Today you woke up, right? Typical thing one does at the start of your day. Something you should feel blessed with because not every morning is guaranteed. Since not every morning is guaranteed, why don’t we as a society set the importance of having a good morning routine? That routine starts your day and can set the tone for the workday! Here are some of the tips that I used to help start my morning right because I never used to do this and my life needed a change.
Here’s my morning just to paint you a picture. I am a teacher in New York City but, I do not live in the city so I take public transit. I wake up at 5:00 am OUCH…still hurts thinking about it! I catch a 6:08 train and I get to the city around 7:15. Then I take the subway to my school and get the building at 7:30. So, from door to door it is about an hour and a half commute there and back! Now for New Yorkers, this is a normal reality, but for most people, this may sound like torture and I mean some days it is! That commute, was not awful when I had a seat but, I did not always have a seat and sometimes when I did have a seat I would be squished. So, this journey was NOT setting a good tone for me to teach teens all day! I would be tired before work even started! This would not make me the best teacher I could be for my kids that day so, I started revamping my morning routine.
Here’s what I used to do and would not recommend.
- I would get on the train and go right to my phone and my phone would not leave my hand until I was in the city. This is not the best idea, because I would use all my data and all my mind was filled with was social media.
- I would look at social media for the first hour and a half of my day. I would be sitting on a crowded train, tired and looking at rich pretty girls in bikinis on a beach somewhere because they LOVE to travel. I would question my life’s journey. These girls were around my age doing all these fun things, meanwhile, I am a train next to a guy snoring in my ear. Not really encouraging morale for the day.
- I would check my work email as well along with social media. NOPE. I would be bombarded with emails from students, parents, and administration which would cause me to feel overwhelmed about the day ahead. This would not make me excited to get to work.
So, now were are done talking about my sad commute past and now onto what helped change my morning routine. Side note, I am a morning person and love to get up and start my day! I enjoy feeling productive at the start of my day, it energizes my soul! So, having this soul-crushing commute needed a change. Disclaimer I got many tips from influencers such as Rachel Hollis, Jen Hatmaker, Lori Harder, and Jen Sincero. I will talk about them later! That is a whole other story!
- I get on the train, take out my day planner (made by Rachel Hollis) and plan out my day. Setting your goals for the day keeps your mind focused. Then when you accomplish those goals by the end of the day as you set out to do, it helps to encourage your work morale. I plan my day hour by hour. The hour on the train, my teaching hours, my planning hours at work, my hour commute home, the hour at the gym, and then finally relaxing at home. Having a plan makes the day seem less daunting and overwhelming. I also write 3 things I am grateful for that day in the planner. Not just the typical things like health and family either. Those things are great but, try and be grateful for the small things. One day my train was 3 minutes early so, I was able to catch the earlier subway. I was grateful for that because I can get to work earlier and have more time to set up my classroom.
- Listen to a podcast, if you drive to work this can also be your friend. You may be thinking how can I just listen to people talk to each other for a half-hour. That was my thinking, I’m like how could I even pay attention? The key is to find a podcast of your interests. There is a podcast about everything and anything! Do you like books? Book Club podcasts! Do you like sports? Podcasts are out there where people talk about the ins and outs of all the leagues. Do you like comedy? Plenty of comedians have podcast discussion with guests that are hilarious! My niche of podcasts is self-development, SHOCKER! My prime podcast is “Earn Your Happy” by Lori Harder. She is a fitness and wellness expert and her podcasts center around taking care of your mind, body, spirit, and finances! Listening to her discussions with guests puts me in a good mood and inspires me for the day! Listening to a podcast is like sitting in a room with two people having a conversation and just being able there to sit there and listen! No pressure needed to add on to the conversation.
- If you’re on a train or subway, read a book! If you do not like to read a book or you’re driving in a car stuck in traffic, listen to a book! This has a similar impact as listening to a podcast. I love to read books because it takes me away from reality for a minute. I always read books to take my mind off life and escape into another world. Sometimes I would be so invested in a book I have almost missed my stop! Read whatever interests you. If you are not into reading novels, maybe find an app of your phone that has stories that interest you… you know? People also read sports articles on apps as well. YES! You are on your phone but, at least you’re trying to be productive and read.
- If you’re on a train or subway, you can try to meditate even if its for 5 minutes. There are tons of meditation apps, and it cleanses the mind so it is ready for the day! I used to think that meditation was useless and my anxious mind would never stop talking but, when you truly try it and surrender to the mediation your mind takes you to a place of focus. So try it once see if it is something you’re are about!
- Listen to your favorite music! JAM OUT! Pump yourself up for the day! In a car? Belt out your favorite song. I mean you could also do that on a train but, no promises for the response you would get. Listen to music that makes you happy, music sends vibrations and frequencies to our bodies and makes us feel great! Pre-game for your workday!
You can do all 5 of these things or just one but, it will make such a difference in your day! A good start leads to a good day! If you drive to work, perhaps write your planner at home or it is the first thing you do once to get to work. Many people wake up an hour earlier than needed so they have some “ME” time and plan their day. Some people even wake up early to workout! I like to workout in the morning but, on the weekdays I get up so early, to begin with, I would cry! On the weekends though, I workout in the morning it gets your body ready for the day. On the weekends I also journal in the morning to go over how my week went. That will be another story to tell! I hope some of these tips help you! My outlook on my day has immensely changed once I revamped my morning routine and I actually look forward to getting up in the morning and completing this routine! People say “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!” I believe that “The morning is the most important time of the day!” You can quote me on that!
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Previously published on medium
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