Your morning routine sets the tone for the rest of your day. That is why it is important to wake up feeling productive instead of lazy. Having a great morning routine can help improve your focus and keep you emotionally balanced.
If you work on having a great morning, you’ll notice improvements to your work performance, mood, and overall health. Here are some bad morning habits that you should stop immediately.
8 Bad Morning Habits You Should Stop Now
1. Snoozing Your Alarm
If you hit the snooze button every morning, stop. Studies show that snoozing your alarm makes you more tired and can give you a jumpy start to your day.
Popping off the snooze button every few minutes leaves your body in a confused state. You aren’t allowing your body to sleep soundly.
Instead, you are forcing yourself to wake up several times. When you constantly hit snooze, you never truly wake up. You’ll always feel tired because you aren’t giving your body the chance to sleep.
Waking up later also leaves you rushing in the mornings. When you rush every morning, you’re bound to feel stressed out. You skip breakfast and maybe even your shower.
Not only can this cause you health problems, but it can affect your productivity at work. Train your body to wake up when your alarm goes off without hitting the snooze button.
Read Also: 7 Small Things to Do Before Work for a Great Day
2. Skipping Breakfast
Make sure to eat breakfast every morning. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for many reasons.
When you skip breakfast, you’re less likely to have energy and be productive. Studies have shown that when you skip breakfast, you have lower concentration and focus.
Eating breakfast helps you with memory tasks and can help you pay better attention. Skipping breakfast can make you hangry by mid-morning.
You’ll start craving unhealthy snacks, which can lead to weight gain. Eating breakfast helps you form good eating habits and keeps you from overeating.
Make sure your breakfast is healthy and nutritious! A healthy breakfast should have carbs, protein, and good fats.
Try whole wheat toast with avocado and a poached egg. Not only will it give you important vitamins and nutrients, it’ll also help keep your blood sugar levels steady.
If you don’t feel like eggs in the morning, try oatmeal with some fruit and nuts. Oatmeal will keep you full and give you energy to start your day.
Read Also: A 30-Minute Morning Routine to Kickstart Your Productivity
3. Checking Your Phone
We are all guilty of reaching for our phone as soon as our eyes open. But did you know that checking your phone can make you less clear-headed?
As soon as you open your eyes, you dive straight into work emails, social media notifications, and text messages.
Getting pulled into technology first thing in the morning can leave you feeling overwhelmed and stressed. You start your day focusing on other people instead of what you need to do.
Research shows that when you check your phone in the morning, you spend your whole day reacting to others.
You aren’t living with purpose, and your day is driven by what others need from you. Checking your phone first thing in the morning can make you less productive.
Take ten minutes in the morning to stretch and drink your coffee before you touch your phone.
Meditate or enjoy your breakfast in peace. Your mind will feel clear, and you’ll be less stressed throughout the day.
Read also: 15 Journaling Prompts for Anger
4. Not Drinking Water
Many people skip drinking water in the morning and reach for coffee instead. Not drinking water first thing in the morning can dehydrate you!
Your body goes hours without water while you’re asleep. By drinking water as soon as you get up, you replenish your body.
Drinking water in the morning can jump-start your metabolism. Not only will you digest food better throughout the day, but you’ll absorb more nutrients.
Drinking water will also increase your performance if you plan on working out that day.
Working out with water allows your body to move with more strength and endurance. Drinking water will also help you mentally!
Starting your day with water will make you more alert and less groggy. Studies have shown that dehydration can cause you to have a lack of focus.
If you start your day with water, you’ll be more productive at work. Lastly, drinking water improves your skin!
Drinking water hydrates your body and clears toxins. If you forget to drink water in the mornings, your skin can appear dull and lifeless.
5. Neglecting Hygiene
Taking care of your hygiene is very important when it comes to your morning routine. How you present yourself to others affects how you feel about yourself.
If you don’t brush your teeth or take a shower in the morning, you’ll feel sluggish all day. Taking care of your hygiene can help you feel fresh and ready to take on the day.
By brushing your teeth in the morning, you wash away bacteria that could make you sick.
You also ensure that your breath is fresh when you talk to your coworkers, friends, and family. If you start your day by neglecting your hygiene, you’re going to feel low.
You shouldn’t start your day without washing your face! Washing your face in the morning allows you to wake up your skin.
You’ll feel more awake and ready to start your day as soon as you wash your face. By skipping this important step, you may feel tired and sluggish.
6. Wearing Sweatpants All Day
Wearing sweatpants all day sounds comfy and nice, but it kills your productivity. Sweatpants are made for sleeping and lounging around the house.
When you wear sweatpants during the day, you’re telling yourself it’s okay to relax. Get up and change into real clothes during the day.
Wearing everyday clothes will put you in work mode, even if you’re at home. Once you put clothes on that you’d normally wear outside, you’ll feel motivated.
Getting dressed for the day can help you focus on the tasks you need to accomplish that day. If you wear sweatpants every day, you’re telling yourself it’s okay to be lazy.
Working in your pajamas may cause you to not take your work as seriously. You may not have the energy to do your work because you looked at your bed instead of a wall.
Wearing nice clothes can help you feel good about yourself. When you feel good about yourself, you’re more likely to take on the day head-on.
Plus, your pants probably aren’t as comfortable as you think they are. Change into real clothes every morning to help your productivity.
7. Skipping Exercise
Do you rush out of bed every morning without doing any type of exercise? Exercising in the morning can increase your overall well-being.
Doing some type of workout in the morning can increase your energy levels and help you feel more awake. Not only will you feel good, but you’ll be happier too!
Exercising releases endorphins that can help your mood throughout the day. Doing as little as 15 minutes of exercise can change your day.
You can do simple stretches to help improve your flexibility. Going on a walk or jog can help improve your heart rate.
Doing push-ups, sit-ups, or squats can help you build muscle. You can do these exercises at home before you start your workday.
Working out in the morning can also increase your metabolism! Having a fast metabolism can help you burn more calories throughout the day.
8. Overloading Your Schedule
Having too many things to do when you wake up can ruin your day. When you wake up thinking about everything you have to do, you’re going to feel overwhelmed.
You’ll feel stressed out and may not finish everything on your list. We always think we can get more done in a day than we actually can.
When you have too many things to do that day, you’ll start rushing. Once you start rushing, you’re more likely to forget things and feel panicked.
Try to only think about the things that need to get done that day. If you have something that isn’t due until next week, leave it for tomorrow.
You can use the Eisenhower Box method to help prioritize your things that need to get done. The important things are the things that you want to accomplish that day.
The not important can wait until tomorrow or even be delegated to someone else. Making your mornings about only the important things can help you feel less stressed.
Conclusion
If you want to be more productive during the day, you have to stop these bad habits. We listed eight bad morning habits that are affecting your day.
By knowing these bad habits, you allow yourself to change your morning routine. Start waking up happier and more productive by not hitting the snooze button.
Work on being present when you first wake up and drink a glass of water. Don’t let yourself pick up your phone until you’ve had your coffee.
These small things can help you wake up happy and ready to take on the day. Create a morning routine that allows you time to get ready and relax.
Instead of jumping right out of bed, focus on quality sleep. Make sure you’re relaxing before bed and try going to sleep at the same time every night.
You can even work out or tell yourself three things you’re grateful for before bed. Try making these changes to your life and watch how your mornings will improve.
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