Are you feeling like you’re dragging around every morning or do you often begin your day feeling groggy and unmotivated? Here are five simple ways to jumpstart your success in the morning:
1. Get Some Exercise
I know it's not the most exciting things to get up and do in the morning, but exercise is one of those things that you never regret doing. Instead of making excuses as to why you can't find time to exercise, start thinking of ways to you can fit some exercise into your morning.
Starting the day with a little exercise is one of the best ways to wake you up and make you feel energized for the rest of the day. If you're dragging along and feeling like you're lacking energy and enthusiasm for life, exercise just might be the best antidote.
In fact, on the days when I DON’T want to exercise are the days when I especially need to exercise… and I always feel better when I do.
It doesn’t have to be some 30-minute workout program or going to the gym for an hour. It could just be a simple 5-minute workout or running a quick mile (or half mile!) on the treadmill. Or going out for a brisk walk around your neighborhood.
When it comes to exercise, something is better than nothing. And we often talk ourselves out of doing the something because we feel like we should be doing more.
Exercise is one of those things that you never regret doing. Instead of making excuses as to why you can't find time to exercise, start thinking of ways to you can fit some exercise into your morning. (Find some practical ideas here.)
2. Turn on Some Music
I love to turn on playlists on Spotify or Amazon Music. (One of my current favorites is listening to the soundtrack from The Greatest Showman.)
It’s a great way to start the morning well — and my kids love it, too. It’s hard to be in a bad mood when you have fun and uplifting music playing in the background. 🙂
Want to take it to the next level? Sing and dance along with the music! I don't know what it is, but when I sing, I can't feel grumpy. I just can't!
Try it and see if it works for you, too! Even if you don't sing well, turn on a song you like and sing! I bet you'll feel lighter and happier when you're done!
3. Read Something Inspirational
I try to read a few pages from an inspirational book every day — and I try to do it early in the morning after my Bible reading. Even if I just read for 5-10 minutes every day, I can get a lot of reading in over the course of a month!
Plus, by filling my mind with inspirational ideas, I have a lot of great things to think about as I go throughout my day!
And if I don’t get any other reading in but just those few minutes in the morning, I have still gotten in some reading for the day. And it adds up to at least a book finished almost every month just by this time of reading in the morning! (See some of the inspirational books I’m planning to read this year here.)
4. Encourage Someone Else
Get up every day and look around for someone to bless. When you have a focus on others instead of yourself, you’ll instantly feel more encouraged and inspired! Truly, there is so much blessing in being a blessing to others.
I love to send encouraging texts to people, look for someone who needs a smile, go into my kids’ rooms and chat with them about their day and just speak love to them, kiss my husband and tell him how much I love him, reach out to someone who is going through a rough time and ask how they are doing, and (on the days that I have time and inspiration) write an inspirational post on Instagram.
5. Do the Hardest Things First
Stop spending a lot of your time and energy dreading doing something. Just get up and do it!
Sometimes, if I need to do a project and I really don’t want to do it, I’ll tell myself that I’ll set the timer and just work on it for 5 minutes or 15 minutes. Usually, by the time the timer has gone off, I’m either already done OR I’m so far into the project that I am motivated to just go ahead and finish it already!
Tackling those pesky tasks early in the day can take a burden off of you and give you more of a spring in your step and more focused productivity the rest of the day.
What helps you to start your day well? Share it with us in the comments!
P.S. Need more ideas? Check out my post on 15 Ways to Start Your Day Well.
