The morning routine to regain control of your life
Getting up early in the morning is no fun, right?
To many folks, it is more challenging than lifting 2 times their body weight in the evening. But do you know why most people do it? The answer is simple: The benefits that you get are phenomenal
Most healthy people get up around 5 a.m., whether it is summer or winter. They go out for a run or exercise, come back home, shower, have breakfast, and leave the house to be at work on time. They live a very disciplined life.
You may ask whether that means sleeping late at night are unproductive and unhealthy?
Well, not necessarily! But by comparing the scientific studies, you’d know which is more beneficial. I have been both a night crawler and a morning person. And I think my story may offer Useful Reflections to You.
My Story:
Full of Stress, fatigue, and lack of concentration
Before Covid 19,
- I used to come back home in the early afternoon
- And still managed to play basketball, go for a workout in the gym,
- Or spend time learning my hobbies, such as playing the guitar.
As soon as I became a prisoner at my own house (due to the pandemic), I began to lose control over my life. I often…
- Fell asleep during afternoon.
- And spent most of my time doing nothing till late night at my desk.
Suddenly, the time I used to wake up became the time to hit the bed. I started gaining weight, feeling depressed and lost. Ironically, having more time (compared to pre-covid) made me Unproductive and unhealthy.
I am pretty sure a lot of people have experienced the same. I became lethargic and demotivated to do something in life. The pandemic seemed like a long tunnel that had no end to it. And I was getting doomed!!
It was very frustrating!
The only consolation was seeing everyone I knew was going through the same thing. Hahahaha, I know that is not right! But that is how my defense mechanism worked at that time.
When people realize it’s going to be hard to stay focused, they subconsciously begin to brainwash themselves by saying:
- Gosh! I can’t stay focused; I shall take a break and divert my mind by watching a documentary or a series?
- While taking a break is healthy, perhaps binge-watching one episode into the whole season is not.
The point is,
- Picking up a bad habitis as easy as finding the Netflix button on the TV remote.
And by chance,
- If you manage to do something useful, it will take twice the time you needed before.
Then, a month later, you feel…
- Trappedin a bad rhythm.
- You are often in a Bad mood, Stressed, and Frustrated.
Damn! A vicious circle. Isn’t it?
My Reflections:
At the beginning of this article, I said I got some useful Reflections from my experience to share. Here they are:
1. It improved productivity and well-being:
Many people think staying late at night doesn’t affect them negatively. That is true when you want to play blind with your eyes open. Debating about which routine is best for an individual wouldn’t bring an outcome here. It would be better to look at proven scientific facts and decide what’s best for ourselves.
- In 2008 “American Academy of Sleep Medicine ( ASSM ) conducted research on students, which showed: “Students who were early risers obtained fuller grades than students who stayed up late. Sleeping poorly leads to low cognitive performance, memory loss, and concentration issues.”
- Another study shows that “People who sleep and wake up late are at risk of weight gain. On average, they tend to consume 248 calories per day. Which includes fast food and Soda consumption twice the size compared to the early risers”.
- In 2014, “A cognitive research study found that Sleep duration and timing directly impacts your negative thoughts.”
Starting your day early:
- Increases your efficiency
- And develops a positive mindset.
Simple, because you get to initiate things from a fresh perspective free from rush or even procrastination.
The main benefit I discovered during my long experiment was the improved quality of focus that came from morning isolation. Morning silence is a great time to meditate and reflect on a new day!
So I tried to incorporate a morning routine into my daily life. Bit by Bit. For example,
- I started reading instead of spending half an hour on Facebook while on public transport.
- I started listening to podcasts or audiobooks when I was driving.
It literally awakened me,
- My creativity,
- Gave me ideas,
- Opened my mindto many new things.
- Kept me Motivated to do more stuff when I got back home from work.
The fatigue would still be there, but with goals in mind, things got easier to follow. Like,
On my break, I read again. Sometimes I would listen to a podcast or watch a lecture on a topic that interests me.
I was going home exhausted but with a reserve of energy.
Then I added another element to the morning routine.
After coming out of my shower, I would sit down and take 5 minutes to breathe “mindfully.” A bit like meditation but in an abridged version. If you are interested in the technique, read my article on cardiac coherence.
I experimented a lot to find to develop a suitable daily routine. Though, I didn’t stop there!
I still experiment and try integrating more activities, such as Yoga or a short sports session. However…
A few days later, I read a fantastic book called The 5 a.m. Club by Robin Sharma. The book explained the 20/20/20 formula so clearly that it changed my whole approach to seeing life.
Moreover, I’d suggest another excellent book called Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod if you’re more interested to learn about morning routines. Interestingly, in both books, the authors advised readers to get up at 5 a.m.
Do you think that’s a coincidence? Or they’re talking about facts backed by scientific research? Read the books to learn more J
In my experience, waking up at 5 a.m. is beneficial but not mandatory. The most important thing is to have time for yourself. Try to spend time alone early in the morning. Those moments will allow you to self-reflect intellectually and spiritually.
2. It makes you Proactive:
Being Proactive means taking control of a situation rather than just reacting to it. But did you know that by nature, we all do the opposite?
- A 2010 study found that “morning people are more proactive and better performing in a problem-solving environment. Most of them ended up attending prestigious schools and getting high-paying jobs.”
Stephen Covey, who wrote ” The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People“, talks more about the differences between a proactive and a reactive person. You can also read more about this topic in my other article, How to Become Proactively and deal with problems.
Let's get back to the discussion:
Basically, If you are reactive, you instinctively react to external stimuli that act on your emotions.
A key indicator of a Reactive person is they like wasting their time doing silly and unnecessary things and later blaming external factors rather than themselves.
Developing a morning routine helped me immensely when I struggled to be proactive and get rid of bad habits.
So, how to embrace a morning routine?
In short: Grow the willpower to get early. Setting your alarm clock at 5 a.m. won’t do any good when you don’t intend to drag your ass off the bed. LOL!
You can read hundreds of books or watch thousands of videos online, but nothing will bring results if you don’t have the determination to start. The most important thing is to find out which method works best for you through experiments.
My suggestions would be :
- For the first month, set your alarm clock 30 mins earlier than usual. During that half an hour, try to avoid using the phone. Once fully awake, do a 5-minute deep breathing exercise according to the principle of cardiac coherence (inhale for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds, repeat for 5min.).
Then take a shower and hand have a mindful breakfast session. That’s it! You only move on to the next step point when you’re comfortable.
- Now, if the time between waking up and going to work seems long, just start journaling. At first, it is going to feel weird. I know it did to me. But it became fun once I got used to it.
Just write whatever comes to your mind. Just go with the flow. You don’t need to worry about any specific structure to pen down your thoughts. Trust me, it is a great way to discover more exciting things about yourself. You’d be surprised!
To give you an idea to start: just write down what are the 5 best things that happened to you yesterday or the 5 people you would like to thank for whatever reason (it can be pretty straightforward, like appreciating the baker for his warm welcome), and what are the top 5 exciting things or people you wish to come across today!
The culture of gratitude is on the rise. And after trying it myself, I can definitely recommend it.
- Then, if you have to take public transport to work, invest your time readinga few pages from a book or listening to a podcast in case you’re driving. Do something more educational than scroll through Instagram or staring at fellow passengers. LOL!
- If you have the opportunity to get up even earlier, you can opt for a short yoga or workout session. You don’t need to burn 1000 calories. Just spend a few minutes to wake up your body.
Moreover, scheduling the night before is a helpful way to stay mentally prepared. Then you can sleep peacefully without having the stress of not knowing what’s coming tomorrow.
I have tried to explain things the way they made sense to me. You really don’t need to follow any of my suggestions in order. These are only ideas to help you out. But here’s a list of activities you should include:
- Reading (for your brain)
- Journaling ( for your mind)
- Workout ( for your body)
Gratitude ( for your heart)
In short:
Have a list of exciting things to do the following day:
- It will keep you motivated to wake up early
- And help you maintain a better mood for the rest of the day
In my case,
- Readinghas completely changed my perspective on life.
- Gratitudehelped me start the day in a better mood.
- Meditation or Breathing exercise has brought peace of mind.
I regularly practice cardiac coherence; it feels great and helps me focus in 5 minutes.
I totally understand not everything works for everyone, and not everyone wants to get up at 5 a.m. But it is worth a try!
Thank you for sharing your time.
Tell me how you feel following this article, or share your favorite technique to regain control of your life in the comments below.
May the force be with you!
It’s your turn!
Kazi, Ex-Pessimist!!