Millions of people every day wrestle with the prospect of getting out of bed in a morning, and find it hard to get the motivation to follow through with it. They get there in the end, but it’s a rushed and sloppy process, leaving them unorganized and unprepared for the day ahead — until now. For those who hate leaving the hay, here are five top tips for getting motivated in a morning. Getting out of bed, getting up and around, and everything after are all covered in this article.
1. Streamline your morning.
One of the main reasons we can feel so unmotivated before getting up in the morning is the amount of things we have to do before stepping out the door. You need to make that process as painless as possible — and the best way to do that is to streamline the process. Prepare everything the night before: breakfast, packed lunches, clothes, shower towels — everything. Have it all set out and ready the night before. That way, the second you wake up, all the hard work has been done for you. Taking the effort out of your morning gives you more of a chance to plan your day ahead. This is a classic productivity technique and really give you an edge on your day.
2. Take L-Theanine with your coffee.
If you need an early morning caffeine fix to perk you up before work, you may want to invest in some L-Theanine. One of the best natural nootropics on the market, L-Theanine has been seen to work in synergy with caffeine and delivers some incredible results when it comes to brain power and motivation. Whereas caffeine can leave you feeling a little over-powered and jittery, L-Theanine deals with that problem completely. Found in small amounts in green tea, L-Theanine promotes the relaxation hormones in your body such as Dopamine, Serotonin, and GABA — all without causing fatigue. In doing so, the L-Theanine and the caffeine synergize, which combines the calmness and relaxation benefits from the L-Theanine with the energy and focus from the caffeine. The result being a long lasting sense of clarity that gets you more than ready for the day ahead. You should be looking to take around 100–200 milligrams with caffeine for the best results.
3. Exercise.
One of the best ways to get motivated for the day ahead is to start off with exercise. Working out is great for your mornings in so many ways — physically, practically, and mentally. It’s a strategy that keeps on giving and giving. Exercise helps you physically. From a physical point of view, it’s an instant win. Think about how you feel when you wake up, you’re groggy, you’re unfocused, and you sure as hell aren’t motivated. But if you drag yourself down to the gym, or outside for a run, your body will start pumping you full of adrenaline and motivation. By the time you get to work, you’ll be all warmed up and ready to go — and definitely not sleepy. Exercise helps you mentally. Another great fact about exercise is that it releases endorphins. These are feel-good hormones that stimulate your body’s opiate receptors making your feel pleasure and euphoria. This is your body’s way of trying to help you cope with the physical stress from your workout. But they also have a dramatic effect on improving mood, and even your mental sharpness. This helps perk you up for the rest of the day, giving you a positive outlook at anything the world may throw at you. Exercise helps you practically. In a nutshell, it’s one less thing to think about. How many times to plan to go the gym later in the day, and end up blowing it off, or rushing it? It weighs on your mind as another thing you need to do, before you can have some “me” time. Getting it out of the way early solves that problem. Working out first thing it the morning takes a load off your mind, and allows you to concentrate more on what else you need to do that day. If you’re a person who likes to get a lot done, this is the best way to go about it.
4.Drink more water before bed.
One of the oldest tricks in the book, but it’s still incredibly effective. Drinking more water before you go to bed is not only a good way to fight dehydration, but it also helps you get out of bed in the morning. Why? Because the first thing you’ll want to do when you wake up is urinate. From the second you wake up, you’re uncomfortable, and have to get out of bed. This is perfect — now you’re standing up and doing things; all that’s left to do is get started on your routine, and face the day ahead.
5. Sync your morning routine to music.
Another way to get yourself motivated in the morning is by using music. Not only is a great way to pump you up for the day, it’s also a good timing mechanism. A simple lifehack that you can use here is to sync your routine up to a playlist. Simply go through your favorite songs, and found out how long each one is, and then run that past what you need to do before you leave the house. For example, if your shower is only four minutes long, pick a four-minute song. If you know the song well, you’ll know how close it is to finishing -—and how far you should be done with your shower. Start the playlist as soon as you wake up, and by the time it’s finished you’ll be up ready for the day ahead. Plus it’ll do wonders for getting you hyped up, as music has been proven to influence mood. Featured photo credit: Viktor Hanacek via picjumbo.com
