I have always been an early morning riser!
I have almost never used an alarm clock, but over the last few years I really committed to waking up between 4:30 and 5Am.
I have noticed a fantastic shift in my productivity as well as mental fulfilment.
This routine has given me a 2/3 hours of extra time for myself, which I now use to set myself up for the day in the beltway possible.
I have been doing specific tasks throughout the early hours of the morning, that have given me a great sense of accomplishment at their completion.
Here are the steps to my morning routine, which I hope will inspire someone to stop postponing the 5Am alarm clock!
1.Wake up call!
I usually wake up naturally, but this can be done with an alarm clock.
The most common thing we do when we wake up, is to stay in bed for another ten minutes or postpone the alarm clock with the hope of falling back to sleep just for a few more minutes.
But once we are awake, our mind starts to send us multiple thoughts and it's almost impossible to fall asleep again.
So what is the best option?
Put your feet on the floor almost immediately so you actually gain 10/15minutes of your time without having to rush!
2.Do not switch on the phone or look at it!
The second step is usually to look at our phone with that terrible feeling of having to rush and being reminded of what is going on around the world!
AVOID IT AT YOUR BEST.
Turning on your phone on means a flood of information (Mostly negative and irrelevant) flowing into your brain.
Your RAS (Reticular activating system) has to do an extra mile, as soon as you are awake, in filtering the informations relevant for you.(...or your brain would explode just surfing a Facebook page!)
Not every time it happens perfectly...and a lot of irrelevant informations goes to your brain unnecessarily, setting up the wrong mood and intentions for your day!
- Have a meeting with your energy and meditate!
What is meditation?
Meditation is no more than a meeting with your energy.
...if you own a company or you are part of one, you probably have meetings on a daily basis.
So, why not have a meeting with your energy!
Your energy is your life force, it is what makes you alive and what makes you move forward in life , so it definitely deserves your attention!
Sit down quietly, with your spine up-straight, close your eyes and try to feel the energy in your body.
After that, try to bring your energy in a specific area in your body, which can be your spine, your heart, your stomach anywhere that feels right for you in that moment.
At this stage set an intention for your day, visualise your day and having that feeling of accomplishment.
Where you put your attention, your energy follows...so you have already accomplished 50% of your day!.
4.Wake up your body!
Ok...this can be quite personal ...but I will share my own routine of waking up my body!
I usually do it straight after my meditation.
It starts with 15/20 minutes of Vinyasa flow(Yoga) which you can easily find routines to follow on YouTube.
After building up the heat in my body, I then go for my morning cold shower. You can start with a few minutes and gradually build it up to ten minutes; I know it is unpleasant and you will curse yourself at the start...and maybe later on too, lol!
But I promise you will feel amazing throughout the next 3/4 hours and most probably throughout your whole day...
This is due to the reaction of the nervous system to the cold and you will have so much vitality!
5.It's time for coffee..and to be productive!
This is the highlight of your morning ritual...and this hour will probably be more productive than the rest of the day, mark my words!
This is the time when you feel the amazing effects of the previous practices...
I usually sit on my couch, with my cup of coffee, or my cup of matcha tea(highly recommend), open my laptop and I don't stand up or lift up my head unless one or all of my daily targets have been completed.
Why should you become an early morning riser?
There are some great benefits as I have mentioned just above.
However, starting the day with discipline is key for a successful and fulfilling life, as they say..."How you do anything is how you do everything".
...With Love!