Three snoozes, getting up too late, a quick kitty wash - and off to work. A hectic morning creates stress that stays with us throughout the day and slows down our productivity. Taking time and developing solid routines is the key to starting fresh and rested and making your day productive.
A morning routine is the self and consciously designed flow of the first hours of your day. In fact, of any day until it becomes a habit. The positive effects of a morning routine have now also been scientifically proven: Nighttime sleep gives us a boost of energy. In the first three hours after getting up, we are therefore particularly focused, can plan better than average and think sharply. Without a morning routine, however, this particularly important time of the day remains unused and fizzles out.
Only you know what your personal morning routine looks like. What motivates you and gives you a productivity boost for the day is highly individual. The following tips will give you some inspiration. Try out what works for you. Very important: It takes time to firmly establish new habits. Start small and then increase over time. You will see how you ritualize your mornings more and more and give your day the necessary productive momentum.
1. Focus on yourself
Most people start their day reactively: in the first 15 minutes after waking up, 78 percent of all cell phone owners' eyes fall on their smartphone. Social media platforms demand our attention, urge us to respond, and influence our mood. Additionally, things beyond your control often flicker across your smartphone screen. You can't end wars or avert natural disasters.
It is therefore advisable to refrain from reactive activities such as scrolling on your smartphone in the morning. If, on the other hand, you consciously take time for yourself, this is already the first proactive step. By focusing on yourself in the morning, you help yourself to focus better on everything else during the day.
2. Use your willpower supply cleverly
Social psychologist Roy Baumeister found that our ability to control ourselves is a limited resource. We only have a certain amount of it available to us each day. Making decisions, deferring rewards or suppressing anger challenges our self-control - and takes energy every time.
By the time you open your overstuffed closet in the morning, try on five outfits, and end up picking your favorite shirt out of the wash, you've already used up a lot of your daily ration of self-control.
The fewer small decisions you have to make in the morning, the more effectively you'll make the important and difficult decisions later in the day. Plan your morning to prevent premature depletion of self-control. For example, think about it the night before:
- What time do I have to get up?
- What am I going to wear?
- What am I having for breakfast?
- What do I need to take with me?
- When do I have to leave?
3. Fill up your reserves
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. To start the day with strength, you should have at least a little something in your stomach before you start the day - even if it's just a coffee or tea and a small piece of fruit or a yogurt. Take a few minutes to eat breakfast at your leisure.
Also, the body dehydrates overnight because it was unable to absorb fluids while you slept. Therefore, drink a glass of water right after you get up. Add a few squirts of lemon and a little ginger to boost your metabolism.
4. Move
Even if it's hard, there are very good reasons to exercise in the morning. Studies show that just 20 minutes of exercise in the morning leads to significantly improved memory and more effective information processing. Additionally, morning exercise provides better sleep and lowers blood pressure.
Whether it's a walk, a jog through the park, yoga or a bike ride to work, a short morning exercise session will boost your health and set you up perfectly for a productive day.
5. Build in a time buffer
Get up on time and don't take on too much in the early hours - so you can be flexible and don't get rushed when something unexpected does come up in the morning.
