You’ve heard that successful people get up early in the mornings and that the right early morning routine can totally transform your life. But how should you be spending this time? What are the most powerful and life-changing things to do early in the morning?
If you want to turn your life around and you want to do this by implementing the best morning routine, then look no further, here are 56 of the most powerful things to do early in the morning if you want to change your life for the better.
Things to do early in the morning to improve your health
Let’s start with the essentials. Because if you’re not healthy and well, then nothing else will work.
Drink water
Most of us don’t drink enough water. Given that the body is 60% water, it’s critical to stay hydrated.
If you’re not staying hydrated, you’re not going to perform at your best. Many studies have shown that even mild dehydration, with a drop of 1-3% body weight, can lead to impaired mood, memory, and brain function.
So starting the day with water gets you off to the best start possible.
Drink green tea
If you’re not a fan of green tea yet then you might want to consider some of the health benefits. Studies suggest that possible health benefits of drinking green tea include weight loss, cancer prevention, improved heart health, lowered cholesterol, and reduced risk of stroke.
If that’s not enough to convince you to give green tea a go, it could even improve your working memory!
Have a good breakfast
We all know that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But that doesn’t mean that we give it the time and thought it deserves.
A great benefit of waking up early in the morning is that you’ve got more time to make and eat a delicious and healthy breakfast.
Have a smoothie
If you’re not typically a breakfast person then having a smoothie is a great thing to do early in the morning.
You can get your fruit and veg in, as well as plenty of fiber to boot!
Make your smoothie a green one for an added superfood kick by packing it full of green leafy veg. But not at the expense of an awesome taste – of course!
Drink a green juice
When you make a smoothie, you use the whole fruit, a green juice on the other hand is just the fruit juice without the pulp.
So why would you want to do this?
Well, the lack of fiber means your body can more readily absorb micronutrients. So while you probably don’t want to have a green juice early in the morning, every morning, it might be a nice addition from time to time.
Prepare a healthy lunch
I’ve talked about the benefits of a great breakfast, but what about your lunch?
Personally, lunch is one of my favorite meals of the day.
When you wake up early in the morning, you can forget about grabbing whatever’s available come lunchtime, and instead take the time to prepare something you’ll love.
Go for a walk
Walking’s a wonderful thing to do early in the morning. As well as the fresh air and alone time you get when you go early in the morning, walking also has tons of other benefits. In fact, a look at the list below from Mayo Clinic is proof that waking up early in the morning to fit in a walk before work could be one of the best decisions you make for your health.
The benefits include:
- Strengthening your bones and muscles
- Improving muscle endurance
- Increased energy levels
- Improving your mood, cognition, memory, and sleep
- Better balance and coordination
- Strengthened immune system
- Reduced stress and tension
Go for a run
If you’re ready to step up your game, then it’s time to go from walking to running. Running will help you burn more calories so it’s great for getting in shape. You’ll also still get the many benefits of walking.
Stretch
We tend to tag stretching to the beginning and the end of our workouts, but many of us could probably do with giving stretching more time. As well as increasing your flexibility, which becomes more important as we age, it can calm the mind, improve posture and improve your performance in other physical activities.
If you’re spending your day sitting at a desk job, then the fact that stretching can improve your posture and reduce back pain makes it a no-brainer.
Practice yoga
If you’re ready to take your stretching to the next level then the thing to do early in the morning is yoga. It has all the benefits of stretching, but now you can put all your stretches together into a series of impressive poses!
Things to do early in the morning for your personal development
No matter how old you are, you can always benefit from spending time on personal development. From increased self-awareness to an increased sense of clarity, purpose, and direction, to more confidence as a result of self-improvement and growth.
The benefits are endless. What’s more, there are plenty of things you can do early in the morning towards your personal development.
Listen to an educational podcast
Remember that walk you’re going on? Why not pair it with a podcast. Make that an educational podcast and you can be learning and developing while also getting fit. Win-win.
Read a book
If you find it difficult to fit reading into your schedule, then this is a great thing to do early in the morning before everyone else is up. This way you can be sure to have a little quiet to get a few pages in of your favorite book.
Listen to an audiobook
Why not try listening to your favorite book. This way you can still gain the knowledge while on your walk, run, or even while preparing your lunch for the day.
Watch a Ted Talk or something else that’s motivational
When it comes to deciding what things to do early in the morning, you don’t have to do tasks and activities that take up much time. In fact, watching a short Ted Talk, or watching a motivational video will leave you pumped and ready for the day. All in as little as 10 – 15 minutes!
Write / say / listen to affirmations
Our minds aren’t always our best friends and when you wake up your mind might already be racing with negative thoughts and chatter.
A powerful thing to do early in the morning is to drown out this negative mental chatter with positive daily affirmations. You can write these or speak them out loud, either way. It’s highly beneficial.
If you’re not sure where to start with affirmations then check out these 50 Powerful Daily Affirmations For Confidence And Self-Esteem
Journal
While some of us have embraced journaling as a daily practice, you might still be in the camp of “there’s not enough time for journaling“, or you might not know how to start journaling.
If finding time to journal is a factor, the good news is that journalling is an extremely valuable thing to do early in the morning before your day gets started.
It can help you gain clarity, organize your thoughts, increase your creativity, and much more. And if you’re not sure how to get started with journaling, then check out these 29 powerful journaling methods.
Practice gratitude
When things are going wrong, or when we’re faced with challenges it’s easy to forget the good things in our lives. That’s why focusing on the things you’re grateful for early in the morning can serve to keep you grounded.
Start a gratitude journal as part of your early morning routine.
Practice visualization techniques
You might know that visualization is a powerful tool that’s used by many successful people, including elite athletes. But visualization is a skill that can be practiced.
This is why it’s something you might want to do early in the morning because like practicing gratitude, it serves to get you in the best possible frame of mind for the day ahead and the better you get at it the more powerful the results will be.
Work on a new skill you want to develop
The best way to learn is to practice, and the more you practice something the better you become. Use your early morning to practice new skills that you’re trying to develop and see your skill level sour!
Watch a webinar
Webinars have become the new normal. but you can’t always attend webinars live. Instead of missing out completely, if you know you can’t make a webinar, why not sign up and watch the replay. This is another highly transformative thing you can do early in the morning.
Things you can do early in the morning to achieve your goals and create your future
Do you set goals but struggle to achieve them? Then focusing on your goals and future is an important thing to do early in the morning.
Set your intentions for the day
Intentions have the power to change your life. Setting intentions is about more than setting goals and priorities. While goals and priorities are about the tasks you want to complete and actions you plan to take, intentions are the guiding force. They are where it all begins.
Everything in life starts with intention. Your intentions not only guide your actions but can also guide and define how you show up.
You can set an intention to be more forgiving, more loving, more patient, as well as setting an intention to achieve a specific goal, like making more money in your business or getting a promotion.
Most of us aren’t intentional. Since your intentions guide you, that’s why you can easily get swept away by external factors, your emotions, and by things that happen out of your control.
Review goals for the year
You wrote down your goals for the year, and you haven’t looked at them since. Then at the end of the year, you look at your goals, only to find that you’ve gone seriously off-course and haven’t achieved any of the things you set out to.
Avoid this common cycle by reviewing your annual goals regularly. Having this as one of the things you do early in the morning will ensure you start being laser-focused on what you want.
Create your vision board
Do you have a vision board yet? If not, then take time early in the morning to create one.
The early morning is an ideal time to do this before the worries or stresses of the day start clouding your mind. You can come at it with a clear and open perspective.
Visualize your future
As well as having a vision board, it’s well worth spending time thinking about and visualizing what you want.
Remember…
What the mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.- Napoleon Hill
Review your goals for the week
As well as checking in with your goals for the year, keep a close eye on what you want to accomplish each week. The more you can keep your goals top of mind, the more likely you are to achieve them.
Check your to-do list against your long term goals
Does your to-do list align with your long-term goals, or is it filled with tasks that don’t move the needle? Our daily actions don’t always align with our long-term desires, and that means we’re not creating the future we want for ourselves.
For example, if you want to learn a new language, have you made time for this in your schedule? If not, then chances are it’s not going to happen.
Review your progress so far on projects you’re working on
Are you where you need to be to achieve your goals in the desired timeframe? Sometimes, we need to adjust our approach or our timescale. The goal may remain the same but perhaps you have come across some unexpected bumps in the road.
Reviewing your progress against your planned deadlines will help you see when and where you need to make adjustments, sooner rather than later.
Check-in with your bucket list
Finally, on the topic of personal development as something to do early n the morning, have you written a bucket list?
If not then write one and check in with it often.
We all tend to think we have unlimited time to do the things we want in life. Unfortunately, it’s this mindset that leads many people to wake up one day and wonder what they’re doing with their lives, and where all the time went.
That’s why it’s important to live intentionally and taking the necessary steps, however small, towards creating a future you really want every day.
Things to do early in the morning for your self-care
By now, I hope you know the importance of self-care. But you probably never thought it was something you could do early in the morning.
Why not! There are many small things you can do that can have a hugely positive impact on your well-being.
Here are some of the great things to do early in the morning when it comes to self-care.
Listen to uplifting music
We all have that tune that picks us up. But why wait till your down. Listening to music leads to the release of dopamine which is associated with pleasure and reward centers in the brain. What’s more, listening to music improves your mood and can reduce anxiety among other benefits.
Dance
… and while you listening to music get moving and start dancing. Increase your blood flow to your muscles and your brain, increase your energy levels and feel amazing in the process.
List your accomplishments
It’s easy to be so absorbed by the future and what you have yet to achieve that you forget what you have already accomplished. It’s important to remember how far you’ve come and give yourself a much-needed pat on the back from time to time.
Write an “it’s done list”
There’s nothing like crossing tasks off a list as complete. Well, with its done list, that’s the whole point. Go through and list everything you’ve already done this week.
Work on a hobby
Hobbies that are just for fun can get left by the wayside because we stop working on them in favor of more productive activities. But they are great for relaxing your mind and releasing stress, so if you have a hobby that you’ve put down for a while, now might be a great time to pick it up again… unless it’s playing the trumpet.
Doodle
Doodling relaxes the brain and can also increase creativity. And who knows, you might find that you’ve got quite the doodling talent like
Burn essential oils
Essential oils are plant extracts. They’re made by steaming or pressing various parts of a plant (flowers, bark, leaves, or fruit) to capture the compounds that produce fragrance.
Some studies indicate that essential oils can ease anxiety as well as help with depression. But make sure you pick the right oils since they can also help with insomnia.
Meditate
Mediation has plenty of benefits. The best part is, you don’t need to spend hours on end meditating to reap the benefits. In fact, according to Headspace you can get started by meditating for just 5 – 10 minutes.
Plan your dream holiday
There’s nothing like a holiday. And you don’t even need to be on one. personally, I find that the planning and anticipation can be as enjoyable as the trip itself! So, why not put this to the test and start planning that dream holiday.
Besides, the further ahead you plan, the more time you’ve got to save for it.
Take a relaxing bath
Finally, while a bath might be typically an evening event, no law says you can’t have a bath early in the morning. You get the benefit of starting your day off calm and relaxed, ready for anything.
Things to do early in the morning to nurture your relationships
Good relationships need to be worked on. With everything else in life, your relationships can sometimes suffer.
To prevent this, why not do things early in the morning to nourish your relationships.
Some great ideas include:
- Writing a letter to a friend
- Sending a kind message to someone
- Getting in touch with an old friend
- Spending some quality time with your other half
- Shopping for cards and gifts
- Planning a date night
Things to do early in the morning to increase your productivity
If you want to be more productive then here are some of the things you can do early in the morning that will help you on this mission.
Sort out your email/ clear your inbox
Email can take up a lot of your time. Instead of checking it constantly throughout the day, block off time to work through it, leaving the rest of your day clear for more important tasks.
Doing this early in the morning gives you peace of mind knowing that it’s taken care of, and you can then focus on other activities in your work or business.
Work towards a big goal
If you’ve got a big personal goal, that’s outside the scope of your day job, then working on it early in the morning will leave you feeling super productive and motivated for the day ahead. When I started this blog I would work on it from 4.30 am before work, and it left me with a real sense of accomplishment.
What’s more, I started working on it so early in the morning because I found that after a busy day at work and a long commute, I couldn’t give it my best. Changing up my schedule made all the difference.
Catch up on work
If you’re going through a busy time at work, whether that’s in your day job, or your business, then putting in some time early in the morning can really help reduce your stress levels, rather than putting in those hours at the weekend.
Work on your side hustle
When you’re starting a business on the side, time is a challenging factor. The early mornings are one of the best times to work on your side hustle, while you still have the energy and brainpower for it.
Do that thing you’ve been putting off
Do you have something you need to take care of but keep putting off? We all have those things. Whether it’s doing your taxes or cleaning your oven, whatever it is, get it done early in the morning so you don’t feel like it’s sucking valuable time out of your day later.
Tidy the house
Speaking of cleaning the oven… tidying up can take time. But not if you stay on top of it.
Plan for the rest of the week
Since time management comes down to effective planning and prioritization, take some time early in the morning to plan for the rest of your week or the new week ahead.
Eat that frog!
In case you’re wondering, that frog is that big ugly but important task you need to get done. What’s more, it’s probably going to make the most difference once you’ve done it.
The concept of eating that frog comes from the book with the same name by Brian Tracey. The book offers 21 effective principles that will help you to stop procrastinating so you can finally get the most important things in your life done.
Organize
Our environment affects our mood and even our ability to focus. But organizing doesn’t always get time in the schedule.
Whether it’s your wardrobe, kitchen cupboards, or desk, organizing is another one of those tasks that can get put off. By making time early in the morning to get it done, perhaps once each week, you can stay on top of it, so it doesn’t become a mammoth task.
Meal prep and batch cook
Even though I love to cook, I still don’t like spending too much time in the kitchen mid-week.
To save on time, I try and do as much meal prep as possible.
Something as simple as chopping vegetables in advance can greatly cut down the time it takes to cook meals from scratch.
In fact, for some dishes, it’s the preparation that takes up the most time.
Things to do early in the morning towards your money and finances
Go through your receipts
How aware are you of your spending habits? Not just how much, but on what items as well.
From doing this myself I can confirm that things aren’t always as they seem and you might be spending on certain things more than you think.
What gets monitored gets managed. This is true for your finances as well. Keep track of what you’re spending your money on so you can improve your spending habits and your finances in the long run.
Manage invoices
Do you find yourself running around last minute to pay invoices? And what about chasing up invoices that are owed to you? ( One of the important tasks of any business)
The early morning is the perfect time to focus on this critical task the will pay dividends in the long run.
Analyze bank statements
Maybe you’re not ready to start trawling through every receipt just yet. At the very least, be sure to check your bank statements so you know exactly what outgoings you have regularly, and again to check in on your spending, AND saving.
Work on your money mindset
One aspect of money that you probably don’t think about is your money mindset.
That is your attitude, thoughts, and beliefs about money.
According to money mindset experts, what you think about money can significantly impact how much money you earn and how much wealth you attract into your life.
So, this is one of the things to do early in the morning that can definitely transform your life for the better!
Leave A Comment