30 minutes to set yourself up for success every day!
“The experience you have in the morning is one that stays with you throughout the day,” says Jay Shetty in his podcast, on things to do before work to increase focus and productivity.
Now we all fantasize about having that perfect morning routine – filled with enough time to exercise, eat a healthy breakfast and take stock of the day ahead. It can be challenging trying to make it happen and often we find ourselves going back to unmade beds, rushed conversations with family, half eaten breakfasts and coffee to go while hurrying to work. A stressed and sloppy morning leads to a stressed and incomplete day.
Your morning routine however could be more impactful. You could be more productive and more prepared for the day, much before getting to work instead of rushing through the mornings, giving you more chance for success through the day and a sense of fulfilment at the end of it.
When do I start?
Almost every if not all successful entrepreneurs and leaders are known to be a part of the 5 am alarm club. Something about the early bird catching the worm. And while this does largely ring true, more important than what you do in the morning is just having a morning routine to begin with.
Getting enough sleep and waking up when your body is ready will lead more often to a productive day, rather than fighting yourself to get out of bed hours before your brain is ready. That’s just a recipe for burnout. Also, the habit probably won’t last long. If you’re really not a morning person, you can’t force it and your body will only work with you for so long before it says “no more!”
The goal isn’t to wake up at the crack of crack, because that’s too much to ask for! Start slow and form new habits at your own pace. What would you like to do in the mornings? Meditate? Make breakfast from scratch? Exercise?
Add it in after something you do routinely. So just like how brushing your teeth is a part of your existing morning routine, maybe brushing your teeth followed by a bit of exercise or stretching for 5 minutes could be a part of this routine. And if you like the results, you might just be motivated enough to wake up even slightly earlier to make a little more time for it. But let’s start slow shall we?
How can I tart getting into my morning routine?
Like Jay says, what you do in the morning impacts you throughout the day. No one wants to go to work and feel tired or that we lack energy, and then get to the end of the day knowing we could have done more to be fully productive. This happens because we don’t give ourselves time to really prepare for the day ahead. We end up feeling like we’ve wasted time and haven’t done justice to the day.
ByDzyne™ has a couple of suggestions that take only a few minutes in the morning but are guaranteed to set you up for success and productivity throughout your day.
The good news? Everything in this list can be accomplished in as little as five minutes. Remember that a morning routine doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be up at 4:44 am. It just means setting aside a little bit of extra time each day. Imagine stacking one habit on top of the other with 5 minutes given to each. You could accomplish so much in just a span of 30 minutes!
Now which of these habits make the most sense for your lifestyle?
- Make Your Bed
3 minutes
Okay, this one is something all of us should probably get into our morning routine anyway. But looking at it in the broader sense, it’s the smallest of actions that can have an impact on your daily success.
In a commencement speech at the University of Texas, US Navy Admiral William H. McCraven said to the graduating class:
“If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. 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 it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed.”
- Wear a Step-Tracking Device
1 min
At first, putting on a step-tracking device might seem like an inconsequential habit. But if you start each day by using this device, you’ll take that crucial first step to build an exercising habit, consciously or unconsciously. Because when you constantly wear this device, you’ll find reasons to get more movement throughout the day. Wearing a step-tracking device can have an amazing impact on your physical fitness.
If you don’t have a step tracker, we recommend the t?w™ Smartwatch, that tracks not only your steps, but you can even set step goals for the day and actually accomplish them within no time. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you can complete 5000 steps. But don’t take our word for it. Try it on yourself! What’s more is that it has an inactivity reminder that buzzes when it detects that you’ve been sitting down for too long. Now if that isn’t motivation…
- Meditate for 5 Minutes
5 min
Some people can meditate for hours together while others just take a few minutes out of their mornings to really re-group and be prepared for the rest of the day. We suggest starting out for a few minutes, so it fits easily into your morning routine. If you like it, you can continue and even increase the amount of time you spend for it.
Meditation is in fact a popular practise among top earners and entrepreneurs because of all of it proven benefits, including:
Less stress
More creativity
Better focus
Increased memory
- Complete a 5-Minute Workout
5 min
Sometimes 5 minutes is all you need to start out with to get your body into the habit. Exercise should be a priority in your morning routine because it controls weight, boosts your mood, provides energy, and can help you focus. A good workout can give you added hours of productivity and help keep you sharp.
Doesn’t matter if you’re a business professional or a stay at home mom. Starting your day with a tailored routine of workouts will improve your willpower. Because we live in a stressful environment and have “a thousand things to do” it’s crucial to exercise willpower by making space for those things that we normally “don’t have the time for”. It’s more about the conscious act of making the time to do what helps us become better, from a holistic perspective.
- Eliminate decision-making tasks in the morning
5 min
Why put off for tomorrow what can be done today? Sometimes the best way to have a productive morning is to get a head start on it the night before. Several productivity experts and successful people spend their evenings preparing for the next day because it clears up their mornings to get an early start on important work.
American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault ends his day by writing down three things he wants to accomplish the next day.
Planning the evening before is actually quite smart and effective because we have a limited amount of willpower and decision-making ability every day. Even the thought of making too many decisions in the morning will slow you down and drain you out for the rest of the day. If you can eliminate decision-making from your mornings, you’ll find yourself with a lot more energy and time to have the most productive morning you can!
Pick out your outfit for the next day. Prepare your lunch and your backpack for work. If you want to work out in the morning, keep your gym bag and clothes ready.
Kevin O’Leary from Shark Tank says, “Every night before I go to bed, I write three things on a Post It note that I HAVE to do before anything else when I wake up,” he explains. Even before taking any calls or opening up his email, O’Leary first completes those three tasks. ”[It] sounds small, but it has made a huge difference in my productivity,” he says.
So write down your three tasks for the next day, put on your favourite night cream and sleep well, knowing you have nothing to worry about for the next morning, because half the work is already done!
- Make One Business Connection
5 min
It’s not what you know. It’s who you know. It’s true for every area of life, but this is especially true when it comes to your career. There are several ways to improve your business network online. Networking sites like LinkedIn, Beyond, Meetup and even Facebook Groups allow you to connect with people who are interested in your field of expertise. Five minutes to grow your network isn’t much to strike up a potential business relationship
- Take care of you
5 min
We’re all about chasing the day and new opportunities that come our way. But sometimes we’re so busy chasing dreams that we forget to look after ourselves, especially our skin. It’s common knowledge that acne and other skin problems can have a direct impact on one’s confidence and self-esteem, hindering our full potential to be the best version of ourselves. But attaining healthy and glowing skin is possible. All we need to do is just put in a bit of time to get healthy skin that we can be proud of. Having a good morning routine for your skin is as important as anything else. The most basic application here would be to rinse your face thoroughly with a face wash that’s suited to your skin, followed by a good moisturizer that will help your skin stay balanced and healthy throughout the day.
And finally…
In just 30 minutes a day, you could be on your way to a happier, healthier life. Make time in the morning for something that nourishes your soul and helps you grow as a person. It may not even be any of the habits listed above. You could read a book, take your dog out for a walk, go swimming, cook or anything that encourages you make the best of the time you have throughout the day. It’s up to you to find the habits that best work for your morning routine.
The hardest part of starting a morning routine is getting started. Start with just 5 minutes a day and pursue it actively and mindfully. See how you’re day is positively impacted because of it and you will be motivated to cultivate these good habits into your routine.
The good news is that we do have more time to do all the things we want to do. And THAT is in the morning!
Do you already follow a certain morning routine? What do you like to do?
What do you plan to include in your morning routine?
