Living a well-designed life begins by living each day with intention. And what better way to set the tone for your day than to develop morning routines and habits that support the life you most want to live?
Even if you’re not typically a morning person, you’ve likely experienced the benefits of a productive morning at some point in your life. Simple habits as small as drinking a glass of water and making your bed can set a positive tone that reverberates throughout the rest of your day!
Small, actionable habits are the very things that lead to big, valuable changes in your life. And by integrating these small but powerful habits into your morning routine, you’ll soon experience a happier, less stressful, more organized day – one that aligns with the overall life you want to be living.
On that note, we’re sharing our five favorite morning habits to kick off each day!
1. Drink Water, First Thing!
Start your day off fresh with a tall glass of water! Streamline this new habit by taking a glass of water to your bedside table the night before. In the morning, you won’t even have to walk into the kitchen to get it! You’ll be checking this habit off of your list just minutes after waking up, giving you a headstart on your overall hydration for the day.
2. Make Your Bed
Starting your day with this simple accomplishment is well worth the brief effort. Making your bed brings a sense of pride and encourages you to complete more tasks. It is correlated with higher productivity and better habits overall. Plus, there’s nothing like getting into a freshly made bed at the end of your day!
3. Meditate, Journal, or Read
Set aside some quiet moments to connect with yourself, your spiritual leader, the universe, or anything that best helps you start the day hopeful and inspired. You might practice meditation, follow a daily devotion, write down your thoughts in your journal, or read a few pages of a motivational book. By implementing this habit, you’ll focus inward and center yourself on a daily basis – ultimately minimizing stress in your life.
4. Stretch and Move Your Body
Spend a few minutes stretching, doing a rejuvenating workout, or heading out for a walk in the morning to get your body moving. Stretching and moving help increase blood flow, reduce muscle tension, improve joint health, build stronger muscles to support you, and boost energy – what could be better at the start of your day?
5. Touch Your Planner Before Your Phone
The best morning routine enables the start of your day to be about you (and perhaps the members of your household). However, studies show that anywhere from 60% to 80% of smartphone users check their phones within 15 minutes of waking up every morning. While it is tempting and might even feel mindless at the time, the moment you check for texts, emails, news, and social media posts, your morning has been derailed. Your thoughts are onto other things and you’ll likely be worried about an action or response that has been asked of you. This is mental clutter at a time when you should be focused on doing what it takes to start your day off right. We’re here to remind you that it can wait.
Instead, spend some time with your planner! Consider where you want to be and how you want to feel at the end of your day. Identify your “top three” so that your priorities are at the forefront of your mind. Prepare yourself for your activities and commitments. These efforts will help to ensure that you are running the day rather than the other way around! When your day is organized, scheduled, and clear in your mind, it’ll be far more likely to run smoothly and stress-free for you.
Then, if you wish, allot some designated screen time – with a timer set! Be intentional with this time and make sure you’re not getting drawn into mindless social media scrolling and or responding to all of your emails. Use this time to simply check in where you need to, and ensure that there aren’t any emergencies you need to respond to. When the time is up, turn your attention back to your intentions and priorities for the day ahead, whether that means being present with your family or getting started on your projects and tasks.
Small, actionable habits are the very things that lead to big, valuable changes in your life.
As you can see, new habits don’t need to be big. By implementing small daily habits like the ones we listed above, you can make a big, positive impact on your life – starting today. Which of these morning habits will you add to your life first? Share with us in the comments below!