While I appreciate the advantages that come with being an early-riser, I can’t say that I’m a “morning person.” I still find it painful to get out of bed before I want to and I think hotels ending free breakfast at 10 am is ridiculous (like seriously, I’m on vacation. You can’t extend the free bagel hours to 11 am?)
But alas, I’m an adult and a huge part of adulting is doing what needs to be done, not what I want to do. So here are a few morning hacks that have made my mornings super easy, without me having to wake up at 4 am. Because seriously, who gave four an “a.m.” anyway? How rude!
Wake up at least half an hour early on Monday & Tuesdays (only).
Baby steps are key, my fellow non-morning people. If you’re not one to try and completely 180 your morning routine, you are not alone. Try a small change of either waking up one hour early on Mondays or 30 minutes earlier on Mondays and Tuesdays. I find that getting ahead at the top of the week makes all the difference for the rest of the week. You may even find that you enjoy this habit so much and it may spill into other days of the week (like getting up early on Wednesday and moving forward).
Give yourself 5-7 minutes of “Me Time.”
Take 5-7 minutes to read some positive affirmations in the morning or listen to a positive affirmation. You can always subscribe to an app or plan that has a notification sent to you each morning, to your phone’s home screen. This way when you grab your phone, you wake up to positive vibes on your screen and not intrusive emails sent from your annoying boss who wakes up at 5 am or actually sends emails on Sunday night. Long story short – start your day taking care of yourself and not worrying about everyone else.
Create a quick checklist of your day’s tasks.
Every morning I create a quick checklist (usually takes just a couple of minutes of my time) of work tasks to complete, that are right ahead of me. I find that having my day’s agenda written down and in front of me makes it less anxiety-inducing than having my notifications go off for meetings, 10 minutes prior. Plus, crossing them off throughout the day gives me a sense of accomplishment. Everything from catch up on emails to meeting at 2 pm or text back Sandra — write it down!
Make your bed
I mean, it’s a little deal but makes a huge difference. I’ll sometimes even fix my bed with my eyes still half-closed. Seeing the largest item in my room, which takes up nearly half the square surface area, fixed and in order, makes my world a little less chaotic.
Read a few emails before work hours.
Remember when I mentioned waking up about half an hour to an hour early at the top of the week? Part of this time is for getting ahead of your workday. I suggest using about 10-15 of those minutes to view emails and/or your calendar real quick. This way you can play catch up without the overwhelming feeling that comes with incoming emails. Also, this only applies to 1-2 days a week, as I truly do not subscribe to the notion of working outside of office hours, unless absolutely necessary.
Drink your coffee/tea on DND
While I drink coffee or tea during work hours, I take my first few sips with myself. This is a form of self-care that is very small but means a lot to me. There is something incredibly soothing about being able to have my morning drink without disruption. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes, drink your morning bev of choice, with little to no distractions and with your phone on ‘Do Not Disturb.’ I even play a nice song to go with it (like “tea” by emawk) or anything from Jazzmeia Horn.
Do not go on social media before noon.
I mean, it’s just that simple. Seriously, you’re not missing a thing. I promise. And even when you do log on, create a timer for yourself, to avoid doom-scrolling. And if you need help with discipline, check out this hack to help you control your time on social media (and how one reader went from five hours a day on IG to five minutes).
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I hope these small but impactful hacks help you to be better with how you handle your mornings. As a recovering perfectionist who has paid the price that comes with extreme habit changes and/or trying to subscribe to what seemingly appears to work for others, it’s been a journey to figure out what works best for me. I find the key is to be honest with yourself and realistically, what works and doesn’t work for you.
Image via Unsplash
