8 Tips To Start Your Day The Right Way.
1. Avoid The Snooze Button
I know it’s a tough habit to break, but studies reveal that this prolonged wake up actually make you more tired and irritable.
"After you hit snooze and drift off, your brain starts
its sleep cycle all over again. When the alarm goes off a second time,
you’re likely at an even deeper, earlier part of your sleep cycle, which
results in you feeling even worse than you did the first time.
If
you regularly wake up feeling groggy, [then] the trouble may be that
your alarm is going off at the wrong part of your sleep cycle.Try setting your alarm a few minutes later (or getting up a little
earlier) and sticking to a regular sleep schedule to get a nice rhythm
going.”
2. Take 10-15 Minutes To Reflect
By setting aside a little time every morning to calm your thoughts and
positively reflect, you can set the tone for your entire day. This
practice will help create awareness of thoughts and help to avoid
“monkey mind,” or a restless or unsettled mind.
Morning reflection will also help to clear your mind of any negativity
from the day before or any unpleasant dreams, and also make you more
focused and optimistic. Controlled thoughts and a focused and optimistic
attitude lead to a lesser amount of stress (and, let’s face it, we all
could use some weight off our shoulders.)
3. Count Your Blessings
Remembering what you’re grateful for is a key way to start the day. It’s
important to do this so that you can sort your priorities and keep your
mind on the bigger picture, rather than nit-picking and getting caught
up in small things.
4. Set Your Daily Goals
After you’ve sorted our priorities, it’s easier to set goals. Keeping a
set focus on each day’s purpose makes you more motivated and grounded.
This way you can avoid the insignificant melodramas playing out in your
head (truth is, they probably won’t matter a week from now or even
tomorrow). Keep your eye on the target!
Here are 3 steps to effectively execute the daily goal exercise:
- “Each
morning take a pen and a piece of paper and write down your 10 top
goals. Don’t look at the day before, just think about what you want to
most and write them down.
- Remember to write them in the positive present tense and remember to set a deadline for each goal…
- Do this for all 10 goals.
5. Exercise Your Brain
You’ve already started
the mental part of this exercise with meditation and goals. To enhance
brain activity even more, try a simple task like reading the newspaper
or completing a sudoku puzzle. Brain stimulation is an important part of
waking up your senses.
6. Exercise Your Body
Now for the physical exercise. I
realize this isn’t the easiest morning habit to master, but if you can
find a way to fit it in, even a short amount of time with a raised heart
rate is beneficial. It accomplishes the task of calorie-burning in an
even better way by kick-starting your metabolism for the day. A morning
run also makes you more alert, which in turn leads to higher
productivity and focus.
7. Have A Healthy Breakfast
‘Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.’ You’ve heard this fact since you were a kid, but here are some reasons
why it’s true according to the researchers at Johns Hopkins University: Breakfast…
- provides the energy and nutrients that lead you to increased concentration and productivity
- helps you maintain a healthy body weight
- prevents you from snacking on sugary and unhealthily snacks before lunch
- gives the vitamins and minerals that you may have otherwise missed that day
- prevents mid-morning slumps
8. Take Time To Look Good
Studies show that
when you are confident in our appearances, it helps you to be more
productive and have an overall happier perspective.
Here are some more reasons why it’s important to ‘dress to impress':
- “Confidence Builder – When you feel good about your appearance, you feel good aboutyourself. Confidence can make a marked difference in how you hold yourself and present yourself in front of others.
- Professional Appearance –
People like to work with/do business with people who look professional.
It is in our nature as visually driven beings. It can give ease and a
sense of trust. It’s hard to be taken seriously if you look like you
just rolled out of bed and are wearing what you wore yesterday.
- Shows Organization –
Dressing professionally signals that you have your stuff together and
are organized. If your clothes are clean, pressed, and professional, it
shows that you went the extra effort to be prepared.”
