For this edition of Mindset Mondays, Adam Smith - from A-Game Consultancy and Hospitality Wellness - has tips on improving your morning routine.
Last week we touched on the importance of a consistent nightly routine. Now it’s time to focus on the morning routine. You wouldn’t build a house on poor foundations and you shouldn’t build your morning on them either.
Everyone’s morning will be completely different and it’s not important to focus on time frames. For me, we should be looking at implementing some non-negotiables and build it slowly. The definition of a routine is “a sequence of actions regularly followed” so don’t overcomplicate this process.
I have researched some of the top habits from the highest performing individuals and if you can start to implement just one of these regularly eventually it will become a habit and then a standard.
- Phone on airplane mode: Don’t check your phone for the first 30 minutes of your day, those emails can wait another 30 minutes.
- Make your bed: Ok, it’s not ground-breaking, however, by making your bed properly you have completed the first task of the day and after a hard day at work it’s an absolute dream to come home to.
- Hydration: You have gone 6-8 hours without water so hydration is an essential part of your morning routine. Get started with a pint and have it ready from the previous night next to your toothbrush. This is known as habit pairing.
- Meditation: 5-10 minutes will do and I would start by downloading the calm app, as mentioned last week. It will feel unnatural the first time you do it but stick with it.
- Practice gratitude: You can do this through journaling or verbalising it out loud. Again, this will feel strange when you first do it but it's essential to self-development.
- Exercise: This doesn’t have to be a HIIT workout or a massive weights session in the 'pain cave'. A simple walk or light jog is a great way to start the day and while you’re doing that, you can listen to an audio book or Ted Talk to kill two birds with one stone (habit pairing).
- A nutritious breakfast: I used to say “I’m not a breakfast person” and now I can’t function properly if I miss it. If you don’t usually eat breakfast just start with a piece of fruit and build from there. For me, it’s like starting a car without petrol so make sure you’re getting your fuel for the day.
- Consume content: Lstening to an audio book or Ted Talk etc will heighten your brain activity and hep to further educate you.
- Write down your goals: Most people wake up like it’s an accident. Start your day right and set your 2-3 goals for the day. Not a to-do list, a goal list. Only 9% of people set goals and of that, only 3% achieve them. Get started with 1-2 of these and increase each week. In 90 days or so, your life will look vastly different.