Are your mornings a drag?
Getting out bed is impossible. So, you start your day late. And then BOOM, you're in the cycle of not feeling like you're doing enough.
In this post, I'll go over habits that you can add to your morning routine for success. They'll flip your mindset into one full of abundance and achievements.
And it's much easier than you think!
Why are mornings so important for success?
Success is an acknowledgment of what you have done.
Often, you're so focused on achieving more, and getting to the next level, that you don't acknowledge how successful you already are.
You're not in the present moment.
And how you start your morning can help to change that.
When you first wake up, your mind is in a transient state. Half in the waking world, and half in the dreamland.
So if you start day by checking Instagram and how many emails you have — you've got a forceful awaken.
You can't be in the present moment. Instead, you're distracted by other people's lives, and thinking about how you'll reply to the email.
But when you think carefully about how you start your day, you can be in the present moment.
You can be calm.
And only in this mindset, can you see your success.
Try out these 5 techniques to start your morning the right way.
5 Things to Add to Your Morning Routine for Success
Morning exercise
Morning exercise welcomes a little increase in the heart rate, getting the blood moving around your body... and a little dopamine hit that really fires you up for the day.
It helps to wake up the mind properly, leaving you feeling productive, focused and positive about life.
Your morning exercise doesn't have to be a hardcore workout. It can be light. Such as gentle stretching, yoga asana, a walk, or free movement.
Just is enough to warm the body, leaving you feeling fresh and alive!
Waking up a little earlier to squeeze in your morning exercise routine is little a trick to make you feel like you've ticked off a big task — before you've had coffee!
Cold Showers
Wif Hoff has a point.
The man claims he hasn't been sick for years. And it's from regular "cold therapy" — exposure to cold temperatures.
And you can try it too.
Cold showers literally shock your body into life. They pump up your metabolism, accelerate your brain into focus mode, and gives your immune system the kick it needs to stay strong. The drive that you get from taking a cold shower fuels your day.
Even if you only spend a minute under cold water while taking a shower, it can be the difference between feeling like your day was a success or not.
Avoid Your Phone for at least 30 minutes
First thing in the morning — what do you do?
Switch off your alarm clock. Stretch, yawn... and probably look at your phone, right? Check Insta, messages, your emails...
When you do this first thing in the morning, your brain is triggered into what is called "decision fatigue".
It's overloaded with information to be digested. Your brain starts making a to-do list, it computes what the reply to that email might be... and so on.
Sound familiar?
When you don't look at your mobile phone for at least 30 minutes. All of these processes don't happen. Like magic.
To avoid the temptation, put your mobile phone outside your room. Far, far away from your bed. But close enough so you'll still hear your alarm. The difference in your quality of sleep, and how focused you'll feel throughout your day will impress you.
Gratitude Practice
How often do you express thanks?
I'm talking more often than to the shopkeeper!
Thinking about or noting down what you're grateful for injects positivity into the day — when you do it regularly, gratitude is something that you naturally think about... you're reprogramming your brain to be happy and grateful.
All by saying a little thank you!
To add gratitude to your morning routine, it only takes a minute!
In a notebook or journal, write down 3 things that you're grateful for.
You can be grateful for your restful sleep, a person or animal, for your breakfast and morning coffee... you can even be grateful for yourself! For taking time to attend to you.
Whatever comes into your head.
Meditation
Have you ever thought about starting your day — by taking a break?
Meditation is the process of quieting the mind. It's the act of relaxing the body to (eventually) enter a trance-like state of complete peace. It's the most powerful tool for the mind.
And when you do it every day — overwhelm and stress becomes easier to handle. This is why so many highly successful people meditate as part of their routine.
To start a meditation practice. All you need is a 5-minute break.
To close your eyes... and focus on the breath.
This helps to stop all the chatter that goes on in that head of yours.
At first, it's actually quite hard!
But just like riding a bike, the more you meditate, the easier it becomes.
Setting Intentions
At the start of this article, I mentioned that success is an acknowledgment of something that you've achieved.
Without setting a goal — you will never achieve success.
This is what setting intentions is — the habit of having an aim for your day... month... even year.
For intentions to be effective. You need to have a time to set them... and have a time to review them.
This could be personal — like making sure you take time to rest. Or it could be more business-oriented, like making a certain amount a month.
Write it down, remember it, and try to come back to it.
Acknowledge when you have achieved it.
Getting into this practice will slowly see you welcoming in more success into your life. Because you're making time to see it.
How to Implement Your New Habits, and Track Your Progress
It's easy to become so overwhelmed by the pressure to do something... that you never do it.
So, here's a little helping hand.
Welcome in more success in your life, with these tips to start your new habits!
Pop it in the calendar
Plan your success!
You might a calendar as a tool as your way to remember your meeting with Fred next Tuesday. But it can also be a super helpful tool for organising your day. And that includes scheduling time for yourself.
For me, Google's calendar tool does the trick. And it's free.
As well as having your meetings synced up. You can colour-code everything task you add, and set notifications or alarms if you have to. This is very useful if you need a push to get going.
Having things noted down and being able to see them regularly keeps you accountable for your routine.
Give it 21 days... at least
It takes 21 days to plant the seed for a healthy habit.
Environments change, routines are interrupted and health fluctuates in ways that we cannot control... so your body clock isn't going to automate this new habit immediately.
But this 21-day period is a damn good test-run.
It's enough time to see if this is possible for you. If you like it and you feel the benefits over time.
Condition yourself
Every thought about gamifying your life?
It's like playing the floor is lava (a game that requires you to not touch the floor).
By creating conditions for yourself, you can trick yourself into new healthier habits.
What rules can you make to stop yourself from doing something, and make room for your new morning habit?
Such as,
- your phone must be outside of your room at night
- no coffee until you meditate for 5 minutes
- you cannot leave the house until you set intentions!
Mum yourself into habits.
Start journalling
It's easy to see whether or not you've successfully started a new habit.
But welcoming more success is more difficult to see.
Unless you write it down.
Your journal is your success metric.
You can use it to write down your gratitudes, take note of intentions, and how you're feeling.
This is your documentation. Review it regularly, and you'll start to see things changing. You'll notice patterns and see how your mindset is evolving with your new habits.
Wake up to success!
Mark 21 days in your calendar, it's time to change your morning routine for success!
Which one will you try first? Let me know in the comments.
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