I’m sure you’ve had one or many of those crazy mornings. You know the ones. The mornings when you end up reacting to the morning instead of controlling it. Positive morning routines can eliminate this loss of control that throws you off your “game” for the rest of the day.
Use positive morning routines and it will help you take control of your day and youe life.
Try some or all of these positive morning routines. You’ll soon see how it leads to taking control of your day. Not only your day, but your week your month, your year and your life.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Most Super Successful People Have Morning Routines
One of Tim Ferris’s (famous entrepreneur) winning philosophies is “win your morning win your day.” There are many variations of the quote from many different successful people.
“Win Your Morning Win Your Day”
-tim ferris
Another common statement is how you do one thing is how you do everything. But no matter how you say it, it starts with your mornings. Having a successful morning will lead to a successful life!
When you research successful women and men and their positive morning routines not only will you find that the majority have them they also religiously follow them. You’ll also see that a lot of the components are similar or even the same.
The first time I had ever heard of these routines was in the book The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. In his book he describes his “SAVERS” which stand for Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Read and Scribe. This is a must read for anyone who wants to take control over their lives.
“How you wake up each day and your morning routine dramatically affects your levels of success in every single area of your life”
— Hal Elrod, author of The Miracle Morning
11 Components of a Successful Morning Routine
Use some or all of these!
You don’t have to use all of these positive morning routines. You also don’t have to use them in any particular order.
Pick the ones that you think you’ll enjoy and that you’ll actually do every day. Figure out how much time you have (or can have by getting up earlier) in the mornings. Now divide that by how many of these you would like to do. Then all you have to do it to then incorporate these positive morning routines into your day. It’s best to do it at the same time every day.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
1. Meditate
There are many different ways to meditate. My favorite is guided meditation using the Headspace App .
This app helps you focus your mediation to achieve different goals. Weight loss, sleeping, productivity, anxiety are a few examples of the different mediation programs in this app.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Some other types of meditation are Transcendental, Heart Rhythm Meditation, Zen and Kundalini.
Meditation is known for improving focus, enhancing your awareness and clearing your mind. This is especially important in the mornings when we have a tendency to think about our huge To Do list.
Meditating first thing in the morning helps me be more present ant patient with my children.
t’s also said that it promotes emotional stability (yes please) and strengthens the immune system.
2. Exercise
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Nothing wakes you up more in the morning than getting the blood flowing through your entire body while exercising. This positive morning routine:
- Improves your physical and mental energy
- Enhances your metabolism (who doesn’t want that?)
- Improves your cognitive skills
- Helps you develop strong self discipline
- Helps you get better sleep at night
Starting off your day with all of these benefits will “catapult” you through your day. By doing it first thing in the morning you also don’t have to worry about other things popping up during the day that may make you forget to do it.
Make sure you enjoy the exercise(s) you incorporate into your morning routine or chances are you won’t do it.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
3. Write
Or scribe as Hal Elrod refers to it. This can be done in so many different ways.
I personally use The Five Minute Journal App which incorporates gratitude, setting intentions for the day and affirmations.
The app also includes a daily motivational quote or guidance to begin your day. At nighttime it also asks you to reflect on your day’s wins as well as what you could have improved.
Stream of consciousness writing is another technique that helps you get rid of the mental clutter, helps you sharpen your focus and unlocks the creativity within.
A literal brain dump of ideas for business, life or other decisions will have huge impacts on your life. So this is great to incorporate into your positive morning routine into your day.
Have you ever woke up with a great idea, an answer to a pressing question that you’ve been searching for? An awesome dream that you want to remember? This is a great way of capturing it all.
For those of you aspiring authors out there, writing in the morning is also a positive morning routines that a lot of successful authors use.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
4. Affirmations
Morning affirmations allows you to design and develop your mindset for the day and your life. Affirmations make an impression on your subconscious mind. If you believe it (physiologically and mentally), you will become it!
“What We Think We Become”-Budha
Affirmations are key to having a successful positive morning routine.
I reverse engineer my affirmations:
- Write down what my ideal life looks like (and yes you can also count this as your writing routine).
- Then write down the steps that I need to take in order to get there from where I am now.
- Repeat it every morning. This can be as long or as short as you want. Just make sure that you can really feel what you’re saying or it won’t work.
According to Vishen Lakhiani of Mind Valley you must have the following 3 elements in order for your brain to believe affirmations to be true.
- Spoken in the present tense.
- Include positive words.
- Spoken as statements of fact and truth.
Affirmations aren’t just for breakfast anymore. Reflect on your wins for the day in the evening. Then set your intentions for the following morning. Some examples- “I will get up at 5:00 am and do my positive morning routines.” Lastly, add your top three goals for the following day. These affirmations can help you to “springboard” into the next morning and day.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
5. Motivate
Of course there are many ways to motivate yourself in the morning. But here are a few ways that some successful people do it.
Steve Jobs (co-founder of Apple Inc.) would look in the mirror and ask himself, “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am I about to do today?” He explained that if the answer was a ‘no’ for a number of days in a row, it meant that he needed to change something.
If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am I about to do today?”
-Steve jobs
Benjamin Franklin (I bet he’d have the number one blog in the world if he was still alive) would begin his mornings by asking himself, “What good shall I do this day?” Saying something to this effect can help you stay motivated throughout the day by setting goals, staying positive and living your day with purpose.
“What good shall I do this day?”
-Benjamin franklin
6. Playlist
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
According to Dr. Jenny Brockis an award-winning speaker, and trained medical practitioner “music has an impact on our mood, memory, performance and well being.”
Different songs have different effects on different people. So what songs make you feel good, happy, motivated and make you feel like you can do anything?
Make your own personal playlist with these songs and play them everyday as part of your morning ritual. You can play them while you’re doing your exercises or dance to them.
“Music has an impact on our mood, memory, performance and well being.”
Jenny Brockis an award-winning speaker, and trained medical practitioner
If you’re dancing you’re exercising. You may want to consider this as 2 of the 11 components in one. Dancing is an excellent form of aerobic exercise.
If you’re worried about bad words in your playlist try making a “clean one in iTunes or Amazon Music.
Not a dancer or don’t want to play it while exercising? Try playing it while you’re doing your affirmations, motivations, visualizations or during any other components of your morning ritual. You can even make it a stand alone component(s), it of course is up to you.
My playlist gets me excited about the day and I love to play it while exercising. Here are a few songs from My Motivation/Happiness Playlist
“You Can Get It if You Really Want It” by Jimmy Cliff
“True to Myself” by Ziggy Marley
“How Bad Do You Want It” by Tim McGraw
If you want my complete playlist click here
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
7. Read
Reading is “the fast tract to transforming any area of your life” according to Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning. “It is one of the most immediate methods for acquiring the knowledge, ideas, and strategies.” Reading is the fifth practice in Hals Life SAVERS.
It’s said that you retain more of what you read in the morning. This is because it’s when most people have more energy. Your body and mind are refreshed and you are more productive. If this is the case for you then you should include reading in your morning routine.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
8. Hydration
The human body is an AMAZING machine that’s working while you’re in dreamland. So when you wake up your body is dehydrated. Repaying it in the morning with at least 16 oz will result in numerous benefits.
Water….
- Helps you eat less
- Helps move lower bowels for regularity in the morning
- Removes toxins from your blood
- Gives you energy
- Improves the creation of new blood and muscle cells
- Gives your brain fuel
- Purifies the colon
- Helps you lose weight (jump starts your metabolism)
- Hydrating before eating breakfast aids digestion by improving the stomachs chance to absorb nutrients properly.
I’ve always heard that if you drink cold water you’ll burn more calories. The reasoning is because your body needs to expend energy to heat up the water. A lot of experts say it’s really a negligible amount so it’s not worth it. I’ve also heard that it should be at room temperature because it helps with digestions. But the most important thing is to just Drink It!
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
9. Gratitude
Gratitude is the word like you heard, or are hearing a lot these days. Not only does it make you feel appreciative for what you have. It can help you experience more positive emotions. As well as feel more alive, sleep better, be kinder, compassionate and help you figure out what you truly value in this world. I know these to be true because I have personally experienced them.
On the flip side there is science to back me up. Research by UC Davis psychologist Robert Emmons, author of Thanks!: How the New Science of Gratitude Can Make You Happier, shows that keeping a gratitude journal on a regular basis can significantly increase your well-being and life satisfaction.
Feeling grateful activates the brainstem region that produces dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, an important chemical that makes you feel good. Serotonin, another neurotransmitter is also boosted. Serotonin is considered a natural mood stabilizer, helps with sleeping, eating, digesting and much more.
There are many ways to incorporate a gratefulness practice, but the most popular way is to keep a gratitude journal. You can write in a diary, type on the computer or use an app.
Verbalizing gratitude to yourself when you first wake up is another way to get your daily gratitude on. Don’t forget to spread the gratitude to your family and friends every day.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
10. Set Intentions for The Day
Before the storm of everyday “to do’s” hit you in the face set your intentions for the day.
Have you ever gotten to the end of your day and thought “what did I actually get done today?” “I can’t believe I forgot to do so and so.” Why do I have some of the same things on my to do list day after day after day that haven’t been completed?” Chances are you’re not setting your intentions for the day.
I set my intentions for the day by grouping my everyday to do’s into one and then I pick 3 different things that I will (not want, need, but will) get done by the end of the day. These should be written down and looked at constantly throughout your day.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
11. Visualization
Visualizing “something” has been proven to affect the mind in the same way as actually doing the “something.” It can help you focus on achieving your goals, dreams or even prepare you for a specific event.
A lot of professional athletes visualize making baskets, catching touchdown passes, winning races and they attribute part of their success to visualization.
Whatever you’re visualizing sends a marker to your subconscious that those thoughts are more important than any other thoughts. Your mind will push you towards whatever your visualizing throughout the day without you having to think about it.
Experts say The Number One Rule is to visualize it as if it already happened. The Number Two Rule is that you MUST combine it with feelings. Just verbalizing it won’t work, you have to feel like it’s happening. Think who is with you, what emotions are your having? What does the location look like? The more detail the better the outcome!
The best time to visualize is when you wake up and before you go to bed. These are the times when your subconscious mind is in the most receptive, effective. Your mind will used these as guidelines of what thoughts are important.
If you have trouble getting up in the mornings or you’re thinking to yourself I don’t have time for a morning routine then night time visualization is perfect for you. While you’re falling asleep visualize what you want to feel like when you get up in the morning. Refreshed? Energized? What specific goals or dreams will (not just want) you achieve?
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
Pick and Choose, Mix and Match
Eleven components to a morning routine may seem like a lot and this is because it is.
Combining two into one such as playlist and exercise is a great way to save time.
If you have the time and want to incorporate all of them you should. This can take a lot of time, so pick the ones that you think are important and you have time for.
The important part is that you have a routine or ritual that you do every day. Make sure that you enjoy it, it makes you happy and helps you suceed in the many parts of your life.
PROVEN STRATEGIES FOR GAINING MORE ENERGY THROUGHOUT THE DAY
