Morning routines have been reevaluated over the last year with people around the globe  quarantined inside their homes. With this change, some people grasped onto these routines, perfecting them until they’re perfect. Others completely lost control of their routine, sleeping well past noon, and forgetting to even eat until dinner. With that being said, morning routines are extremely important. 

In my experience, even just waking up at 7 a.m.or 8 a.m. can allow you to feel productive and ready for your day. 

What might a morning routine consist of? The most basic acts include making your bed, exercising, self-care, and breakfast. A routine which has been spoken about across the internet is the Billionaire Morning Routine. This includes many habits such as:

1. Wake up at 5 or 5:30: by waking up at this hour it allows one to have more time to complete daily tasks without feeling rushed. 
2. Exercise: By getting exercise out of the way you won’t have to worry about it through-out your day.
3. Complete a personal task: this can be preparing your lunch for work or make your breakfast.
4. Read: Learning something in the morning is a very good way to spend your time.
5. Meditate: This improves your mental health and focus on your daily tasks.
6. Spend time with your family: This will obviously make your bonds with them stronger and has been proven to be a large stress reliever.
7. Plan: This could include making a checklist or writing in an agenda which allows the person to accurately plan their day and make sure nothing gets left out.

Although this list may look intimidating, these tasks can be done in under three hours. If you’re waking up at 5 a.m. that means you would be done by about 8 a.m.. After this routine you are free to go on with your day, whether that’s going to school or work. On top of all of that, just doing a few of these tasks has been proven to benefit the person completing them. 

Some reasons why people may be opposed to these routines is pure laziness as waking up this early can seem like a daunting task. The way you can make it easier is by getting to bed earlier. Staying up on your phone can be avoided by replacing the device with a book or turning it off an earlier hour in the evening. Lack of sleep negatively affects you in so many ways, decreasing your energy levels and your ability to focus. 

According to one US Study, It was found that people who made breakfast the biggest meal of their day tended to have a lower body mass index when compared to those who made dinner their biggest meal.

This is why, if you don’t practice this habit already, adding breakfast to your morning routine may be something you want to consider.

Once I was a religious breakfast skipper. I was convinced that I would drop pounds fast and see results quicker. On top of that, I had no morning routine. My days consisted of waking up at 2 pm and consuming one meal a day, never getting out of bed or rarely showering. My grades in school started to drop and my mood as well. 

Once this school year started I decided it was time to change. I began waking up at 6:00 a.m. and going on four mile jogs and walks before coming home and having a big cup of coffee and eating a good breakfast. After this basic outline I slowly started to add doing dishes, showering, and on occasion reading. Just doing these simple tasks made me feel so productive and from this I could see my mood change in a positive way.

That being said, the great thing about any routine is that they are completely adaptable to the person practicing them. If you have work at 5 am, wake up at 3 pm and start then. If you like reading more than exercise, read for an hour instead of exercising for an hour. This is applicable for any and all tasks. 

Based on personal experience, a simple and basic morning routine has made noticeable changes in my mental health and well-being. I now have something to look forward to in the morning, even if it’s something as basic as a warm cup of coffee.