8 Morning Rituals That Can Change Your Life

​8 Morning Rituals That Can Change Your Life

Improve your life and make the most of every day with these 8 morning rituals. Do you have a morning routine? Something you do every day after you wake up.

Do you have a morning routine? Something you do every day after you wake up?

​For years I didn’t really have a morning routine, I would just get up, get ready and rush out the door to go to work. Then all those articles on morning routines of successful people started growing like mushrooms out of nowhere and I said I need to try that. And I did. Many times.

​I’ve tried many different morning habits and ideas, but here are 8 morning rituals that I really find life changing. When I practice these, all good things go up – my productivity, my happiness, my health, my fitness and my kindness. Here they are.

​8 MORNING RITUALS THAT WILL TRANSFORM YOU

1. STILL…BEING AN EARLY BIRD PAYS OFF

​I’ve been struggling with this for years, because I always thought I’m a night owl. But waking up earlier, taking care of me, and getting the most important stuff done first feels amazing.

​There’s nothing like that feeling of having completed something you’ve been putting off for a week by 10am. 

​2. PRIORITIES ARE HUGE

​We all have to do lists – they’re not difficult to make. However, to actually achieve the things that are important and will bring results long-term, you need to set priorities for the day and work on them first.

Choose 3-5 things that will really make a difference in your life long-term. Currently my daily priorities include exercise, preparing healthy meals, spending time with my child and writing a blog post for this blog.

Do this in the morning or, even better, if you don’t forget – the night before. It makes such a huge difference! I use this printable weekly productivity planner template to plan my weekly and daily priorities and it’s seriously been a game changer! You set your goals for the week, get clear on your priorities, break them down into actionable to do’s and then work toward the things you want each and every day. This printable comes with pages for each weekday, so you can stay on track and course correct if needed. If you want to check out the weekly planner, you can do so here and make sure to use my code NTB30 to get 30% off.

​3. MOVE

​Even just 10 minutes of exercise can have such an impact on your mood, your productivity and your health.

If exercise isn’t a part of your morning routine, I highly, highly recommend – you try it out. Yoga is my favorite way to start the day and its very beginner friendly. Plus, by now we know, you don’t need to rush to a yoga class at 5 am – you can do it at home whenever you want.

​You can find videos on Youtube or check out Grokker for more structured programs. If you want to give Grokker a try, I have a free 14-day trial for you here.

​4. KEEP A GRATITUDE JOURNAL

​Each day, start with three things you’re grateful for. You don’t need to buy anything fancy to do this – any notepad or your bullet journal can become that gratitude journal.

Once you have your journal ready, write down that you feel grateful for today. It can be simple things like:

• I’m thankful I woke up today
  
• I’m thankful for witnessing this sunrise
  
• I’m thankful I made myself do this 10-minute workout; I feel awesome

​This will help you start the day in a positive way, it will make you more optimistic for what’s to come today.

​5. EXPECT GOOD THINGS

​Happiness comes from intentional action. People aren’t naturally happy every single day. You decide to be happy. By choosing to do the things that make you happy today and by carefully choosing the way you react and think about what happens around you and to you.

​So set an intention to have an awesome day. I use my weekly planner also for this. Every daily planning page starts with daily intention. What do you want to experience or feel that day? Get clear and plan your day accordingly.

​When you go through your day with the intent to actually feel good – you shift your focus and see the good things instead of the bad. You start acting and reacting differently and all that makes for a happy day. 

​6. LISTEN TO UPLIFTING MUSIC.

​Don’t just listen to any music, listen to the music that makes you feel alive and sing along. This little habit can reduce stress and anxiety – it’s even been shown in studies. There’s nothing more rewarding than singing along to Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder or Mariah Carey. 

​7. SPEND TIME IN NATURE.

​Nature has a way of healing us. I feel at least a year younger when I disconnect and spend a few days in nature.

​But you don’t need to take a weekend off, you can do this on a daily basis.

​Spending time in nature can mean you sitting on the front porch for 5 minutes or taking a quick walk around your block to breathe some fresh air and look at the trees and sky.

​8. LOOKING GOOD AND FEELING GOOD GO HAND IN HAND

​This might seem superficial to some, but the way you choose to dress, wear your hair and take care of your physical self-overall does affect how you feel on the inside.

​Match the way you look on the outside with the way you want to feel. This way, even if it’s not your very best day, you’ll start feeling better and it’s only a small effort.