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Your morning motivation determines whether you can win the day. In 2016, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and Ohio State University studied call center staff working for an insurance company[1].
They specifically looked at the mood of the call center staff throughout their working day. The three-week study discovered something interesting. Namely, staff who started the day in a bad mood usually ended the day in a bad mood. This was despite them receiving calls from positive customers throughout the day.
Staff who started their day calm or happy finished their working day in the same upbeat emotional state. Furthermore, the study found that staff with low moods had low productivity. Staff with elevated moods demonstrated high productivity.
As you can see from the above revelations, you must start your day well with a great morning routine.
If you’re prone to start your day in a gloomy and stressed state, then you’ll be sure to benefit from the suggestions below.
1. Wake up on Time
Waking up on time (or waking up early) is critical to starting your day positively and keeping your sleep cycle in check. It will give you space and time to complete your morning routines, and you won’t need to worry about rushing around your home[2].
If you often hit the snooze button, set your alarm and put your phone at least a few feet away from your bed so you have to get up to turn off the alarm in the morning.
2. Open Your Curtains
One of the first things you should do upon rising is to open your bedroom curtains to boost your early morning motivation.
The human body clock depends highly on the sun and our exposure to it. When we wake up to sunlight, we will naturally feel more energized, and our body clocks will be set for the day ahead[3].
3. Make Your Bed
Remember your student days? Making your bed was probably the last thing you thought about when you were stumbling out of it in the morning.
This habit may be okay for students, but if you want to accelerate your motivation and productivity, you should make your bed.
It takes less than a minute, and you’ll be rewarded with a tidy room and a feeling of self-satisfaction.
4. Enjoy a Refreshing Shower
I’m always amazed when people tell me that they didn’t have time to shower in the morning.
A shower only takes 10 minutes or so, and it’s a great way to clean your body, and the perfect way to wake up motivated.
5. Drink a Freshly-Blended Smoothie
Every morning, I enjoy a freshly-blended, fruit-based smoothie. This consists of organic milk and a small portion of fruit, such as bananas, mangoes, or strawberries.
It’s a superb way to kick-start your day with morning motivation. Not only does it taste great, but it’s also full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals.
6. Take a 10-Minute Walk in the Morning Sunshine
If you have a dog, then this will be an easy task for you.
However, even if you don’t own a dog, why not try walking for 10 minutes outside every morning?
If you’re lucky enough to live close to a park, then you could walk around the park before going to work. Fresh air and exercise are an invigorating combination that will set the tone for your whole day.
7. Check Your To-Do List
Organized people tend to have to-do lists. It helps them keep track of what needs doing at home, work, and beyond.
To-do lists can be paper-based, or you can use one of the many available free apps. The morning time is perfect for checking your to-do list and prioritizing items for the day.
You may also find that you can tick off some items that you completed the previous day.
8. Listen to Some Upbeat Music
Music is a powerful mood changer. If you’re not a typical morning person, you can boost your morning motivation by listening to upbeat music.
Simply try to choose music that makes you feel happy and lively. You could listen to this music while you shower, when you’re in your kitchen, or perhaps when you’re commuting to work.
9. Complete a Mini Workout
If you have a home gym, then spend 30 minutes each morning working out. This will rapidly wake you up and increase your mental well-being in the long term.
If you don’t have a home gym, you can still do a mini workout. For example, try doing sets of push-ups and sit-ups on a yoga mat.
10. Review Your Goals
Early morning can be an excellent time for contemplation.
While you may want to think about trivial things, successful people often use this time to review their personal goals. You can do the same.
For instance, if one of your goals is to start your own business, then use the morning time to come up with ideas to help move you towards this goal.
11. Pack Some Healthy Snacks to Take to Work
You may have started the day with a healthy breakfast, but have you noticed how easy it is for our diets to go downhill from there!
As soon as we arrive at college or work, we begin looking for coffee. Not long after that, we get hungry and start seeking out cakes, cookies, and chocolate.
Luckily, with a bit of preparation, you can avoid this situation. The trick is to pack some healthy snacks, such as apples, bananas, or nuts. These healthy treats will happily keep you going until lunchtime.
12. Declutter Part of Your Home
Unless your home is currently spotless and has nothing out of place, then you could spend a few minutes each morning decluttering an area of your home.
Take your hallway, for example. This may have shoes and bags that could be tidied away in just a few minutes. With this bit of productivity, your morning motivation will skyrocket.
13. Meditate for 5 Minutes
Many high achievers say that they meditate each morning. This gives them balance and poise before beginning their working day[4].
Have you thought about trying meditation? Although there are different forms of meditation, the simplest method is to just close your eyes, control your breathing, and let your thoughts settle.
Like most things in life, the more you practice meditation, the easier it will become for you.
14. Stretch Your Body
You may have woken up with a stiff neck, or perhaps pain in your back.
15. Read a Motivational Quote
If you want to boost your productivity, then make a habit of reading a motivational quote each morning.
To get you in the mood for adopting this behavior, I’ve picked out one of my favorite quotes for you:
“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” -Og Mandino
16. Drink a Glass of Water
Hydration is essential, especially after hours of sleeping. Water can reduce calorie intake throughout the day, increase mental performance, and transport all the nutrients your body needs[6].
Even if you’re a caffeine addict, try drinking a glass of water before you start on the hard stuff.
17. Create Something
Let’s say that you are a budding singer-songwriter. You’re not famous yet, but you want to be!
Before heading off to do your current job, you could spend 20 minutes or so writing lyrics for a new song. Do this every day for a week, and you’ll probably have enough lyrics for a whole album.
Other ideas for creating something include putting together a bouquet, working on your novel, or adding the finishing touches to your latest artwork. You’ll be surprised by how much this helps your early morning motivation.
18. Write Down Things You’re Grateful for
It’s all too easy to take things for granted. We need to constantly remind ourselves of things in our life that we’re grateful for.
Beneficial and rewarding morning practice is to write a list of things that you’re currently grateful for. These could be things such as your partner, your job, and your health.
Some people like to write a list each morning that includes everything they were grateful for from the previous day. Over time, you can develop an attitude of gratitude. Moreover, gratitude is an indicator of overall well-being in life[7].
19. Play With Your Pets
If you’re fortunate enough to have a pet, then the morning is the perfect time to have some fun with them.
For instance, if you have a dog, they’re sure to like playing with a ball or Frisbee first thing in the morning. They’ll have fun, and you will, too.
20. Listen to an Inspiring Podcast
Podcasts are a great way to listen to inspiring speakers for some morning motivation.
As they’re audio only, you can listen to them while making your breakfast, or even while you’re driving your car.
Just imagine hearing expert tips on business, success, and well-being every morning. Before long, this precious wisdom is bound to sink into your consciousness.
21. Plan Your Day
Self-help guru Alan Lakein famously said:
“Failing to plan, is planning to fail.”
Wise words indeed.
To be successful in life, you must learn how to make plans and set goals. You can use a few minutes each morning to plan the day. It’s a simple technique that offers a surprising boost to your daily productivity.
22. Learn Something New
Each morning is the start of a new day. Why not tap into this fresh energy by learning something new every morning?
This could be something like a few words of a new language, a new guitar chord, or some facts related to your favorite basketball team.
23. Enjoy the Quiet
If you can get up in the morning before the majority of other people, you’ll be rewarded with peace.
You can make use of this special time by perhaps reading a book or sitting in your garden. Let the quiet sink in before you get to the chaos of the day.
24. Think of a Way to Help Someone Later in the Day
Today’s society seems riddled with me, me, my mentality.
It’s important not to get caught in this self-centered trend. One way to do this is to take a few minutes each morning to think of ways that you can help other people later in the day.
To give you an example, you may have a colleague who has a sweet tooth. You could decide to take some chocolates to work that you could share with this individual.
25. Go for a Swim
If you like to swim, and there is a swimming pool nearby, then this is a wonderful way to start your day with some morning motivation.
Swimming pools are usually quiet in the morning, so you’re likely to have loads of space for serious swimming, or simply having fun!
26. Meet Some Friends for Breakfast
Until I was in my 20s, I’d never thought about going out for breakfast with friends. However, I was fortunate to be introduced to this idea by a couple of American friends who were staying with me in London.
I distinctly remember them saying, “Where shall we go for breakfast?” I was taken aback because I had always just had breakfast at home.
I’m glad they persuaded me, though, as I loved having breakfast with them in a local café. I enjoyed it so much that I now regularly meet friends for breakfast. If you haven’t tried it before, give it a go!
27. Check Yourself in the Mirror
I’ve heard people say that they don’t like to look in the mirror in the morning because they’re afraid of what they might see.
I’m guessing that they probably look miserable and tired first thing in the morning, and want to avoid being reminded of this. It’s understandable, but I think mirrors are a great tool to use in the morning.
Instead of being afraid of them, use them to check your appearance. You can quickly check your hair and makeup (for example).
But more importantly, you can ensure that you’re looking alert, confident, and purposeful.
28. Follow Steve Jobs’ Advice
In a speech he gave at Stanford University in 2005, Steve Jobs revealed that he started each day by asking the following question:
“If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?”
He went on to say that, if the answer to the question was “no” for several days, then this told him that he needed to make changes in his life.
29. Leave Plenty of Time for Your Commute
Rushing to work is the cause of so much stress and anxiety. One of the problems is that most people seem to leave a set amount of time for their commute but don’t allow for any delays. When they encounter one, their morning motivation is destroyed.
The resolution is simple: always allow more time than you need.
30. Kiss Your Loved Ones Before You Leave the House
Don’t be in so much of a hurry in the morning that you forget the most valuable people in your life.
Whether it’s your partner or your children, be sure to hug and kiss them before heading out the door. Relationships are so important, so be certain to nurture yours.
The Bottom Line
Hopefully, the above list will give you plenty of food for thought.
I recommend that you pick out a handful of the above suggestions, and make them a part of your daily routine.
By building these new habits, you’ll find that your days start happier and stronger. You’ll also discover that you’re more motivated and productive than ever before.
| [1] | ^ | Harvard Business Review: How Your Morning Mood Affects Your Whole Workday |
| [2] | ^ | Lively: Everything You Need to Know About Your Circadian Rhythm |
| [3] | ^ | Bustle: What Happens In Your Brain When You Wake Up To Sunlight |
| [4] | ^ | Thought Catalog: 21 Simple Benefits Of Morning Meditation (And How To Add It To Your Routine) |
| [5] | ^ | LiveLoveFruit: 12 Morning Stretches to Help You Get Rid of Pain, Stiffness, and Excess Fat |
| [6] | ^ | Nutrition Review: Water, Hydration and Health |
| [7] | ^ | Clinical Psychology Review: Gratitude and well-being: A review and theoretical integration |
