A productive day starts in the morning. Your energy and mood throughout the day depend on what time you got up, how you showered, and what you ate for breakfast.
But for many, waking up in the morning is an act of violence against the body. A person forcefully gets up on an alarm clock and gets ready for work without really waking up. It is hardly possible to talk about cheerfulness and a positive mood in such a situation.
The good news is that you can easily turn your morning routine into programming for a successful, productive day. Here are seven simple rules that will help you start your morning correctly and manage your condition and mood throughout the day.
Plan your day the night before
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What you do the night before has a lot to do with your morning.
There are many ways to plan for tomorrow. You can write things down in a diary or calendar, make “reminders” on your phone or in special online services like Evernote. The main thing is to set goals and stick to this plan.
Here's a simple planning technique that many business people use:
- At the end of each working day, write down six important tasks that need to be completed tomorrow.
- Arrange things in order of importance.
- At the start of your workday, focus on the most important task. Finish it, then move on to the next step.
- If there are unfinished tasks left, in the evening move them to a new list for the next day.
- Repeat this process daily.
Wake up early
Probably everyone has already heard or read the book “The Magic of the Morning”, in which the author assures that getting up early equates to a productive working day. In addition, it also contributes to the proper functioning of the body as a whole. Our hormones awaken early in the morning, so you will feel cheerful, unless, of course, you went to bed late. This is a very important point: in order for the body to fully rest and recover 100%, you must not forget about the time when you go to bed. Fall asleep between 10 pm and 11 pm - the most important sleep hormone, melatonin, is released at this time. To a large extent, it determines how your night and morning will go. Train yourself to go to bed early and you will forget what tired eyes feel like in the morning.
Learn to get a good night's sleep
To ensure that the climb is not painful, you need to get a good night's sleep. There are special rules that will help make your sleep deep and fulfilling.
- Try to go to bed early and before going to bed, think only about good things - the upcoming vacation, desired purchases, meeting with loved ones. Do not remember problems under any circumstances - they will not let you sleep. Follow the rule “the morning is wiser than the evening.”
- If you watched a movie, played a computer game or communicated on social networks, do not lie down right away. Take a break for evening tea and conversation with relatives.
- To ensure sound and healing sleep, maintain the room temperature at 18-22 degrees.
Start with gratitude
Interesting point. I think not everyone practices this, but we want to draw attention to it. Gratitude is a powerful tool for connecting with the Universe. It doesn't matter what religion you are. Emotions and attitude are important here; you don’t need to prepare for this. When you wake up, start giving thanks for everything you have: for the house in which you just opened your eyes, for the opportunity to live fully and enjoy the little things, travel, see your loved ones and friends. It will take a few minutes, but it will have a positive impact on your mental health.
Do some stretches in bed
When the alarm clock rings and pulls you out of the embrace of sleep, this is the most stressful state in the morning. Don't jump up immediately if you're having a hard time. Trick your body into waking up by stretching in bed.
Stretch in different directions - wherever your body wants. Bend over, twist – this will quickly warm up your muscles. Pat your face with your fingertips.
If possible, turn on your favorite music. It makes it much more pleasant to start the morning - getting up and getting ready for work.
Read a few pages of your favorite book
Of course, if you have time left, devote it to an inspiring book, the reading of which will fill you with only pleasant emotions. This should be an easy and exciting book; don’t burden your brain with complex business literature in the morning. Give yourself a little high, because a new and eventful day awaits you. And how you start it depends only on you.
Take a cool or contrast shower
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Cold water improves physical and mental health. Regular cool or contrast showers will strengthen your body's immune, lymphatic, cardiovascular and digestive systems. And it will make the skin more elastic.
You don’t need to immediately pour cold water on yourself - lower the temperature gradually so that your body gets used to it and you don’t feel stressed. And every day bring the water to a lower temperature than yesterday. If you prefer a contrast shower, then follow the same rule: reduce the water temperature gradually.
After a cool or contrast shower, you will feel cheerful and light. The broken morning state will disappear as if by hand.
Exercise
A little exercise is not only good for your body, but also for your mind. Physical exercise will help put your thoughts in order before the working day, relieve anxiety and stress. This is especially important when serious tasks lie ahead - start work in a balanced state.
You can do any exercise, but in the morning it is better to choose aerobics - it will allow you to organize your thoughts.
Here's a quote from the Harvard Health Blog that supports the benefits of aerobics for the mind:
“Scientists at the University of British Columbia have found that regular aerobic exercise, which gets your heart and sweat glands pumping, increases the size of an area of the brain involved in memory and learning. Training with weights, balance exercises and muscle toning did not produce the same results.”
And if you do exercises before breakfast, the excess weight will quickly leave the body.
Financial Morning Habits
The best time to start developing financial habits is in the morning. By getting up 5 minutes early, you can count your expenses the day before, see how much money is left on your cards and in your wallet, write down your upcoming expenses and much more.
In fact, any free time is suitable for this, but, for example, my mother believes in the superstition that you need to part with money in the morning, so I was given money for all school expenses only in the morning. In the morning she counted how much she had left and in the morning she set aside some.
Keep track of your budget
Save part of your salary. This will help you achieve financial freedom and avoid money problems. Invest your money in securities or save it in a bank account, and check your financial situation in the morning. Always be aware of your financial status.
Write down yesterday's expenses
Record how much money you spent the previous day. Write down in a notepad or notes on your phone all the bills you paid and everything you purchased. in more detail about how to keep track of income and expenses in another article.
Review your budget
A properly drawn up family budget has a great impact on our financial life. In the current era of consumption, the family budget is especially important because it teaches family members the value of money. It is a truly important cog in the wheel that runs the house.
What should be the right breakfast?
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Breakfast sets your digestive system up to function properly throughout the day. Therefore, it is important to provide your morning meal with all the necessary components.
As soon as you wake up, drink a glass of still water to get your digestive system working.
After 20 minutes you can start breakfast. It should be based on long carbohydrates, which take a long time to digest and will supply the body with energy for the first half of the day.
The best option is porridge. Any, at your discretion. Cereals contain a lot of fiber, protein, and vitamins. You can add fruits or nuts, cook in water or milk. But keep in mind that “quick porridge” from bags does not have a grain shell - a source of fiber.
Cottage cheese is no less useful - it regulates the functioning of the digestive system and sets it the correct program for the whole day. You can also add fresh fruits and berries to cottage cheese.
Eggs are an excellent breakfast product: they contain easy-to-digest protein, vitamins, and phospholipids. Eggs are suitable in any form - boiled, scrambled, scrambled. You can add them to a salad - they go well with any vegetables.
You can diversify your morning meal with natural yogurt, cheese, and lean poultry.
There are two important conditions for a proper breakfast:
- You should not skip your morning meal - this is the most important meal of the day.
- For good health during the day, do not eat fatty foods in the morning. After all, the digestive system has not yet worked at full capacity after waking up - do not overload it.
How to start your morning right
Morning is the most energetically valuable time of the day. In the morning we sow the seed, and the rest of the day we reap the fruit. The way we greet the day affects how it will go. Greeting the morning with a cup of coffee and a cigarette and staring at the TV is a sure way to a cycle of bland routine, boring work, constant fatigue and depression.
It is very important to realize what a proper morning means . It takes a little effort and discipline, but the results are worth it. But it is important to understand why you are doing this. Set a goal and strive for it, and getting up early will be one of the tools in achieving it.
A miracle will not happen in a day. I'm not a sorceress. Any worthwhile changes in life require enormous effort and work on yourself.
You don't have to be a genius or a magician to start living the life of your dreams. Actions create results. Your habits create your destiny. Answer yourself a few questions. What actions will lead to the results you want? We live the life we choose.
Early rise
Since last summer, I have developed the habit of waking up early , somewhere between 5 and 7 am. Of course, sometimes I get up a little later, but this is very rare. What time you get up affects your mind, mood and your whole life:
- It’s difficult to get up before 4 am; I’ve only managed this trick about 10 times. To get up so early you need a very good reason, so such a morning is remembered for a long time. These are those magical hours that can change your whole life.
- 4-6 am is the most energy-rich time of the day, so you should try to make the most of these two hours. Therefore, in a variety of monasteries, awakening at 4 am is practiced.
Plan your schedule
If you don’t write out a point-by-point schedule for your day, you may live until the evening and realize that you haven’t done anything important or useful over the past day. Schedule your tasks for the whole day, distribute which of the assigned tasks are the most important, determine your priorities. It's even better to do this before bed.
Set yourself goals and objectives
Every person needs to have their own aspirations in life. Set goals for yourself and, when you wake up, immediately remember them. This will help you:
- Don't go astray
- Think over a mechanism for achieving goals
- Focus on solving the most pressing problems.
Feel grateful
Tell the Universe thank you for everything in your life. This will help you drain the accumulated negativity and feel happier.
Keep a separate notebook for gratitude . Write there everything positive that happened to you during the day, all the good things you did, all the pleasant moments. If nothing comes to mind, write about the weather and that the day passed without incident.
For example: “Yesterday I cleaned up the house, cooked dinner, read a book, studied French for half an hour, etc. I’m grateful to have the opportunity to grow and do what I truly enjoy.”
Visualize your goals
Visualization is one of the healthy morning habits that Morning Magic author Hal Elrod recommends integrating into your daily routine. When you mentally picture yourself achieving your goals , it stimulates you and energizes you to work through the day. For visualization, a useful tool would be a wish map or wish notebook . If you don’t have one yet, then quickly go read why you need it and how to make it.
Break a big task into several small ones
We all have things to do that we always put off until later and that we still can’t bring ourselves to start. This is the moment when you need to take this boring big task and break it down into a number of small ones and complete each part separately. Try to take some complex problem and develop a step-by-step plan for solving it. It will only take you about 5 minutes, but will save you much more time.
Meditate to focus on important tasks
The brain doesn't work productively while your thoughts are chaotic. A great way to focus on important tasks is to meditate before work. Those who practice meditation are advised to start their morning with it, before the flow of thoughts takes over the consciousness.
During meditation, deep relaxation occurs - a process opposite to stress. It helps to organize thoughts and concentrate on what is important. After meditation, the solution to a difficult problem will come on its own.
Meditation is especially beneficial for people who are stressed. The body responds to relaxation: depression, pain and high blood pressure go away.
Here is a simple meditation technique:
- Take a few deep breaths in and out. Focus on your breathing. Feel your chest rise as you inhale deeply and fall as you exhale.
- Relax all parts of your body. Mentally control this process. Feel your feet, knees, abdomen, diaphragm, arms, shoulders and neck relax one by one. Bring your attention to each part of the body and relax.
Just five minutes is enough to reboot your body: feel a surge of strength and constructive ideas.
