10 Morning Habits To Improve Your Day And Productivity
Your morning habits can really make a difference to your day and improve your overall wellbeing.
Habits are the foundation for everything that you do, they literally make or break you as I’m sure you have heard many times!
Do you wake up and go straight to your phone and start scrolling social media first thing in the morning?
Or do you wake up, pray and go to the gym?
Both examples of habits that can affect your attitude for the day.
I want to share with you my morning habits that I consider non-negotiable if I want to set a positive tone for the day and increase productivity.
If you struggle with implementing new habits, start slow and work your way up to your desired goal.
Keep reading for 10 morning habits to improve your day and productivity.
Why you should implement Morning Habits
There is this unexplained clarity during the morning that I just can’t put into words. It just feels peaceful.
Most of the world is still asleep, it’s a great time to gather yourself before tending to the day’s demands.
One of the main reasons why I wake up early is so I have time to gather myself before my child wakes up.
I don’t know about you but being woken up by your kid feels so chaotic and disorienting.
Well, it does for me anyway, and it just puts me in a weird mood.
Remember as a kid when your mom was in a bad mood and it just killed the mood for everyone in the house?
Well, the time I get to myself in the morning makes me a happier mom.
For me, it almost feels like the equivalent of “put your oxygen mask on first” because if I can’t breathe, none of you in the house will be able to breathe!
If you don’t tend to yourself and your needs first, you can’t properly tend to everyone else’s needs.
It’s not selfish, it is absolutely needed, especially as a mom.
I am the foundation of this house, I need to be stable so my family can be stable.
Wake up early, and before everyone else. Gather your thoughts and tackle your day!
Wake up early
Your alarm goes off.
You’re tired, you’re warm and comfy in your bed, and all you want to do is go right back to sleep.
Discipline starts the moment that alarm goes off.
It’s uncomfortable, it’s hard, VERY hard, but you set your alarm for a reason. GET UP!
I am not a morning person, however getting up early has gotten easier over the years.
It helps during the warmer months when the sun rises early, it’s nature’s alarm clock.
But during winter when it’s dark all the time, it’s hell trying to find the motivation to get out of bed.
For that, it helps to establish a consistent sleep schedule; wake up and go to bed at the same time everyday.
Start by setting your alarm 15 minutes earlier for a week or two.
Keep doing this until you are waking up at your desired time.
If you are really ambitious, set your alarm early right off the bat!
Avoid hitting that snooze button! It does way more harm than good, plus you’re just wasting time the more you snooze it.
This is what I did and it works for me, however for some people they may have to ease into it.
It took some time getting used to, but now there’s days I wake up before my alarm even goes off.
Pray and Practice Gratitude
After my alarm goes off, before I even get out of bed, I take a moment to thank God for waking me up.
I simply say, “Thank you God for waking me up this morning.“
This is something that I feel a lot of us take for granted, including myself.
I admit, I don’t always wake up feeling grateful, but I still give thanks because waking up really is a blessing.
It means that God woke you up for a reason and He’s not done with you yet.
Not a spiritual person? That’s ok! We don’t judge! Wake up and name 3 things that you are grateful for in that moment.
Or you can start your morning with positive affirmations, “I am grateful, I am happy, I am healthy.”
Do what works for you.
The point of this is to wake up and shift your attitude and create a sense of optimism.
This one is the most important of my morning habits.
drink 16 oz of water
After getting your recommended 8-9 hours of sleep, you are dehydrated.
PLEASE do not reach for coffee first thing in the morning.
As much as I love a good cup of Joe in the morning, liquid crack if you will, I can’t drink it fresh out of bed.
We are at the age where everything hurts my stomach and drinking coffee before having water will do just that.
Welcome to your mid 30s haha.
16 ounces of water first, then we can have whatever fancy drink our little hearts desire.
For this one, you definitely want to ease your way into it if you’re not used to drinking water.
Yes you will have to pee a lot at first, but once your body gets used to being hydrated you won’t have to make so many trips to the bathroom.
Start off small with 4 ounces, then work your way up to 16.
16 ounces is my ideal number to hydrate and get everything moving.
If you want, you can even add lemon to your water for an extra boost of flavor and benefits.
Drink your water, ideally wait about 30 minutes then you can have your coffee.
Set your intentions for the day
Give yourself something to look forward to and set intentions for the day.
You can do this either mentally, or write it down on a piece of paper.
You could use your notes app on your phone however I don’t recommend it if you’re prone to going straight to social media when you open your phone.
Self control if you’re a tech girlie and use your notes app.
So take a few moments and set your intentions for your day.
This doesn’t have to be a long process, it can be done in as little as 5 minutes.
What is it that you want to accomplish for the day? What are your goals for the day?
Do you want to clean the kitchen, donate clothes to the local church, or finish a blog post?
Visualize what you need to do and how you are going to do it.
If you write down your intentions, place it somewhere you are going to see it throughout your day.
You can even make a list the night before and have it ready to go for the next day.
I typically focus on 1-3 tasks that I want to get done that day.
If you complete those tasks and have the motivation to complete more then hey, that’s great!
But focusing on only a few things helps prevent me from getting overwhelmed.
Stay off of social media in the morning
If you must use your phone in the morning, avoid social media, email, etc. at least for the first hour upon waking up.
I obviously use my phone to listen to music when I’m working out, but I really do try to avoid opening ANY social media apps first thing in the morning.
Scrolling through social media first thing in the morning will REALLY kill your mood.
Sure you’ll see ONE positive post and might feel motivated and inspired for a whole 10 minutes.
But then you will see how Carly Marie made a sale and makes 3X what you make in a year, in one month and now you’re pissed off.
(I made that name up, I don’t actually know anybody by that name. If that is your name please do not take offense 😂)
Please do yourself and your mental health a favor and stay off of social media in the morning.
Move your body
If you’re in your mid 30s like me, you surely have started noticing that you can’t move your body the same way you once used to.
All it takes is one wrong move to take you out for 2 weeks.
That just means you need to move your body more.
Moving your body in the morning not only helps to support your overall physical health, it helps improve your mental health too.
Any movement done in as little as 10 minutes can make a difference.
This can be something as simple as yoga or walking, or as intense as a full body workout.
After I drink my water, I get dressed and go do some cardio at the gym.
And yes, I do this before coffee! The rush of endorphins is exhilarating!
I don’t think you will ever workout and say that it wasn’t worth it.
Get your blood flow pumping in the morning, your body and mind will thank you.
No matter what you decide to do, make sure you are stretching beforehand!
Also, try picking out your workout clothes the night before.
One less item standing in the way of you completing your morning habits.
Take a shower
After my workout, I shower. We do NOT like to stew in our funk… NO MA’AM!
Even on the days when I don’t workout in the morning, I still shower in the morning.
I shower at night too, but I also sweat at night sometimes.
Showering in the morning helps to wash off the gym sweat and get me ready to tackle the day.
Throw on a cute outfit, do your make up and hair, and feel good about yourself!
It really does make a difference when you make an effort.
Make your bed
Making your bed in the morning is like your first official accomplishment of the day outside of your self care habits.
It helps set the tone for the day. Plus it helps to make everything in your room look organized and put together.
I don’t know about you, but getting into a made bed at night just hits different than getting into a messy one.
Also, make sure you are changing your bed sheets at least once a week!
Fuel Your Body with a Nutritious Breakfast
We know that a good breakfast can help stabilize your blood sugar and help boost your metabolism.
However, I know when people eat breakfast differs.
Some people eat shortly after waking up and others wait to eat until later in the morning or afternoon.
Both are fine. Listen to your body and do what works for you.
Once I get back from the gym around 730, this is the time I make myself a coffee.
Coffee will hold me over until I eat breakfast around 10am.
If I attempt to eat anything before that, I feel sick. My stomach just can’t tolerate it.
This is what works for me.
So again, listen to your body and do what works best for YOU.
What you should eat differs from one nutritionist to the next as it will differ depending on your body type and your body goals.
I am not a nutritionist, but I function best when I don’t eat sugar in the morning.
By sugar I mean cereal, loaded sugary oatmeal, and stuff like that.
All that does is spike my blood sugar and make me hungry an hour later.
I aim for mostly protein and whole grains with fruit.
If you struggle with deciding what to make for yourself for breakfast, I suggest planning your meals the night before.
Also, Google is your friend. Google your meals!
Complete at least one household task
This one is a bonus, but I make it a goal to tackle one chore in the morning.
This can be doing a load of laundry, emptying the dishwasher, or cleaning something up that I didn’t get to the night before.
It helps to obviously get your chores done, but it gives you a sense of accomplishment when you get it done.
And if you don’t have any household tasks to do because you already did them? AMAZING!
Now you have more time to focus on your goals!
If you want better mornings, Change your Morning Habits
Start small with your morning habits and focus on being consistent.
Do what works best for you and your lifestyle.
Remember, how you spend your morning shapes your entire day.
Implement good morning habits and watch how much better your day is.
