The importance of a morning ritual

Most of us night owls face the never ending struggle of waking up in the morning.
Having sleep issues since a very young age I had convinced myself that I will be a night worker my entire life. I would study , work and do all kinds of stuff at night because I used to be wide awake and so full of energy. Pulling all nighters was not even a big deal for me.

One important thing that really helped me change this and get out of bed in the morning was a morning routine. 

When you wake up every morning feeling in control and knowing how your day is going to start, it makes it less of a struggle. A morning routine sets a tone for the whole day. Setting yourself up for the day is probably the biggest challenge . A routine makes you feel organized and less overwhelmed by the day ahead. 

Now that we've established the importance of a morning routine, let's talk about what a morning routine should generally consist of : 

Consistency

Try to make the first hour of your day vary as little as possible. The little decisions you make every day. Like what to eat for breakfast , what shoes to wear , what makeup to put on. 

Mark Zuckerberg wears the exact same clothes every day to avoid wasting a decision on clothes.  The reason behind this is that the mind can only make a certain amount of decisions every day before it fatigues. Instead of wasting the limited willpower and energy, reserve it for more important decisions throughout your day. 

Habit Stacking

If having a dull morning routine makes you feel drained just by thinking about it, start introducing little habits into it. If you wake up , brush your teeth , have breakfast and go to work , try adding a small variation like meditating , or watering a plant or reading the newspaper or any other hobby that excites you. This will make your routine less boring and dreadful because you will have something to look forward to, that you actually enjoy doing.

To-do list

Having an organised , pre-planned day will give you a lot of motivation and energy when you wake up because you know exactly where to head over and where to start. 

Make a list of the things you have to do that day. Include the small as well as the big tasks, but only the 3 most important ones for each category. 

Now you have two options :

Either start the list with the smaller easier tasks so that you can start the day easy and progressive to the difficult tasks, because it gets you into the 'work mode'. Also, crossing tasks off the list will give you a sense of achievement and motivate you to keep going. 

OR, start with the difficult and the more boring tasks so that you can get them done and over with while you're still energetic and most productive. This too will give you a sense of achievement and satisfaction and the positivity and relief will last all day long. 

Making your bed

As annoying as it may sound to some of us, making the bed is one of the most important and most effective ways to start the day. Firstly, it gives you the sense of control and achievement that you've already accomplished something .Secondly, the small amount of exercise that it consists of ,gets you active and really wakes you up. Thirdly, a made bed is less tempting to leave your work and go to bed.  

Healthy breakfast

Mainstream I know, but I cannot stress enough on a healthy breakfast to start your day off with. Nutrients and water will really give your day a good healthy kick start that will last most of the day.
But remember, nothing too heavy , nothing too greasy, nothing too sugary- as these will only make you want to go back to bed ! Try adding more fresh fruits , vegetables , milk , yogurt , nuts and eggs into your daily breakfast.

Avoid the tech

Avoid using your phone or laptop as soon as you wake up. It's the worst you could do to ruin your whole day. 

Looking at social media as soon as you open your eyes isn't the best motivator for you. Going through emails and responding right away will make you go into reactive mode instead of a proactive mode.  

My morning routine lasts less than an hour. But it can vary for everyone. And so can the components. I experimented with a lot of different routines and figured out what works best for me. You should do the same. Soon you'll have an enjoyable morning routine so you can start your day the right way !