The mornings are the best way to get your day right. If my morning gets messed up, I won’t have the best day overall. I really use my mornings as a grounding point for my day.

And while that’s a little dramatic, I started getting obsessed with my morning during quarantine because it helped me establish some semblance of a routine. Adrienne Herbert’s podcast Power Hour also encouraged me to really use that first hour of the day for something good.

I’ve made a list of the things that help me start my day and a list of things that will help me ruin it.

Things I do that can ruin my day…

I get on my phone

When I get on my phone right when I wake up, I send my body into instant stress mode.

Yesterday morning, I started my day by scrolling Instagram and Tik-Tok. I had been up a lot during the night (thank you neighbors) and I just couldn’t find it in me to do a normal morning routine.

I swear. I didn’t recover.

Getting on your phone in the morning causes your body to go straight from sleep to stress. If you want to start your day right, wait about 30 mins. But if that feels unacheivable, shoot for 5. I probably average 10 minutes of phone-free mornings, but I still think it makes all the difference.

I leave my room a mess

Again, it’s all about starting your day in a stress cycle. I’m a naturally stressed and anxious person. If I want to have a good day, I have to start the day in a clean environment.

I have the highest level of motivation in the morning so I’m trying to work picking up and making my bed when I first wake up. It’s working somewhat. I’m feeling more organized and put together.

I hit snooze

I do hit snooze sometimes and it’s just not it. If you are used to jumping out of bed at the first alarm, hitting snooze makes you feel groggy, lazy, and unprepared for the day.

I know that three years ago if you told me not to hit snooze, I would not have had it. Now, I’m a little more open to the idea of putting my alarm across the room and forcing myself to stand up and get the day going.

Things I do that make my day better

I eat a frog first

Eating a frog is doing the hard things first. Today, I typed out my notes for my test and started to study some of the composers of the 1970s. I’m dreading studying for this test, so I went ahead and did it first things so at least I’m not dreading it all day.

I try to keep a running list of what I have to do. If something feels particularly awful, it’s probably best to do it right then.

People have their highest levels of motivation in the morning. This is your superpower. Plan your day for productivity so that you are best equipped to power through what you don’t want to do.

I do a ritual of some kind

For me, it’s making my coffee, filling up our water tank, and journaling while I’m waiting for the coffee. I like to use this time for prayer and diving into the word first thing in the morning.

Another part of my morning is intention setting. I just heard one I’d like to start connecting to more: I am safe. I am loved unconditionally. I am going places. I heard it in Liz Moody’s Healthier Together podcast with Achieng Agutu and it resonated with me. I might begin starting my days with a mantra like that to center myself.

A morning ritual can help you feel centered with your day. I need it to get started well. While my ritual might change day-to-day depending on what I have time for, I always priortize a hot drink, a moment without my phone, and a second to plan my day

Movement

Ah. Moving. I don’t always workout right in the morning (especially if I have a big frog to eat), but I know that I need to move early or it just won’t happen.

I like to mix in cardio and resistance weight training. I workout for overall fitness and feeling good rather than a certain physique, which means I can do what my body is feeling rather than be tied down to a specific workout.

I used to stick to a very rigid plan and while that works best for “results,” it makes your workouts less flexible and skipping a workout feels icky.

All in all, my day goes best when I incorporate down time and doing a couple of mentally stimulating hard things. Scrolling through Instagram will always make me feel less productive.

My challenge for you this week is to take 5 minutes to add something new to your morning routine. Make it easy, make it obvious and make it acheviable (James Clear).