3 Morning Routines You Need to Stop Doing

3 Morning Routines You Need to Stop Doing

“If you win the morning, you win the day.” ~Tim Ferriss

Whether you have the awareness of it or not, you have a morning routine you engage in, right now.

Your morning routine could be getting up promptly when your alarm goes off, putting on your workout clothes, and going for a run.

Or, it could be hitting snooze five times and laying in bed for an hour scrolling Facebook before finally getting up at the last possible minute.

The truth is, what you do when you wake up every morning matters.  It sets the tone for your day, and you have the authority to dictate how your day is going to go by the actions you take in the morning.

Let’s talk three morning routines you need to stop doing, why they’re toxic, and morning routines to engage in in their place.

3 Morning Routines You Need to Stop Doing

Hitting Snooze

Okay, this one goes without saying.

Repeatedly snoozing only makes you feel more tired and leaves you with minimal time to get ready for your day, setting you up for disaster.

You do not want to start your day in a mad, frantic rush.

I remember I used to struggle to get up for work in the morning, and I’d hit snooze until I had maybe 30 minutes to get ready and out the door.  Lo and behold, I always showed up to work rushed and irritable. On time, but rushed and irritable.

Remember: You have the authority to dictate how your day is going to go.  While outside circumstances are out of your control, you have the most control first thing in the morning before the day even begins.

When things outside of your control do go awry, a good morning routine sets you up to be able to handle it better than a bad one does.

Related:

• How to Wake Up Early
• 12 Ways to Experience Peace Right Now
• How to Live an Intentional Life
• Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself

The Social Media Trap

Do you roll over in bed and grab your phone off your nightstand first thing in the morning to scroll social media?

Starting your day by scrolling and reacting to other people is programming your brain to be rewarded by distraction.

Distraction is a short-lived, instant-gratification-type mechanism that is essentially a waste of your time and keeps you trapped in reaction mode.

Any activity that leaves you reactive versus proactive is a bad morning routine habit you want to avoid.

You are ultimately programming your brain to live vicariously through other people.

This is probably the worst thing you can do to start your day.

It’s an addiction leading to a negative result.

And there’s nothing worse than feeding that addiction first thing in the morning.

If you have to delete your social media apps and place your phone far away from your nightstand, do it.

Do whatever it takes to break this habit.  Schedule specific blocks of time when you will check your social media, and practice getting out of the habit of grabbing for your phone every few minutes.

I guarantee you there is not one successful person out there that wakes up thinking, “hmm, wonder what’s good on Facebook today.”

You cannot have a million-dollar lifestyle with minimum wage habits.

Related:

• Bad Social Media Habits You Need to Stop
• 6 Time-Wasters Successful Women Avoid
• 5 Things Successful People Do Before 8am
• How to Manage Your Media Consumption
• Grow You (my favorite life coaching)

Checking Email

By beginning your morning with emails and texts, you’re starting your day concerned with other people’s agendas and not your own.

You are reacting to other people’s needs and ambitions (there we are again with the “reactive” state of mind that is toxic).

This doesn’t mean to say you can never check your email or text messages, or should leave people hanging.  But the truth is, many people will contact you with something “urgent,” that isn’t.  It may be urgent for them, but it’s not for you.

Again, don’t leave people hanging or be irresponsible, just remember your well-being and agenda should come first-especially in the morning.

If you have people in your life who are high-maintenance and demand your attention, you can train them how to treat you by not dropping everything to respond immediately.

Research indicates that if you check your email in the first hour of waking up, you decrease your weekly productivity by 30%.

All in all, checking email is another form of being reactive.

Related:

• 5 Self-Discipline Tips for Success
• How to Stop Procrastinating
• 11 Habits that Will Improve Your Life
• High-Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become that Way

Morning Routine Practices to Implement 

Now that we’ve covered morning routines you need to stop doing, let’s talk about morning routines to implement into your daily routine.

Journal

A personal favorite of mine, journaling-particularly, journaling gratitude-is deeply rewarding.

Spending time in introspection and putting your thoughts down on paper helps you make sense of life.  Some of your best ideas will come from spending time in quiet, just thinking.  This is a skill you can get really good at when you practice it daily.

Try practicing journaling gratitude on a daily basis and list five very specific things you’re grateful for that occurred within the last 24 hours.

I started doing this about six months ago and attest it does make a positive impact in your life and the way you handle hard things. it’s a good practice to do regardless of what is going on in your life, but I personally encountered several losses during the time I’ve been gratitude journaling, and I can say it has served as a coping mechanism on top of being a proactive way to start the day.

Read

Every morning, I read an entry from a daily devotional.  Whether you choose to read from a devotional or personal development/inspirational book, reading quality material in the morning is another proactive way to start your day.

You can also listen to a motivational or inspirational podcast.  A lot of times, I’ll go on a walk in the morning and listen to a quick 15-20 minute podcast by one of my favorite inspirational speakers.

Reading quality material or listening to a quality podcast awakens your mind, gives you tools to apply to your life as you go about your day, and improves your mood.

Review Your Schedule, Goals, and Priorities

I live and die by my calendar planner and goals planner, as well.   Checking in with your schedule, priorities, and goals puts the most important activities at the forefront of your mind-not to mention those long-term goals you’re taking baby steps to achieve.

Goals aren’t achieved in one fell swoop-they are achieved by the little habits you do daily, which is why reviewing your goals daily is crucial to achieving them.

Move Your Body

Whether it’s a full-blown workout session or a walk around the neighborhood, moving your body is invigorating-especially first thing in the morning.

Getting exercise isn’t just for people trying to lose weight.  It improves your mood, keeps your heart healthy, and is a lifestyle to make a long-term habit.

Related:

• How to Make Exercise A Habit in 6 Steps
• 3 Ways to Practice Gratitude and Feel Better Today
• How to Create Your Perfect Daily Routine

Before You Go

You have a morning routine, whether you realize it or not.

Be intentional with your morning routine by practicing proactive habits that will set the tone for your day-something only you have the authority to do.

Remember to avoid any reactionary-type behaviors in the morning such as hitting snooze, scrolling social media, and responding to emails.

Allow your body and mind to truly wake up and savor the quietness of the morning.

You may not be a morning person, but I promise, once you create a morning routine from a place of intention, you just might become one.

I love hearing from my readers and I read and reply to every comment I receive, so don’t be afraid to drop me a line!