Master your morning
Simple steps to ignite your day with productivity and happiness
It’s been two years since I started practicing a morning ritual and even though I drop some of the elements occasionally it’s still better to have something than nothing at all. The thing is to remember to get back to it the next day because it’s actually working.
I never thought it was essential to plan exactly what to start the day with. The first thing that I saw in the morning was the screen of my iPhone and loads of the new information. I would wake up and start working right away in my bed, checking and posting for my clients in the social media with my sleepy eyes and sleepy hands.
Yay! Isn’t it convenient that modern technology lets us have an office without lifting our heads from the pillow? And at the same time find entertainment in the inspiring Instagram posts with travels, nice fool, beautiful babies and nasty cats, all the important messages and interesting channels in Telegram, Facebook newsfeed and tags in the funniest memes, let alone notifications of how great we are proved by the likes accumulated within the night.
Um, not really.
Even if the information is useful and cheerful, it doesn’t come from the inside and you’re not listening to yourself. Why let other people set your day with their emotions you can’t choose the tone of?
At some point I realized my morning addiction to my phone was disturbing and I didn’t know how to fight it when accidentally I got to the lecture of wellness coach Olga Ryabushenko where she said she doesn’t turn off the flight mode until she’s finished with her morning ritual.
That was it! It’s funny how a simple solution may change someone’s life. It changed mine. I started turning the flight mode on my phone before I went to sleep and not only did I save myself from waking up during the night to pointless notifications but also helped form a pleasant routine for my selfish pleasure. So this is what I do and it makes me happy.
- Before I open my eyes fully I meditate for 10–15 minutes by myself or using Insight Timer. This app is great, you can set the time and the music and you don’t have to be online to turn it on. If you’re not into meditation you can just mentally welcome the day, be grateful to your nice sleep, soft bed and the beautiful day ahead. You can think about your plans in a nice way of how you have much to do but it’s interesting and gets you closer to your goals. And what’s more important tell yourself you’ll move through the day in a comfortable pace.
2. Then I get up and do some simple exercises just to revive my muscles after the sleep. Besides, it helps my head to start thinking more straight as well.
3. This is when I shower still not loaded with problems of the day ahead and someone else’s life details. No rush, just me and the water.
4. I take a glass of warm water with lemon to my room and read a book. I never have time for reading fiction later on during the day so this is a nice opportunity. Even if it’s only 15 minutes it’s still worth it.
5. And then comes my favorite part — breakfast and coffee. It’s important to have your meals in a good state of mind and this is just perfect timing. And only after these steps I get to work.
Described above is my perfect scenario. For me it works best when I get up early in the morning — by midday it gives me a very special feeling that I’ve done so much already.
Of course life brings up changes in plans and the main thing is not to panic. Even if you skip your perfect morning routine you can always get back to it.
Right now I’m struggling to fit my morning ritual before the 7 am daily calls we have in our company. But I’ll figure it out somehow because now I know that it’s in my power to create a beautiful day by starting it right.
What about your mornings? Share some hacks!
Yuliya Malikova — journalist in culture with a particular passion for interviews; writer and sub-editor at Digital Nomad Magazine.
