Jan 18
5 Things You Should Never Do In The Morning
And what to do instead
Do you find yourself sitting in the evenings contemplating how busy and tiring the day was but you really didn't accomplish much?
You hustle through the day but still, don't seem to get the desired outcome. it’s likely because you’re spending the majority of your time on the wrong things.
“How you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” — Daniel Handler
It’s usually the first 3 hrs of your mornings that decide the quality of the rest of your day. If you spend your morning doing the wrong things, you’ll likely lack the energy, motivation, and willpower to do the right things throughout the rest of your day.
1. Scrolling your phone —
Do you find it irresistible to go through all the messages and emails? well, you’re not alone. Most of us sleep with our phones next to us. Do you even realize the unconscious action you took a few months or years back has now become a habit? The moment you wake up and start exposing yourself to all sorts of gossip, news, and media has adverse impacts on your mind, especially right after waking up.
What to do instead-
Try keeping your phone in another room or not close enough for you to grab it as soon as you wake up. You can also, buy a separate alarm clock for yourself.
I usually start my mornings by reading a few pages of a book or journaling. I have recently picked up this habit of journalling in the morning. It’s been over a month now.
See what works best for you. start your day with a short prayer or meditation. or even doing nothing just allowing yourself to be in the moment. This allows you to start your day slowly and intentionally.
2. Getting a caffeine kick as soon as you wake up
Most people think they can't get anything done without a cup of coffee. Studies reveal the damaging effect coffee/tea can have on your body. It might give you that instant alertness and energy but you’ll find yourself tired and jittery after a few hours.
What to do instead-
I start my day usually with lukewarm water sometimes infused with a dash of lemon and honey. The idea is to hydrate your system in the morning. while sleeping our bodies are working for us, and the metabolism is active all the time. It’s important to flush out all the toxins accumulated in the body.
3. Multitasking
In today’s world of tick-tock and reels, no doubt our attention span has been reduced immensely. we can’t focus on the task at hand. we’re constantly juggling between tasks.
The moment you sit at work you either hear a notification or a message and you leave your work and get busy with it. Most of us are doing shallow work that’s low quality and easily replicable.
What to do instead
Say no more often and focus on one task at a given time. and only after you’re done you can shift to the other task.
Also, keep distractions away as possible. You can try blocking social media apps for a period of time.
4. Not Prioritizing
If you don’t prioritize your day, you’ll be doing everything and anything that comes your way. priorities can be different for different people in a different sets of conditions, but it’s so important to have time blocked for the most important task of the day.
What to do instead-
Plan your day ahead of time, usually the night before to create your to-do list. And among all the tasks you’ve written find your one most important task of the day. start your day by targeting OBG( one big goal) then move on to the other tasks.
5. Not Getting Enough Sun
How many hours do you spend indoors? either watching tv or sitting under the artificial bright lights of office cubicles. Data shows nearly 70 million Americans have a sleep disorder. being in sync with nature and exposing yourself to sunlight can regularize your hormones, promotes good sleep, and keeps your bone health in check.
what to do instead
Make it a ritual to spend at least 20 mins in the sun every day. take a long walk and involve other family members too or plan a weekend trek with family and friends. and enjoy your time in nature.
Final Thoughts
How you choose to spend your morning sets the tone for your entire day.
if you choose to stay indoors, scrolling through your phone mindlessly, get high on caffeine, and juggle between tasks not knowing what to do you’ll likely end up getting frustrated and achieving nothing at all at the end of the day.
For your day to be more productive, and full of energy cut these 5 habits immediately from your morning routine and see the change. These little tweaks in your day can have a huge impact in the long run.
