The 3 morning habits you need to improve your life.
I hope you have heard this before; I know I have heard it so many times; it sounds like a well-known beloved song that I could just sing all day: the most important thing to implement to improve your quality of life is a MORNING ROUTINE.
I am not the first, and I will not be the last to try to convince you to build healthy morning habits. And we are talking first thing in the morning, right after opening your eyes habits.
“You deserve to have an extraordinary quality of life, and I’m here to tell you, my friend, it will begin for you in the morning.” Brendon Burchard.
I am the first to admit I had terrible habits in the morning. I used to just grab my phone and scroll through social media while drinking my tea and then while getting ready. Sometimes I would barely even pause my scrolling to take a shower! Yes, I would find a way to continue scrolling with the water running on my back. Not only was this very bad for the environment (all this wasted water), but it was so bad for me and my mental health! This quick rush of dopamine over and over was addictive and non-productive.
Here is a link to a video I particularly enjoy about THE WORST HABITS you can have in the morning:
The Worst three morning routines
And guess which bad habit is the first on that list? Scrolling through social media!
But I know finding the time and the courage to truly build healthy habits is a lot, and many questions come to mind:
What habits do I need?
How do I find the time?
How do I find the motivation?
First, let me tell you this: I promise you that a morning routine that fits your need will not only brighten your mood and boost your productivity throughout the day, but it will also give you more energy, reduce your stress, etc. It will allow you to grow, be more successful and change your life.
And no, deciding to take time for yourself in the morning and making sure that you do what YOU need to do to have a good day is not selfish. Quite the opposite.
Having a healthy morning routine gives you control over how the rest of your day will go because you will have started it with intention.
Even doctors agree: Morning Routine .
So how do you do it? How do you build the morning routine that will genuinely allow you to strive? There are many little things you can try to implement, but I like to focus on 3 things:
Being clear on what I want to achieve throughout the day
Be energised
Be in the present moment
Clarity (through journaling)
Seeking clarity on your day is when you are going to ask yourself the question: what will I do today? How will I do it? And why? And maybe you just want to say: “well, I don’t have much choice; I am going to work, I am going to do my job because I have to pay the bills, and at the end, I will go home”. And I get it. The job that pays the bills is essential because, well… it puts a roof over your head and food on your plate every day. So maybe the most important question here is HOW? How will you perform your job? Will you try to find something you enjoy in it? Will you just go through the motions and be miserable the whole day? Sometimes finding the joy is the most challenging part, I know. But wouldn’t you like to have this sparkle of light to accompany you all day? Even if just in the corner of your mind? So this is my advice for you: block a few minutes for this, 5 or 10, and think about this, or even better, write about this and search for your clarity. It will help you live your day with intention and purpose. Maybe the purpose is to bring a smile to one client or colleague. Perhaps it is to nail a presentation or convince someone of a new idea you have. Maybe it is just to go through the day without hating it. Doing this every day will make it easier with time, and this clarity will give you more motivation, more focus, and before you know it, you will have grown closer to your goal. If you need a bit of help to start journaling, you can check my article: The Power of words
2. Energy (through movement)
To have a good day, you need energy. Maybe this starts with a better sleeping pattern. Maybe you really need some vacation because you are on the verge of a burnout. I am lucky enough to work on my own schedule and am a big fan of power naps. But did you know that exercising, moving your body in the morning, increases your energy level for the whole day? You can stretch, go for a walk, do some yoga, run, or have a cardio session if you are into it! Whatever works for you, as long as it makes the energy move around your body and get in the flow of things. If you want more ideas and tips, here is the article I wrote about how it will also tremendously help your mental health: Move your body
3. Being present (through mindfulness)
What does this mean? For me, it meant a way of not being so anxious about the future or not dwelling on past achievements and happy moments like I was never going to have any again. I needed to reconnect myself to the present moment. It was imperative for my mental health. I used to spend hours daydreaming on purpose just to escape. So I started meditating. BEST DECISION EVER. Meditating in the morning allowed me to calm my racing mind, reconnect to my body and then to be able to focus on my work again. Thanks to this one habit, I can now recognise when I let my thoughts carry me away and come back to what I need to focus on. I am more intentional in all aspects of my life, and my loved ones can really feel the difference.
These are my favourite 3 habits in my morning routine. I have many other little things that I do, but these are truly moving the needle and making a difference.
