How you start your day can affect how the rest of it goes, and in turn, this can have an impact on your overall mood and productivity. It’s hard to meet your goals when you are struggling with motivation when you first get up. Since your morning sets the stage for your entire day, if you are struggling early on, improving this routine should be a priority.
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Take Some “Me” Time
If you take 15 to 30 minutes in the morning just for yourself, you will be surprised at how this can transform your day. You might spend it doing yoga or another exercise, meditating or simply sitting quietly with a cup of coffee. You may want to spend the time writing in a journal. Whatever you do, don’t look at your phone or any other screen. If you have a family and young children in particular, this can be challenging, and you might need to start getting up before everyone else to fit it in, but it will be worthwhile. You’ll have more energy for your entire day.
Tackle One Worry at a Time
Most people have a few nagging ongoing worries. In the back of your mind, you might know that there is some kind of major home repair that you need to take care of, or perhaps there is a work project you are struggling with. Even when you aren’t consciously thinking about this worry, it can nag at you as you go about your day. You don’t need to tackle this worry in the morning, but taking some concrete steps to address it at some point will give you a renewed energy when you wake up. If you are worried about student loan debt, you can look into refinancing to receive more favorable terms than you had on your existing balance. You could take on a lower interest rate with the new obligation, which would then free up extra money each month. This is a fairly simple step to take, yet it can feel as though a weight has lifted that can carry you through your mornings and the rest of the day.
Set Your Goals
Take some time to consider your goals for the day. Mornings can be busy, and this is something you can do at the same time as something else if necessary, like brushing your teeth, driving or fixing your breakfast. Try to choose no more than three high-priority tasks. Later, when you get to work or have a chance to sit down, you can jot down your goals, but what is most important is to fix them mentally so that you have something to aim for each day.
Consider Waking Up Differently
There are alternatives to waking up to an alarm screeching at you each day, and if you struggle with mornings, these alternatives can make a big difference. You can get a light that slowly brightens, imitating the sunrise. There are apps that can be programmed to wake you when you are in a lighter phase of sleep. You may also want to simply set your phone so that it wakes you up to a particular song that puts you in a good morning mood.
