What are you like in the morning? Do you drag yourself out of bed and rely on coffee to get going? Do you amble from one task to the next with no clear sense of purpose? Or, like many successful people, do you have a morning routine that ensures you get a jump on the day?
If you ask any highly motivated and successful person about their mornings, I bet you’ll discover a fairly strict routine. Very few just wake up and see what they feel like doing. Of course, this makes a lot of sense.
Not only are our brains a lot fresher in the morning, but by getting up early and tending to a list of tasks, it frees us to get on with the rest of our day. No emails hanging over our heads, no gym to rush to after work.
Here are a few important foundations upon which to build that morning routine:
Four Things To Include In Your Morning Routine
1) Get Moving
Richard Branson gets up every day before 6am and fits in a workout. This is a great idea. You don’t have to kill yourself, either. Choose an exercise you enjoy doing: whether it’s getting lost in your thoughts on the treadmill at the gym, or taking a quick walk outdoors. Exercise releases endorphins, adrenaline, serotonin, and dopamine that are feel-good chemicals. This will help you arrive at your place of work in an upbeat mood, rather than in a half-asleep state.
2) Do The Worst Job First
No matter what your job is, there will be a task you don’t want to do as much as the others. Maybe it’s responding to emails, or dealing with staff requests. Whatever it is: do it early and get it out of the way.
Of course, if there’s something urgent that must be done, get that out of the way first. It will feel like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders. It’s certainly far better than putting off the task until the last moment.
3) Activate Your Mind
The last thing you want is to head to work feeling sluggish. So it helps if you can find something that gets your brain cells firing. It could be a crossword puzzle or a book. Either way, it’s important to start the day with an active and engaged mind. Set challenges for yourself, such as completing the puzzle in under 10 minutes each morning. Try and get closer to the goal each day.
4) Take a Moment
Finally, it’s important to carve out some space in your morning routine to take stock. Some people like to meditate and pray. You can also enjoy that time to yourself to set goals for the day, or spend some quality time with the family. There’s no right or wrong way to construct your morning routine. The only way you can go wrong is by not having one at all.
