Get Enough Sleep - Before you can even think about adopting the best morning routine, you need to prepare for it the night before and set yourself up with at least 7-8 hours of sleep. Good quality sleep builds the foundation for all areas of your wellbeing - from your energy levels, mood, hunger cues and simply your ability tp complete day-to-day tasks. Establish a healthy bedtime routine and environment, and give yourself a head start for the next day.
Wake up early - So long as you’ve had enough sleep, you should be able to wake up early with energy. Even just waking up 15 minutes earlier than you usually would will allow yourself more time and more opportunities to get the things that matter to you done in the day. A simple hack is to wake up with the sunrise so that your circadian rhythm gets used to the cycle and it becomes easier to rise naturally early.
Move your body - Whether that be a workout, yoga or stretching. Good physical health sets you up for greater mental and emotional health, boosting your overall mood and productivity, and thereby lending itself to more success in multiple domains of your life. Exercising in the morning will leave you feeling energised, combat stress and help you think clearer for the rest of the day.
Eat breakfast - Feed yourself to perform and fuel yourself for success with a decent-sized healthy and nutritious breakfast. Having enough energy in your system will help you maintain clarity throughout the day, keep your brain sharp and offset the risk of a huge energy crash come 3pm.
Practice gratitude - Even on your busiest or most time-poor mornings, make sure you spend a minute thinking of 3 things that you are grateful for - they don’t have to be huge monumental things, it could be as simple as being grateful for your morning coffee! This simple task will keep your mindset positive, your mood more empowered and your headspace more clear and accepting of the day to come.
Write a to-do-list - If you don’t take a few minutes of your time in the morning to map out and visualise the direction of your day, how will you even know that you’re headed in the right direction?! Setting yourself goals and daily tasks will help keep you on track, more motivated, will ensure you’re completing the jobs you need to, and will also alleviate stress or the overwhelm of knowing you have numerous things to get done.
Do your hardest task first - Once you know what you need to get done for the day, it’s time to prioritise. Take advantage of your willpower, focus and motivation when it’s fresh and ready to go first thing in the morning and do the hardest or most mundane task first - don’t put it off! This way, you’re more likely to actually get it done, and you’re more likely to enjoy the rest of the day’s tasks knowing the worst is over!
Make it a routine - don’t just stick to these tips for one day then forget about them the next - be consistent with it and make them daily habits. It may take a few days to establish what order works best for you in terms of fitting them all into your morning, but soon enough it’ll become effortless and you’ll be setting yourself up for success without needing to give it much thought!