Hey guys,
I am not a morning person! Even after writing this post I won't be a morning person, especially now as it’s approaching winter and is absolutely boltic. But I have found some tips that can help people get better at mornings and actually be productive. I like to wake up late and go to bed late and then have constant naps. No wonder I moan, I don't help myself haha. I think I find it difficult as I used to have a zero hour contract for 4 years; so some days I would be on earlies and some days I would be on nights. No routine at all. So I find that I am adjusting. Especially when some of my friends do night shifts so I'll be up till late messaging.
Some people who are morning people say they find that time of the day 'peaceful' and 'relaxing' and find that they are more productive where their day. But what beats extra time in bed and sleep?!
Go to sleep early & Wake up early | This is a big habit I need to learn. As I've said I have no routine and one minute it will be 8:30pm and I'll be in bed, but the next minute its 11:30pm and I'm nowhere near tired. I don't think it helps that my friends become more active on their phones too so I'll be having a conversation and then hours would have passed by. Also, during lockdown I kinda got back in Candy Crush so I can spend a while on this before I go to sleep (aswell as first thing when I wake up).
Some people who are morning people say they find that time of the day 'peaceful' and 'relaxing' and find that they are more productive where their day. But what beats extra time in bed and sleep?!
Go to sleep early & Wake up early | This is a big habit I need to learn. As I've said I have no routine and one minute it will be 8:30pm and I'll be in bed, but the next minute its 11:30pm and I'm nowhere near tired. I don't think it helps that my friends become more active on their phones too so I'll be having a conversation and then hours would have passed by. Also, during lockdown I kinda got back in Candy Crush so I can spend a while on this before I go to sleep (aswell as first thing when I wake up).
Positivity | Quite a few people I know listen to podcasts before bed and when they wake up so they can go to bed on a positive note or wake up and have positivity for the rest of the day. But I can never get into them. If anyone knows any good ones, please leave a comment below. I do follow quite a few positivity and inspirational quote instagram pages which I like to browse through. But also, there is a new app called Motivation and they you can set up how many quotes a day you would like. I actually love this app you can choose content preferences such as - hard times, health (physical & mental), love, inspiration, relationships, letting go, achieving goals and keeping faith. You can also choose different times (7am to 10pm everyday, 9am to 5pm weekday or 9pm every day). I have mine 7am to 10pm everyday and you can also choose how many motivational quotes you would like to receive each day. There is a premium section but at the moment I don't see the need (personally anyway) *This wasn't sponsored btw I have just found a love for this app.* On a weekend I tend to read some books that I have to get in that good mindset. Some books I enjoy are:
- Vex King - Good Vibes, Good Life
- Pamela Sommers - Life Lessons From a 40 Something...
- Lucy Lane - The Little Book of ____ Collection
- Sarah Knight - Get Your Sh*t Together & The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k
- Courtney Peppernell - Pillow Thoughts I & II
- Corinne Sweet - The Mindfulness Journal
- Fearne Cotton - Happy
- Jennifer McCartney - The Little Book of Sloth Philosophy
- Dr Patrizia Collard - The Little Book of Mindfulness
Lights | I'm quite lucky (but also unlucky when it comes to migraines) in the sense that the way my window is fitted I can't have curtains, only a roller blind (is that what they are called?) So instead of just have blinds so no matter if they are closed the room still gets some light into it. I may be bad at making my bed before work but I will always open my blinds. What a difference it makes! It actually makes me feel happier and radiant when I open them.
Breakfast | This is a really big thing. I find have a big healthy breakfast can set you up for the day. As I tend not to get out of bed til last minute, I find I am not having a drink and then I make a basic bowl of cereal (usually rice krispies, coco pops, weetabix or shreddies). But I've noticed that I'll get quite hungry about an hour or 2 later. So in the weekday I have been getting myself up 10 minutes earlier so I can make myself scrambled egg on toast with a glass of orange juice. They do say breakfast is the most important meal of the day...
To Do Lists | Since the start of the first lockdown I got into the habit of writing a to do list on paper & on my notes section of my phone before I go to bed for the following night. I have found this actually helps clear my head and keeps me organised for the following day.
Positive Affirmations | Wake up with a positive quote - I know they say don't go straight for your phone when you wake up but there is an app called Motivation and it is full of positive quotes and you can set the time of when you would like to get a positive affirmation sent to you aswell as how many you would like to receive. I have set mine for Everyday 7am until 10pm and I receive 5 affirmations. You can also choose the preferences such as; Hard times, love, self-esteem, inspiration, stress & anxiety, happiness, achieving goals etc. I also follow quite a lot of inspirational quote pages on Instagram.
Also, one of my friends got us all a little jar full of Positivity quotes and some fruit-tella inside ahaha. Whenever we are having a bad day we can go into the little jar and pick out a quote. Some mornings when I'm not feeling my best or if I know it's going to be a stressful day I tend to reach into the jar. Such a cute simple gift that I absolutely love.
Also, if you make yourself a morning playlist on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon etc with some music you like it is more likely to kick your morning off right. I love to put on some music or the Radio (shout out to Smooth or BBC Radio 2) and have a little dance whilst making my breakfast, doing my skincare or my makeup. If you are not a music fan then maybe check out the podcasts on Spotify, there is such a high range and they do so much wonders for the soul and mind.
Are you a morning person? If so leave a comment on some tips you may have in making mornings more productive and easy.
Nadine Alex x
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