Get Motivated and Crush Your Daily Goals With These 5 Morning Routines
If you’re anything like me, you’re an early riser — I’m up before 7:00 AM every morning. At the same time, not everyone rises out of bed early and is rearing to go. You could be the type of person who struggles to get out of bed early and maybe you benefit from that extra hour or two of sleep. Or, at least you think you do.
Here’s the thing — and I know I am speaking from experience — but getting an earlier start to your day is actually beneficial because your mind is generally more alert in the mornings. This makes it much more possible to get more things accomplished earlier, freeing up time for family, friends, and leisurely activities later on in the day.
Though, even I will admit that getting up early is not always easy. Some days it’s hard, even for myself. And other days, you may rise before 6:30 AM only to find yourself spending extra time relaxing or rummaging through your closet, despairing over what to wear rather than focusing on your daily goals.
If you find yourself perpetually stuck with how to establish a morning routine to help you achieve your daily goals, here are 5 ideas for morning routines that will help you crush your daily goals.
Make a Plan
Well it’s great — and even necessary sometimes — to just get up and go with the flow. But if you truly want to succeed in your business, or in whatever dream career you’re pursuing, it’s important to make daily plans. These are little goals that you set out to achieve on a daily basis designed to help yourself accomplish that big goal step by step. Think about it this way: Little, short-term goals lead into a dream life come-true.
Spend at least 10 minutes of your time every weekend, making a list of everything that needs to be done and the work you plan to accomplish throughout the week. Then, revisit that plan every evening throughout the week and revise accordingly.
Small plans will help keep you organized and motivated so that you’re not at a loss of what to do when you rise out of bed each morning.
2. Write During Coffee Hour
I know for myself, I prefer spending at least a half an hour drinking coffee before I get started. I used to listen to music while I drink coffee, but now that I’m between jobs, I’m finding myself spending more time than I should, checking my Medium Stats and notifications and perusing social media.
Note to all of my readers: This can be extremely counter-productive. It certainly is for me. A much more productive way to start your day is to write in your journal during your morning coffee hour. If paper journals aren’t your thing, check out the Minute Journal, a new app that gives you the opportunity to do just that: Journaling.
Writing clears the morning mental fog and gives you clarity, which in turn, helps you to tackle bigger tasks throughout the day.
Note to self: This is a new morning routine I need to adopt.
3. Meditate
Dedicate at least 10 minutes of your morning to meditation. This can be through prayer, Yoga, or by reading a daily devotional. Meditation is important because it helps declutter your mind, ease your pain— particularly if you’re going through a rough patch in your life — , and dispels negative thoughts from your mind.
When your mind is at ease, you are much better able to think more clearly and prudently, which helps in goal-setting and decision-making.
4. Exercise
Exercise boosts energy because it gets blood and oxygen pumping throughout your entire body. It’s also another means to de-stress and declutter your mind because it gives you focus.
I know for myself, I feel more energetic and able to take on the day when I exercise in the morning.
Exercising in the morning doesn’t necessarily mean you have to hit the treadmill or pump weights for an hour. It could be as simple as a 2–5 km walk or run, or a 10–15 minute intense workout at home.
How you exercise and what you incorporate into your daily or bi-daily workout routine is entirely up to you. You may even prefer noon and evening workouts to morning ones. As far as exercise goes, do what works best for you and your body.
5. Eat a Nutritious Breakfast
Health and fitness professionals stress the importance of breakfast, yet breakfast is the one meal we tend to skip out on, myself included. It’s because we think it takes too much time and effort to make a nutritious morning meal; time that we never seem to have enough of.
Yes it does take effort and it does take a little time to make, but a daily breakfast meal composed of fruits, whole wheat bread or oatmeal, eggs, and yogurt is fuel for your body and your mind.
A Takeaway
Getting started every morning can be a process, especially if you intend on incorporating every 5 of these routines into your daily schedule. It will involve rising earlier, which isn’t always easy, but it will change your life. You will succeed and you will also have more time for yourself, for your friends, and your family.