How to Build a Productive Morning Routine

During these past couple months, but really since I got an iPhone in 7th grade, I've been struggling to feel productive. Sometimes I feel like I've done nothing with my day and have wasted it all of my phone mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or Tik Tok. Over the past weeks, I've started to get my act together. I started this blog, I've stayed on top of my school work, and have extra time to be creative! I have found that it all starts with a good morning routine. I have been forming my morning routine over a while and let me tell you, I think I have a great method.

I'm sure you have heard that a morning routine is key to a productive day from other influencers before, but all of their suggestions just seem so unrealistic! Obviously, not going on your phone is an ideal change to start making to your morning routine but it does not happen overnight. The prases, "start your morning with activity" or "make your bed right when you get up," are great suggestions! But if you are like me, you can stick to that for maybe a day or two and then you're back to laying in bed for hours. Keep reading if you want to know how I made a realistic morning routine and the steps I took to get there!

1. When you wake up, start your day with gratitude.

I talked about gratitude in my New Years Resolutions article so go check that out if you are confused on what gratitude is! Basically, you keep a journal and a pen by your bed and upon waking up, write down 3 things that you are thankful for or a daily affirmation. You can be thankful for your family, friends, or house, but also keep in mind the little things like comfy blankets, your favorite book or even your shoes! This will force you to start your day off with positivity and give you an optimistic and focused outlook on the rest of the day. This literally takes less than 3 minutes to do and it requires little effort so this should be super easy to incorporate! For my gratitude and daily affirmations, I have this book called The Five Minute Journal. It is great for anyone starting to explore gratitude and gives a ton of guidance. Click on the picture for the amazon link to The Five Minute Journal!

2. Visual manifestation.

You may have never manifested before or you might not know what it is. Manifesting is the act of bringing things into your life by attraction and belief. For example, if you need some money, you can manifest that money will come in your life by believing it will happen. To visually manifest you basically visualize your dream life, things you want in your life, and stuff that you want to happen in your life. Just close your eyes and get in a comfy position! You can manifest that you will receive money, that a certain sports opportunity will come to you, or that you get an A on a test.

3. For the first 20-30 minutes that you spend on your phone, do stuff for you.

I know that going on your phone is probably the first thing you do in the morning, and you usually check your social media, scroll through Tik Tok, and snapchat people back. Ask yourself, does this actually benefit me? The answer is most likely no. Social media is proven to have negative effects on mental health and most of us get stuck in a rut of pointless scrolling for hours. When I say "do stuff for you" I mean: checking your emails, looking through Pinterest, or responding to text messages. Doing things like checking your mail and responding to others is already productive! You are already finishing one task for your day and it will give you a clear start to your day. As for going on Pinterest, do I have to say more? This is the closest thing to social media that is actually beneficial to you! It will give you inspiration for your day, no pun intended. I use Pinterest to visualize my dream life and it helps me to set goals! Click here to go to my Pinterest page!

4. When you are ready to get up, make your bed.

I can't stress this enough. Make. Your. Bed. I've probably said this before in other articles but a clear space = a clear mind. Making your bed will give you a clean, put together space perfect for maximizing your productivity. Again, by doing this you are already being productive. You are already accomplishing a task that should be part of your daily routine. It also eliminates the urge to get back into your bed because its to pretty to mess up!

5. Let in some natural light.

If you have a window in your room that is usually covered by curtains, now is the time to open them! Natural light is so refreshing and literally gives you a bright start to your day. I open my curtains after I make my bed.

6. Make a healthy breakfast.

Making a healthy breakfast is a great way to kickstart your energy and give you fuel to be productive throughout your day! Eating healthy is proven to give you brain power, helps to clear your head and improve focus. If you aren't really a breakfast person or aren't hungry in the morning than you can make a juice or a smoothie! Check out my post about Healthy Breakfast Recipes!

7. Read.

Literally read anything. Read the news, a magazine article, or even some of my blog posts! This will kickstart your brain. Obviously reading also increases vocabulary and IQ but finding something to read that is actually interesting is super important, so it doesn't have to be Shakespeare. Over the past couple months I have started reading for fun. I never thought I'd say this but I'm actually a book person now. It is seriously a matter of finding the right book that makes you want to read it. A good book is honestly so addicting so let me know in the comments if I should share my book list!

8. Do some physical activity.

When it comes to physical activity, there are so many options. You can go on a run or walk, follow a workout video, do some morning yoga, go on a bike ride or go on a hike. There are so many options regardless of your situation or proximity to things like sinking trails or gyms (which aren't even open right now haha). It also doesn't have to be to extreme, like you don't have to be dripping in sweat after. A simple 10 minute morning yoga will get your body warm and stretch your muscles after a long nights rest. It will leave you feeling accomplished. Check out my article on the best workout videos!

9. Do some work.

Do whatever you need to get done that day such as homework or just a personal project. By doing this you are making the morning a time where your productivity is at its max. Getting things done like homework will 1. make you more relaxed knowing you aren't going to scramble the night before to get it done, 2. clear your head of necessary tasks so that you can use the rest of your day to do what you want.