8 Morning Routine Hacks To Set You Up For Success

“Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely.”- Thomas P. Murphy

Ever think to yourself how those die hard morning folks do it to consistently get up at 5am, 6am, 7am and they always show up without fail?

It’s not only pure motivation that drives them to get up (though that helps doesn’t it?) but also because they approach it in a more systematic manner than others.

To make the habit of not just getting up earlier but having a better productive day requires some effort upfront to set up some habits or a system in place.

While none of these have to be done in any particular order, even doing one or two of these habits a day could improve your day to day productivity levels.

1. Hydrate, Hydrate, Hydrate

It should come as no surprise here that you should aim to be hydrated as soon as possible upon waking as studies show that it has multiple positive benefits that directly impact:

Your mental state
Your bowel movements
Removal of toxins
Joint cushions and lubrication
Metabolism
And tons more that just goes to prove how essential it is to ensure you are properly hydrated.

Now, how can you make it easier to do?

You can try with putting an empty cup by your nightstand so that once you wake up the next morning you can fill it up first thing right away.

Granted, it’ll take some getting used to but it’s a small micro-habit that over time will become second nature.

2. Get some sun

If you feel sluggish in the morning and well into the afternoon even after drinking your water and eating breakfast, then it might pay to get some sun exposure early in the day.

This is because exposure to sunlight right after waking up can cause your body to become alert and not only that, it plays a substantial part in regulating your circadian rhythm.

By “opening your eyes to a burst of bright sunlight.. [it] can pull you out of your sleep grogginess before your alarm alerts you it’s time to start your day,” Dr. Kasey Nichols, a sleep expert at Rave Reviews stated.

To get your daily morning dose of the sun, you could opt to leave your curtains open at night so the light hits you when you wake, or you could invest in a sunrise alarm clock, like this one.

But say you don’t get much natural light in your apartment/house and don’t want to splurge on a fancy alarm clock, what could you do?

Crack open the nearest window and get some fresh air as doing so could improve your physical and mental health as well as your productivity levels.

3. Sit in Silence

Instead of reaching for your phone as soon as you wake up, take the time to slowly get up and spend at least 15 minutes phone free.

Doing so will make you much more ready for the day as waking up and checking your phone will only make you stressed and starting the day stressed never leads anywhere good.

To ensure this doesn’t happen, make it easier by charging or leaving your phone as far away from you as possible either in another room or a far corner.

Or, if you really want to make it hard on yourself, you could choose to invest in a time lock container (like this one) and set a time for when you want to use your phone.

It’ll be a hard habit to kick since it’s only natural to want to be in the know of what you missed, be it a text message or these days maybe a slack message but it’s imperative to your health to not check immediately.

As leading wellness expert Carla says,

“While we can’t control the world, we do have a great deal of control over our own thoughts and behaviors; starting your day off with a joyful attitude can change the tone of your entire day.” — Carla Marie Manly, PhD

4. Journal Out Some Thoughts

It sounds silly but taking the time, even if it’s just for 5–10 minutes, to write down what you’re feeling or to-do’s can improve your mood and help clear your mind.

I’ll take some time out of the day to remember 3 or 5 things to get done for the day be it scheduling a doctors appointment or getting remember to do a load of laundry.

Little reminders like those make all the difference from experiencing pressure to remember everything when instead, you could write it out as a reminder.

You don’t have to go out and buy the fanciest notebook or notepad out there but just have a piece of paper and pen handy in places like your desk and nightstand. That way, when you feel like you have a lot going on in your mind, take a few minutes and jot down what you need to do or how you’re feeling.

Now, if you wanted to learn more about why journaling is such a high-value habit, I’d recommend checking this article out.

Reasons for doing so include:

Writing out affirmations
Describing experiences
Brain dumping what you’re thinking
Maintaining a log of wins or successes
And a variety more beyond those, but to make it easiest make sure to keep a notepad or notebook nearby when inspiration hits or when you feel overwhelmed.

5. Savor a nice cup o’Joe

Is there anything more integral to a morning other than having a cup of coffee?

Rhetorical question but, immediately no. Immediately no.

But even if coffee is not your jam, there’s something soothing about having a warm beverage in the morning to rouse you awake. That could be tea or cup of hot water with lemon or milk, whatever is your preference.

Though having a well brewed cup of coffee not only serves to perk you up in the morning, studies have also shown that light to moderate drinkers had a lowered risk of all-cause mortality of 12% compared to non-coffee drinkers.

You can customize it all you want from having it as is just black, or if you want a little sweetness opt for an alternative sweetener like monk fruit, maple syrup, or brown sugar.

And if you want to invest in a consistent morning coffee time experience, you could buy an alarm clock coffee maker such as this one at an affordable price.

6. Take A Shower

What better way to start the day than by taking a refreshing shower in the morning?

While some may disagree with the timing (you might prefer an evening soak), either way the act of showering itself can bring about many good effects that could last well into the evening.

Effects that range from increased alertness to increased creativity which I explored further on here if you want a deep dive into that.

Word of caution though that you’ll want to avoid taking a hot shower in the morning as that in turn will make you sleepy which defeats the bigger purpose.

Instead, take a cooler more lukewarm shower — start out semi-warm then gradually lower the temperature to be as cool as you can take.

With a cooler shower, that will alert your body and brain to wake up and provide a lasting boost of energy that also gives rise to mental awareness.

Sure you may not like taking a cooler shower but it comes with a myriad of benefits, from reducing stress, building emotional resilience, and improved circulation.

Aim to try it at minimum one time, and if it works then great! If not, at least you gave it a shot.

7. Dance Into The Day

You might’ve taken your shower and had your morning cup of coffee but have you really had a good morning if you didn’t at least jam out to one feel good song? Or a fantastic playlist for that matter?

There’s a reason you feel super pumped after listening to a favorite tune and that’s because listening to music, especially slower tempo music, helps lower stress levels.

Along with that, music can quite literally help you get into a rhythm. Listening to music as your brain and body wake up or even slightly after — can be an amazing way to get your blood pumping and your lungs breathing.

A good song/playlist can produce:

Good respiration
Excellent blood pressure
A steady pulse
Better cardiac output
So take this as your sign to put on that playlist or to play that song, because it could tremendously change up your mood.

8. Think Something Positive

You may or may not have heard the phrase,

“If I look good, feel good, I do good”
Or something along those lines but the main point is that by affirming a statement first thing in the morning you could have a better day. Something as simple as saying “Today will be a good day” is powerful enough to program our minds to work on the basis of that idea.

That it will be a good day, and it can do away with negative internal messaging and instead motivate us to do better.

When doing regular repetition of affirming statements about yourself, this can encourage your brain to take these positive affirmations as fact. So when you truly believe you can do something, your actions often follow.

But as a reminder, after doing positive affirmations, it’s important to take some action yourself as the affirmation alone is only meant to be a starting point to change.
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CONTRIBUTED by Kathia Jurado

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