Mornings can get pretty hectic. There’s so much to do, lots of things to remember, and in big homes, it can all get quite chaotic. This sort of stress first thing in the morning can greatly affect your positive thinking and set a bad tone for the rest of the day. Start your day off with good habits that simplify your life.

So, what can you do to change this? As it turns out, there are lots of scientifically proven methods that can help reshape your morning habits.

Here Are 8 Morning Habits That Simplify Your Life:

1.    Figure Out What You’ll Be Eating And Drinking

The process of making food and drinks every morning can be a little time-consuming, leading to a lot of chaos as you attempt to get everything ready. If you’ve already figured out what you’ll be consuming, the process will be significantly slowed down. Here’s how to do so:

·         Make Coffee Quickly

Many of us can’t fully wake up without a cup of coffee, but try making the preparation process faster. Try purchasing a coffee pot that has a timer. This will let you set things up in the evening. You can also buy a pot that lets you pre-load pods. If you’re not too much of a coffee “purist,” you can even opt for pre-made or bottled options!

·         Prep Meals fo Simplify Your Life

Making breakfast early in the morning can take up a lot of time. This can make you skip breakfast on some days, which is a very bad idea. Eating breakfast provides countless positive benefits.

As such, you should try to prepare your breakfast the night before, so you can easily eat the next day. This also allows you to make a healthier breakfast. If it’s something you have to make fresh, lay out all the ingredients beforehand.

The same goes for packed lunches. If you bring your lunch to work with you, try to prep your meals in advance. That way, you can just grab your lunch and go.

·         Sort Out Any Medications

If you take supplements and medications, make sure they’re all sorted out and arranged, ready for quick and easy taking. Put them near where you’ll eat breakfast so you can take them before or after as needed. You can also purchase a pill sorter to keep things extra organized.

2.    Wake Yourself Up Right

The process of waking up itself can be a bit of a challenge. For many people. Here’s how to get it done the right way:

·         Let The Sun In

Natural light can trigger the hormones in your brain, helping you to wake up more easily. So once you get up, let the light stream in. If you tend to wake up right at sunrise, consider leaving the curtain open when you go to bed, so you wake up to the sun streaming in.

·         Don’t Hit Snooze

It’s so tempting to press that snooze button when your alarm goes off. But doing so only delays your waking up, giving you less time to get ready. It also means you’re actually more likely to be groggy by squeezing in five or ten more minutes to your sleep time.

So, set your alarm for the exact right time, and the second it rings, hit the off switch right away and get right up. If you can’t resist hitting snooze, put your alarm somewhere further away, forcing you to stand up and walk to switch it off.

·         Play Some Music

When you get up, turn on some of your favorite cheerful tunes. You can play an album you love or make a playlist of appropriate songs. If it makes you want to dance or makes you feel good, it’ll probably help wake you up!

3.    Prepare Things That You May Forget

Do you often find yourself forgetting the things that you need? All you have to do is get things ready in advance! If you make sure all the things you usually forget are easy to reach, you won’t have to spend ages looking for them, coming back for them, or finding alternatives to them. Here are some ideas:

  • Organize everything you need and place it in one specific area the night before
  • Keep your keys right by the door; make it a habit not to bring them into the house
  • Pack your car with non-perishable items in advance
  • Narrow down the list of things you have to bring every day
  • See if there are some things you can safely leave in your workplace

4.    Don’t Be Distracted by Poor Morning Habits

Do you get on your phone the moment you wake up? This can eat up your time and prevent you from getting things done on time. Time passes so quickly when you’re on devices. Before you even turn on your phone or look through it, make sure you’ve bathed, dressed, and gotten totally ready.

Some people like to look at their phone, watch TV, or listen to podcasts or the radio when they eat breakfast. But this can draw out your time spent eating, too. Even reading a book or the newspaper can do this. Don’t eat while distracted! (Side note: This should fall not only on your morning habits list but become a practice for every meal.)

If you really need to check your phone in the morning, get everything else done first and set aside some time before you leave to do so. Both your schedule and your waistline will thank you for the positive change!

5.    Shorten Your Getting Ready Process

Bathing, grooming, and getting dressed can take up a lot of time. This is especially true if you have an extensive skincare routine, you style your hair, or you wear makeup. But you can shorten the process of getting ready in a number of ways. Here’s how:

·         Use A Timer While Showering

Don’t take too long in the shower! Set a timer so that you know how long you can take. As soon as the timer runs out, wash off the remaining soap and hop out!

·         Wash Your Hair The Day Before

If you have long hair, washing your hair in the evening can be a good way to spend less time preparing it in the morning. This is especially true if you usually have to blow-dry your hair or if you style it. There are some styles you can even wear to bed, so you don’t need to bother with them when you wake up!

·         Set Out Your Clothes The Night Before

Instead of rushing to put an outfit together, set aside your outfit for the day the night before. If you’ve got enough clothes, you can even lay out an entire week’s worth of outfits in advance, perhaps with an extra outfit just in case.

·         Keep Your Grooming Products Organized to Simplify Your Life

Don’t make yourself look all around your room for your skincare, makeup, or hair products. Make sure they’re all organized in one convenient location.

·         Lessen The Products You Use

Cut out unnecessary products from your routine. Your everyday workplace probably doesn’t require that you wear full-glam makeup or have perfectly gelled hair. You can also opt for combination products to lessen your time. Get a lipstick that can also be used as a blush product. Get a bronzer and highlight stick in one. Make your soap moisturizing. Get creative with it!

6.    Draft Out A Schedule Or List

Is there any easier way to simplify life than by creating a list or a schedule? If there is, we haven’t found it yet! Here are some options:

·         Make A List Of Items You Need

Tend to forget things? Set up a list of what you have to get done, what you need to bring, and more. Hang the list somewhere you can easily see it. A whiteboard that you can turn into a reusable checklist is a great idea, too. Plus, the brain reacts in a very positive way to lists, allowing for less stress.

·         Make A Morning Schedule

Make a schedule of when you need to get certain things done. For example, maybe you need to finish your bath by a certain time or get done eating at a certain time. This schedule can keep you on task and on time as your new morning habits become second nature.

·         Set Your Daily Activities To Songs or Timers

Having trouble sticking to the aforementioned morning schedule? Set timers that go off at the right time. If that’s too rigid, play a song playlist every day and set your schedule to each song. For example, you may know that by the time you hit song five, you should be dressed and groomed.

·         Make A Schedule For Bathroom Use In Busy Homes

In a home with lots of inhabitants? Set up a morning schedule for bathroom use so that everyone can take turns. If someone misses their bathroom break, they’ll have to wait for it to be free again.

·         Make Different Routines For Different Mornings If Needed

Do you have different to-do lists every day? Create weekly routines instead of daily ones. This allows you to stay organized while still being flexible and accounting for the different needs of different days.

simplify your life with minimalism7.    Keep Your Hallway Clear

Is your hallway a giant mess? That can make it very difficult to get out. Here’s an often-overlooked way to simplify your life. Make sure your hallway is relatively organized, and get rid of unnecessary surfaces – like chairs that you dump lots of items on, a table full of unopened mail, shopping bags that never seem to move.

You should also make sure your hallway is season-appropriate. Put away winter coats and shoes in warm months. Remove flip-flops and sunhats in cold months. Anything you don’t need, put away!

8.    Give Yourself A Little Breathing Room

If your schedule is so well-orchestrated that if you don’t leave at the right time exactly, you’ll be in big trouble, it’s a bad schedule. Give yourself some breathing room and extra time. If you end up not needing it, great! Then you gave more time to do something you want to do.

Preparing for potential mishaps, emergencies, and setbacks is crucial to making sure your life is simplified. It can also reduce stress, giving you a great positive thinking boost for the day.

morning habits mindfulnessFinal Thoughts: Adopt These Morning Habits, You’ll Be Better Off for It!

Is your life pretty messy? These eight morning habits that simplify your life can really help reduce the chaos? Give these morning habits a chance, and you will enjoy a more relaxed and calm morning, which will set the tone for a more peaceful and organized day!