5 Things to Stop Doing for a Better Morning

Photo by Mink Mingle on Unsplash — *Photo by* *Mink Mingle* on *Unsplash*

Do you wish you’d wake up less tired? Or maybe wake up feeling more positive or enthusiastic? Or maybe you just want to have better mornings?

(Note: I’m not talking about new parents/parents or anyone going through a serious condition where these things have to take medical attention).

Do you wake up snoozing your alarm or find yourself scrolling through social media? I’ve been there. It definitely doesn’t help make my morning any better. I believe that our mornings are truly what sets our mood for the rest of the day. Even if you had a rough night, the morning is a way to reset your mind and energy. I’ve found tremendous improvement in my overall day if I start my mornings with intentions.

Here are 5 things you should consider not doing for a better morning.

Check social media

I’m guilty of checking social media upon opening my eyes in the morning. I know you’ve done this. A LOT of people do this. But trust me when I say, not doing this will improve your morning drastically. You will not miss out on any news. (If you do, it’ll probably just be the latest celebrity scandal).

When social media is not the first thing you fill your brain with, you have the option to fill your mind with positive affirmations and gratitude. That will truly help improve your mindset and your day.

Checking emails

I’ve been guilty of checking my emails while still in bed. If you’re also one of those people who check your email (personal or work) before getting out of bed or while you’re getting out of bed, stop doing that! Don’t let the first thing (or second thing) you fill your mind with be requests and demands from other people. Set a time to check email, but don’t let it be one of the first things you do in the morning. Fill your mind with good things first.

I stopped doing this and my mind has felt more open and less exhausted.

Snoozing that alarm

I’m an alarm snoozer. I’m still guilty of doing this, but I’m working on it. After I read Mel Robins 5 Second Rule book, I made it a goal to stop snoozing my alarm.

Whenever I choose to get up at the time that I planned to, I feel so much more productive through the day.

If you’re an alarm snoozer too, try to do it less frequently. It really does help with your productivity during the day.

Spending extra time looking for what to wear

Sometimes I end up staring at my closet for too long in the mornings trying to think of something to wear.

So recently I started to plan my outfits the night before. If I feel unsure whether I’d want to wear a certain out the next day, I’d plan two outfits. This has helped my getting ready time in the morning to be more productive. It also helps to eliminate the amount of decision & energy I have to use in the morning which helps my productivity throughout the rest of the day.

Sleeping late the night before

Who else sleeps late? I used to be guilty of sleeping late then regretting it the next morning. I never knew why I did that to myself because it made me crankier and lowered my productivity level.

Now I try to be in bed my 10:30. One way I achieve that is staying off my phone once my head hits my pillow because I know I can get caught up scrolling through Instagram. I don’t always make it to bed by 10:30, but I try to get as much rest throughout the week as possible. I find that the more my mental and physical health is well rested, the better I feel.

Alright, those are 5 things I stopped doing so I can have a better morning.

I believe that our mornings are important to our productivity & outlook for that day. I also started to implement certain practices to improve my mornings even further. One of them is practicing gratitude. You can read about why it’s important to practice gratitude here and how I do my daily gratitude practices here.