Optimizing your morning routine
What’s your morning routine? I ask because an optimized wakeup ritual can change your entire day. If you recalibrate just a few things, you can boost your mood, creativity, and productivity – all as little as 10 minutes. I’ve been doing this for years and want to share some secrets to getting a good morning start.
See the light
Right after waking up, I seek natural light.
Sunlight releases serotonin, the hormone that boosts our mood and focus. It also regulates melatonin, the hormone that helps us relax and sleep. So, getting natural light in the morning will also help you naturally fall asleep at night and stay asleep.
Even if it’s a grey and overcast day – which I’ve gotten used to living in the Pacific Northwest – you still get exposure to the natural light. Try getting 10-20 minutes each morning.
Get moving
Many of my clients have intense morning workout routines.
I don’t enjoy early-morning workouts, but I know there’s significant value to moving your body. It could be a short walk, yoga stretches, push-ups, etc. When you do this, you get a physical and cognitive boost from increasing your blood flow and heart rate, and your day is already off to a good healthy start.
Self-care in 10
Mornings are controlled chaos for many – the dog needs a walk, your making lunches and getting the kids ready for school, and “Oh, is it garbage day?”
Despite all the moving parts, I recommend committing 10 minutes for yourself to start the day.
If you take care of yourself first, it will shape your entire day.
Self-care morning routines could be journaling, listening to a podcast or music playlist or enjoying a cup of tea. It’s all about you.
I like to do a morning meditation.
Meditation can boost your mood, improve your focus, and lower stress and anxiety.
Of course, it takes patience and dedication. Some great apps like Waking Up and Headspace help guide you.
Put down your phone
What’s the first thing you do when you wake up? Check your phone? Well, try to break the habit.
When I share this advice at workshops, I’ll usually get: “But Chris, my phone is my alarm clock!”
OK, turn off the alarm but don’t start swiping. Better yet, keep your phone in another room and buy a digital alarm clock.
There are so many ways your phone can distract you and alter your mood.
You start with checking your email your texts, then post something to your social feed, and suddenly, your focus has been hijacked.
Ditto for your mood. That email from your boss starts your day on someone else’s agenda.
There are exceptions related to the type of work you do, and there can always be a friend or family member that needs to be in touch immediately. That’s fine.
It’s the habitual phone-checking that needs to be more carefully managed so you can start the day in control.
Regular or decaf?
Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my first cup of coffee. You’ve probably seen that on a mug, right? But the truth is many of us get our caffeine fix too early.
Try waiting one hour after you first wake up. Again, there’s science behind this. We have natural cortisol levels that let us know it’s time to wake up and get going.
This surge of cortisol lasts 30-45 minutes. So, when we add caffeine, we’re messing with the natural alert mechanism.
We’re also increasing caffeine tolerance, that’s why I have been cycling off caffeine for four years now: Four weeks on and then one week off.
I know it sounds hard to go caffeine-free, but it gets easier. I’ve now switched to decaf during my “off week” to maintain my ritual of grinding beans and savouring the first sip.
No news is good news
I used to watch the news every morning. But I grew tired of a steady diet of negative and alarming stories that can take a toll on our mental health.
Instead of reading the newspaper or watching the news, try reading an uplifting book or listening to a motivational podcast, so you don’t start your day feeling anxious or depressed.
Any of these tips can help change the trajectory of your day. So, why not try all six? There are many things we can’t control in our lives. So, wresting back control over how you start your day can be a difference-maker in your life – all in as little as 10 minutes.
Want to talk more about morning rituals? Please email me.
Chris