The best morning routine is one that happens. I say I will start and keep up with a new routine. Then I proceed to hit the snooze button again. Choosing sleep is one of my biggest problems with getting my day doing. It might sound like something small, but hitting the snooze button in the morning is the first of many choices that lead me to laziness. The key to successfully working towards my goals is a productive morning routine.
Looking at my life in parallel, I can sleep in, doom-scroll on my phone, and eventually drag myself out of bed. When I do this, I often feel sluggish. On the flip side, when I start my day by going to the gym, making breakfast and coffee, and doing something creative, I feel more prepared to tackle the day.
That one small act of getting ready each day and making the choice to better myself sets me up for success.
I have ADHD, also known as attention deficit disorder, which makes staying productive even more challenging. Even still, a productive morning routine is key to successfully working towards my goals, but that means sticking to these five habits.
1.) Laying my gym clothes out
One of the first triggers to a productive morning routine is getting one of the biggest tasks out of the way- going to the gym. If I lay my gym clothes out the night before and don’t oversleep my first alarm, I will likely have won the day’s first battle. When I move my body in the morning, I stay moving. If I stay in bed and doom stroll, it’s a complex cycle to break. Get up and get moving is the best way I can start my day right.
2.) Drink water and food before having coffee
At this point, I am addicted to coffee. I love it, but I do have to be careful and ensure it doesn’t negatively affect my body. When I drink coffee right away, I typically start to feel anxious. Since caffeine is a hunger present, I also feel less hungry and less inclined to eat a healthy breakfast. If I start my day with an anxious mess, I won’t get much accomplished during the day.
3.) Dress like I am meeting my idol
Even if I am going to be at home alone all day when I am in my junk clothes, I feel less motivated to do any work around the house. Working from home can make this challenging as well. Why dress up nicely when no one can see?
Working from home has many great perks. You can work in your pajamas, have lunch with your loved ones, or take a meeting from a friend’s house. With a little more freedom also comes choice—not to get ready as if I were headed off to a normal office job.
4.) Creating something
Lately, I have been motivated to work on my creative pursuits more. I am writing on this blog more and started a YouTube channel. The number one way I fight off the stresses in my life is by channeling my creative energy. Let’s face it: work can be stressful, as can maintaining relationships. Using creativity kills my anxiety. I am not alone in this experience.
In a Forbes Article titled, Here’s How Creativity Actually Improves Your Health, the author Ashely Stahl writes “Creativity reduces anxiety, depression, and stress… And it can also help you process trauma. Studies have found that writing helps people manage their negative emotions in a productive way, and painting or drawing helps people express trauma or experiences that they find too difficult to put in to words” . The whole article is insightful, and might inspire you to develop creative habits. Read full article here.
Doing something creative each morning for 30 minutes, whether writing, drawing, or editing, can help you fight off stress. I encourage it. If this means whipping out the arts and crafts bin at 7 am, I am here for it.
5.) The 2-minute rule
The 2-minute rule is something I am starting to implement in my routine. As something with ADHD and a naturally messy individual, keeping a clean and organized space has always been a struggle for me. I just asked my sister, who shared a room with me growing up. Now that I am an adult, I find that a messy space isn’t suitable for me, and I am constantly working on habits to improve the tidiness of my place.
The practice of the 2-minute rule is that if it takes less than two minutes, just do it now. This means putting away dishes once they are washed and throwing clothes into the hamper instead of the floor. If not put into practice, these small habits will make a mess over time. A cluttered space represents a scattered mind. Getting ready in the morning is much easier when I don’t have to organize the space at the same time.
Final thoughts
One of my biggest goals in the coming year is to be more productive with my time and energy. These small practices are how I discipline myself and stay motivated. Let me know if any of these tips worked for you or if you have a helpful tip you use in your productive morning routine.
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