How many times do you hit the snooze button when your alarm rings in the morning? Would you believe it takes the average American 24 minutes to get out of bed? This is usually after two alarms and hitting the snooze button twice.
We understand all too well what that feels like and the laziness of a morning routine. Most people don’t consider themselves morning people, and the sheer concept of waking up early to achieve a bunch of things may just make you want to sleep in a little longer. The thing is, it’s not impossible, and it’s not that morning routines don’t work, it’s that you need to find something that will work for YOU.
For this reason, instead of getting specific one-size-fits-all morning routines online, what you need to do is create a routine that you can achieve. Create a routine that aligns with your goals, desires, circumstances, and, most of all, personality. We understand it’s not easy, which is why we bring you this comprehensive guide on how to set your goals.
What Are the Benefits of a Morning Routine?
You may not know this, but when you have a successful, productive, and focused morning, the rest of the day is likely to be as productive.
Waking up early gives you the mental advantage of being in a better mood and having a happier deposition. Having a great morning reduces depression, stress, and anxiety levels, which increases the satisfaction level you have with your life.
You’re likely to have better motivation to carry out the rest of your day successfully. If you choose to use your morning and do some physical workouts such as yoga and Pilates, cardio, or muscle building, you’ll get to enjoy better health as well.
Even better, a great morning routine will give you spiritual awards as well because you will engage in centering behaviors such as journaling, meditation, and visualization, leaving you relaxed and more at peace.
This sense of inner peace will give you the strength and calm you need to face the chaotic lives we live through at work and at home. Beyond that, you’ll have some quality time for yourself before everyone else wakes up, and you’ll get to experience the sunrise, which is a satisfying treat in itself.
How Do You Create a Morning Routine That Works for You?
One of the most important things you have to understand about having a successful morning routine is that you have to prepare the night before. It’s important that you make your sleep restful so that you’re ready to jump out of bed when morning comes.
Create a positive bedtime routine and finish with something that relaxes and eases your soul, such as taking a bath, listening to soothing music, or reading a book. No! This is not the right time to watch Netflix or check your emails.
Identify What’s Important for You
Instead of going to the internet and copying what successful people are doing, you need to come up with the things that are most important to you. Things that you can achieve in the morning. Most people live their life operating on autopilot, and if you fall into this category, you need to go through your priorities.
Start by considering your values, your goals, and the things that make you happy as a person. Keep in mind that this is for you and not for anybody else. It could be anything from walking your dog, to jogging, reading a book, journaling, or watching the sunrise.
Identify the Most Important Tasks of the Day
Depending on the kind of job you do, you always have certain goals you need to achieve every day. It’s imperative that you identify the core tasks that must be achieved every day so you know where to place your focus and plan your day accordingly. List these tasks down and write them in the order of the most important.
Think About What Activities Align With Your Values
What activities would you like to engage in that align perfectly with your values? For instance, if leading a healthy lifestyle is a key value in your life, you can identify something that will promote that lifestyle. It could be drinking a glass of water, going for a run, weightlifting, among others.
During brainstorming, you may find that there are too many things you would like to do. However, the trick here is to choose something you can stick to and something that is extremely important to you.
You may be trying to achieve optimum patience, for instance, in which case you can try meditation, which will help you focus and help you learn to stay calm and to concentrate.
Plan the Best Time for Your Morning Routine
Now that you’re done defining your values, goals, and activities, the next course of action is to plan the best time to execute your routine. You may have the advantage of setting a morning routine that will take place at the same time every day, but you may also have a volatile schedule that sometimes sees you waking up earlier than other days.
Regardless of your schedule, the most important thing is for you to focus on the sequence of your activities and perform them irrespective of the time you have to wake up.
However, it does help to have a set time where you wake up every day because you will always know how much time you have before you hit the door. Even if you have an irregular schedule, work with the convenience of knowing that you can perform your routine anytime you want.
Start Small and Increase Gradually
Most people fail with the morning routine or other types of routines like work out because they go all out at once and exhaust themselves within a few days.
Instead of overwhelming yourself with everything already listed, it’s advisable to slowly build your habits by starting with a few tasks and activities. This way, it’ll be easier for you to add more behaviors as you get used to waking up early.
Start by choosing three of the most important or the easiest activities for you, and concentrate on making them habits. According to experts, it takes about 21 to 66 days to form a habit, and even though it may vary with different people, the ultimate goal is to make your morning routine a habit.
Setting up a Morning Routine: Don’t Be Afraid of Change
The first few days or even the first few weeks may be hard to change and transition into this morning routine, but once you get used to it, you’ll find that you’ll actually absolutely love it. A lot of people have testified to leading better lives by merely waking up early, and if you start, you’ll have better days, and in turn, lead a better life.
If you find that you have a curiosity for Pilates and would like to adapt to it in your morning routine, please get in touch with us, and we’ll help you start through a personal trainer.