Three habits that will make your mornings much more pleasurable

3.2.2022

Much has been written about getting up in the morning and the routine that follows. Most sources agree that the way you start a new day to a large extent influences its whole outcome. It is often suggested you should meditate in the morning, take a cold shower or relax. Despite all this, for most of us mornings are still by far the least enjoyable part of the day. How can you make mornings more pleasurable and be more productive from the outset? Here are three habits that will make your mornings much more agreeable and enable you to function more efficiently from the very beginning of your day.

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Not everyone is able to meditate in the morning

If you are not a fan of meditation and relaxation, and mornings are stressful for you as you are constantly short of time, do not try to squeeze breathing exercises or yoga sessions into your routine. Accept the fact that your main task is to prepare yourself properly, handle all important tasks and retain as much energy as possible for the upcoming day. Bear these things in mind when working on your new routine.

Make as few decisions in the morning as possible

What makes mornings so unbearable? The fact that our brain has not yet woken up but we are forcing it to make decisions. As the Harvard Business Review states, we are very slow making decisions in the morning and thus the start of the day is not an ideal time for any thinking. Decide everything you can the day before and get ready. Do not think in the morning about what you should wear, and ideally at least partially prepare even your breakfast the day before.

Planning is key to rising in an effective way and having pleasurable mornings

With regard to the previous point, it is true that if you do not need to think too much in the morning, you will find it much easier to get up and function. Have a clear plan, set up a strict routine, and stick to it point by point. Work more like a robot, do not make any big decisions, and thus from the mental point of view give the body sufficient time to wake up and gather energy for the upcoming day. Divide your morning tasks into smallest possible steps and handle them almost on autopilot.

This method is not suitable for everyone. Some people have time in the morning to relax, meditate, and prepare mentally for the new day in a mindful way. Unfortunately, those of us who cannot afford such an attitude must set up a routine that helps handle all the morning tasks but at the same time without our becoming fatigued mentally first thing in the morning. The approach described in this article will help you transform an unpleasant, chaotic morning into a bearable part of the day that will not stress you anymore.

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Article source Harvard Business Review - flagship magazine of Harvard Business School
Read more articles from Harvard Business Review

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Planning and workload management