Kickstart your day with these morning routine hacks

Does the thought of an early morning scare the bejesus out of you? Or do you manage to wake up but feel groggy throughout and end up feeling like you have wasted a lot of the day? Well, it is a fact that if you manage to get up in the morning feeling refreshed, you will get ahead in a lot of things before the day has even started. Early mornings are the perfect time to catch up on some exercise or meditation or anything else that makes you feel more self-aware and positive. This starts the day on a positive note and the enthusiasm helps you get more work done. For a more productive day, start the morning with a great routine to help your brain get into the pattern. Whether you are new at this or you are already on the way to building a morning routine, here are some hacks you must add into your morning routine to take it to the next level.

Start the night before: The key to waking up fresh on an early morning is to prepare for it the night before. Do not think about anything stressful. In case there are some thoughts which are simply inevitable, keep a pad of paper and a pencil next to your bed and write down these thoughts. Once they are permanently placed somewhere, your brain will stop thinking about them in a loop, allowing you to sleep peacefully.

Self-awareness: Even though you might want to make the most of the early morning by starting work right away, it is better for your energy levels to abstain from that. Instead, we recommend you start the day with some self-love. You can meditate and get a workout. This will help you keep balance and stay in tune with your mind and body, which goes a long way in boosting your energy level throughout the day.

Prioritise: In order to keep yourself from wasting time on non-essential activities, it is best to make a morning to-do list and stick to it. The list should contain only activities that are related to the morning for example, breakfast, workout, shower, skincare routine and getting dressed. This will help you to check from time to time whether you are on track.

Meal prep: Another great way to save yourself the early morning rush is to prepare your breakfast in advance. There are plenty of breakfast options that you can prepare ahead. You can get really creative with oats, chia seed puddings and fruit smoothies. These recipes can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge. They are healthy, tasty and very filling.

Skip the news: As tempting as it might be to catch up on the news over breakfast, it can cause unnecessary tension or excitement which may affect your mood and energy for the rest of the day. Instead, listen to an audio book or a podcast on any topic that interests you. The fact that you learned something early in the morning is a great booster for your brain’s functioning.

These are some simple practices you can incorporate into your morning routines and start the day like the girlboss you truly are!

Ditch the news

Some experts say that you should only be processing information related to your morning tasks when you wake up. "Something as 'simple' as listening to the news as you get ready creates a surprising amount of frazzle," says Bregman. "If you allow yourself to wake up and have silence or even music as opposed to content, you'll move faster."

Hold yourself accountable to others

"Schedule a 9 a.m. meeting — one that you will feel obliged to attend," suggests Robbins, who is a big believer in outside accountability as a morning motivator — similar to having a gym buddy who's relying on you for a sweat session.

Robbins says this method is particularly helpful for anyone who works from home and doesn't actually have to leave the house to start their day. "It all hinges on you having someone else to partner with — someone else who wants to get up and go!