10 Morning Habits That You Need in Your Life

Did you know that how you start your day has a big impact on how the rest of your day is going to be?

Like many people, I started my morning snoozing until it was REALLY time to drag myself out of bed. What followed was a stressful race against time rushing to get ready and trying to make it to work on time. Do you start your mornings in a similar way?

I never realized how much effect my morning habits had on the rest of my day. And it wasn’t until I started to take a good look at my morning habits that things really started to change for me. Fast forward a few months later, I actually enjoy getting up in the morning.

That’s why today I wanted to share 10 morning habits that you need in your life to start your day feeling happy and energized instead of stressed and rushed. These are my favorite things to do in the morning to start the day off right. Don’t worry, you certainly don’t have to add all of these to your morning routine. Try it out and find what works for you. Replacing some of your old morning habits can already have a big impact.

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1. No Snooze

Hitting that snooze button a couple of times every morning? It can be so appealing to snooze when your alarm goes off, just to get those extra 10, 20 or even 30 minutes of sleep.

You might even set your alarm earlier than you actually need to get up, just to be able to snooze. But what’s the point in that? Snoozing is not helping you to get any more rest, because your sleep is constantly interrupted. Instead, you could have gotten some quality sleep by setting the alarm half an hour later and getting up when it goes off.

Now, I know it can be difficult to get yourself out of bed when the alarm goes off. You may be having thoughts that are working against you, such as ‘‘I don’t want to get up’’ and ‘‘It’s cold outside and my bed is so cozy and warm’’.

The 5-second rule by Mel Robbins can help you there! When you wake up and you feel hesitant to get up, count backwards to yourself 5-4-3-2-1 to kill your thoughts and go. The 5-second rule has helped me a lot with getting up in the morning, but it can be helpful in all kinds of situations. Try it for yourself and let me know if it made getting up easier for you.

2. Stay Away From Your Phone

Do you reach for your phone the minute you wake up? Scrolling through social media, checking your e-mail… And before you know it 30 minutes have passed.

Until a couple of months ago, the light of my phone was the only thing that would actually help me to keep my eyes open and stay awake after the alarm went off. Not the best way to start your morning, being overloaded with e-mails, to-do’s, likes and notifications. It can leave you feeling overwhelmed and can trigger stress. And you haven’t even left your bed yet.

Starting the day off like that influences the rest of your day. Check your phone a little later in the morning and begin your day in a more mindful way instead. Use the morning to work on your goals, to learn things that will help you improve yourself or do something you’re passionate about. Make it your time and take control over your mornings.

3. Get Up A Little Earlier

I know, I know: this does not sound like something you’re going to enjoy if you don’t like mornings, but hear me out on this one. Getting up a little bit earlier than you normally do, creates more time for you to wake up at your own pace. Instead of rushing all morning to get out of the door, you can ease into the day which makes your mornings a lot more enjoyable. Yes, even you can be a morning person.

I’m not telling you that you should get up at 5AM. You don’t have to. Getting up half an hour earlier can do the trick for you. Do what feels right for you. Just make sure that by getting up earlier, you’re not sacrificing on the hours of sleep you’re getting. If that’s the case you’ll probably be grumpy and tired all day and that’s the opposite of what you want.

4. Drink Water

After 7-8 hours of sleep, drinking water is a great way to rehydrate your body when you wake up. When you’re dehydrated you can feel tired or have less energy. Drinking one or two glasses of water in the morning fuels your energy so that you can start the day feeling refreshed. It can also help to flush out toxins from your body.

During the day you may forget to drink enough water, so a few glasses in the morning already gives you a head start. To make it easier to adopt this habit, you could put a water bottle on your nightstand, so that you’re reminded to hydrate as soon as you wake up. Or if you’re a coffee or tea lover, try to drink water before having your cup.

5. Make Your Bed

It seems like such a small thing to do and it only takes about 2 minutes, but it can make the difference in how you start your day. It will feel as though you’ve already accomplished something the moment you step out of bed, and that sets a positive tone for the rest of the day.

When I make my bed in the morning, it instantly makes the room look clean and decluttered, which helps to keep a calm mind and gives an organized feeling. And I absolutely love that feeling! So much that I can’t leave the house in the morning without having made my bed.

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6. Wake Up Your Body

Now that you’re awake, it’s time to wake up your body as well. Moving your body in the morning is a great way to get the juices flowing and feel energized. It’s also an amazing feeling starting the day knowing that you already did something for yourself.

Don’t have time to move your body in the morning? A year ago I would have told you the same thing. But it could be as simple as doing 5 minutes of stretching while you’re waiting for the water for your cup of tea to boil.

My favorite way to move my body in the morning is doing yoga. I absolutely love Yoga with Adriene and slowly waking up with her voice in the morning is the best feeling. The most important thing is to find something that feels right for you.

7. Have Breakfast

Skipping your breakfast is an easy thing to do when you’re running late in the morning and have a lot on your mind. But breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Very cliché, but it’s true.

Making time to eat a healthy breakfast in the morning can have a big impact on your day (and life). Having breakfast gives you energy and it helps to be more focused, concentrated and productive in the morning. Want to have breakfast but don’t have a lot of time? Try prepping it the evening before or eat it on your commute.

8. Feed Your Mind

In the morning, your brain is rested, fresh and active, which makes it the ideal time for learning. Absorbing information is easier and concentration levels are likely to be higher because your mind hasn’t been exposed to many stimuli yet.

Feeding your mind in the morning by reading an interesting book or listening to an inspiring podcast can stimulate the brain and set the tone for the rest of the day. It’s also a great way to create you-time and work on your self-improvement. If you ask me, the best moment to read a book or listen to a podcast in the morning is while enjoying your cup of tea or eating your breakfast. Or on your morning commute instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media.

9. Meditate

How often do you experience stress in the morning? A massive to-do list in your head, rushing to get ready and running to make it to work in time. It’s chaos and your workday hasn’t even started yet.

Finding calmness in the morning through meditation, can help you start your day more peacefully. Your mind will be fresh and clear of any negative thoughts, ready to tackle the day. If you’re new to meditating in the morning, you can start with a 5-minute guided meditation. To add a little something extra to your meditation, set an intention for the day at the end of your practice.

10. Affirmations

We have countless different thoughts in a day. Most of them are subconscious and you’re probably not even aware of them. But for many of us, these thoughts may not always be positive.

You may be having thoughts such as:

”No matter what I do, I am never going to be good enough.”
”I don’t think I can do it.”
”I will never be successful.”

The more you have thoughts like these, the more you start to believe them. It can affect your life without you even realizing it. That’s where affirmations come into play.

Affirmations are simple, positive statements that can help you to tackle and eliminate these negative thoughts. By repeating these empowering phrases, you’re subconsciously reprogramming your mind to focus your thoughts on the positive. It helps to replace the negative with the positive and your fears and worries with trust and belief.

Just one more thing…

I hope these ideas have inspired you to have a good look at your current morning habits and make a few changes. I encourage you to try a few different things to find out what works well for you. It requires a bit of trial and error and it can take a few weeks to figure it out. At least it did for me. But don’t let that discourage you, because your morning habits can really have a big impact on your days.

I also want to tell you that you don’t have to incorporate all of these morning habits. Only include those that feel good for you and start small. By trying to implement a couple of these habits at the same time, you’re going to make it a lot more difficult for yourself. If you want to know more about how to create a morning routine, then check out this article.

Do you have any other morning habits that work well for you or have you tried some of these out yourself? I’d love for you to share your experiences in the comments below so that we can help each other out a little bit.