How to Instantly Improve Your Mornings

We’re often told that in order to be successful, you have to get up early.

Whether that advice comes from reading CEO morning routines or your favorite productivity expert, it’s wrong.

For some people, getting up super early is the answer. For the majority of us, it either doesn’t work with our lifestyle or messes with our internal clock. Instead making your mornings more seamless whenever you do can up can be more beneficial and is what many of these influencers are referring to.

1 - Make Your Bed I first read about making your bed every morning from a retired U.S. Navy Admiral, William H. McGraven. His book ‘Make Your Bed’ is based of a 2014 Commencement Speech he made at the University of Texas. He laid out 10 life lessons he gained from Navy SEAL training.

The key takeaway I gained from reading his book was that making your bed every morning sets you up for success. Before you’ve even brushed your teeth or been to the loo, you’ve achieved something.

It also makes your living space a lot nicer to live in. It’s like when you tidy before you go on holiday and come back to a clean house. Whenever you see the bed, you feel that you did a good thing. And one good thing can quickly motivate you to do another.

2 - Put Everything Where You Need It Setting up for the morning reduces the decisions that you have to make as soon as you’ve got up.

For example, I keep all of my toiletries that I use on a daily basis out on the sink. It means that I only have to walk up to the sink and not scramble to work out where my moisturizer is or which one to use. Instead, it’s ready and waiting.

Another thing I do is put everything I need to make my breakfast in one place. I pour the oats into the pan, put the pan by the stove and make sure I’ve got the ladle ready. I don’t know anyone who’s a massive fan of overnight oats. However one thing they’ve got right is making it as easy as possible to eat their breakfast and not have to make decisions about what to eat.

Reducing the decisions you make allows you to streamline your morning.

3 - Use A Nudge Create a habit that allows you to switch from your morning routine to whatever you’ve got planned for the day or productive work.

I personally use a cup of tea as the final step before I leave the house. Not only does the time it takes to brew allow me to catch up with friends or prepare my day. It also creates a mental zoning between getting ready for my day and my day itself.

Another example could be opening the curtains or journalling. A routine that switches your mindset is invaluable, even if you’re not conscious of the switch taking place.

Give it a try I can’t promise that these three tips are going to change your life instantly.

Finding what works for you can take time, since everyone has different needs and lifes.

However, experimenting with your morning routine could have a massive impact on your life.

These three steps have helped me to move from spending an hour in bed scrolling the internet to starting my day in the right way. By removing the obstacles that were reducing my mental energy, I was able to make my mornings better.

I hope they help you too.

Morning Routines Productivity