One of the most underutilized times of the day, especially for us college students, is the morning. It easily becomes the time of day dedicated to sleeping, which often leads into the early afternoon hours. After spending way too much time procrastinating, I decided to do a little research and see what I could do to boost my productivity.
The one thing that stuck out to me overall was establishing a good morning routine. There are endless amounts of articles that tell you what CEO's and successful entrepreneurs do daily, and the one factor they all have in common is a morning routine. It's different for everyone, but here are seven suggestions to help make your morning routine more meaningful and increase productivity throughout the day.
1. Get up.
Stop going to bed in the early hours of the morning and stop hitting snooze. When your alarm goes off, get up and start your day. If you have trouble getting up, plug your phone in across the room. That way, when your alarm goes off you have to get up in order to turn it off.
2. Get ready.
No... you don't have to put a dress and heels on, but shower, brush your hair, put on a little makeup, and swap your leggings out for a cute pair of shorts. This way you are ready for the day. Don't change into athletic leisure wear the minute you get home from work or class if it's still early in the day. Put your outfit to good use!
3. Exercise.
Get moving first thing in the morning! Once you get the blood flowing, you are more awake and alert. Find a workout that you love. Take advantage of the gym on your college campus or go for a run on your own. Also, this way you get your workout over with, in case it's not your favorite thing to do.
4. Make your bed.
If you make your bed you will be less tempted to get back in it later in the day. This can signal that your day is starting, and sleeping time is over. Not to mention that just making your bed helps your room look so much cleaner!
5. Make breakfast.
Don't just eat breakfast- make it! It doesn't have to be something super extravagant, but don't just grab a granola bar and walk out the door. We all know that saying: "breakfast is the most important meal of the day." Don't skip it.
6. Plan your day.
Make a to-go list of all the things that you want to get done that day. Don't make it so long that it's intimidating. Only put down the things that you know need to be done that day, and don't avoid the tasks you don't want to do. Start with those and then they are out of the way!
7. Establish a skin care routine.
One thing that always gets me out of bed every morning is my skin care routine. Once I wash my face I feel more awake and alert. Not to mention my skin feels so good!
I hope these ideas can help you establish a good routine. Do you do something else every morning that you find particularly helpful when it comes to starting your day? Feel free to leave it in the comments!
