10 Things You're Doing Wrong In The Morning That Are Totally Sabotaging The Rest Of Your Day
You don't have to be a morning person to know that those a.m. hours make up one of the most crucial parts of your entire day, whether you like it or not. In addition to being almost half of your waking hours, the way you approach your morning schedule will set the tone for how you go about the rest of your day. So if you tend to hit "snooze" on your alarm more times than you care to admit, and then find yourself rushing out the door and ordering an Uber to get to work on time, there are clearly a few things you're doing wrong in the morning.
Now, don't worry, you don't have to get up an hour earlier to make your morning routine healthier and more productive. In fact, it probably takes less time to do your morning right than to march through it in a tantrum counting down the seconds until lunch.
Your morning hours hold so much unlocked potential that you'd be amazed what a few quick changes to your routine could do for your life. You don't have to buy any products or change your entire daily schedule; you just have to pay more attention to what you're doing, or rather, what you're not doing in the morning that you probably should be.
So, here are 10 things you're doing in the morning that you should probably take the time to reconsider.
01You're A Slave To Your Snooze Button
Some of us (ahem, please stop looking at me) love pressing the snooze button so much that we actually plan it into our schedule. While it may feel like you're cheating the gods of sleep, what you're really doing is "drockling," which happens to be an absolutely real sleep term for dipping in and out of sleep.
Drockling can confuse your body and often lead to you feeling drowsier and having a harder time getting out of bed than if you'd just woken up at the first alarm.
02You Always Skip Breakfast
You've heard it from your mom, your teacher, and your health guru friends: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It jumpstarts your metabolism, boosts your energy, and sets your body at equilibrium to allow you to tackle the day.
03You Immediately Surround Yourself With Noise
Do you plug into your headphones as soon as you walk out of your apartment? I know, I do, too.
Skip the curated playlist and opt for some silence. Yes, I know that it's not actual silence, but paying attention to the world around you is just as important. Listen to the cars, the conversations around you, the occasional bird (or street rat pigeon, if you're in a city). It's an excellent little reminder that there's a big wide world out there beyond your Beats noise-cancelling earbuds.
04You Don't Drink Water
Say it with me, now: Water is your best friend. Drinking more water is the easiest way to cure a myriad of health problems, including headaches, fatigue, and a general grumpiness with the world when your train is 30 minutes late again.
You should be drinking about nine glasses of water a day (72 ounces), so shoot for two glasses, and if you only knock back one, you're still in better shape than you were before.
05You Scan Your Social Media News Feeds
I can pretty much guarantee you that scrolling through your Instagram feed first thing in the morning is not going to make you feel ready to greet the day. In fact, it may make you want to slip back under the covers and go to sleep.
The bottom line is that even if the accounts you follow are "inspirational," they're not going to provide the same nourishment that meditation or actual activity would. Skip all feeds for just three consecutive mornings, and I'm willing to bet you're going to feel happier, more productive, and more focused.
06You Don't Make Time For Meditation
On average, you breathe about 17,000 times a day. If that doesn't emphasize how important your breathing is, consider this: Steady, deep breathing can lower your heart rate and your blood pressure almost instantly.
Meditation might sound intimidating, but really, it can be as simple as 10 minutes of silent, uninterrupted breathing as soon as you roll out of bed.
07You Don't Break A Sweat
It doesn't matter if it's boxing, jogging, or just doing a few push-ups in your living room. A little physical activity in the morning is a great way to jumpstart your mental focus, your metabolism, and your productivity.
Still not convinced? Consistent exercise decreases anxiety, stress, and depression, and people who exercise consistently find higher levels of success in their careers on average.
08You Make Way Too Many Plans For The Rest Of The Day
Sometimes in the morning, you have a tendency to think that the day is longer than it actually is. You schedule two coffee dates during your lunch break, a workout class after you clock out at the office, and drinks with another friend immediately after that.
Try holding off on filling your schedule to the brim so that you can give yourself time to decompress at the end of the day and prepare properly for the next one.
09You Take A Steaming Hot Shower
Take a deep breath (one of the 17,000 you'll take today), and turn your shower all the way over into that deep, dark blue. Although they might make you yelp a little at first, cold showers actually make you happy, literally. Cold water triggers mood-boosting neurochemicals that make you feel happy, and man, does it really wake you up, too.
10You Only Focus On Short-Term Goals
If you spend the day just trying to survive to nighttime, you might not be thinking far enough ahead.
It doesn't have to be daunting or stressful to think about what your plans are for the week, month, year, or beyond. In fact, you can choose to view it as reassuring and exciting, trying to frame the events of your day into your long-term goals. This will also help you maintain perspective, prioritize your day accordingly, and not sweat the small stuff.
