Feature: Starting Your Day Right with a Productive Routine

12/11/2020 12:20:00 PM Media Center 0 Comments

Time for a good ol’ cup of joe. A cup of coffee sitting on top of newspapers and magazines. Retrieved from: https://weheartit.com/entry/324759279

Have you ever had those bursts of energy when you suddenly want to do something productive for a change? You surf through the web to look for ways to be productive then “ideal morning routines” pop up on your screen. You find links to articles with titles like “Follow this Morning Ritual for A Successful Life--According to Successful People!”, which instruct you to wake up at 5:00 a.m., take cold showers, do chores, and exercise. A bunch of tasks to accomplish that may slowly eat away your interest in having a productive morning routine. Well, do not fret, dear reader, for this article will help you design a personalized morning routine that is tailored for you. 

Many studies show that having a morning routine is essential because it generates momentum to stay focused and remain productive throughout the day. Research by Steve Key explains that “standardizing the first 30-120 minutes with a routine lets you arrive at that peak in the best possible mindset.” Having a morning routine may be challenging for some people, and that’s okay! We operate differently as humans. Some people like to start their mornings with a good stretch while others like to stay in bed for another hour. Even though we are different in many ways, it is important to have a morning routine if you aim to have a productive day. So try to go easy on yourself in picking what you want to include in your routine. 

Below are some of the wonder-filled activities you can do in the morning and fit into your routine, along with some of their benefits.

Countless articles about “ideal” morning routines say that you should wake up early to accomplish multiple tasks immediately. But starting early in the morning doesn’t automatically result in a productive day. If you need to wake up for classes or work, then it is suggested that you adjust your sleep schedule. We must learn to listen more and get in sync with what our bodies need. The key to having an effective day is getting enough sleep and waking up when your body has been recharged and is ready for the day ahead. 

I’m sure most of us struggle with keeping our phones away from our reach when we wake up. A study by Tristan Harris, Google's former design ethicist, showed how technology uses "blind spots, edges, vulnerabilities, and limits of people's perception, so they can influence what people do without them even realizing it." For instance, according to a systematic review on Social Networking Sites, using social media in general may decrease an individual’s self-esteem due to the tendency to compare oneself with others’ “success” online, which can lead to increased anxiety and depression. Exposing yourself to social media while your brain is still getting ready for the day can negatively affect our mental state throughout the day.

One of the best substitutes for avoiding social media is journaling. Instead of reaching for your phone, reach for a pen, and write down the thoughts you have for the day. Journaling can be about many different topics; it could be a dream journal, a food journal, a goal journal, an idea journal, or all of those combined. By doing this activity, you help improve your mental health and also your writing skills. 

Here are some self-discovery questions you can answer when journaling in the morning:

To better understand the hows of journaling, you can check the link below. 

This might take a lot more effort than the others in the list, try to record yourself with a camera while talking about your thoughts, trends you want to follow, etc. so that at the end of the year, you can look back and reminisce about the way you’ve grown and matured throughout the year.

Simple tasks such as making your bed and cleaning your room strengthen your self-discipline. Most of us associate self-discipline with something negative, harsh, or restrictive that we tend to avoid activities that remind us of it. The author of “The Happiness Project,” Gretchen Rubin, said, “simple changes can lead to happiness,” and fixing your bed is one of those changes. If you’re having trouble with self-discipline, you could always start with smaller tasks and work your way up to bigger things.

Make Your Bed. (2009, August 28). Retrieved November 28, 2020, from Gretchen Rubin website: https://gretchenrubin.com/2009/08/make-your-bed

Water is an essential part of our fundamental biology as human beings. It helps the transfer of nutrients, contributes to blood circulation, and maintains body temperature. Hydrating ourselves in the morning helps us jump-start our day as it compensates for the water lost from our bodies as we sleep. 

Some of us sleep in positions that might “mess up” our blood flow. By stretching in the morning, we help our bodies improve their regulation of blood, flexibility, and range of motion, and also decrease the possibilities of back pain and headaches. For a more in-depth understanding, you may check the link below.

Source: Lindberg, S. (2018, June 18). Stretching: 9 Benefits, Plus Safety Tips, and How to Start. Retrieved November 27, 2020, from Healthline website: https://www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-stretching#benefits

Exercising in the morning helps a lot with our focus, mood, energy, alertness, and blood pressure throughout the day. The internet is chock-full of exercise programs that can be very intimidating or discouraging, but exercising isn’t always about doing heavy cardio, lifting weights, and hourly sprints. You can always adjust the pace and sets of the exercises and/or add your own touch to them. If you like K-pop, try to learn a dance or two and perform them as if you’re performing on the biggest stage in the world. The important thing is to have fun and keep your body moving.

Source: Nunez, K. (2019, July 10). 13 Benefits of Working Out in the Morning. Retrieved November 27, 2020, from Healthline website: https://www.healthline.com/health/exercise-fitness/working-out-in-the-morning#benefits

Having a hearty, healthy breakfast is essential to keep ourselves fueled during the day. That’s why skipping meals, especially breakfast, can affect our memory, diet, and concentration. It is also important to remember that we should have nutritious, balanced morning meals to perform effectively throughout the day. To keep things interesting, try to discover new recipes to cook and explore your culinary arts knowledge. 

Starting your day by drinking a cup of coffee can be beneficial. It can make you start your day feeling extra energized, which can reflect on your physical performance. Coffee also has a lot of nutrients, including vitamins B2, B5, and B3. It can also lower the risk of diabetes, Parkinson’s, and liver diseases. Tea, on the other hand, has some great benefits such as lowering the risk of diabetes, heart diseases, and cancer. A little Disclaimer: coffee and/or tea may not be for everyone and these benefits may vary according to the types of coffee or tea you will drink. 

If you're looking for a glow up after this quarantine, developing a skincare routine is the very first step towards a healthier radiance. Our skin needs our everyday pampering due to its exposure to injuries, harsh environments, and UV rays– so cleanse, tone, moisturize, and most importantly, apply sunblock. You may think, “Why should we put sunblock if we’re constantly inside nowadays ?” Well, our screen also emits skin-damaging blue light, which can create free radicals, may lead to inflammation, and causes the breakdown of collagen and elastic tissue in the skin. 

Saunders, N. (2020, July 13). Do you need to wear sunscreen inside? Experts weigh in. Retrieved December 5, 2020, from NBC News website: https://www.nbcnews.com/shopping/skin-care/sunscreen-indoors-best-sunblock-face-n1233470

Having a dental routine is just as important as having a skincare routine. A dental care routine is the daily practice of keeping your mouth clean and healthy. When we sleep, the bacteria in our mouths arrive at the ideal environment for reproduction; that is why, in the morning, we experience “morning breath.” By having our own dental care routines, we can avoid oral diseases, so brush, floss, and gargle – or whatever order you prefer-- for a happier, healthier smile. “Brush, brush, brush three times a day,” as the Colgate advertisement states.

Taking a shower in the morning can be a very draggy task for some people, but we should at least consider incorporating it into our daily routine. Showering in the morning helps you start your day feeling fresh and nice and that can help change your attitude towards the day. 

With everything that is going on, it can be very draining and exhausting to move forward. Starting your day with positive affirmations, either by writing it down or talking to yourself in front of the mirror, can change your day’s mood. Daily practice of this can help us change our perspective and outlook on life. 

Here are some affirmations you can try to help start your day on the right note: 

To have a deeper knowledge of the uses and benefits of affirmations, you may check the link below.

80 Powerful Affirmations That Could Change Your Life. (2019, January 20). Retrieved December 5, 2020, from Mindvalley Blog website: https://blog.mindvalley.com/positive-affirmations/

In this day and age, where chaos seems never-ending, we must try to pause and take a moment to breathe. Meditation helps with reducing stress, anxiety, and pain by tapping into the mind, body, and soul through different kinds of breathing exercises. Concentration meditation, mindfulness meditation, and tai chi are some of its types. 

One breathing exercise you can try is Deep Breathing.

To try other exercises, you may check the link below.

Reading helps a lot with our analytical skills, vocabulary, general knowledge, memory, and focus. It also can be therapeutic. For those who are not fans of reading, at least try to allocate thirty minutes a day for it. While you’re at it, you could also try to practice storytelling. It may seem such a silly thing to do, but it improves your speech and diction.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/justinbrownideapod. (2018, January 30). 15 incredible benefits from reading every day. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from Ideapod website: https://ideapod.com/15-incredible-benefits-reading-read-every-day

Research by Valorie Salimpoor, who has a Ph.D. in cognitive neuropsychology, showed that listening to music releases dopamine, a “happy hormone.” In general, music improves our mood, which can reflect on our actions. With so many available websites and applications, we can easily access music – so go get your earphones and get your groove on.

It could be the new language you’ve been trying to study or a calculus formula you’ve been trying to memorize, or even merely a useless fact. Mornings are the perfect time to expand your knowledge and sharpen your mind because your brain works best the time after you wake up from your rest. 

It is important that we give time to our personal hobbies because doing so gives us balance and tranquility. We must remember that we are not robots, and we should be able to give ourselves time to do things that make us happy and, at the same time, boost our skills. 

Source: Flip and Make. (2020, May 13). Making Time For Your DIY Hobbies: Is It Important and How Do You Do It? | Flip and Make. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from Flip and Make website: https://flipandmake.com/making-time-for-your-diy-hobbies-is-it-important-and-how-do-you-do-it/

Those are some activities you can do in the morning, add to them or mix and match tasks you want to include in your routine. Remember to choose activities that make you feel comfortable and are at your own pace and liking. If things don’t work out, try another combination of activities until you find the routine that will best kickstart your day. //by Jelena Evangelista

https://www.facebook.com/thespruceofficial. (2011). 5 Surprising Benefits to Making Your Bed Every Morning. Retrieved November 28, 2020, from The Spruce website: https://www.thespruce.com/reasons-to-make-your-bed-every-day-350511