5 ~Practical~ Tips For A Better Morning

The internet is bombarded with videos and articles about having the morning routine of a millionaire because that will magically make you become one. Sorry to break it to you, but your morning routine won’t make you a millionaire. However, a healthy and consistent morning routine can be a powerful factor to promote a healthier and happier day — therefore a happier and healthier life. Let me explain…

How you start your day has a massive impact on the day ahead – having a routine in the morning provides you with a sense of control and structure. When you take a proactive approach to life first thing in the morning, it bleeds into other aspects of your day, and therefore your life.

1. Plan the night before

Right before heading to bed, write out the main tasks that need to be completed tomorrow. That way when you wake up the next morning, your tasks are already set. All you have to do is look them over, then execute.

2. Wake up early

No, you don’t have to wake up at 5am. But waking up sometime around sunrise can be a really beautiful and powerful practice. Early in the morning there’s less stuff happening, so you can start your day uninterrupted and totally in control. Another great benefit of waking up early is that you can start your tasks early and finish early. This will leave you with more time in the later part of the day to do what you want, whether it be watching a movie or hanging with friends or challenge yourself to eat as many cookies as possible in 1 sitting, the possibilities are endless.

3. No screens for the first 30–60 minutes

Do you have $12 to spare? Great, go buy a cheap alarm clock and put your phone across your room when you go to sleep. Don’t let anyone or anything else set the tone for your day.

What’s the rush to check your phone? Do you REALLY need to check what DJT tweeted about someone he doesn’t like at 2:47am? Exactly. Plus, no one is texting you, no one is posting on Instagram — most people aren’t even awake when the sun is rising. Practicing this discipline puts you in control of your morning and therefore your day.

If you can’t do 30 minutes without your phone, start off with just 5 minutes. Then every day after that, extend it by 1 minute. After 30 days, you’ll already be at 35 minutes.

PRO TIP put your alarm clock farther than arm’s length away so that you HAVE to get out of bed to turn your alarm off.

4. Make your bed and brush your teeth

Making your bed is known as a “keystone habit”, as James Clear writes in his book Atomic Habits. This small act of cleaning gives you a feeling of accomplishment within the first 30 seconds of waking up. This feeling then puts you in a better mood subconsciously, and your outlook on the day becomes this much more optimistic. That’s a pretty great feeling if you ask me.

Brushing your teeth is crucial for a proper morning and hygiene routine. We all wake up with gross “morning breath”. Brushing your teeth after making your bed makes you feel clean and refreshed.

Making your bed is healthy for your environment, brushing your teeth is healthy for your hygienic health.

PRO TIP Brush your teeth with your non-dominant hand (left hand for righties and right hand for lefties). This quickly forces your brain to think strategically, and thus, getting your brain working early.

5. Drink water and step outside

When we wake up in the morning, we’re dehydrated. We’ve just gone through a 6–8 hour slumber without any water. This dehydration is a huge contributor to the “groggy” feeling when you wake up. Water makes up about 70% of our body, and 75% of the brain. When you drink water right as you wake up, you give your body and brain its natural boost to spike your energy and cognitive badassery.

Stepping outside and experiencing sunlight is also crucial. Sun rays dispersed in the air hit the melanopsin cell in your eye, which basically turns off the production of melatonin (sleep hormone). Even just 60 seconds of sunlight exposure in the morning makes you feel much less tired and much more alert.

Final Thoughts

Now, here’s where people usually mess up; these are just steps to building healthier habits, and habit building doesn’t happen overnight (no-pun intended). Start slowly and build up your routine over time. There is no cookie cutter formula for morning routines, it’s whatever works best for you.

Your whole day can be messed up by other people and random events. But if you have your morning routine set, at least that part of your day went your way. I encourage you to go through and try these tips one step at a time, there’s no need to rush. And no, I won’t apologize for quoting Jordin Sparks.