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Social media can make morning routines out to be these extravagant, ridiculous, and overly time-consuming regimens. While some of these videos show things that most people probably already do as a part of their routine (i.e. brushing your teeth), others will show influencers doing things like mouth taping or cold plunges.
For what it's worth, neither of these things are bad or ridiculous. But are they necessary to the average person who simply wants to have a solidified routine that gets them up at a decent hour and on the right path to start their day off with exercise, work, or whatever else you want to accomplish?
A Good Morning Starts the Night Before
Winding down to get good sleep makes getting up at the time you desire much easier. Some simpler ways to wind down include:
- Dim the lights. Turn off overhead lights if possible. This helps the brain prepare itself to enter sleep.
- Reading. Full disclosure, if I read, I’ll fall asleep—so this is a win-win. For most, reading is a relaxing, low-stimulating activity that helps you wind down.
- Set your clothes out. No matter the activity you’ll be doing early the next morning, lay out your clothes now. It eliminates that task when you wake. We want to do whatever we can to mitigate friction when that alarm goes off in the morning.
- Get yourself into bed at an actual decent hour. Between 9PM–10PM. Please try to stay off your phone during this time if you can. It helps… a lot! I can also tell you that after close to 40 years on this planet, you’re not missing out on much of anything in the world after 10PM anyway.
Wake Up!
The alarm goes off. You don’t want to get out of bed. But the following will help you most of the time:
- Feet to the ground! Sit up, and put your feet down. You can even sit here for a minute or two—I typically do. The odds of me laying back down and falling asleep are way lower than if I didn’t do this and hit snooze.
- Drink water. Hydrating immediately will help you whether you’re exercising or not. You just finished a 7–9 hour stretch of no liquids—your body is ready for it!
- Make your bed. For what it's worth, I don’t and my mornings go fine. This is something you can do that may help you as a way of feeling that sense of accomplishment and tidiness.
- If exercising – have a simple carbohydrate that you can consume before starting.
- If you can, expose yourself to sunlight. This one is easier said than done. As a parent, I finish my workout and then have to manage getting the kids through their whole morning. Immediate exposure to the rising sun isn’t always realistic. However, it’s still beneficial for your circadian rhythm!
A good morning doesn’t require a viral checklist. It just needs a little preparation, consistency, and grace. Start small, stick to what matters, and build from there.
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