A refreshing and productive morning routine is one of the keys to ensuring a productive and anxiety-free rest of the day. And as a student, being productive and anxiety-free is super important!
But are you really maximizing the potential of your morning routine? In this post, I’ll be revealing the 6 foolproof steps to transform your morning routine.
If you’re ready to have a productive and healthy morning, let’s dive right into the post.
Set no more than 2 alarms
Waking up early is one of the keys to a productive morning routine. But not many of us are able to naturally wake up early without wanting to dive straight back into bed. Here’s where alarms come in helpful.
Though I mentioned in my earlier post, 7 Brilliant Tips To Wake Up Earlier, that you could try setting just 2 alarms or setting multiple alarms by intervals, the former may be more effective.
It’s perfectly normal to not want to get up immediately after waking up. With the 2-alarm system, you’ll be setting the first alarm to actually wake up and the second one to get up.
One reason you should not set multiple alarms by intervals (which I know a lot of students like to do) is that you become overdependent on the next alarm. Therefore, it’s more effective to stick with the 2-alarm system.
No screen time until breakfast
If you’re one to check your phone and start scrolling through Instagram as soon as you wake up, it’s time to break that bad habit! As we all know, social media has the power to chain us to our phones for an ungodly amount of time. To prevent wasting hours after waking up early, avoid using your phone until breakfast.
If your morning routine is anything like mine, you usually wake up, make your bed, wash up, get dressed, then start making breakfast. As long as you follow a routine similar to this, you shouldn’t have much trouble with avoiding your phone!
However, once you’ve got to breakfast and have successfully woken up your mind and body, feel free to use your phone to your advantage! This means listening to an episode of a motivational podcast, reading the news, calling a friend, etc.
YOU’LL LOVE THIS POST: 75 Morning Routine Ideas That Will Change Your Life
Eat breakfast & drink water
Never skip breakfast! Breakfast is arguably the most important meal of the day, and the first time you eat after (usually) over 12 hours! Some students like to skip breakfast to save time, but unless you genuinely do not have enough food, you should always eat breakfast.
Even if you’re short on time, there are many easy and quick breakfast options for you, like a bowl of instant oatmeal, a ham-and-cheese sandwich, some fried veggies and eggs, etc.
At the same time, remember to drink water after waking up! Your body needs in the morning, and drinking water (hot and cold both have its benefits, so it’s up to you and what you’re feeling that day) will help start your day off on the right foot.
Make a to-do list (with times)
One of the things every student must do either in the morning or the evening before is to make a to-do list. To-do lists help you organize your day, maximize your efficiency, minimize stress, and overall guarantee a productive day.
However, a regular to-do list might not be enough for busy students like you. If you feel that you tend to ignore your to-do list until it’s too late (known as procrastinating), try assigning each task a time.
On your to-do list, write a start time for each task. You can also choose to include its duration (how long it should take and when it should end), but that’s up to you.
This is inherently similar to time-blocking your day (see the image below) but less visual. Whether you choose to time-block your day on a calendar or simply write out a to-do list with times is completely up to you, and you can try both out to see what works for you.
CHECK IT OUT: How To Actually Stop Procrastinating
Schedule time for “nothing”
In your to-do list or time-blocked morning schedule, make some time for nothing. This will be the time when you’re not obligated to do anything but take time for yourself and do something you want to, just because you can.
You can make this “nothing” time as long and short as you want, but don’t procrastinate the entire morning and tell yourself it was self-care. I’ve found that the perfect amount of time for me to both relax yet not completely slack off is around 20 minutes.
In your time for “nothing”, you can do many activities. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Meditate
- Journal
- Think (but don’t overthink)
- Stretch
- Study
- Call a friend
- Play with your pets
Prepare the night before
To make your morning as stress-free as possible, plan it out beforehand. Make your to-do list or time block the next day before you go to bed, and you’ll wake up with everything already laid out for you.
Similarly, also prepare the physical supplies you’ll need the next morning. Other than your outfit, a bottle of water, and other necessities, also make sure your backpack is ready (if you’re going to “real” school) or your laptop is charged (if you’re an online student).
If you’ve prepared everything you need the night before, you can start your mornings knowing that all you need to do is to follow the plan you’ve made and watch your day fold out just as you intended!
Conclusion
With these 6 simple tips, you’ll be able to create and follow a morning routine that ensures a productive day! I hope these helped you, and make sure to leave a comment to let me know what your morning looks like!
And if you’re looking for more posts like this, here are my latest posts:
- 10 New Habits To Build This School Semester
- 7 Brilliant Tips To Wake Up Early In The Morning
- 8 Daily Habits Of Highly Successful Students
