20 Morning routines to remain motivated, positive and productive

It's very hard sticking to (or building) a morning routine?  It’s not easy to consistently maintain your daily routine when your day is full of dozens of tasks and personal obligations. Fortunately, there’s a simple solution to this problem. When adding good habits that directly relate to your personal goals, it's easier to create a daily schedule which can dramatically improve your life. The trick here is knowing which success and health habits to include in your morning routine and how they improve your day. In this post, we’ll go over many ideas that only require 5 to 10 minutes of your time and how they impact your day.  Simply review this list and you'll discover a plethora of morning routine ideas.

1. Wake up on time and open your curtains.

Waking up on time is necessary to starting your day positively. It gives you enough space and time to complete your morning routines and you don't need to rush anything. Another thing you should do when awake is to open your curtains.  You'll find it to be a fantastic way to gain full consciousness. This allows you to enjoy the morning light.

2.  Make your bed and enjoy a refreshing shower.

Making your bed is probably the last thing you think about when climbing out of it in the morning. If you want to accelerate your motivation and productivity, you should definitely make your bed. It takes less than a minute and you are rewarded by a tidy room and a feeling of self-satisfaction. This alone can accelerate your drive to complete forthcoming tedious tasks.

Its amazing to learn that some people don't shower in the morning or simply don't have the time to do because they are running late. Not only does that sound unhygienic, it also suggests that these people don't know how to set a daily morning routine. A shower only takes 10 minutes or so and is a great way to clean your body plus its the perfect way to wake up.

3. Take a 10-minute jog in the morning.

 Fresh air and exercise are an invigorating combination.

   

6 important health benefits of fresh air and exercise

Fresh air is good for digestion

Fresh air helps you to digest food more effectively. That is why it’s great to take a small walk outside after you eat. From all the health benefits of fresh air, this one is really important if you are trying to lose weight.

Improves your blood pressure and heart rate

If you have a problem with blood pressure, you should avoid polluted environments and try to stay in surroundings that have a good supply of fresh air. Dirty environment forces the body to work harder, to get the amount of oxygen it needs.

Fresh air makes you happier

The amount of serotonin is affected by the amount of oxygen you inhale. Serotonin can significantly lighten your mood and promote a sense of happiness and well-being. Fresh air will leave you feeling more refreshed and relaxed.

Strengthens your immune system

White blood cells kill and fight bacteria and germs. They need enough oxygen to work and function properly.

Fresh air cleans your lungs

Fresh air helps the airways of your lungs to dilate more fully and improves the cleansing action of your lungs. When you exhale and breathe out through your lungs, you release airborne toxins from your body.

You will have more energy and sharper mind

Fresh air helps you to think better and increases your energy level. Your brain needs twenty percent of your body’s oxygen. More oxygen brings greater clarity to the brain, improves your concentration, helps you to think more clearly and has a positive effect on your energy level.

4. Check your to-do list

Organized people tend to have to-do lists. It helps them keep track of what needs to be done at home, work and elsewhere. To-do lists can be done on paper or using one of the many free apps that are available. The morning time is perfect to check your to-do list so you prioritize actions for the day.

5. Listen to some upbeat music.

Music is a powerful mood changer. If you’re not a typical morning person, then you can help to boost your physical and emotional state by listening to upbeat music. There is no specific music to boost your mood but only music that makes you feel happy and lively. You could listen to music while you shower, when you’re in your kitchen or perhaps when you’re headed for your workplace.

6. Complete a mini workout 

If you own home gym equipment then spend a few minutes each morning working out. This will rapidly wake you up and increase your mental well-being. If you don’t own home gym equipment, you can still do a mini workout. For example, try doing sets of push-ups and sit-ups.

7.  Review your goals.

Early morning is an excellent time for contemplation. 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.

8. Pack some healthy snacks

You may have started the day with a healthy breakfast but should have noticed how easy your diets go downhill from there. As soon as we arrive at school or work, we begin looking for the coffee. Not long after that, we get hungry and start seeking out cakes, biscuits and chocolate. With a bit of preparation, you can avoid this situation. The trick is to pack into your bag some healthy snacks such as apples, bananas and nuts. These healthy treats will happily keep you going until lunchtime.

9. Meditate for 5 minutes.

Many high achievers say that they mediate each morning. This gives them balance and poise, before beginning their working day. 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. And like most things in life, the more you practice meditation, the easier it will become for you.

10. Stretch your body.

You may have woken up with a stiff neck, or perhaps a pain in your back. From experience, it seems that lying down for several hours can leave your body in need of a good stretch. It’s not uncommon to have some discomfort when you first wake up. However, stretching for just a few minutes offers quick pain relief, improved posture and enhanced energy levels.

11. 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.

“There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in or out. There is no such thing as a life-in-between” – Pat Riley

"Become the leader of your life. Lead yourself to where you want to be. Breathe life back into your ambitions, your desires, your goals, your relationships" - Steve Marabolli

12. Drink a glass of water.

Hydration is essential. Especially after hours of sleeping. It immediately makes you feel better and more energized. Even if you’re a caffeine addict, try drinking a glass of water before you start on the hard stuff.

13. Create something.

Like many of the other suggestions, this idea makes productive use of your morning time. Let’s say that you are a budding singer or songwriter. You’re not famous yet but you want to be. Before heading off to do your current job, you could spend 30 minutes or so writing lyrics for a new song. Do this everyday for a week and you’ll probably have enough lyrics for a whole album. Other ideas for creating something include: working on your novel, adding the finishing touches to your latest artwork.

14. 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. A 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 which is essential for success.

15. Listen to an inspiring podcast.

Podcasts are a great way to listen to inspiring and motivating speakers. 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 sub-conscious.

16. Plan your day.

“Nobody planned to be broke, fat , lazy or stupid. Those things are what happen when you don't have a plan”

Wise words indeed. To be successful in life, you must learn how to make plans and set goals. You should have long-term plans, medium-term plans and daily plans. You can use a few minutes each morning to plan the day ahead. It’s a simple technique that offers a surprising boost to your daily productivity.

17. 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 football team.

18. Go for a swim.

This idea is not for everyone and at the same time is for every one. If you’re not a swimmer, then you'll find it incredibly hard to adopt as a morning routine. However, if you do like to swim, and there is a swimming pool local to you, then this is a wonderful way to start your day. Swimming pools are usually quiet in the morning, so you’re likely to have loads of space for serious swimming or simply having fun.

 

19. Meet some friends for breakfast.

Sometimes you don't consider going out for breakfast with friends. If you haven’t tried it before – give it a go!

 

20. 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.

 

The Importance of a Morning Routine

Let's take a moment to discuss the benefits of a morning routine. For starters, people are the most productive when they wake up and setting up a routine ensures that they maintain that level of productivity for longer periods of time.
Following a system first thing in the morning, means you’ll have more time to reflect in a quiet atmosphere (less hustle and bustle) and it gives you the opportunity to be organized for the rest of the day. More importantly, this daily habit helps you create energy and the right “mindset” to tackle the challenges of a busy day.

Waking up early is a success habit that nearly all leaders follow, notes Sujan Patel in his blog post on the routines of fortune 500 leaders. Noting how early many high powered leaders start their work days.
The good news?
Everything on this list can be accomplished in as little as ten minutes. A morning routine does not necessarily mean you need to be up at 4:00 am. It only means you need to set aside a little bit of extra time every day.
These quick routines mean you can stack one habit on top of another and complete a lot of important things in a single block of 30 minutes.
Simply look at the list and choose the habits that make the most sense for your lifestyle.