8 Positive & Productive Ways to Start Your Day

Do you take advantage of your mornings? Or are you the type that likes to slip out of bed just in time to rush into work five minutes late?

You have about 25,000 mornings in your adult life. Make them count.

The morning time is powerful. You should claim your mornings and not let your desire to get a few extra minutes of sleep dictate how they go.

After you see these positive productive ways to start your day, I think you’re going to change your routine if you’re not already waking up early…

1. Affirmations

Affirmations are a part of the morning rituals of some of the most successful people in the world. The idea is to affirm something that is true about yourself, but it’s also a good idea to affirm something that you want to be true about yourself. Write these down and speak them out loud. If you’re affirming something that isn’t true yet, state it as if it’s already true.

Example: “I am a master of my finances. I am debt-free and financially-free to do the things I am passionate about with my life.”

2. Gratitude

There’s no better way to start the day than by saying thank you. Gratitude is a practice that will improve your life all around. If you’re an optimist, this should be easy. If you’re a pessimist, practicing gratitude is one of the quickest ways to become an optimist. We all have so much to be thankful for so why not speak it and write it down?

Example: “I am thankful for my health and the time I am able to spend with my family because of it.”

3. Silence

Silent time can be for many different things. It’s a great time for meditation or prayer. It’s also a great time to sit and think. If you’re used to rushing in the mornings, avoid the snooze button and wake up nine minutes earlier – use that time for silence. You’ll be amazed at how smoothly your day goes by adding a little silence and solitude.

Example: A simple morning prayer will suffice. Or try meditating by focusing on one thing (i.e. your breathing).

4. Exercise

Get the blood pumping and get the health benefits. You’ll feel better, look better and live longer – exercise will also help you to actually wake up and conquer the rest of your morning. There’s nothing like a quick morning workout to help you feel awake and alive. Don’t think that more sleep is always the answer when you’re tired – sometimes you just need a little exercise in your life.

Example: Do the exercise you love. If you have the time, you can go for a walk, run, lift weights or do body-weight training. If you’re rushed, try burst training or the 7 minute workout (see below). Anything to get your blood pumping!

5. Family

The morning is a great time to relax and spend time with your family. Before the kids go to school you can have a nice breakfast or if you don’t get a lot of alone time with your spouse, you can use the mornings to do exactly that before the kids wake up. Starting your day with family time will set a positive tone for the rest of your day and improve your relationships at the same time.

Example: Have a nice breakfast with the entire family or just you and your spouse. You can also use the time to talk, read together or do a couples/family devotional.

6. Learning

Read, watch educational videos, listen to audio teaching or take a free online class. If you’ll just devote a few minutes to learning each morning, you’ll be surprised at how much you can accomplish in a month or a year. If you’re interested in trying some free courses, check out the following resources:

Click here for even more learning resources.

7. Journaling

Journaling has been a common practice of many people throughout history, such as Benjamin Franklin. Journaling has many different forms. You can simply get a blank book and write or you can get a structured journal. The Five Minute Journal actually combines several of the things in this article (affirmations, gratitude…journaling). Journals are great for personal use or to leave to your children and family when you pass away.

Example: Start with something you have around the house (i.e. journal, notepad, etc.). Once you build the habit of daily journaling, buy a nice journal like The Five Minute Journal or something like this.

8. Ritual

The best way to maximize your productivity is to combine several of these into your own ritual. Find the ones you like the most and do them every morning. If you have time to do each for 10 or 15 minutes, that’s great! But even if you can only devote a couple minutes to each one, it will add up over the long haul.

Example: Start with combing a couple. You could try exercising and learning. After a couple weeks add in another one. You can create more time for your morning ritual by waking up earlier gradually over a few weeks or months. Once you have a ritual, it will be easier to get out of bed. I look forward to my ritual everyday when I wake up.

Check out my morning ritual here.

Photo Credit: Unsplash, NY Times