Productive to happy days… It’s all in the power of your morning routine habits.

Most days, when the sun shines brightly, it is to mark the start of a productive day. Then, of course, there are also those days when the sun doesn’t shine as bright, days that are gloomy and cloudy, which make you despise even the smallest of things.

On a brighter note, you can always turn these gloomy days and bitter mornings into something brighter. It will even make your much-dreaded morning commute seem enjoyable.

All this only starts with creating a morning routine that goes hand in hand with your lifestyle, needs and also something that in the end leaves you happy and satisfied regardless of how the weather seems outside.

1. ALWAYS MAKE YOUR BED

Making your bed right after you wake up is one of the best practices one can develop. Being a kid, this might sound very annoying, but it’s just like the other small chores we were asked to do while growing up. But as a popular quote goes, “IF YOU WANT TO CHANGE THE WORLD, START BY MAKING YOUR BED”, and it’s one habit that can do wonders for your journey of having discipline in your life.

This simple task of making your bed can set the tone for the rest of your day on a positive note. This is also one habit that makes you want to adopt more discipline into your daily tasks. Making your bed in the morning gives a small sense of accomplishment and makes you feel good about yourself. And all it takes is about 5 minutes.

2. DO NOT REACH FOR YOUR PHONE

In today’s world, when most of us are living with the fear of missing out and are widely connected by our phones, laptops, and other devices, it is an unhealthy habit that we are bound to develop. We forget to cherish the small moment of silence and peace we get in the morning before we are all bound to get pushed into a hectic day where we are all at one point going to be overloaded with information whether we want it or not.

The moment we reach out for our phones, the moment we open our eyes to check important texts, emails, and phone calls we must have missed while sleeping, we are already thrust into a sense of stress forming. Even before we get to brushing our teeth or even properly sitting in bed, we are already forming solutions to problems and overthinking. Suddenly we find ourselves worrying about things that could’ve in all honesty, waited until our day had officially started.

3. HAVE A GOOD STRETCH

Not all of us get time to incorporate a workout into our already busy day-to-day life schedule, but there’s no harm in trying to. It is at this point that we should all remember that stretching can be as important as working out. Even small 5-10 minute stretching sessions with some yoga practices can leave you feeling energized for the day. It is a good way to lose all those tense muscles and let your body know that it is time to get going.

4. TREAT YOURSELF

This tip can be really useful for people who have been through irregular sleep patterns. It is easier to wake yourself up when you have something to look forward to once you wake up. Something small and exciting every single morning, something that will make the effort you put in a bit more satisfying.

It can be anything from journaling, coloring a page of your coloring book, reading a page of a book, or just sipping from your favorite tee, taking a morning walk, or even watching the birds chirp or feeling the cold gust of wind. These can easily be part of that self-care routine that you have not yet got time to put in. So it is in your best interest to take advantage of your mornings rather than wait until the evening when you are completely exhausted from your day at work.

5. DON’T RUSH

Waking up is a hard task nevertheless, but there’s nothing worse than running late in the morning. The stress that is induced by this situation can ruin your day with all kinds of negative thoughts. When we are running late, we tend to get frustrated or annoyed at the smallest of things that probably don’t require that much energy. It is the mornings that set the tone for the rest of your day, and if you already find yourself complaining and whining the moment you wake up, it’s going downhill from there.

 So to avoid this SLOWDOWN, plan wisely. Make sure to wake up at least 30 minutes early, and you will find how much of a difference that can make when compared to waking up later. This can be hard if you are not a morning person, and you are deemed to not find this easy, but things take time, and especially when it comes to forming habits, time can even go slower, but what’s important is that you don’t give up and are always striving to do your best for yourself.