6 Steps for a Productive Morning

Via Guest Blogger: Hannah Hall

Let’s talk about waking up in the morning.

Ugh how it can be such a drag! 

Or it can be so chaotic you don’t even know where your own thoughts are.

The best recipe for a great day starts with an intent-full morning routine. Whether you’re working from home while juggling rambunctious kids or simply hate waking up early, it’s time to integrate some “me time” before the day starts. A crazy concept right? But hear me out. How can you pour yourself into your work, your kids, your projects, if your cup is not full to start with? 

Here are some tips ensure a grounded morning:

1. Feet hit the floor when the alarm goes off! 

   • I mean really, what’s the point of a 6:00am alarm if you’re going to keep hitting snooze until 6:45am?

2. Check-in with yourself

   • How often do we reach for the phone before we take time to be with ourselves? Allow your body to communicate with you before you start feeding your mind with outside information.

3. Hydrate Hydrate Hydrate! 

   • Our bodies are in need of some serious H2O after a night’s sleep. Make it a priority to drink water before the coffee enters your system. Consuming water in the morning also prepares your metabolism for a day of processing food and providing you energy.

4. Stretch 

   • Let the inner yogi come out! Your body has been in rest mode, in the same horizontal position for the last 7+ hours (hopefully!). Get your blood circulating by slowly integrating movement back into your muscular system. Youtube is a great resource for morning stretching.

5. Scope out your day

   • What are your goals for the day? What’s on the agenda and how can you prepare so things aren’t total chaos when the rest of the world wakes up?

6. Set Intentions for the day

   • Are you trying to be more positive? Are you wanting to be more mindful of your emotions? Do you want to take a deep breath before responding to a problem? Taking time to reflect and set intentions for a day of mindfulness encourages us to live presently and break out of that mundane routine.

7. BONUS: Take a look at your calendar the night before and do a brain dump or action list so the morning doesn’t sneak up on you.

Hannah is a Grad Intern for MRM Career Coaching. She spent the last year traveling the country as a Leadership Consultant where she mentored collegiate leaders & facilitated development programming. Hannah plans to enters the Career Coaching world after receiving her Master's degree.