There’s something to be said for slow mornings. Mornings spent enjoying your coffee, getting in a workout or catching up on your favorite podcasts or newsletters before the emails and Slack pings begin pouring in.
If this type of morning sounds too good to be true, it’s not. To create your own slow and relaxing morning, all you need to do is create (and stick to) a consistent morning routine. If that sounds a little daunting or if you’ve never considered yourself to be a morning person, we hear you.
However, research has highlighted many benefits of creating a morning routine that may just tempt you to create your own. An established morning routine has been shown to lower stress levels in your life, as you won’t be rushing out the door each morning. And people with a morning routine have been shown to have a higher salary than those without one.
4 Tips for Creating a Morning Routine
To spark ideas on how to create your own morning routine, we’ve compiled a list of tips on how to spend the extra morning hours you’ll have when you start waking earlier.
1. Make Your Bed
Making your bed as soon as you wake up will not only keep you from crawling back into bed, it’ll help start a domino effect of crossing things off of your to-do list. Plus, keeping your room tidy is just another perk of becoming a morning person who makes their bed.
2. Prep What You Can
Your future self will thank you for cutting down on the amount of decisions you need to make in the morning. Simple things like laying out your outfit or packing your lunch the night before allows you to focus on the things that are really important.
3. Opt for Water
We’re not saying to fully cut out caffeine if you love your morning cup of joe, but we are suggesting that you reach for water before you drink coffee in the morning. After hours of sleep, your body becomes dehydrated. Drinking water when you wake up will help get your body going for the day and help to regulate your digestion and clear the body of toxins.
4. Open Your Blinds
Opening your blinds or curtains as soon as you wake up will help signal to your brain that it’s time to wake for the day. Sunlight also offers a variety of benefits including a boost of serotonin to help start your day off on a positive note.
To help you create a morning routine you can stick to, Auraglow created this helpful infographic with additional tips and an overview of the do’s and don’ts when it comes to establishing your own productive morning routine.