5 Bad Morning Habits that are Ruining your Whole Day

Many productivity coaches suggest that building up daily habits especially morning habits can be the first step of increased productivity and achievement. Although coaches have varied ideas on the types of daily habits to include, most agree that how we begin our day has a tremendous impact on how the rest of the day seems to go.

Starting the day early can allow us to effectively complete tasks and to handle things that come our way without constantly feeling stressed or overwhelmed. The morning routine helps in setting the tone and pace for the day, better allowing us to control our daily schedules rather than our schedule controlling us. As we start each day fresh, we can better focus on what is in front of us, where to prioritize our time, and, ultimately, increase our productivity.

Our morning hours hold so much locked potential that you’d be amazed what 5 simple quick changes to your routine could do for your life. You don’t have to buy any products or change your entire daily schedule; you just have to change the daily activities that you, ve been doing previously, so let’s begin.

Enslaved to the Snooze Button

Upon waking up hearing the alarm, the first thing more than 90% of people do is hit the snooze button. Now understand that hitting the snooze button has 2 fold impact on your mornings, mentally and physically.

As soon as you hit the snooze button you are giving your mind the clear signal that “it is OK to procrastinate” or “it’s Ok to break commitments“, just think about it, day by day it will become a habit and will start showing its effect in other aspects of your life.

You know that physically 10 mins of extra sleep won’t make you feel fresher. As you keep hitting the snooze button it starts to put your body in sleep inertia, which makes you feel disoriented and groggy for many hours hampering your productivity. So set the alarm at the time for you to really get up.

Another biggest mistake that we do is checking the Instagram of work mail straight away after waking up. You might argue what’s the big deal about it, I need to check mails to schedule my day, but it’s impacting your subconscious mind power.

Try to remember, when you were young, have your parents ever advised you to study early in the morning, if yes, understand the science behind it. Modern research has proven that the brain specifically the prefrontal cortex of your brain is most active and readily creative immediately following sleep. Your subconscious mind has been loosely wandering while you slept, making contextual and temporal connections.

Your subconscious mind is highly active during the first 10 minutes of waking up, and you can train your brain to use this subconscious activity to think positively and accomplish more throughout the day. Scientists call it the alpha state of mind. it means what you see, what you think, what you listen to during this time, sets the day’s tone.

Not Making Your Bed

This insignificant-looking task can do wonders to your mindset, Admiral William H. McRaven who’s been with the navy seals for 36 years said “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed”. There is a psychological reason why it is mandatory for military troops to make their bed. so what are the reasons?

• First, when you make your bed, it cultivates a sense of discipline
• It also gives you a sense of small pride that you have completed the first task and encourages you to start the next task.
• Making the bed and cleaning the surroundings of your sleeping area sets the right of the room and also declutters your mind.
• Don’t forget the feeling of coming back from a long day of work to a well-kept room.

Another mistake we make is to cover our bedroom windows with thick curtains to avoid light entering the room. It might feel cozy but scientifically the longer you stay away from the light the longer you will feel tired.
Studies have proven if you expose yourself to the morning sunlight you will experience a greater level of alertness throughout the day. Its also proven that morning sunlight kills the microbes in your room and reduces pollution. So don’t forget to pull the curtains back as soon as you are done making your bed.

Bathroom Mistakes

The biggest and most common mistake is hot showers, You might be thinking I’m not going to kill myself this winter, but if the weather is extremely chilly lukewarm water is acceptable. Hot water showers are great after work as it relaxes the mind and induces lethargy, while cold water alerts the body and mind.

And if you are the ones who avoid the morning bath, no matter the no of cups of coffee you take, you won’t experience the optimum level of energy.

Another mistake is taking the bath just for the sake of it. You have to be mentally present while bathing and feel the water cleansing your body and mind to reap the best results of bathing. For some reason, if you suppress the urge to go to the loo, you must know it has a severely damaging effect on the body.

Spending a Lot of Time Dressing Up

Many of us spend lots of time finding out misplaced pairs of socks or undergarments or trying too many clothes in front of the mirror deciding what to wear. It’s the biggest day and productivity killed proved by Mark Zuckerberg and Steve Jobs. This creates unnecessary stress on the mind and creates a bad tone for the day.

So choose your dress and pack your bag a night before the day, it not only prevents stress and needless tensions but also saves you from the rush.

Skipping Breakfast

Now don’t count your sugar-loaded cereal as healthy fuel for the day. You must understand that while sleeping our body has been starving for hours, and rushing the office while skipping a healthy breakfast is just like racing without fuel. Breaking fast with the food which is just loaded with sugars and devoided from nutrition is a stellar mistake. When you skip breakfast or just eat cereal, you are likely to experience uncontrollable food cravings throughout the day making it harder for you to reach your fitness goals.

Another mistake is drinking coffee straight away after waking up, Tea/ coffee can stimulate the stomach acids so it is always advised to drink it after consuming some solids. For some people, coffee/ tea can cause heartburn sensation, vomiting, and nausea. For a patient with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), gut disorder and acid reflux drinking tea/coffee can be harmful,” so the best way is to start with plain water.

So plan ahead of time and fuel your body with well nourishing food.

Not Planning our Day.

Just think about it, suppose you are planning to take a trip to an unknown place, would you just hit the road and hope for the best would you rather switch on the navigation, you got the point, right?. Jotting down the daily tasks and planning in advance gives you the edge against your competition as well as gives you peace of mind of knowing that you have formulated a feasible plan of your day and that your goals are attainable. Planning also helps you to be prepared for challenges because during the planning process your mind is creating a contingency plan for unexpected problems.

So these in my opinion are the 5 biggest mistakes we are doing in the morning. If you start avoiding these mistakes it will not only significantly improve your brainpower but you will also feel more energetic throughout the day and become more vibrant and calm.