Does your morning routine default to hitting the snooze button, eventually rolling out of bed and reaching for your phone to check messages, Facebook and Instagram? If you are letting the outside world in before you even get out of bed, it can trigger you to start the day on the wrong foot.
Instead, you could choose to create a positive and powerful start to your day, by introducing a morning routine of 10-60 minutes of activities, to increase confidence and boost your energy for a productive day ahead.
Scientific research shows that there’s a powerful connection between your mindset and your morning routine. Being deliberate about what you’re going to think about begins the moment you wake up and will dictate your mood for the rest of the day.
A minimum of 30 mins in peaceful solitude with no distractions is ideal however, this isn’t realistic for everyone. Mel Robbins, 5 Second Rule suggests 10-30mins, and Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning has devised a 6-minute morning routine from his renowned 1-hour routine.
Choose activities that work for you because then you’ll do it! With choice and flexibility in mind, I’m going to share my treasure box of morning routine activities. Take things out, add things in. Make it your own.
Wake up early
Research shows that successful people like Tim Cook CEO Apple, Oprah Winfrey and Arianne Huffington all wake up before 6am to start their morning routine. Early risers tend procrastinate and stress less because they take time for themselves to prepare their day.
HOW you wake up is also important
Mel Robbins says you should never hit the snooze button, just get straight out of bed. If you hit the snooze button it’s medically and scientifically proven that you put your brain in a state of sleep inertia, which impacts your ability to focus, be positive and process information for up to 4 hrs.
Use Mel’s 5 second rule to get out of bed. The 5 Second Rule is simple. When you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, count 5-4-3-2-1 and MOVE towards starting your morning routine.
Gratitude
Starting your day in a state of gratitude improves self-esteem and increases mental strength. Happiness is about wanting the things that you already have, so make a list of all that you are grateful for, however small. You can also include things that are coming, like new possibilities, opportunities and connections.
Visualisation
Visualisation, also known as Mental Imagery, is a technique that has been proven to be successful in producing a specific outcome. Use the power of your imagination to consciously create your day with as much detail as possible. Studies show that the brain does not know the difference between imagining something or actually doing it, o feed your imagination with what you want to become a reality.
Meditation
Dedicate time to just BE, before plunging into a day full of DOing. Meditation, or induced relaxation focuses awareness on breathing and encourages focus, mental clarity and tames the inner critic. It’s an opportunity to clear your head allow your brain to rest and take a break from the usual internal chatter and thoughts about the past, present and future. There are many meditation tools and apps out there. Two of my favourites are Headspace and Calm.
Intentions
Intention is the point of focus on what you intend to do, be or have. A focused mind is a more confident mind. Consciously choosing your intention directs your energy and helps you to stay grounded. An intention can be a word or a statement. Stating your intention aligns your head and heart and will become your reality.
Affirmations
Affirmations are positive “I am” statements that can help you to challenge and overcome self-sabotaging and negative thoughts. When you repeat them often, and believe in them, you can start to make positive changes.
Affirmations are like physical exercise for our mind. These positive mental repetitions can reprogram our thinking patterns so that, over time, we begin to think, feel and behave differently.
Exercise or Get Moving
The better your physiology, the better your mind. The more energy you have, the more productive you will be. Energy is your most valuable resource because when you have more energy, you can see all the possibilities available to you. Go for a walk outside, stretch, yoga, jumping jacks, dancing. Exercising in the morning increases your energy and boosts your metabolism.
Reading
Devote time in the morning to charge your motivation by reading empowering quotes, a personal development book, something you want to learn. Or listen to an audio book or a motivating podcast. Feeding your mind and soul with inspiring words is essential for moving towards your goals.
Connect with loved ones
Be present in each other’s daily lives. Message a friend. Listen to what your partner is saying. Cuddle and bond with your children, talk to them about their dreams. Interact with someone positively each and every day. A friend and message every day to say what we are grateful for.
Journaling
Journaling can help you clear your head and make important connections between thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. You could start by saying Today I feel… I feel this way because… To feel more energised I can… The mindset that will serve me best today is…. Writing your gratitude list, intentions, affirmations and goals could be your journaling method.
Remember…Creating a morning routine is forming a habit
Habit guru Stephen Covey says it takes 30 days to form a habit, others believe 21-66 days. We will be much more likely to succeed at behaviour change if we make one small change at a time and slowly build on it. Successful people know that big achievements are built on the basis of very small ones attained on a daily basis.
With that in mind you could introduce one new habit each week.
Which activity will you start with to create a morning routine for a positive mindset?
Gratitude, Visualisation, Meditation, Intentions, Affirmations, Exercise, Reading, Connect with loved ones and journaling.