Dr. Nina Radcliff’s guide to a quality morning routine

Your morning routine sets the tone for the rest of your day. And while how your day goes is not always in your hands, how you prepare for it is.

A quality morning routine is a powerful way of taking control of your day instead of it controlling you. And even if you’re not a “morning person,” there are things you can do to get yourself ready for a productive day. Good morning routines help you to:

be more in control of your schedule

better prioritize your time and increase focus and productivity

engage purposefully with each task

make it easier to adopt more healthy habits long term

ensure more consistency in your self-care while releasing endorphins

The foundation of a healthy morning routine is to be conscious of how you spend your time after you wake up. Here are some considerations to ensure you are building quality into your thoughts, actions and feelings in the morning, which will have a positive impact on your health, well-being and productivity throughout the day.

Take time to enjoy your waking moments. Enjoy the quiet or uplifting music. If possible, try to go at a slower pace that supports peaceful, positive, rich moments.

Tailor your morning ritual to your needs. Plan the amount of time needed in the morning before getting your day started, which varies from person to person and sometimes from day to day. Think about what you like and what you need. Set your alarm accordingly, ensuring you get a quality night of sleep.

Gather thoughts and actions with some added preparation. Making mental or written notes of the most important actions you want to accomplish the next day can reduce stress. You can do some additional planning before you fall asleep so you don’t have to use your freshest thoughts in the morning to figure out what you’re going to wear or eat. Thoughtfully engaging in each part of the routine helps reduce rushing and reactivity, increasing your sense of calm and pleasure.

Positively charge yourself. Start your day thinking positively or listening to positive affirmations for long-lasting, quality energy.

Hitting the snooze button has been shown to be more harmful than helpful because those extra few minutes of sleep don’t provide you with quality, restorative rest, making you “groggier” or dulling your mental skills first thing in the morning.

Your body needs healthy food and water to start your day. Make the time for a healthy breakfast, and maybe even a morning snack.

Consider placing a powerful quote where you will see it or listen to an inspiring podcast as you begin your morning routine. Some experts recommend focusing on what you’re grateful for. Thankfulness is linked to powerful, positive qualities that can uplift your body, mind and soul.

Remind yourself that your morning routine will have a great effect on you, those you care about and on what you want to accomplish throughout your day. You simply cannot do well if you don’t get yourself in the right mental space to succeed.

Wake time and sleep time are key in setting the tone for a quality morning routine. It’s important to try to wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day to ensure quality sleep.

Avoid your phone/emails. An intentional morning approach is linked to a more productive rest of your day, and scrolling is a passive activity that could detract from the productivity of your morning.

One of the biggest mistakes people make that sabotages their goals is not being mindful or intentional about developing a quality morning routine that gets them off to a good start. The secret to change is to focus your energy not on fighting the old habits but on building new ones.

You’ve got this. Happy new year!