How to Start a Healthy & Productive Morning Routine
A good morning routine will start your day out healthier and more productive. See our 19 steps here for great ideas to make your mornings better!
Setting a good morning routine can make you healthier and also more productive too.
Everyone can benefit from a good and effective morning routine. No matter what your life situation is, and whatever job you have, a good morning routine will make you far more productive and organized.
If you suffer from stress and anxiety setting an effective morning routine can eliminate rushing around, and can also fit in more time for self care and healthy practices – all of which will greatly help that stress and anxiety.
When you set a morning routine you are setting up your day. It means you can control your day – you can enter the day calmer, more prepared, less stressed, and with better intent.
It is no accident that great and successful leaders and business people get up earlier than most and have great morning routines to start their day.
But don’t forget that a great morning routine depends on a great evening routine the night before.
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Why is a Morning Routine Important?
A good morning routine is the very first start to your day. Habits and routines that you set for your morning will reflect on the rest of your day.
You may not be a morning person – but that is exactly why setting a routine for your morning can help you.
If you have trouble waking up early, getting up on time, and fitting in the things that you want to do in your morning, pre-setting and creating a schedule for those things will make it more likely that you will achieve those things.
So check out our 19 steps and tips for a healthy and productive morning routine!
19 Steps for a Healthy & Productive Morning Routine
- Get a Good Night’s Sleep
This is the very basis for a great morning routine. If you get good sleep the night before you will be fresher and more alert in the morning, and more ready to do the things you want to do and need to do. Create an evening routine to help you wind down and get a good night’s sleep.
2. Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Starting out your day with a healthy meal will not only make you feel so much better during the day, but will give you the energy that you need to get things done throughout the day.
You don’t have to eat a large elaborate breakfast. A healthy breakfast can consist of simple things such as oatmeal or yogurt.
3. Stop Hitting the Snooze Button
Yes we are all guilty of this! When we are laying in our warm comfortable bed it is so easy to hit that snooze button for just a few more minutes!
But before you know it you are running half an hour late and you are then in a mad panic to get everything done and get yourself out of the door.
If you really have problems with hitting the snooze button there are several things you can do to help:
- Place your alarm clock on the other side of your bedroom, so you actually have to get out of bed to turn off the alarm. Or invest in one of those alarm clocks that either sends something flying that you have to look for to turn off the alarm, or that run away and hide from you!
- Count to 5 and then jump out of bed – no excuses!
- Preset a coffee machine or tea making machine, so that you can wake up ready to coffee or tea!
4. Drink at least one glass of water
We all need to drink more water throughout the day, so starting out first thing in the morning with a glass of water will set up your day for adequate water intake.
5. Fit in Some Self Care
Self care can be as little or as much as you want it to be. Incorporating it into your morning routine will make you feel like you have achieved something and done something for yourself as soon as the day starts.
You could do things such as apply a face mask or hair mask, rub on luxurious oil or moisture lotion, take a bath, meditate, read, or write in a journal.
6. Workout and Exercise
Working out in the morning sets up your mind and body for the day ahead. You will be able to think clearer and apply yourself to tasks better.
You may not like exercising in the morning, or find it hard, but if you can do this in the morning you also won’t get too tired to do it at night, therefore skipping that essential exercise that your body needs.
If you can’t fit in much exercise at least do some stretches in the morning – to loosen up your body and get your blood flowing for the day.
7. Write in a Journal
Journaling has so many health and wellness benefits. Take some time to write down your thoughts and feelings in a journal. You can set just one page a day, or a timed period of time per day to write.
8. Meditate
Take some time to meditate in the morning. Take time to breathe deeply, to really open up your chest and body.
9. Do Important Tasks First
By doing the important things you need to do first you can make sure they get done, and they are out of the way for the rest of the day. This is especially good if you have things to do that you really don’t enjoy doing or don’t want to do.
10. Listen to Music
Music can lift up your mood and make you happier. Play happy music that you can sing along to – it will make your day start out great.
11. Listen to a Podcast
Podcasts are great for learning new things, keeping up with news and ideas, and for pure pleasurable listening.
Find some podcasts that you love. The great thing about podcasts is that you can listen to them while you are getting ready, laying in the bath, eating breakfast etc!
12. Make Your Bed
Yes this may not seem that important, but making your bed as soon as you get up in the morning can really help your mindset.
Making your bed will make you feel less untidy and cluttered, so will therefore immediately make you feel better mentally.
A bed that is made up in the morning is always so much more enticing and better to get into at night – which then makes you have a better night’s sleep!
13. Set an Order for What you Do
If you do what you need to do in your morning in order it will be much easier to get it all done, to get it done faster, and to not skip anything you should be doing.
For instance your morning order may be – wake up, make bed, have shower, blow dry hair, rub on body lotion, get dressed, do make-up, have breakfast, journal for 20 minutes, walk the dog, leave the house for work.
14. Write out or Review a Daily To Do List
Having a To Do list means you can keep track of everything that needs to be done.
Either write out your to do list in the morning, or review a list you have already written.
By writing and reviewing a To Do list in the morning you can be ready to start your day knowing exactly what you need to do.
15. Read
Read a newspaper (online or print) that will start you out thinking and contemplating the world around you. Or read a few pages of that fantastic novel that you can’t put down.
Reading can really set you up mentally for your day, and you can read more books, learn new things, and get different perspectives on things.
16. Take a Walk in Nature
Taking a walk in nature will set up your physical and your spiritual and mental needs for the day.
Take time to enjoy your walk – notice the trees, the colors of the flowers, and the songs of the birds.
17. Have a Capsule Wardrobe to Choose From
Yes really – this may seem like a lesser known morning routine factor, but having a capsule wardrobe means that you have a collection of clothes that can all be worn together in one way or another.
This will make picking out your daily outfit so much easier, and therefore save you time and stress in the mornings.
18. Have a Really Good Cup of Coffee or Tea
If you are not a coffee or tea drinker you really won’t appreciate this one. But for me for instance my morning tea is blissful!
I love sipping my tea while I look at the daily news. That tea is warming and feels so good. It really sets me up well for my day!
19. Listen to or Watch Something Funny
Starting out your day with humor is a really wonderful thing to do. If you can start out the day laughing you immediately move into your day in a lighter mood. Watch some funny videos, read something funny, or listen to funny podcasts!
How to Start Implementing a Great Morning Routine
When you consciously create a new morning routine you don’t have to do it all at once. Start out small by adding one thing at a time to your routine.
For instance, you can start by getting up 15 minutes earlier than normal, then gradually increase that amount until you are getting up as much as an hour or so earlier (if that is what you desire).
You could start out with a healthy breakfast, then incorporate some journaling into your morning. Later on you could add some meditation too.
The sooner you start out with a planned morning routine the better, easier and more productive you life will become! Maybe you can start tomorrow!
A good morning routine will start your day out healthier and more productive. See our 19 steps here for great ideas to make your mornings better!