Lately, I’ve noticed that what I choose to do in the morning drastically affects my mood, performance, and productivity throughout the rest of the day.
When I start off my day unproductively by scrolling on Instagram or watching TV, I struggle a lot to stay focused on my work later on in the day. On the other hand, when I start my day with a productive routine such as taking a walk or reading in the morning, I have no trouble doing work for the entire day undistracted.
After this realization, I started to experiment with how my morning routine could create the best day possible for me. So in this blog post, I will share the ultimate morning routine to have a happy and productive day, every day.
1. Meditation
When asked to think of meditating, you probably think of someone sitting cross-legged with their eyes closed meditating until the end of time. But in reality, it takes no more than five minutes to meditate. As long as you feel relaxed and refreshed by the end of it, it doesn’t matter how long you do it for.
There are many types of meditation, including guided meditation, mindfulness meditation, and positive affirmation meditation. For my favorite type, you can check out My Happy Place. I urge you to explore the different types of meditation to see which one you like the best and which one helps you the most.
By meditating in the morning, you clear your mind and put yourself in the right frame of mind to have a productive day. In addition, meditating has many beneficial effects. Meditating helps reduce stress, improves mood, increases patience, and so much more.
Meditating is the first step to a good morning routine as it puts you in a good mood and establishes a productive mind. Now, let’s take a look at the next step.
2. Reading
Reading can come in many forms, from newspapers and books to blog posts and journals. Depending on what you read, reading can keep you informed about the world, teach you new things, or provide a source of relaxation.
I like reading in the morning because it is the time of day when I have the least amount of work to do which makes it the prime time for reading. I noticed that when I read in the morning, I not only feel more productive, but my focus is increased because reading is a mentally demanding task.
Just like meditation, reading in the morning doesn’t have to be time consuming. If you are particularly busy that day, you may only have time to read a few pages and that’s fine. If you have more time that day, you could read a few chapters or for however long as you like.
Since my favorite genre is nonfiction psychology, I feel like I get to learn new things about myself and the people around me every time I open my book in the morning. On top of that, I feel accomplished when I look back to the past month and realize that I have finished five books simply by including reading in my morning routine.
3. Sunlight
Of all of these steps, getting sunlight in the morning is probably the most important. Getting sunlight in the morning tells your brain that it’s time to wake up and increases your alertness so you stop feeling so groggy.
You can get sunlight in many different ways. My personal favorite is to go for a short walk outside which not only gives me exercise but the morning sunlight my brain needs to perform at its best. If it’s too cold outside or you can’t go outside for some reason, simply opening the windows and letting the light in is sufficient.
Getting sunlight in the morning has a host of benefits, some of which include getting Vitamin D, setting your circadian rhythm, and even improving your mood. Don’t take the morning sun lightly and make sure to get out there.
4. Exercise
Now this step is not for everyone but getting exercise in the morning has certainly helped me stay alert throughout the day. Whether it be morning yoga, a short walk, or a lift at the gym, any sort of exercise will help wake up both your body and your brain.
However, you should not be doing so much exercise in the morning or else it will become counterproductive. If you are too tired or sore after a workout in the morning, you may be too tired for your brain to function at its maximum capacity and that is certainly not good for helping you do work.
5. Good Music
Finally, the absolute favorite part of my morning routine is to listen to some good, upbeat music. Listening to happy music in the morning boosts my mood drastically so that even if I was feeling groggy or tired I am now wide awake and grooving.
Listening to upbeat music in the morning establishes my day as a good day. On top of listening, smiling and dancing along to the music will make a massive difference in terms of creating that good mood and that indispensable good day.
If you do this every day, you will start off every day right with a positive and happy mindset and treat each day like a gift, which is why it is called the present.
Some songs I really enjoy listening to in the morning are “Your Good Lies” by Vividry and “Green Tea and Honey” by Dane Amar. These songs really put me in a good mood and set the tone for the rest of the day.
Final Words
And there you have it, my five step morning routine to have the best day every day. With this morning routine, I guarantee that you can start each day right and perform at your peak regardless of what life throws your way.
As I mentioned before, the morning is the most important time of the day, so making sure that you have the right morning routine is essential to carry out your duties for the rest of the day. Whether it’s a hearty breakfast or a nice relaxing walk, the morning provides invaluable time to live life on your own terms and reach your potential.
