Your alarm goes off, and without even opening an eye, you flop your arm in the direction of your beeping phone and randomly press buttons until it stops making that horrifying noise so you can sleep some more. Sound familiar? That's not a recipe for a successful day, according to Kurtis Hanni, who specializes in teaching successful habits, systems, and mental frameworks.
According to Hanni, these are the 10 things you should be doing every day before 8am (give or take, depending on your specific schedule):
1. Plan the night before
"To create a better morning, you need to start the evening before: Look at your schedule, Set out your clothes, Pack your bag. This little preparation can take the morning from rushed to relaxed."
2. Don’t touch your phone
"You should not touch your phone for two hours after waking up. This starts with leaving it in the other room the night before. Bringing your phone to bed disrupts your wind-down and keeps you up later."
3. Get rid of the snooze
"Move your alarm away from your bed so you have to get up to turn it off. This will help you stop hitting the snooze, which destroys your mood and morning routine."
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4. Let there be light Light
"This signals it’s daytime and helps you naturally wake up. Get a sunrise alarm and get outside immediately (see number 8)."
5. Make your bed
"You start with success and set the tone for the day. It is proven to lower stress and improve your mood."
6. Drink a glass of water
"The benefits of this are endless: • Improves your hydration • Removes toxins from your body • Helps wake you up and feel refreshed • Reduces calorie consumption throughout the day."
7. Stretch
"Sleep can cause you to get tight, and a morning stretch will relieve it. It will also relieve stress and activates your muscles."
8. Go on a walk or work out
"A morning walk is a great way to get light and increase your heart rate. A walk and/or a work out will: • increase your mood, energy, alertness, and focus • improve your food decisions throughout the day."
9. Write down what you’re grateful for
"Living with gratitude is a choice. Repeating what you’re grateful for each morning gets your day started on the right foot."
10. Write down your top priorities
"Don't let the workday decide what you're going to do. YOU decide what you're going to do. Establishing the top 1-3 items ensures you set your priorities and not others."
Help yourself get going in the morning with some upbeat music on Mix 105.1!
