5 Ways to Spend Your Morning

I would say that I’m a morning person.

That is to say, I’m more likely to be productive in the morning than in the evening. On the days that I drag myself out of bed nice and early, I usually get a lot done. Unfortunately, being a morning person doesn’t always equate to being someone who gets out of bed early! Although, I am getting better at that. I find that on a Saturday, I prefer to be out of bed before 8am, eating a good breakfast, heading to Parkrun and doing some chores.

What I’m not so good at, however, is getting up early on work days. From Monday to Friday, I tend to leave it as late as possible to roll out of bed!

For a while, I got up at 5am and went to the gym before work. That didn’t last long! But what I did find during that time was that I liked having time to myself in the mornings. It’s a great time to reflect, relax and set yourself up for the day. Ever since, I’ve been trying to develop my ideal morning routine. It’s a lot of trial and error, and I’m not quite there yet, but I thought I would share a few ideas in case, like me, you’re still trying to find your ideal morning routine.

So here are 5 ideas for activities you could integrate into your morning routine to get your day off to a perfect start:

Read a book

This has got to be my favourite thing to squeeze into my morning. I like to set myself a time, usually just 10 or 15 minutes, where all I do is enjoy my current read. Perhaps you’d prefer a page goal in the morning to keep you on track? Either way, it’s the perfect way to carve out some time to yourself to get lost in a story or to work on some self-development.

Here are some cosy reading recommendations.

Plan

Talking self-development, why not spend some time planning in the morning? Personally, I like to plan the day ahead. I write myself a to-do list that includes everything from ‘Return ASOS order’ to ‘Make dinner’, so that I know exactly what my day’s going to look like. You might prefer to work on some long-term planning in the morning instead. Have a look at your five year plan or your monthly goals and see what you can do that day to make them happen.

Stretch

There’s nothing like a good stretch to wake you up in the morning!

Photo by Burst on Pexels.com

You could do a short yoga session, or just stretch your body however feels good to you. Personally, I like to follow any full-body stretch routine I can find on Youtube, and then work on any sore muscles with a foam roller. If you hit the gym a lot, I’d 100% a good foam roller for your muscles! Painful, but worth it.

Eat what nourishes you

And I mean your body and your mind. Eat something that fuels you with the right nutrients, as well as being delicious.

When I have time to make a good breakfast in the morning, I always feel good for the rest of the day. My go-to options are either porridge with cacao and berries, or peanut butter and banana on toast. Whatever I have, I love to wash it down with a strong cup of coffee. It sets me up for an energetic day and usually leads to better food choices all day.

Do something creative

Even if you don’t think of yourself as a creative person – there’s a lot to be said for trying something creative first thing in the morning. For me, this is usually writing, either fiction writing or writing a blog post. You could also try painting, drawing, crafts, journalling, scrapbooking, playing an instrument or even learning a new language or completing some puzzles. Anything that stretches your brain and gets your creative juices flowing is a good way to start your day.

I hope that you can use one or more of these ideas in your morning routine. Let me know if you have any other suggestions!