Early Bird: 5 Great Ways to Start Your Day

Is it possible to become a morning person? Absolutely. If you put in the effort to make your mornings enjoyable, then you’ll want to get out of bed earlier. We often save all of the “me-time” and fun activities for the evening after work, which is why many people prefer to stay up late. Most of the pursuits we do at night, from reading to exercising, are just as enjoyable, if not more enjoyable, to do in the morning. Look, mom, I’m a morning person now! Okay, it might not happen that suddenly, but to help you out, here are five great ways to start your day.

“Every morning is a beautiful morning.” – Terri Guillemets.

Keep in mind that if you’re a tightrope artist and like walking that dangerous line of sleeping in as late as possible, you’ll need to adjust. Ease into an earlier rise. Try waking up incrementally 15 minutes earlier each morning. The odds are you’ll find it easier to go to bed earlier since you’ll be exhausted.

Most of the suggestions on this list don’t need to take more than ten to fifteen minutes. In other words, don’t worry, we aren’t asking you to wake up at 4 a.m. Here are six ways to make the most of your mornings.

Stay off your phone

Odds are you use the alarm function on your smartphone to help wake you up each morning. And for the TikTok generation, yes, people used to have designated clocks that they manually set each night. While your smartphone is perfectly capable of waking you up, you’re also rising to a screen. Admit it; as soon as you turn off the alarm, your scrolling through Instagram, checking emails, dating apps, etc. Before you know it, you’ve been lying awake in bed for 30 minutes. There will be plenty of time throughout the day to gaze at your phone. Your brain needs time to wake up. Moreover, starting the day looking at your phone leads to the temptation to check work emails, the news, and other anxiety-inducing activities. The precious time between waking up and starting work is YOUR time, don’t give it to your phone. Check out the top alarm clocks of 2020.

Stretch it out

stretch it out in the morning

While it’s instinctual to stretch it out in the early hours, we suggest investing more time into this activity—a good, long deep stretch. For example, look up a morning yoga routine on YouTube (some are as few as five minutes) and commit to doing it each day. If yoga isn’t your thing, devote at least ten minutes to run through your favorite stretches. Feels good, right? Not only will you feel limber but more energized. As we mentioned, what stretches you do are up to you, but if you need a starting point check out this list of 7 simple morning stretches.

Set an intention for the day

set an intention for the day each morning

Before you think, “how cheesy, I’m not doing that,” hear us out. Setting an intention is another way of saying, “this is what I plan on doing.” It’s slightly different from a goal as it’s more of a mindset that leads you to achieve your goals. For example, you can say, “my intention for today is to laugh.” Simple enough. By setting that intention, you might achieve a related goal. Perhaps you’ve meant to reconnect with a friend that used to give you belly laughs. Well, you intend to laugh, so pick up the phone and call them. Your intention can be specific or vague. Don’t underestimate the power of saying, “my intention for today is to be happy.”

Also, don’t beat yourself up if the intention eludes you. It’s a morning practice, and we can never know how our day will unfold. At the very least, you’ll have a reflective morning practice.

Learn a daily fact

daily trivia for the morning

Do you know the capital of North Dakota? Or who invented the piano? Not critical information to know, but still fun and a great way to impress your friends. Starting your morning with a daily fact is a fun way to get your brain going. Thankfully, there are many websites to satisfy your appetite for trivia. Here are a couple of options:

Here’s a fun one: lemons have more sugar than strawberries.

If learning one fact each morning isn’t enough, commit at least fifteen minutes each day to improving your vocabulary, learning a new language, or brushing up on your science/math skills. You’ll be a genius in no time!

Read a book

You might not want to do this in bed, as you’re likely to fall back asleep. Once you’re up, completed your stretches, ate breakfast, and set your intention, we suggest opening a book. Why? Because you’ll end up reading more than ever before. According to Medium, “by simply reading 15 minutes every single morning, you’d read approx. 18–23 books per year.” That’s a lot of books!

Authors fill books with ideas, insights, and different perspectives that you can take with you along the day. Many books leave us feeling inspired, which is a great way to start the morning. Further, reading is an effective form of self-improvement. Whether it’s a book on personal finance or health, reading a self-help book for 15 minutes every morning can have a profound impact.