Mornings are important. Not only are mornings a fresh start and opportunity to begin again, they often dictate how the rest of the day will play out.
Personally, I love mornings because it’s a time when I am most inspired and free of interference from the day that has yet to begin. For a few hours or even just a minute, it’s just me and my thoughts so I can regroup, refuel and remind myself of my purpose and goals before I take on the day.
Some of the most influential people and game-changers, from Oprah to Elon Musk, continuously stress the importance of mornings and use each one to their advantage by waking up at 4, 5 or 6 in the morning. One of my favorite online writers, Andrew Merle, recently released an article called “This is When Successful People Wake Up,” where he listed the times modern-day influencers wake up in the morning. At the end of the article, he concludes how waking up earlier has allowed him to not only enjoy mornings but has enabled him to “undoubtedly recognize the business advantages.”
Because I’m always occupied with school, work, photography and countless other things, mornings are incredibly important to me. Not only do they allow me to get a head start on the day, but mornings keep me grounded and in focus of who I am and where I am going, so the rest of the day can continue in the same productive fashion.
After many failed attempts to have the ideal productive morning, I’ve compiled a list of ways to make the absolute most out of your morning:
1. Sleep. Actually, Sleep: Make sure to set a realistic bedtime so you can wake up early and well-rested.
2. Eat breakfast: Yes. Through the countless nagging and force-feeding, your parents were right: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I personally find that I have the most energy–throughout the entire day–when I have a full breakfast, not on the days when I grab a single cup of coffee to go. Don’t do that. Eat breakfast.
3. Wake up at a time when you can have at least 2 hours to spare: Let’s be real: Rushing is stressful and the mornings when you gravitate from your bed to your driver seat in a matter of minutes, just to be on time, are the absolute worst. So, to avoid that, wake up with lots of time to spare.
4. Fill your morning with positivity and things you like to do that you don’t normally have time for: I love to write, but as tasks fill up during the day, I can rarely find the time. So, mornings are when I write the most and feel most inspired because my ideas and thoughts are fresh.
5. Get stuff done! Cross out as many items from your to-do list as you can. You’ll go into the day already feeling so accomplished.
6. Coffee is your friend: Thrive on that bean juice! The fastest, and tastiest, way to start the day!
So, if you have dreams and goals that are difficult to work towards during the busy, fast-paced hours of the day, mornings are the perfect time to help you get there!
All photos courtesy of Chaveli Guzman