I snooze the alarm a couple of times in the morning, eventually get up, get a lousy start to the day and am lousy pretty much the rest of the day. I hate it when this happens.

One can argue that a lousy start to the day directly corresponds to how you spend the rest of the day, and since our lives are just a string of days sewn together - a lousy morning routine means a lousy life. (Sounds scary now doesn’t it?)

Why have a morning routine?

The above argument is obviously not factually correct. Like being an early morning riser doesn’t promise you all the success, a morning routine is not a necessity for success either. But it does have a positive effect on the rest of your day. It gives you a jump start. It makes you feel a little more accomplished. It helps you enjoy your breaks guilt-free. I gives you that precious me-time. And if you’re an early riser, it makes you feel as if you’re doing a lot in one day. The day suddenly feels a lot longer than usual

Having a morning routine doesn’t mean being an early riser

A morning routine is not synonymous with waking up early. Wake up at whatever time you’d like. Just follow some simple steps and accomplish some simple tasks the first thing in the morning.

The focus here is not time, but the confidence you get once you complete these tiny steps successfully. This tiny confidence will have a ripple effect on your entire day.

What makes a good morning routine?

• It should be simple. As easy to accomplish as possible. The goal here is to check off tasks quickly, not to build the next big thing right then and there.
• It shouldn’t be long. Easy and small-bursts-of-time tasks.
• It shouldn’t include a lot of decisions to be made. The idea here is to get your day started as soon as possible, not to fall into decision fatigue.

What are some good morning routines?

• Making your bed the first thing in the morning - pretty simple this one. I got this one from here
• Work out
• Prepare some food
• Prepare a cup of your favourite drink and do nothing except drinking it. Savoring the taste in each sip. (Personally, I’m a fan of this one. I create the perfect cup of coffee/tea for myself and have it mindfully)
• Do some cleaning
• Plan your day. Schedule it. This doesn’t mean just throw things in your todo list. A schedule is a task assigned to a specific hour of your day. Be thoughtful about this.

Try it out. It adds an easy 10-20% productivity to your day.