11 Things Morning People Do Differently

Publish Date
Thursday, 28 July 2016, 3:36PM
Photo / iStock

Photo / iStock

Are you a morning person? If you are, you probably don't have to read this.

But if you're not, have you ever looked at a "morning person" and wondered, how? Why? WHAT. 

Well the Urban List has the answers to all those questions. Here's 11 things that morning people do differently:

#1 Get Ready For Tomorrow Before Hitting The Hay

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with your day before it even begins if you are rushing around in the morning trying to get things done. Simple things such as organising your day the night before will really help you out—plan your outfit (we know that can be a struggle at times), pre-pack your lunch, and decide what you will have for brekkie.

#2 Meditate

We have heard countless times about how beneficial it is to meditate. What is so great about sitting still and calming your mind? Everything! Meditation will set you up right for your day, it will calm the stress of the morning rush and subside your mental list of things to get done that day. Set your alarm 10 minutes earlier than usual and wake up with a morning meditation.

#3 Don’t Hit The Snooze Button

Speaking of alarms, it’s all well and good to set your alarm earlier than needed, but if you continue to hit snooze time and time again then it defeats the purpose. Morning people are known to jump out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off. Or even better, their body clocks are so aligned that they wake up without an alarm…we’re not quite there yet.

#4 Eat That Frog

Brian Tracey was right when he told us to eat that frog. It’s a  metaphor for doing the worst thing of your day first—once you’re at work, start your day with the thing you are dreading most. Whether it’s meeting with the boss, the phone call you’ve been avoiding or getting on top of your emails, do it first. Once it’s done you can get onto the fun stuff.

#5 Practise Gratitude

Practising gratitude is a powerful tool to setting yourself up with a positive mindset for the day. Count your blessings; ask yourself what you are thankful for in your life. Combine this with your meditation and you have a recipe for success.

#6 Don’t Skip Breakfast

We’ve all heard it before: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But there’s a reason for it—not only does it have an abundance of nutritional benefits but it will also help your mental state. Give yourself time to sit down and have a nice meal with a cuppa Joe while catching up on the latest news (cue not social media).

#7 Drink Lemon Water Or Apple Cider Vinegar

Giving yourself time for breakfast is important, but we also believe it’s important to give yourself time for a lemon water, or diluted apple cider vinegar. These two alkalising drinks encourage healthy digestion by cleansing your system and aiding in the removal of toxins from your body. If you start with this, you’ll be yearning for that green smoothie over your almond croissant.

#8 Practise Yoga

Have you ever woken up with a stiff neck from sleeping in a funny position resulting in a sore neck, back or body for the rest of the day and somewhat preventing you from being super productive? Instead of setting yourself up for a disaster day spend five minutes on your mat. Listen to your body’s needs—what do you need to stretch out? It can be as simple as side twists or our favourite—resting in child’s pose.

#9 Get Outside

Get outside and take a breath of fresh air. Enjoying nature in the morning can have positive effects. Take a walk around the park, or to the beach if you’re lucky enough to live near the water. You can even use this time to sit down and meditate with the sunrise—not a bad mix.

#10 Exercise

If you’re not one for meditation, gratitude and sitting in nature, then use another form of meditation. This could be going for a run, a CrossFit class or hitting the gym. Starting your morning with exercise not only releases endorphins, it will wake you up and get your blood flowing.  

#11 Stay Off Social Media

We’re all a little guilty of scrolling through social media before we even get out of bed. Yet, think of what you could be doing with that extra 30 minutes instead of seeing what your favourite celebrities have been up to while you’ve been sleeping…save it for the 10am coffee break instead.

- The Urban List

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