Hi Everyone!
I hope you all are having a great start to your week. I have been feeling like last week was super slow. I guess not having a whole lot going on at the moment can make weeks go by at snail speed, but what are you going to do? Now that we are in a new year, I have been trying to make 2021 the year of reflection and self-focus. I want to use this year to truly better my life and not just keep telling myself that my life is great when it may not be. 2020 was a tough year for a lot of people which is why I am ready for a change of pace and to stop feeling sorry for myself if things don’t go as planned. One of the ways I am trying to make my days less sh*tty is to focus on making every day intentional. I don’t want to spend my days on the couch and not working on anything that brings me passion or just sit around not forcing myself to take charge of the day I have. What’s a better way to kick off your day intentionally than kicking off your morning’s strong. I know in the past I have shared morning routines but I want to share an updated list of healthy habits, I am working on incorporating into my daily routine to have a focused intention throughout the day.
Plan out your morning
I read that planning out what you want to do in the morning the night before can help you better visualize what you want the day to accomplish. Personally, if I have something planned to do early in the morning, I feel more energized to roll out of bed early to accomplish the task. So the night before, write out everything you want to realistically accomplish in the morning. This could look something like this:
- 7:00 – Wake Up
- 7:15 – 10-minute meditation
- 7:25 – Quick workout
- 8:00 – Shower and get ready
- 8:30 – Journal
Writing out a basic step by step plan of what you want to do in the morning, really helps to energize you throughout your morning and sets the tone for how you want to attack the rest of your day.
Wake up a couple of hours before you have to be anywhere
I don’t know about you, but I hate feeling rushed in the morning, or really in any situation. I like being able to take my time and get around at my own pace. So typically, I like to get up a few hours before I have to go anywhere. This allows me to ease into my day, workout, shower, and get around before I have to go do anything. You don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn before you have to leave. My thought is if you have to be somewhere at 10:30 am, maybe try waking up at 7:30 am and use your time in the morning productively.
Don’t go right to the technology
I will be the first to admit that I can be addicted to my phone, probably just like the few of you who are reading this post. It can be tempting to go right into your phone to watch a show or check your social media platforms, but I have read that it can be a lot less overwhelming to not go right into your phone first thing in the morning. Instead, try to find an activity that can distract you from going straight to your phone in the morning. Maybe grab that book that you have been wanting to read for months, or write in a journal about your day the other day, listen to music, or cook up something good for breakfast. Whatever keeps your hands and mind busy can help keep you from going right to your phone in the morning. I challenge you to go without looking at your phone in the morning for 1 hour and see how it can affect you in the morning.
Journal
Over Christmas, my mom and aunt bought me these journals created by Rachel Hollis to help me achieve my goals and aspirations in life. I have actually enjoyed writing in it each morning. It helps me focus clearly on what I am grateful for and focus on all the positives I have accomplished in my life. Even if you don’t have these specific journals that I am using, I highly recommend journaling in some form to help get your thoughts in order and provide you with clarity before you start your day.
10 min meditation
I never thought that I would be the kind of person that would get into meditation, but doing this every morning has truly helped me center myself and connect with my intentions for the day. I recommend the 10 minute morning meditation from Goodful on YouTube because it’s super easy to listen to and focuses on your intentions and feelings that you want for your day. There are lots of videos or even podcasts that you could find that you can listen to in the morning to help you clear your head for a busy day, so take advantage of your resources and try sitting with your thoughts before you do anything else in the morning.
Make a solid breakfast
I will be the first to admit that I don’t always eat a solid breakfast in the morning. In college, I was always on the move between classes and work, so I could typically survive on a granola bar and a giant cup of coffee. But, now I realized that my body needs more nutrients in the morning for me to last through the day. Make sure what you are eating is good for you and not just a bowl of cereal in the morning. I recommend fruit smoothies, protein shakes, egg sandwiches, avocado toast, etc. Putting some good food in your body can truly help set your energy levels up for success throughout the remainder of your day. As an added plus if you love to cook, this would be a fun time to experiment with some new recipes!
Get up and moving
Laying around all morning scrolling through TikTok’s is not a way to start your day. You’ll start scrolling and pretty soon you’ll look at the time and see half your day is gone. Why not do something in the morning that gets you moving around a bit? You don’t have to do a 1-2 hour workout (unless you want to) to feel active. You could go for a morning walk around your neighborhood or try some morning yoga/stretching, anything that gets your body up and around can help make you feel accomplished first thing in the morning and set the tone for accomplishing your other tasks during the day.
Do something that inspires you
Feeling inspired in the morning is probably the best way to feel good throughout the day. I love listening to podcasts while cleaning our small space. Having a clean space helps me to better focus and feel inspired throughout my day. As for the podcast, I love listening to podcasts that make me feel good about myself and inspire me to do something outside of my comfort zone and work on projects that bring me joy. Whatever inspires you (painting, reading, exercising, etc.) you should work on incorporating that into your morning to set the tone for your day.
This week, I challenge you to take charge of your morning and make everything you do more intentional. I can guarantee that you will see a change in how you go about your day, as well as your days moving forward. I hope you all enjoyed reading this post and let me know in the comments what new content you would like to see from me this year!
XX,
Hannah Rose
HANNAH ROSE 