Before 10 am

Starting your day right: Before 10 am

Starting a day right would definitely go a long way in making it a successful one. Not too sure, if it is a rule of thumb but it sure has a great effect on the type of day you end up having.

Scenario 1: Having a wonderful dream just the night before and waking up with the broadest smile on your face; say a little prayer of gratitude and later going about your day.

Scenario 2: What the h**k was that; waking from a terrible nightmare, sweating profusely. You start the morning thinking, what in God’s name could be the meaning of the dream you just had. The above scenarios even though a little far-fetched and yet not too far from reality would definitely not result in same day outcome. Which would be better? It can be any of them even though the first scenario seems more likely. The point is how well you start your day contributes immensely to the outcome; Benjamin Franklin would put it this way “If you fail to plan, you are planning to fail!”. The following list of activities guaranteed to give a great start in the morning at least.

Meditate

Meditating or even some simple breathing can help you begin your day with a sense of calm. Instead of reaching for your phone or checking email, facebook, WhatsApp first thing in the morning, take a few minutes to sit and experience the quiet.
There is plenty of activities during our day, make a commitment to start on a quieter note. It will set the tone for your day and will help increase your focus, energy, and optimism.

Reflect in gratitude

“If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, ‘thank you,’ that would suffice.” — Meister Eckhart
Start your day by reflecting on what you are grateful for. A consistent practice of gratitude in the mornings will increase your awareness of gratitude throughout your day. It will also make you more resilient when challenges occur and help you put drama in perspective.

Set your daily intention

In the quiet of the day, before the fires need putting out, plan your day by focusing on three goals you want to accomplish. Make those goals a priority for the day. When you set about planning your day with intention, you are more likely to feel productive at the end of it.

Pad your schedule

As you go about setting your daily intentions, pad your schedule to allow yourself to tend to fires as they arise. Padding your schedule with free time will give you a better chance of achieving your goals and may even add some downtime throughout the day.

Hydrate

Your body awakens dehydrated, so it is very important to drink up first thing in the morning. In her book, The Body Ecology Diet, Donna Gates suggests you drink half of your entire daily water intake by mid-morning. It will flush your system of toxins, leave you feeling less hungry and reduce headaches throughout the day.

Stretch

You will be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t wake up feeling a bit stiff. It isn’t always easy to incorporate exercise into a morning routine. If you were going to choose one thing, the American Journal of Sports Medicine suggests adding a short muscle-stretching sequence of exercises to your morning schedule. Studies show that consistent stretching in the morning can increase flexibility, improve circulation, reduce stress throughout your day and improve posture.

Listen to music

Starting your day with upbeat and fun music will not only wake you up but it will fill you with positive energy for your day. A 2013 study found that music makes you feel good. According to study participants, the two most important benefits of listening to music are “mood regulation“ and ”self-awareness.” Not only has it been shown to improve your mood but it can end up increasing motivation, performance, and lead to a better night’s sleep too.

Smile

Start your day off by smiling at yourself in the bathroom mirror. Smiling will have a positive effect on your overall attitude and well-being, even when it starts out a little forced. Smiling makes you more approachable, and appear more trustworthy. In fact, The University of Montpellier discovered that smiling will also make you a more effective leader.

Clean Up After Yourself

Life is busy and morning routines can be a bit rushed. It can be very tempting when you are running behind to leave your clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink or leave the trash until later. Just don’t put them away!
Procrastination around cleaning up after yourself can prevent you from realizing our highest potential and best work. But if you do clean it allows you to relax fully upon returning home. It is better to pro-actively clean up after yourself than waiting to be called out on it.

Do Your Hardest Task First

It might seem enticing to get a bunch of easy things checked off your to-do list, but it has been shown time and time again that doing your hardest task first leads to a more productive and happier day. You are more likely to remember the day as being a good one when your day gets better and is easier over time. The bonus: it helps stop procrastination over the things we like to do the least.

Source: powerofpositivity  , doctorasky
Photo by thejournal