Get up, play with your tablet or smart phone for a bit, take a shower, throw on some clothes, make coffee, grab some toast and rush out the door (or perhaps something on the way)… Basically your routine, right? Still not feeling ready for work though?
You’re an entrepreneur, and you want to start off your day just right. You’ll want to do things that will make you focus, keep your mind clear, and keep yourself optimistic about your business. So here are five morning routines which have been cited by entrepreneurs and other successful people, that can help you kick-start your day with ease and be ready for work.
Meditation
One important step for starting your day is meditation – both to clear your thoughts to focus on the day ahead, as well as meditation on the day ahead. Meditation can be defined as being mindful of the moment, as well as clearing away any thoughts which you might encounter. An easy way to begin is by focusing on your breath, and not focusing on thoughts – don’t ignore them, but acknowledge them and go back to trying to focus. You can meditate sitting, walking, or indeed even while exercising or by doing some other task – just practice awareness and mindfulness.
Breakfast
If you want to be able to focus properly on your work, you need to have some sort of nourishment to start off your day. This can be a protein shake, coffee and some sort of cereal-like foodstuff, or something more adventurous like Indian idlis with chutney. The point is having something at least moderately nutritious to fill your stomach and start off your day with more energy and without hunger pangs.
Listen to Music
Listening to music elevates your mood, and helps you to be more creative. It will also help you to clear your mind and focus on what you need to. There’s no need to do this separately from the other aspects of your routine – you can listen to music while getting your morning exercise or commute, but it won’t really help you with meditation so much.
Exercise
Physical exertion stimulates the brain. It doesn’t really matter what sort of exercise you engage in – it could be hatha yoga, stretching, going jogging or for a walk, or doing headstands. Even better if you walk or cycle to work rather than driving, since this is anyway healthier, reduces traffic congestion, and is better for the environment. Exercising will help you to focus on the day ahead, keep you in shape, and of course increase oxygen flow to your brain.
Consistency
If you really want to be successful in starting the day, you have to be consistent with your routine. After all, you cannot have a routine at all without consistency. So if you find that getting up, meditating, then having breakfast, then taking a shower works for you, don’t switch it around and be inconsistent with when you do these.
