Morning routine: how to find your perfect start to the day
"The early bird gets the worm." At least that's what an old saying goes. But what is it all about? In this article, we'll show you what your morning can reveal about your day and why a morning routine just makes sense. Plus, together we'll find out what your perfect morning could look like. Curious?
Here you find a great article on this topic from our own HelloBetter Blog. The link below will bring you to our article in German. Following we translated the article for you into english! ⬇️
Morning routine - what is it anyway?
The morning routine is a fixed schedule of the first hours of our day, designed by ourselves. What we choose to do during this time can be quite different. For example, examples of the morning routine range from a glass of water after getting up to a short jog in the fresh air.
When should my morning routine start? That depends primarily on what sleep rhythm you find restful. Because sleep research has known for a long time: get up early or sleep late? This is often also a question of predisposition. So starting your morning routine two hours later than your boyfriend or girlfriend doesn't have to be a disadvantage.
The most important thing is the regularity of your morning routine. Try to do it every day so that it becomes what it should become: a routine. So before you overwhelm yourself with lots of big changes, start small. Even a short morning routine can have a big effect. The sequence of your morning ritual should also be the same every day.
Psychological insights: What your morning reveals about your day
A morning routine can lead not only to a more productive day, but also to a happier life - sounds too good to be true? But it is! Because research shows that having a routine in the morning helps us experience less stress, feel better, and be more satisfied with our lives in the long run.
Why is that? Our brains love habits and even release reward substances when we follow our routine. After all, once we have automated an action, it requires no effort or conscious effort on our part. This not only saves time, but also energy. We can then use the energy we gain for those activities during the day that demand our full consciousness.
And not only that: a morning routine can also help us start the day more confidently. If we know in the morning exactly what we have to do today and are not overwhelmed - right out of bed - by a flood of emails and demands, this gives us a pleasant feeling of security and control. In this way, we can strengthen our resilience and face problems with more composure.
💡 Did you know? An analysis of the Twitter network revealed: Positive messages with words like "enthusiastic," "happy," or "brilliant" are shared most often in the morning hours, while negative content increases throughout the day.
How to develop your morning routine
Now that we've learned about the benefits of a morning routine, you may be wondering: how do I find a good start to the day for myself? The answer is: try it out. Because just as individual as you are, your morning routine can be too.
Do you need a lot of activity right at the start of the day? Then maybe a jog or a workout in the morning is the right idea for you. If you prefer it more relaxed, a meditation, light yoga or a walk could provide your perfect start to the day. You can also combine mindful and active activities: for example, some self-reflection through journaling or a gratitude diary, paired with an activating exercise session. You may also think of other morning routine ideas that you enjoy.
Your morning ritual should strengthen you and motivate you for the day - but never cause you additional stress! So find out what is good for you and what you can use to activate your resources.
"No time": Why that's no longer an excuse as of today.
Probably what holds us back most from a morning routine is the feeling that, between all the stressors in our lives, we don't actually have time for it. But in fact, a morning routine can help us become more relaxed. We'll show you 4 strategies to make a morning routine part of your day.
1. A fixed time for getting up
To develop a routine, it can be helpful to link the corresponding actions to a specific time. Because this is how we communicate to our brain, for example, "it's 9 o'clock, now I'm going to meditate". To do this, it makes sense to always get up at the same time, i.e. to have a "fixed time to get up". We have already found out that this can be different for everyone. So try to find out which sleep rhythm suits you and what your optimal sleep duration is.
2. Minimize sources of interference
Who doesn't know it: When we turn off the alarm on our smartphone, the first message lights up. A study showed that 78% of all people with a cell phone look at the screen in the first 15 minutes after getting up. And this is not without consequences: It often makes us feel stressed early in the day and prevents us from focusing on our morning routine. So how about a "normal" alarm clock? Maybe leaving your cell phone on airplane mode in the morning and your tablet and computer turned off will help, too.
3. Sufficient planning
Good planning is half the battle for a successful morning routine. Think about what tasks you might be able to do the night before: Whether it's picking out clothes, preparing breakfast, or setting out your yoga mat, you'll be surprised how much time you can save by doing little errands like these and investing in your morning routine instead.
4. Be worth it
A little thought experiment: if we had an early appointment at work, had to take our kids to daycare, or had a preventative care appointment, we probably wouldn't question getting up earlier. But why do we often find it so difficult when it's not external pressure but simply our own well-being that's the reason? A morning routine also means self-care and can be an important step towards more self-determination in your life.
How to stay on track
We all know that initial motivation often gives way to a familiar comfort. How can you still manage to keep at it? We have 2 tips for you!
1. Visualize goals
You probably had an intention in mind when you clicked on this article. Maybe you wanted to learn more about the idea of a morning routine, or maybe you're already well-informed and looking for your perfect start to the day. It's the same when we want to come up with a morning routine: We may have only a vague idea of what we hope to get out of it, or we may already have a clear goal.
Ask yourself: what do I want to achieve with my morning routine? Increase my stress resistance? Or more time for myself? Whatever it may be, write down these goals, place them prominently in your home, or read through them before your routine. It will motivate you to keep at it!
2. Remember 66!
A study at the University of London was able to show: It takes about 66 days for a new activity to become our habit. Of course, there are days when we are less or more motivated. But once the new behavior is rooted as a routine in our everyday life, it no longer costs us any new willpower to pursue it further. So that means sticking it out for 66 days - actually sounds quite doable, doesn't it?
The feeling afterwards
As with sports, "the feeling afterwards" can be an important motivator when it comes to morning routines. After all, once we've established a healthy habit, it not only brings us physical and psychological benefits, but also boosts our self-confidence. So get out of bed and into your new routine!
