Think about a morning routine as a suit. Once you put it on, you’ll be ready to take on the day with all the confidence you’ll need. However, before you can put it on, you have to tailor it for yourself with some alterations and tweaks. In this case, the pins are exercising, preparing a balanced breakfast, taking a shower, doing some skincare or listening to a podcast. You’ll be sure that you’ve set yourself up for success for the day just by doing a couple of things.
Most people — especially college students — crave a more structured lifestyle, considering the freedom provided in a college schedule. With online classes or many hours between classes, it’s essential to take advantage of the time at your disposal. This way, you can ensure that you’re not letting hours go by that could otherwise be useful for completing assignments, maintaining friendships and relationships, preparing healthy meals, or searching for opportunities like internships, work and connections.
Chaotic energy is the last thing anyone needs in the morning.
Whether it happens frequently, on a daily basis, or just a few times here and there, most people could say that they’ve had a stressful morning trying to get everything in order. With an established morning routine, that stress could be avoided (or at least become more manageable).
A hectic or late start to the day could negatively affect your mood, health and productivity. A 2014 article from Mind Body Green, written by Dr. Alexis Shields, details how “our bodies aren’t designed to manage the amount of stress we’re bombarded with on a daily basis.” While Dr. Shields recommends a 15-minute routine, what’s special about creating this for yourself is that you have the responsibility of deciding exactly what you’d like to do for yourself in the A.M.
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with admiring someone else’s morning routine, but you can’t expect your favorite athlete’s or favorite celebrity’s routine to be perfect for you to simply take and implement into your life. Your routine needs to be individually crafted for it to work as best as it can. Ultimately, Dr. Shields asserts that “no magic pill or fancy technology will ever replace good old-fashioned taking care of yourself.”
A morning routine will allow you to set the pace for the day. A 2018 article from College America states that “part of your morning routine should involve planning your day.” You can use your time to set realistic and measurable goals for yourself throughout the day.
A morning routine allows you to be purposeful in the time that you dedicate to yourself. According to a 2018 article by Forbes, “You don’t have to be an early riser to have a morning routine; you just have to be conscious of how you spend your time when you wake up.” This clearly debunks the common misconception that establishing a morning routine must entail waking up at the crack of dawn. Ultimately, you can utilize your morning routine as a tool to achieve balance in your life.
A morning routine will also promote healthy habits in your life. We’re creatures of habit. According to an article by Scott Frothingham in 2019 that was medically reviewed by Dr. Legg, “it takes […] an average of 66 days for a new behavior to become automatic.” Therefore, in a little over two months, you could be taking small strides towards positively impacting the quality of your life. Additionally, Dr. Jen’s Nutrition affirms that “setting a morning routine and following it gives you the chance to move through the motions of healthy activities in autopilot mode.”
Having a morning routine develops essential problem-solving skills. Dr. Jen’s Nutrition says that it’s best that you “learn to make plans, get your priorities in place, and make sure you follow the routine you have set for yourself,” because “there could be times when things don’t go as planned, and that’s what life is all about.” Your routine will allow you to weave around the daily expected annoyances so that you have enough wiggle room to confront unprecedented situations.
This suit is worth the investment.