Not everyone is a morning person: but we believe you can grow into being one. For us, mornings have become our favourite part of the day, and we look forward to them every time we go to sleep. How you spend your morning can directly influence what kind of day you are going to have. It’s as simple as that. As we grow older (and hopefully wiser), we find that nothing beats the feeling of being in charge of our own emotional state, which in turn makes all the daily hurdles more manageable. If the idea of hearing the drill of your alarm clock fills you with dread, you might want to follow these few tips:
1) RISE EARLIER:
Before you close this tab, let me ask you a question: when do you get the chance to spend a whole hour to yourself throughout the day? Chances are, over the weekend if you are lucky enough to. Give yourself a little hour of quiet, some extra time to build your own rituals, to gather your thoughts before the day starts. While the rest of the world is still asleep, you can get ready to seize the day,
2) WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE
Up your breakfast game with the Nescafe Dolce Gusto vast selection of well-blended coffees that can be made with the Esperta – from Espresso Macchiato, Espresso Colombia, to Espresso Decaffeinated. With Dolce Gusto’s Esperta you can get your coffee made from your own bed! You can also set a timer for when you need your beverage made. You can extend that to all areas of your life and home: Esperta’s unique and stylish design makes it the ideal kitchen accessory for anyone looking to spruce up their kitchen. It is also available in a variety of colours to match any kitchen. To view all the available models visit https://bit.ly/dolcegusto-mt. All machines are available from all leading supermarkets and shops in-store and online.
3) UPLIFT YOURSELF
Turn off the news and turn on the radio! Music has a direct impact on your mood, so if you wake up with the blues, one way to beat them is to play some uplifting music in the morning: you’ll immediately feel energized. Try it whilst you take your morning shower for a double-impact! Use shower gels or shampoos with citrusy scents for an invigorating effect, and on your final rinse decrease the water temperature. This step is insanely good for your hair, and it’s cheaper than a salon treatment.
4) WRITE IT OFF
Have you ever heard of the Morning Pages? As soon as you wake up, jot down your immediate stream of consciousness in a journal. Some days it will be a list of things to do, some others it could be a dream you had, an issue you want to address… There is no rule in the content of what you write, but just the act of putting your thoughts on a piece of paper will help those thoughts come out instead of lingering at the back of your head for the whole day. You can do that while you are still in bed whilst your coffee makes itself. It’s not witchcraft, you can really do so! The days of standing idly in front of your kettle waiting for water to boil have gone.
5) PLAN IT
Like Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith in the A-Team, I love it when a plan comes together. Are you used to waking up in a frantic mode, where you go to work almost on autopilot? Do you sometimes feel frustrated because apart from showing up to work, you haven’t achieved much during your day? There’s a very simple solution for that: plan your day. Plan it like if it was your working schedule. You’ll be amazed about how many things you’ll manage to achieve in a single week.
6) WORK IT OUT
A little exercise will get your endorphins flowing, your blood pumping, and a sense of achievement before you even step out of your home. You can choose whatever exercise you prefer, from simple planks to yoga or the more exotic Qi Gong, a set of simple exercises aimed at increasing your health and vitality (there’s plenty of information online on the topic if you are interested).
7) DO YOUR BED
William McRaven, a US Navy Admiral, once started his famous speech about world change with this line: ‘If you want to change the world, start by making your own bed’. Because everything starts with small things. Make your bed and that little initial sense of achievement that this action generates will follow you subconsciously throughout the day, giving you the strength to push mountains (or maybe just your trolley, during the busiest time at the supermarket).
8) PUT YOURSELF TOGETHER
I used to be perpetually almost-late, always rushing, generally stressed. I thought that everyone felt like this in the morning. Here enters the ‘put together’ person. It’s hard to nail down exactly what it means to be “put together,” or to look “put together,” but it’s easy to know when you meet someone who does: these people always seem to be confident and competent. It’s not about what you wear, but how.
Try to get ready in the morning with a sense of purpose, don’t rush through the routine: dress with mindfulness. You can match the outfit’s colours if it makes you happy, or don’t. If you put a little thought into your outfit, be it a t-shirt or a suit, you’ll stand up straighter, generally feel calmer as you will automatically feel ready for the day.
Hope you’ll find this list useful, but better still: why not make your own morning routine? Choose things that you are passionate about, and see if you can turn yourself into a morning person! By doing so, you might ultimately be able to give yourself one the most precious gifts of all: time well spent.
