When the weather turns cold, my motivation to wake up and get out of bed suddenly diminishes. The warm Christmas lights that line my room and the thought of sleeping my day away is enough to convince me to skip all my classes and hibernate in my apartment all day.
One thing I find that helps wake me up in the morning is creating a morning routine the night before that I will look forward to doing when I wake up. Right before I fall asleep, I list everything I need to get done the next day and things that I would like to try to incorporate into my day.
The easiest way to do this is to use the Notes app on your phone. I like to create lists and put checkmarks next to each task because we all know how satisfying it is to check off an item from your list.
My schedule changes day to day, but it remains pretty constant throughout the semester. Here is a sample schedule I'd create for myself on a cold morning when I need a little boost of motivation.1. Wake up around 10 A.M.
I am NOT a morning person, so I craft my schedule accordingly. My earliest class all week is 12:30 P.M. While I could sleep in until noon every day and make the most of my comfy bed, I try to wake up a little early so I can be productive and start off my day right.
2. Eat something light and drink some water.
I'll normally eat a granola bar or something fairly light just to get something in my stomach to wake me up a little.
3. Light ab workout.
Along with not being a morning person, I am NOT a gym person. I hate the gym, and every time I end up going there, I end up walking around clueless. So, I tend to stick to simple workouts in my apartment. I go on Pinterest and find ab workouts to do. Nothing crazy, just enough to keep me from relapsing to the Freshman 15 again...
4. Shower.
After I work out, I like to shower so I feel fresh and clean for the day.
5. Breakfast.
Once I'm clean and ready for the day, I make myself an actual breakfast. I usually alternate between three different things. My first option is eggs and toast. I usually go for this since it's pretty quick, healthy, and filling.
Another option is a smoothie bowl. This takes a little more time, so if I know I have time to spare, I'll go for this one. I blend frozen bananas and strawberries and pour granola and honey on top. This will have me full for hours.
My last option (and the most unhealthy) is a bagel with cream cheese. If I want to be a little more healthy, I'll substitute cream cheese with peanut butter.
6. Coffee.
I can't function without coffee. I am a living meme.
7. Manifest what I want for the day.
So, this might sound a little weird, but stick with me. When I make my coffee, I keep it simple and just add creamer. When I go to mix it with a spoon, I practice manifestation. I swirl the spoon counterclockwise and think of all the negative things I want to let go for the day.
Then I swirl the spoon clockwise and think of all the positive things I want to incorporate into my day. It's a little cheesy, but it puts me in the right mindset for the day. Try it!
8. Get some work done.
While I usually don't have much more time to spare, I try to get myself to get one thing done before I get moving for the day. Whether it's simple like cleaning my room or studying something before class, I find that doing this will motivate me for class or whatever else I need to get done that day. Starting with something small kickstarts my energy to take on the big tasks for the day.
