Do you rise and shine?
What’s the first thing crosses your mind when you wake up in the morning?
What’s the first thing you do when you get up from your bed?
You might be wondering, “Why do I ask?”
Because, if you want to improve your life, start with the first 30 minutes of your day!
As the saying goes: “If you win the morning, you win the day!”
According to time management expert Laura Vanderkam, mornings hold the key to a more productive life, which in turn is the essence of success.
Here’s a comprehensive guide on 10 things successful people do in the morning which will help you to rethink your morning habits and to jump-start your life so you can achieve more in a day.
I’m getting lazy and unproductive
Working from home full-time is a dream come true for me. I get to enjoy the freedom to work anytime anywhere and whenever I want.
But, of course, it’s not all sunshine and roses.
Sometimes, I can sit in front of the laptop for hours without getting anything done. It’s even easier to get distracted by notifications from friends on Facebook, watching YouTube, read some interesting news and articles here and there. Before I knew it, it’s time for dinner!
It’s not uncommon if you catch me on the bed while you’re having lunch. No doubt, it’s another day wasted.
And I decided to change.
I know that discipline is the key to success. Especially if you choose to work for yourself, then you must keep learning, growing, and be productive.
Inspired by Tim Ferris and Tony Robbins, I started with the least painful and tiniest step – my morning routine.
Related reading: Boost your Productivity with these FREE Tools and Tips
Win your mornings, win your day, win your life
Here are the first 5 things that I do when I first wake up.
Start with this win the mornings ritual can quickly change your physiology, prepare yourself for a productive day and win your day!
Regardless if you are a student, an executive, or a stay at home mom, you can do these things to start your day right and make your entire day more productive.
0. Don’t check your email (save 1 hour)
Wondered what’s the first thing most people do first in the morning?
Checking inbox!
I used to check my email and go through messages as soon as I get up. It’s a big NO! It kills productivity.
Once you open your inbox, all the new information and messages will flood your mind and you’ll get distracted.
Instead of focusing on what really matters, you will give away your attention and most productive hour to meet other people’s needs.
1. Drink a glass of water
After a long night’s sleep, the very first thing once I wake up is hydrating my body with a glass of water.
Drinking a glass of water on an empty stomach is very good for your health. It helps in cleansing your colon, flushing out harmful toxins from your body, improving your metabolism and immune system.
Interestingly, this “drinking water” morning ritual is deeply rooted in Japanese culture, the country that has the highest life expectancy. Most Japanese women drink water first thing in the morning before brushing teeth to stay healthier.
2. Cold shower
“Every morning, Tony Robbins starts his day off by plunging into a 57-degree Fahrenheit pool of water.” ~Team Tony
I adopted this quick cold shower from Tony Robbins. I don’t have a bathtub at home, so instead of soaking into cold water, I take a one-minute shower every morning.
A cold-water bath/shower can activate the natural healing powers of your body; improve blood circulation, immune, and digestive system that will help to increase the overall quality of your life.
There’s one exception, though, during menstruation, I would recommend female to keep the body warm by taking warm bath/shower instead.
3. Meditate
Meditation is the best way to calm your mind and give you immense peace of mind.
According to Tim Ferris, 80% of all the guests he interviewed in his book “Tools of Titan” have some form of daily meditation or mindfulness practice.
But meditation is boring.
The truth is we tend to overcomplicate things. It’s so much easier than you thought.
If you’re new to meditation, you can start small by spending a few minutes every day and sit in dhyana to attain inner peace.
If you find it hard to sit still and concentrate for even a few minutes, start with taking one mindful breath a day. If you can breathe, you can learn to meditate!
You can also listen to a song that makes you feel good, focus on your breath, the inhale and exhale while it’s playing.
A regular practice of meditation or mindful breathing will help you clear your mind, reduce attachment to your thoughts, make better decisions in life and business.
4. Reading
Every morning, I will spend 5-10 minutes to feed my mind with some quality material.
As I write this, my morning routine consists of reading book “Tools of Titan” by Tim Ferris. It’s filled with tips, hacks, resources, proven strategies and thought-provoking questions from over 100+ of experts in their field. if you haven’t read it yet, I highly recommend you grab a copy.
Opposed to conventional page-to-page reading, every day I’ll pick one interview in the book.
Reading the personal journey to success from different perspectives allows me to connect the dot, think more critically.
5. Make your bed
Making your bed once you wake up is the easiest win of the day.
When you start off your day by completing this simple task, it will give you an immense feeling of accomplishment.
Former Navy SEAL commander Admiral William H. McRaven could not have said it well enough.
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and will encourage you to do another task and yet another. And, if you happen to have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that you made and this will give you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.” ~William H. McRaven
But there are also studies showed that making your bed in the morning may be bad for your health.
This is because dust mites cannot survive in the warm, dry conditions found in an unmade bed. However, It’s hard to believe that by not making your bed will have any significant effect on the overall humidity.
And it shouldn’t be an excuse not to making your bed, albeit it’s a good reason.
Every morning, I just spread my blanket evenly to cover the sheet and put my pillows symmetrically on top of the blanket. That’s it. It takes less than one minute to do that and your room will look clean and tidy instantly.
If you’re working from home, having an organized external environment will help in improving your mood and productivity. This is especially true, if you’re working from bedroom just like me, you’ll want to minimize any external distractions as much as you can.
6. Gratitude
Then I will have my breakfast, at the same time feeling grateful for 3 things. It can be a very simple thing like overlooking the clear blue sky from my window, chirping of the birds and smell of the coffee.
Now, I’m ready to conquer the rest of my day!
Your turn
What does your morning routine look like?
I recommend you to start creating your own “win the day” morning routine, stick with the plan for at least 7 days and see how it works for you.
The key is consistency. You don’t have to hit all the things on the lists. Start small and work your way up till it becomes your habit.
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