They say anyone can be a morning person, but whoever said that never tried
getting up at 6am to go to the gym. Regardless, it’s a time of day loved by many,
and even those who hate mornings can admit there’s something magical about
them.
So for anyone who’s thinking of giving early starts a go, we’ve uncovered the
most popular and well-researched habits for making the most of your morning.
Create a ‘Miracle Morning'
Once upon a time, a man named Hal Elrod wrote a book called ‘Miracle
Morning’, and it set the world on fire. We typically try to steer clear of fads
and fake promises, but this one seems to have struck a chord with millions.
In a nutshell, the ‘Miracle Morning’ is a 6-step morning routine incorporating
silence, affirmations, visualisation, exercise, reading, and scribing.
If you’re looking to upgrade your morning routine, this is the perfect place to
start. We’ve tweaked it slightly to make it a bit simpler by following the trifecta
of body, mind, and spirit. That means ensuring your body gets movement,
nutrition, and attention; you engage the mind with reading, journaling or
mindfulness; and you nourish your spirit with meditation, affirmations,
or just a quiet moment in the backyard.
Whether you incorporate all of these steps or just a few, having your
own personal ‘miracle morning’ gives you purpose as soon as you
wake up - and is proven to set you up for a more positive and productive day.
Stop scrolling first thing
This one might sound too obvious, but trust us, it’s one of the hardest habits to
quit. It takes a lot of willpower to swap your ‘roll over and scroll’ for something
more nourishing, but it’s always worth it. When we throw ourselves straight into
the daily grind, the news cycle, the endless Instagram rabbit hole, we’re losing
so much of the peace that comes from a good night’s sleep.
What this nasty habit does is kick our sympathetic nervous system - our fight or
flight mode - into gear, and it can be hard to come down from that. Instead,
try some simple tricks to squash this habit. Leave your phone in the next room
or on a surface that requires you to get out of bed to reach it - this way, you’ll
force yourself out of bed and avoid the AM scroll routine. Next, try establishing a
ritual to start your day that doesn’t involve your phone. Maybe that’s making
coffee and sitting in your backyard for some quiet time. Maybe that’s hopping
straight in the shower. Maybe it’s throwing on your workout clothes and going for
a run or yoga sesh.
Whatever feels easiest for you, make that your new ‘first thing’ you do when
waking up. And save the scrolls for later.
Eat breakfast
We’re not trying to sound like your mum here, but breakfast really is the most
important meal of the day. It doesn’t have to be a big breakfast of eggs, bacon,
toast, and tomatoes (unless that’s your thing!) but having something to fuel
your body for the day ahead is an invaluable and easy switch to improve
your mornings.
The first meal of your day replenishes your supply of glucose to boost your
energy levels and alertness, while also providing other essential nutrients
required for good health. If you find yourself struggling to pay attention in the
morning, reaching for mid-morning coffee or snacks, or getting frustrated more
quickly, try eating breakfast for a week and see how things shift.
Get rid of decision-making
One of the surefire ways to throw your morning off track is to demand too many
decisions of yourself. Why waste precious mental energy on your outfit or
exercise routine when it could be spent on more important things?
So how do you remove these choices? You utilise the night before.
Lay out your clothes for the following day, prep overnight oats or set out your
cereal box so you know exactly what you’re eating, clean the coffee pot so it’s
ready to go, and line up what kind of exercise you’ll be doing, including workout
clothes, videos (if you’re doing a home workout) or gear you need for the gym.
There’s a reason why successful people wear a ‘uniform’ or eat the
same thing everyday; the less mundane decisions you need to make,
the easier it is to focus on the things that do matter.
Be intentional with your mindset
This one is open to interpretation, however the goal is simple:
to intentionally set a ‘framework’ for your mindset that will carry you throughout
your day. Some examples of this include:
1. List the things you’re grateful for when you wake up to create mindful,
abundant energy.
2. Write your to-do list and get the hardest task out of the way first (also known
as ‘eating the frog’).
3. Declutter your work-from-home space and put away dishes or clothes to help
clear and calm your mind. Our external world influences our internal world,
so give yourself the right frame of mind to tackle the day ahead.
4. Avoid news sites until later in the day so that your positive energy isn’t
crushed by negative media.
5. Give yourself a pep talk before diving into your tasks to encourage self-belief
and to fire yourself up. We can be our own worst enemy so start backing
yourself and things around you will fall into place.
So does the early bird catch the worm?
We admit that mornings might not be for everyone, but establishing a few new
morning habits might help you start your day feeling fresh and motivated.
Find routines that work for you and that set you up for daily success,
whatever that looks like for you.
What are your morning motivational go-tos?
