We all have different morning routines. However, I’ve found that optimizing your morning routine can lead to better productivity and overall happiness. A morning routine has the potential to set the tone for the day and can be customized to meet your personal preferences. Here’s how you can make a new morning routine that will take your productivity and happiness up a notch.
Do Life Experiments
Everyone should be a scientist! Setting an intention for every life experiment is the key to personal growth and success. If you’re clear with your intentions, this will translate into action. Don’t be afraid to try new things and learn from them. Take the necessary risks in your own personal lab and see where it would take you.
While the world is still experiencing the effects of the pandemic, use this time to do life experiments. I’ve changed my routines so many times, configured my workspace depending on my inspirations and mood, and jumped from one online course to another. The point is it’s ok as long as you’re clear with your intent and you’re bringing those experiences with you. Design your own morning routine and treat it as a life experiment.
Plan Your First Move
Planning is everything. As most experts would say, “Failure to plan is planning to fail.” Setting goals and routines are the essential building blocks in establishing a solid and powerful morning. This may be easy for those who are planners but for those who are on the fly and doing things spontaneously, this might be a bit of a challenge.
If you do things on the fly every time, your morning routine will not have a solid anchor that can sustain you for the first 14 days. Science tells us that it would need at least 21 days for any new activity to become a habit. And it would take another 60 days to cement this in our system. Start with one or two activities you want to accomplish in your first hour then slowly build from there. For me, my three activities are: go out and run, read the Bible and pray, plan for my day. Do you have three things on your mind as soon as you wake up?
Set your alarm for the time you really want to wake up. I set my alarm at 5:30 am daily except Friday which is my “skip schedule day”! I’ve always been an early riser but this year I became more intentional with how I use the first few hours of my morning. After over two months, I have seen the benefits in my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual life. I have become more focused, calm, and happy. I am still trying to figure out how I can make the most out of my morning, but I am excited to try it out.
Stay Focused
Mornings are the best time to focus on big and important tasks because we have limited cognitive bandwidth. Generally speaking, our biological makeup rises up with the sun and winds down as it sets. Knowing that our willpower depletes over time, we can allocate tasks and activities that match our cognitive bandwidth.
One of the techniques I use is to minimize or eliminate decision fatigue when I wake up. When my alarm hits, I get up and change into my running clothes, and get out of the house as quickly as possible. And surprisingly, it’s been working for me because I removed potential blockers for that routine. When I come back from running, I prepare a cup of coffee, I grab my Bible and journal for my prayer and meditation. When I’m logging an entry to my journal, I answer these three questions:
What am I grateful for?
What do I want to let go of?
What do I focus on today?
No frills, just impactful steps to become more productive and happy throughout the day. The exact formula for organizing your morning routine will vary from person to person. There’s no right or wrong way to go about setting up your own personal routine.
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