get started with your tasks already stressed.
Improved Confidence
I’ve noticed that on days that I follow my routine and feel calm and in control, I also feel like I can take on the world. In addition to that, just simply spending time doing things that I like, caring for myself and doing what feels good improves my overall mood and self-confidence.
Develop Healthy Habits
Since a good morning routine includes good and mindful habits that will overall make your day better, practicing it daily allows some of the healthy habits you’ve been cultivating to seep into your daily life. You might find yourself eating more mindfully or having less screen time.
the more I practice my morning routine, the more I make healthy breakfast choices
Increased Productivity
Having more structure and significantly less stress is bound to make you more productive. You start each day having extra time, and doing valuable and productive things so it’s only natural that you’ll carry this energy along with you throughout the day. Having less stress also means you can focus better and are more likely to complete tasks.
once I start working after my routine I find it so much easier to be productive.
Improved Relationships
It’s quite common to take out frustrations on loved ones even when they have nothing to do with it. Having less stress means you’re less likely to snap at someone. Having a morning routine also means you have more time and are more organized so you can make time to spend with those you care about.
Remember, if you win the morning, you win the day! Do you relate to any of the 3 morning scenarios I mentioned? Do you have a morning routine or are you still figuring yours out? Have I convinced you that having one is worth a try? Let me know in the comments and let’s have a conversation!