How to Make the Most of Your Mornings

How to Make the Most of Your Mornings

Welcome to the first OFFICIAL week of the Productivity and Time Management Workshop! To recap, I’m co-hosting this lovely workshop with two equally-as-lovely bloggers, Sara + Dani! If you’d like to join us, just follow along with our blog posts every week (Sara posts on Mondays, I post on Wednesdays, and Dani posts on Fridays!) and join our Facebook group. In the Facebook group, you can get some individualized attention from Sara, Dani, and I and connect with other people who are in the same boat! It’s such a great way to meet new people and I’m excited about what this month will bring!

Last week was all about prep and #inspo… I talked about how to get inspired for a productive month! This week, we’re going to get serious about mornings. I’m here to give y’all some tips on how to prepare for a productive day. These tips can be incorporated into either your nighttime or morning routines easily, but I’ll be especially focusing on mornings since that’s what this week’s theme is!

 

How to Make the Most of Your Mornings

Make a to do list.

The best way for me to prioritize and get the most done is for me to visually SEE what has to be done for that day. Checklists are my favorite way to do this because checking things off at the end of the day is honestly one of the best feelings! I encourage you to make a to do list either the night before or once you wake up. It allows you to clear your mind and visualize what needs to be done in an effective way.

Meditate.

I’ve been trying this out lately and I have to say that I’m a fan! I use the app Stop, Breathe, & Think and it has changed my life! I originally wanted to meditate in the mornings but I decided that it would be better for me to do this at the end of my day to wind down and get ready for sleep. Meditating allows you to clear your mind and focus on yourself and how your body is feeling. When my body is tired and my mind isn’t there, it is absolutely impossible for me to get anything done.

Start early.

I know that college students aren’t morning people. It’s a fact. But it will seriously help you a lot (especially if you have later classes!) to wake up early and keep it consistent. When you wake up early, you will obviously have more hours to spend working on other things including planning for your day, studying, working out, etc. If you already have morning classes (like me) you can do other things to make your mornings easier such as… picking out your outfit the night before, making sure your alarm is set (and the volume is turned up!), and packing your backpack before you go to sleep so you know everything is in its place and you’ll be ready to grab it and go in the morning! By doing these things, I am able to spend my morning mentally getting ready for the day instead of rushing around.

Exercise.

I desperately want to be a morning exerciser but my schedule just doesn’t work well for that this semester. To make up for it, I’ve been trying to do some yoga instead! I’m a SUPER beginner, but I’m really liking it so far. I’m using the app Sworkit to do some simple yoga routines. The best part about using Sworkit is you can tailor your routines for as long or as short as you want… the routines can be a minimum of 5 minutes long. 5 MINUTES. That’s nothing! It’s a great way to wake up in the morning and also get that blood pumpin’.

Have a routine.

Having a routine helps me so much in the morning. When I don’t have a routine, I feel off balance and it will affect my entire day. Mornings are really important because they set the tone for what’s to come. Make sure you start off on the right foot every day by having a routine and sticking to it! It might help to write out your routine or make it into a schedule and hang it up either by your nightstand or somewhere else in your room that you can easily reference it. Once you have it memorized, you can take it down… but make sure you still stick to it!

Do you have a morning routine? What’s one way you could make it better?

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37 Comments

  1. October 7, 2015 / 2:41 pm

    I am such a big fan of that app, as well! I typically use it in the evenings after a long day. I definitely want to start doing it in the mornings too.
    Mikayla | A Seersucker State of Mind.

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:14 pm

      Which app, Mikayla?! I love them both!

  2. Jessica Grace
    October 7, 2015 / 6:17 pm

    I’m going to try that app, I’ve been wanting to delve into meditation for a while now so this seems like a good place to start. I’m always most productive in mornings which is why I get up early. I find that once I eat at lunch time and get a bit tired, my motivation and concentration slackens off. Mornings are super important! These are great tips and I agree with them all!

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:15 pm

      It’s really great! I had never meditated at all before using it and it was so easy to get started. I agree that most of my productiveness happens in the morning but I’m trying to work on getting myself to push through the day and keep getting things done!

  3. October 7, 2015 / 6:37 pm

    I currently set my own schedule and work from home so I can sleep in until whenever I want. I always make myself get up around 7:00am because I am SO much more productive when I get going in the morning! Exercise is always SO important, getting myself moving is such an energy booster!

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:16 pm

      I totally agree! It’s great that even though you work from home, you still motivate yourself to wake up early and get a jump on your day! That’s awesome.

  4. Savannah Ward
    October 7, 2015 / 6:50 pm

    I’ve never gotten into meditation, but I do LOVE to do lists. I love color coding them. I’ll definitely have to try that app! I’m advised to do yoga at least once a day for my back, but I just don’t know where to start.

    http://thealwaysblog.com/

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:17 pm

      Sworkit is awesome! I really love it and it’s such a great place to start. I’m terrified to take a yoga class because I’m not coordinated at all. So the app is perfect and once I feel comfortable, I think I’m gonna face my fears and take a class! You should definitely try it out and let me know what you think.

  5. Ruya Kirac
    October 7, 2015 / 10:33 pm

    I would say I’m a pretty organized person but lately I’ve noticed stress is getting to me and I can’t be as productive. After reading your post I defiantly think meditation can help! Thanks for the idea.

    -Ruya
    sweetshortandstylish.com

  6. Ally
    October 7, 2015 / 10:39 pm

    I could really incorporate some of these pointers in my life! I have a routine, but I think I can refine it to maximize my productivity. I’m most productive early in the morning and late at night. I should get into the habit of fitting in a bit of exercise as soon as I wake up! #NoExcuses.

    Alessandra | The PumpUp Blog

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:18 pm

      Yoga is the perfect morning exercise! I wish I could get to the gym earlier in the day and do a more intense workout but I really like how it gradually gets me going.

  7. October 7, 2015 / 11:55 pm

    Utilizing to-do lists and routines are how I stay productive throughout my days.

    xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:18 pm

      To do lists are the best! It’s how I stay on track!

  8. Miss ALK
    October 8, 2015 / 1:03 am

    A hearty yes to making to-do lists! I have two different planners for school this year (one for homework and one for the blog) and on top of that I’m still always making lists!! But it does help for sure!

    xoxo A
    http://www.southernbelleintraining.com

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:19 pm

      Definitely! I have two planners as well and I have a notebook specifically for my daily to do lists. I don’t know where I’d be without any of those things!

  9. Ashley
    October 8, 2015 / 1:29 am

    To do lists are my life savers! I have so many, but it keeps me going!

    xo Ashley

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:19 pm

      Me too! Without them, I get off track.

  10. Courtney Dunsmore
    October 8, 2015 / 2:54 am

    To do lists are my LOVE. and yessss, meditation! Hope it’s still going well for you!
    Courtney//As We Stumble Along

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:19 pm

      Ahh yes! It’s going great! Thanks girl 🙂

  11. Emma L
    October 8, 2015 / 9:28 am

    I love my mornings. It’s hard to wake up early sometimes but it helps so much! Great tips (:

    ~Emma
    seacoasttothesouth.blogspot.com

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:20 pm

      Thanks Emma! I totally agree that it’s hard to wake up early but it is incredibly worth it!

  12. Lisa
    October 8, 2015 / 11:06 am

    I’m not naturally a morning person so it’s taking a lot of work for me to get into a good routine. The thing that helped me the most was the Make Over Your Mornings course. Still working on my routine but it’s getting easier.

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:20 pm

      I’ve never heard of that course! I should check it out, thanks for sharing 🙂

  13. October 8, 2015 / 12:00 pm

    I so needed this! I’ve been trying to get up earlier so that I have more time to myself before work. I’ll be utilizing these tips 🙂

    XX, SS || A Little Seersucker
    Sass

  14. October 8, 2015 / 2:11 pm

    Love this! I get up at 6 and make a to do list!

    • October 8, 2015 / 2:20 pm

      That’s awesome! I wish I was able to get myself up that early!

  15. October 8, 2015 / 3:40 pm

    I love my morning routine. I always wake up early and go to a gym class. It makes me feel accomplished and ready for the day!

  16. October 8, 2015 / 9:13 pm

    I wish I could spend more time in the morning, but I’m always too tired and rush through everything. I’d love to find a good routine and stick with it .

    Nicole // Chronicling Home

  17. October 11, 2015 / 4:04 am

    Thank you for this post! I absolutely love making lists and checking things off of them. I have been trying to wake up earlier and earlier so that I can get things done in the morning before I head out into the world and this is just the inspiration that I needed.

    Aloha,
    Rose http://www.hertaintedlips.com

  18. Kylie Katherine Souder
    October 11, 2015 / 10:05 pm

    What a great post, I’m such a morning person so I really dig this

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