La Ivana Cert. Life Coach · The La Ivana Podcast

In today’s post, I’m sharing with you 10 things to add to your morning routine to increase your productivity and well-being. There is this misconception lately that you have to wake up at 5 am if you want to be successful. In my opinion, that’s not necessarily true.

As one does, after seeing how well it went for some people, I started waking up at 5 am as well. It didn’t last long. I was taking a nap 3 hours after waking up and it just didn’t work for me. No matter when you wake up, you have 24 hours in a day. So, the point is not WHEN you wake up, it’s HOW you wake up and WHAT you do with the hours while you’re awake.

There are many people that are night owls and still get so much done and are very successful.

Whatever the case might be for you, there still might be some rituals you do when you get up. Therefore, I’d like to share with you ideas on things to add to your morning routine to feel better and be more intentional with your time. There’s no need to do all of these things. Even I don’t do all of these every day, especially now that I’m traveling and working as a digital nomad.

But, definitely, EVERY item on this list makes me feel good. EVERY TIME.

Things to Add to Your Morning Routine

1. Start your morning routine with the 5-Second Rule

“Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” 
― Stephen King

Mel Robbins, the author of ”The 5 Second Rule” book, suggests that when you hear your alarm, you should count ”5, 4, 3, 2, 1” and get up.  I apply this mindset in some other areas of my life as well. Waking up as a person willing to take action in life instead of procrastinating will give you an instant energy boost.

I figured this is an excellent way to decrease decision fatigue. While you’re snoozing your alarm, you’re not getting any quality sleep so there’s really no point in tossing and turning for extra 15 minutes.

So, what to do then? Set an alarm for the exact time you need to get up, and simply get up when you hear the alarm in the morning. I used to set an alarm earlier than I needed, so I would just end up snoozing it. But, really… What’s the point?

2. Make your bed

I do this step every day, even when I stay at hotels. It gives me the feeling of accomplishment first thing in the morning. And back home, my bed is in the same room where I work, so seeing everything organized and tidy makes me more focused and productive.

Plus, it might inspire you to organize the rest of your room. It’s all about building momentum with one small habit, which often gets the ball rolling in establishing other positive habits.

I’m sure if you would take 2 minutes now to make your bed, you’d feel instantly better and accomplished, even a little bit. Let me know if it impacts your mood.

3. Skincare

Hydration goes in this category as well, since water has many benefits for your skin. Make sure to take care of your body by setting aside a few minutes for your morning routine skincare. In this post about wellness habits I shared my favorite skincare products, so check it out for some new ideas.

4. Yoga

“Yoga is not just a repetition of few postures – it is more about the exploration and discovery of the subtle energies of life.” 
― Amit Ray

Or even a light stretch. Here are a few of my favorite morning yoga flows:
5-minute morning yoga
36-minute yoga morning fresh

While waiting for your coffee to brew, instead of scrolling on Instagram as a part of your morning routine, you could stretch your body a bit. It feels so good after hours of laying in bed. Without a doubt, it’s one of my favorite morning habits.

5. Meditate

Here are a few guided meditations I love:
4-minute morning uplift
positive mind in 5 minutes meditation

I used to listen to these two almost every day while I was driving on the bus on my way to work. They would always put me in a great mood. Now I prefer listening to meditation music, but if you’re a beginner, I’d highly recommend starting with some short guided meditations.

I’d also suggest meditating in the first half an hour after waking up while your brain is still in an alpha state and easily influenced. That’s why scrolling on Instagram or answering emails is not the best choice to start your day since it puts you in reaction mode.

While my mind is still in an alpha state, I like to set my intention for the day, make a gratitude list, repeat affirmations, visualize my ideal day and raise my vibration for the rest of the day.

You can read more about brain waves and how they contribute to the state of mind in this article.

6. Focus on the positive

What are the 10 things you are grateful for? Don’t take anything for granted.

Two days ago I moved into another Airbnb here in Bucharest, and there were some things I didn’t like. I couldn’t turn off the heating, the kitchen sink was too small and I had some issues getting hot water in the bathroom. Those are not some big problems, but it still got me thinking why am I even paying for this Airbnb if I don’t even have hot water.

I shut myself up. I took a notebook and wrote ”10 THINGS I DO HAVE”. So, instead of focusing on the small sink, I focused on the great view. I get to watch sunrises and sunsets from the center of the city looking at the Palace of the Parliament in Bucharest. I have my own apartment where I feel safe. Also, I have a vase with a bunch of fresh roses.
Ultimately, I ended up with two columns filled with things I have. 

Also, a cool thing happened when I decided to focus on the positive. The Airbnb host called me an hour later saying that he bought an air cooler for the apartment.

Moral of the story – when you focus on the positive, you naturally open yourself to receive more positive things into your life.

Read next:

How to Choose Your Thoughts and Master Your Mind

PIN FOR LATER 🙂

7. Journal

As I’ve said many times, I don’t do the usual journaling. I feel like my thoughts go faster than I can write. Instead, as a part of my morning routine, I choose certain journal prompts to think about in my mind. I often ask myself how I want to feel and what can I do each day to feel that way. I think about my goals, the message I want to share and how can I provide value to others.

Most of the time, I just sit in the morning with a warm beverage in my hand and do some mindset work to gain focus and inspiration for the day.

JOURNALING BUNDLE

If you need more support with taking action and creating the best version of yourself, check out my journaling bundle with journaling workshops for creating the next level you and building confidence. It’s the perfect way to continue your self-development journey after reading this post.

>> get the Journaling Bundle here (workshops and eBook included)

8. Repeat an affirmation

My new favorite is ”I feel cosmically charged.” When you wake up, you want to have a great day, right?

So don’t just say ”I feel good/I look beautiful.” No, you feel EXCITED and you look AMAZING. Change your vocabulary. Get into alignment with who you want to be. You want to be the best version of yourself, so talk like her. Be excited about what the day might bring and start becoming aware of how amazing you look.

Remember the brain waves I mentioned? You’re still in the alpha state during your morning routine. Use that time intentionally.
It’s easier to influence your mind as soon as you wake up, so you might as well feed it with encouraging words.

As a morning habit, choose an affirmation to guide your day.

Affirmations help you believe in yourself and offer you a more positive outlook on life. We often have a very negative story we tell ourselves. We think how we’re not good enough, we don’t have enough money, we don’t have enough time, etc.

After a while, we start believing in those things so much that we block anything good to come into our lives because we are so focused on the negative.
So, choose an affirmation that resonates with you based on what area of your life you want to improve and see the confidence flow.

Free PDF download:

111 Powerful Affirmations to Build Confidence and Improve Your Life

9. Plan & prep in advance

Reduce decision fatigue throughout the day by going through your priorities the night before. I always prepare the night before for the day ahead. Now that I’m traveling, I decide on things I’ll explore the next day, I make a to-do list for my blog, prepare the clothes I’ll wear, etc.

I realized it’s easier for me to set everything up in 10 minutes the night before. That way I go to bed feeling good because everything is organized and I wake up knowing what my focus and priorities are. And, it also decreases the number of things to add to your morning routine, because a lot has already been done in advance.

10. Take inspired action

Think about the intention you set in your morning routine and do things that are aligned with it. Do what brings value to your life. There is no excuse to not go after the life you want. If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, last week you could read about how my life has changed in just a year. I talked about my journey from being unemployed to being my own boss and living as a digital nomad.

Anything is possible once you take full responsibility for your life and stop blaming your parents, money, kids, fears, age, or whatnot for the life you’re currently living.

Even if you feel stuck where you are, you can always choose where are you going from here. It’s up to you. It always was and always will be. Once you realize that, once you realize how powerful you are – the game changes. 

Do things you’re passionate about and success will inevitably follow.

Read next:

3 Powerful Ways to Stay Committed to Your Goals

3 Ways to Increase Motivation in a Matter of Minutes

FREE DOWNLOAD: 70+ Journal Prompts to Create a Life You Love

Q: Any other ideas on things to add to your morning routine? Let me know in the comments, I’m curious to know what’s your favorite way to start your morning routine!

Until the next time,

Ivana

habits morning routine