Are you the type of person who hits the snooze button five times and then rushes out the door, forgetting keys, spilling coffee, and running for the train? With occasional exceptions, we mostly start our days in the same way we did yesterday and the day before.
Although it is easy to make excuses and blame others and our circumstances for it, our morning routines are simply habits that we have developed over time. The good news is, if they are not working to our best advantage, we can change them.
Not a Morning Person?
People often simply proclaim that they are not a morning person and leave it at that. However, being a ‘morning person’ or a ‘night owl’ are most often habits themselves, and they can be very often changed if desired.
However, if you are convinced that you are not a morning person, consider that your morning routine could actually take place the night before – pack a lunch, pack your gym bag, lay out your clothes and set the coffee maker before bed. Review your current morning routine and do anything that requires planning, decision-making, or mindful execution to the evening.
Benefits of a Structured Morning Routine
Simply, a structured morning routine (or one carried out the evening before) is designed to be a script to follow that will ultimately become automatic. It aims to reduce unnecessary choices and decisions that distract and slow you down and replacing them with pre-determined actions.
You Won’t Forget Important Details
If you are rushing to gather your (or your child’s) belongings every morning, it’s easy to forget the things you need. If you get into a routine of keeping everything where it should be and packing them with time to spare, it’s much easier to stay organized.
You’ll Start the Day With Less Stress
For most of us, the workday is frazzled enough without starting it late and stressed because you rushed out of the house. If you develop a regular morning routine that leaves you enough time to get everything done, you can even build in time to relax and gather your thoughts before the workday starts.
You’ll Get a Head Start On the Day’s Tasks
Establishing a straightforward morning routine at home that gets you out of the door in good time will help you make a better start at work, too.
Getting Off To a Good Start Helps You Leave Work On Time
If you waste the first couple of hours of the day getting yourself awake and ready to work, you usually feel like you are playing catch-up all day. That affects the whole day and it’s harder to leave on time. If you can establish a solid morning routine, it’s easier to get down to work and then get home on time at the end of the day.
How to Establish an Effective Morning Routine
Keep it realistic. You probably aren’t going to start waking up at 5 am and then work out, meditate, walk the dog, make a hot breakfast, and get to work an hour early if you are used to rolling out of bed and straight to work at 8:30 am.
Think of one small change that would make a real improvement in your day, and start there. Work on one change at a time, such as never using the snooze button. Once that change becomes routine, make another change.
Even if you are a morning person, think about morning tasks that can be done the night before, and get them done then. This is an incredibly simple way to free up time and brain space the next day.
Recognize that changing habits is a process. Even though a routine is a script or proforma, it can be a work in progress. It may take a few modifications before you can establish the habits you want. Don’t give up if you slip up; it’s part of the process. Just get back on track with your morning routine as soon as possible. Don’t let ‘slipping up’ become your routine!
