Hello everyone!
Today, I’ve decided to share my morning routine with you. You are probably thinking, “why do you want to share this?” Well, I have always been a workaholic. Before I had Diego I rarely felt anxiety for not keeping up with all of the things that I needed to, but now, things have changed. The feeling of not having enough time in the day and not doing enough really started to affect me, so I decided to read some books. I have taken what I thought would work for me from each book to come up with my own version of a productive morning routine! My time is extremely limited, so I have learned how to be more effective and efficient with it.
Changing my morning routine has really allowed me to feel better, alleviate stress, and be more productive throughout the day. Here is how I spend the majority of my mornings, as well as some tips that I feel will help you make the most out of this time.
P.S. – If you are not much of a reader, watch my video below to see my morning routine in action.
Start The Day Early
In order to have a productive morning, it’s important to wake up early! I know it’s hard, but it really is worth it. It’s better to wake up early than stay up late trying to finish work. Usually, if I end up working late I am still distracted by what’s going on at home or people texting me or calling me, but at 4am, I don’t have to worry about that! Always check your calendar the night before so you are aware of what you have going on the next morning.
Meditate
Start your morning with a quick meditation. I have always thought that meditation was just for hippies and yogis, but it’s not! Meditation is actually an amazing tool that we can all benefit from. I personally really like using the Headspace app. It teaches you how to meditate and offers guided exercises. Some benefits I’ve experienced from meditation are less anxiety, improved concentration, and better sleep. It’s also the perfect time to give your mind a break. Sometimes if I wake up at night and can’t go back to bed, I listen to a sleep meditation and fall right back asleep.
Read
In the morning, give yourself some time to read about a topic of interest, whether it is a quick news summary like The SKIM (read my previous article to learn 5 easy ways to get your morning news), something related to your work, or a topic of interest. I find that by reading for 15 minutes about something of interest in the morning, I feel more motivated the rest of the day.
Schedule Your Time
Schedule everything! Know how much time you are dedicating to what. In my case, I wake up to meditate for just 10 minutes, read for 15, and respond to emails for 30-40 min. This way, you feel balanced.
Organize Your Inbox
In the morning, try to get a good start on your email! Email is my number one cause of stress because my inbox just gets filled so quickly. Sometimes, I feel like email is my full-time job. By going over some emails in the morning, you can get to the office and focus on other things that are more productive and make the most of your time there. I try to spend my days meeting with people versus just catching up on email.
Do Something You Enjoy
Doing something you actually enjoy will start your day on a positive note! For me, this means spending time with my family. I love the time that I get to spend with Diego in the morning! It makes me happy and it really sets the tone for the rest of the day.
My morning routine is still a work in progress and is constantly evolving to accommodate my needs. I’ve learned that it’s all about being mindful about what we need, how we feel, and what can we do to be better.
How do you organize your mornings, and what have you found helpful to be productive during this time? I would love to hear in the comments below. Below the video I added some books that I read on the productivity topic and I really liked.
P.S. Here are some books that I loved about how to be more productive:
