How to Have a Successful Morning Routine

Let’s be real for a second – if your usual daily routine isn’t up the spout right now, then you must be some kind of miracle worker. Or control freak, or both! It’s taken me nearly three weeks to settle into the working from home lifestyle but now I feel like I am in a pretty good place as I’ve forced myself to get up early,  get dressed and start the day off right.

Some days are harder than others, and that’s okay, but if you too want to make the most out of the time that is given to you, then you will want to get every day off to the best possible start. That means establishing the right morning routine. A good morning routine will allow you to get ‘ahead of the day’, and have that light feeling in your chest that comes with knowing that you’re on top of things.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, many of us will be working from home in order to minimise the risk to ourselves and others. If you’re unused to doing this, then you might notice that your productivity is dampened by all of the distraction around. But by establishing the right routine, you might find that you’re even better when you don’t have to commute.

Plan

You should have a good idea of what you want to accomplish on any given morning. Not only in general, but on specific mornings, too. Among the best times to do this is the night before. Write down exactly what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it. You’ll find that this will help you to stick to your goals. Tasks which don’t have a fixed timeslot will tend to expand outwards to fill the available time, and before you know it you’ll have wasted three hours doing what could have taken one.

In short, you need to be out of bed at a given time, at your dressing table at another given time, and at work at a third. Setting an alarm can help with this process a great deal.

Turn off the News

Social media and rolling news coverage is going to prove incredibly negative and distracting, especially at a time of crisis. You won’t do any good by going into a spiral of terror and worry, so turn that off at a fixed time every day. If you can’t help but look, then you can get special blocker apps which deal with things for you.

Exercise

Going to the gym in the current climate is an absolute no-go. But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be exercising, as a lack of movement can be just as hazardous. In fact, there’s so many free tutorials available on YouTube and Instagram for home workouts that I have almost been spoilt for choice.

Going for a lengthy jog before breakfast will help you to kick-start things – but any form of exercise will do, so long as it’s regular and within your one daily exercise slot if outside the home.

Hydrate

Similarly, you’ll want to be sure that you get plenty of fluids in you, especially first thing in the morning. Your body will have gone for hours without drinking, and the right amount of hydration can make the difference between a good mood and a bad one. You might consider investing in a larger water bottle with hour-markings on the side, so that you can stay properly hydrated throughout the day.

So remember, stay safe, stay at home, save lives and protect our NHS – all whilst making the most of your time whilst in lockdown.