The 10 Reasons Why You Should Have a Morning Routine – Part 1

The 10 Reasons Why You Should Have a Morning Routine

    You might be thinking about starting your own morning routine, but maybe you do not fully see the benefits of a morning routine. Know that you are not alone in this and that it is normal to struggle with change. Actually, most of us struggle with change.

    Personally, I have struggled with committing to a morning routine. I am not a morning person myself and my mornings always used to be an unpleasant rush to do as many things possible in as little time. Yeah, I valued these extra minutes in bed more than a structured routine. Now I can look back and I am happy with the choice I made to stick to a morning routine, and so should you!

    For those that are not yet fully convinced, or that just need one more push in the right direction, see the 10 reasons why you should have a morning routine. This post is part of a two-part blog post, below you can find the first five reasons why you should have a morning routine. Be sure to check out this blog and subscribe to the newsletter to not miss the second part of this post!

1) Get more things done!

    Let’s be honest this one goes without saying. You start the day earlier and you can get more things done. We are often overwhelmed by everything we do during the day, this can be your day job, daily chores or anything else. We all have a lot of responsibilities during the day and many people count or expect something from us. The result often is that by the time we finish our responsibilities we are worn out, with little energy to do those other things that matter to us.

    Maybe you are making excuses why you do not have time for that side project that you want to start, or maybe you seem to never have time for your hobby. That is understandable, and by focusing on these things first thing of the day you will be able to get more things done.

 This brings us to the next point.

2) We have more energy in the morning!

    This might be hard to believe and, of course, there are of course exceptions, but once you get started you notice that you have more energy. Your mind is clear, you are fresh out of bed and ready to kick some ass, you are at your peak right now! As our days progress we have to use our energy to keep our boss off our back, to do chores and take care of the people around us. The mornings are a clean slate, and we do not (yet) have to meet other people’s expectations.    

You are not going to get up earlier to do something that you hate, so chances are that you will be doing something that you care about. Of all factors that determine your motivation, passion for something is probably one of the biggest drivers to fire you up. If you do something that you truly care about, if you are working towards that greater goal you have in mind, you will have an abundance of energy. You know that thing that people say that who absolutely love what they are doing if you truly love *insert what it is you’re doing in the morning* it will not feel like work!

3) Your morning should be all about you!

    Some say you must take care of yourself first before you can take care of others. Why do you think that in airplane emergency instructions they state that you first have to put on the oxygen mask yourself before assisting others? This is not about being selfish or not. But how are you able to be there for other people when you have no oxygen yourself.

    We all want to be our best possible self for the people around us, be a good spouse, be a good parent, be warm to your friends and family. But how can we be there for those close to our heart when we are unhappy, resentful or stressed with our lives. By focusing on yourself in the morning, you create the space to be a better person for those around during the rest of the day.

    For many of us the entire day we have to live up to other people’s expectations. This can be your boss, your colleagues, your children, and even your spouse. We are also not always able to control when exactly people expect something from us. Maybe you have an unexpected deadline at work, maybe your spouse gets a cold and you need to take over some chores. This can have a huge impact on your activities during your day. If you focus on yourself first thing in the day, you will be better able to cope with the curve ball that is your daily life.

4) There is less distraction in the morning!

    During the day, there is always a lot of distraction. We have access to so many different channels and so many different people want our attention. Maybe you work from home and by the time the kids get up you know that they deserve your full attention. Maybe you live in a vibrant area where there are many things around you that distract you. It is sometimes really hard to fully focus on what you want to do. 

    Mornings are usually quiet and there is a certain magic to them. You could go jogging in the morning and you are alone, with only the fresh morning air to accompany you, it powers you for the rest of the day. Quiet in the morning is good, it lets you focus on you, it lets you switch off and disconnect to the world around us, so you could fully focus on what you really want to do.

5) We are less likely to procrastinate during the morning!

    We all know that guilty feeling of procrastination and yet it is something that is hard to control. We live in a time where we are always connected to everything, with the touch of a button we can read about the latest news around the globe, talk to our distant relative anywhere in the world or see the latest movie on YouTube.

    This constant flow of information affects your output when you are not 100% focused on your task at hand. Besides the usual social media snacks, you consume, other forms of procrastination can also sneak in. We all can remember back in university when we for some reason much rather clean our house/room instead of studying for an exam. Maybe you have to finish something but for some reason it feels much better to clean the car as the weather outside is so good. You get the point when our minds want to find distraction, we can for some reason always find a cause.

    The nice thing about starting earlier in the morning is that you are much more likely to be 100% focused on what you need to do. Who wakes up at 6 a.m. to check their Facebook feed right? Waking up earlier and dedicating time for work, work that you really want to get done, means that you already are 100% committing yourself to also get said work done.

So that’s it for Part 1

So those were the first five reasons why you should have a morning routine. What is your reason why you think you should have a morning routine or what is the reason you have not yet implemented a morning routine? Be sure to leave a comment below about your personal experiences!

Please find the second part of the 10 reasons why you should start a morning routine here!

Stay Healthy, Stay Fit.