Wouldn’t be nice to start your days feeling refreshed and energized to take on the challenges ahead?<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"David](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image9-1.gif\")
<\/a> Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n In this blog post, we will explore various ways to build the perfect morning routine that works for your lifestyle. We’ll also talk about how changing up your morning routine can help reduce anxiety<\/a> and increase productivity!<\/p>\n\n\n Let’s play a quick game, shall we?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Which of these gifs best represent you in the morning? \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Thanks for playing! Hopefully, that helped you identify what kind of morning person you are. \ud83d\ude1c<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more aware you are of your current morning habits, the more you’ll understand what areas of your morning need attention\u2014that say, you can make the necessary adjustments to use your morning hours more effectively!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let’s get into how we can help turn your mornings more enjoyable, energizing, and have them work for you! \ud83c\udf1e<\/p>\n\n\n\n Having a daily morning routine isn’t about adding more to your to-do list for the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s about filling in your mornings with activities (or stillness) that you need to help you rejuvenate, reset, and refocus for the day ahead. \ud83d\ude0c \ud83c\udf31<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here are some of the top benefits of a morning ritual:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udfe2 Improved mental health and overall wellbeing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udfe2 Provides structure to your day<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udfe2 Promotes better time management<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A solid morning routine will brighten your mood and give you more energy during the day, reduce anxiety, boost your productivity levels, and make you feel better overall!<\/p>\n\n\n\n And when you take time to fill up your cup before the demands of the day get in the way, you’re more likely to have the mental, emotional, and physical capacity to tackle those challenges. \ud83d\udc4a \ud83d\ude0e<\/p>\n\n\n\n Morning anxiety is not uncommon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, many of us experience morning anxiety because of stress from work, school, relationships issues, and so on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes, anxiety can be caused by having too many obligations during the day, and other times it may be due to having poor planning and time management or lack of boundaries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Either way, the feeling absolutely sucks<\/em>! \ud83d\ude48<\/p>\n\n\n\n While anxiety can occur at any time of the day, most people tend to feel it the most in the morning and there’s scientific reasoning as to why that is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For most people, cortisol, which is the stress hormone in our body, is at its highest level during the early morning hours<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Because our cortisol levels are higher in the morning, we’re more likely to feel anxious, which in turn causes us to feel less focused and productive throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is where a morning routine that fits your lifestyle can help alleviate morning anxiety! \u2728<\/p>\n\n\n\n Designing a healthy morning routine can help reduce morning anxiety by:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udfe1 Protecting your peace by time blocking and setting boundaries<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udfe1 Promoting self-care (showing up for yourself)<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udfe1 Improving mindset and mental clarity<\/p>\n\n\n\n \ud83d\udfe1 Helping avoid potential distractions or sources of stressors (ie. phone\/ computer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, let’s get you into some of the activities you can start implementing in your morning to help you become your most productive, creative, and take control of your days!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Yeah, we’ve all been guilty of snoozing our alarms in the morning just<\/em> to get five more minutes of sleep (so we think). The next thing you know, you’ve slept through all your alarms and you’re late and in a major rush…again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whoops. <\/em>\ud83d\ude48<\/p>\n\n\n\n While we think sleeping in just a little<\/em> longer is helping us get more rest, it’s actually doing the exact opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sleep experts explain<\/a> that snoozing your alarm messes with your sleep cycles and causes you to feel more tired and foggy because it disrupts your REM sleep<\/a>\u2014the stage of sleep when your brain is stimulated to help learning and memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The secret to starting your morning off right is to get upright<\/a> when the first alarm goes off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A little trick you can try is by counting down from five after being woken up by the first alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Simply count down 5, 4, 3, 2, 1… then roll out of bed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This five-second rule<\/a>, a countdown method advocated by Mel Robbins<\/a>, can help train your brain to break any bad habit<\/a> and push you to take action that can change your life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Check out our guide on healthy work habits<\/a>! \ud83d\udc9c <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Give it a shot and don’t snooze on it! \ud83d\ude09 \u23f0<\/p>\n\n\n\n Is breakfast really that important?<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n This one will require a lot of effort and research on your behalf!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Everyone’s bodies are different and so are their needs. Understanding how your unique body works, what types of food it needs, and how much food (energy) you need to power you through your daily activities is key!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take some time to understand your health and how the foods you eat affect your mood, energy levels, and mental clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The more you know about nutrition, the more you can make better choices about the foods you eat, especially in the morning! \ud83e\udd51 \ud83c\udf7d \u2600\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Regular exercise comes with tons of health benefits including boosting energy levels, improving mood, and cognitive performance to name a few. \ud83e\uddd8\u200d\u2640\ufe0f\u2728<\/p>\n\n\n\n Implementing movement in your morning routine can help you:<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are several types of exercises<\/a> that you can do, but the key is, once again, is learning how your body works, what it needs, and knowing what kind of activities you enjoy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Whether it be running, yoga, CrossFit, Tai Chi, or walking your dogs, the goal is to incorporate movement and breathwork into your mornings to feel good, reduce stress and anxiety, boost energy levels, and improve your productivity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a look at how exercise affects your brain function:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n Image Source<\/a><\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n So now that you’ve learned a little bit more about the correlation between exercise and brain function, the next step is to map out your exercise plan! \ud83d\uddd3 \u270d\ufe0f<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2b50\ufe0f Pro tip: <\/strong>Use the Calendar view<\/a> in ClickUp to schedule and visualize your exercise plan, and use it as a self-tracking tool. You could even take your Calendar wherever you go when you download ClickUp to your mobile device.<\/p>\n\n\n Viewing your schedule and tasks in ClickUp’s mobile app<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n \u2b50\ufe0f Pro tip: <\/strong>Use the Goals and progress percentage feature in ClickUp to set weekly movement goals and keep track of your progress.<\/p>\n\n\n Tracking progress with scorecards in ClickUp Goals<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n However you want to move, make sure that it’s enjoyable for you to help increase your adherence and elicit positive changes in your health and well-being. \ud83d\udcaa\ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n\n Journaling is a great way to untangle your thoughts and put them on paper (or online notepad), clear your head, and tie your thoughts and feelings together. \u2728\ud83d\udcdd \ud83d\ude0c<\/p>\n\n\n\n While you can journal any time of the day, doing it in the morning can have several benefits to your mental health. It helps declutter your brain when you write your thoughts out and allows you to free up space for what’s truly important (like the information you need to remember for your big presentation!) \ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udcbc\ud83d\udcca<\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from improved mental clarity, journaling in the morning can also help you connect with yourself and align with your intentions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you write your intentions down, you become more aware of what matters to you, which helps bring your focus to those goals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2b50\ufe0f Pro tip: <\/strong>Use the Docs in ClickUp<\/a> as a journaling tool. Express yourself in writing and use the rich text editing to format and color your Doc pages. Best of all, Docs automatically saves what you’ve typed on the page\u2014no need to worry about forgetting to manually save your notes. \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n Creating and storing detailed notes in ClickUp Docs<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n At ClickUp, we value the importance of learning and growing 1% every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In fact, it’s one of the core values<\/a> at work that keeps us grounded, focused, and motivated to learn something new and get better every day. So it’s only fitting that we include this top tip in here! \ud83d\ude0a<\/p>\n\n\n ClickUp’s core values<\/p><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n Starting the day with learning can help bring a new perspective to many different aspects of your life and inspire you to think more creatively, especially at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Read a book, listen to a podcast, watch a YouTube video, practice your drawing skills, or fine-tune your guitar skills (as long as you aren’t waking your neighbors up with it).\ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n\n\n\n No matter how busy you are, we guarantee you that investing even ten minutes<\/strong> for learning every day will help improve your personal and professional growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Growing every day is one of the most powerful and impactful thing you can do for yourself.<\/p> It’s a huge key to happiness and success\u2014not just in business but in all of life. Check out Zeb’s video post<\/a> to hear him speak more about why learning is a huge part of his ethos.<\/em><\/strong> \ud83d\udc9c<\/p>\n\n\n\n Humans have the biological need for connection, meaning our brains and bodies are wired to connect with others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Not only is connection one of our biological needs, but it also has the power to create positive changes in the brain. \ud83e\udde0\u2728<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take a few moments of your time in the morning to connect with your family, friends, loved ones, and so on. Whether it’s over the phone or in person, the connection will help you feel supported, which in turn will help you feel empowered, determined, inspired, and ready to tackle the day ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ok, now here’s a tip that’s technically not<\/em> part of a <\/em>morning routine, but <\/strong>it is<\/em> key to ensuring your morning routine sticks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Planning your days the night before can help increase your morning productivity and reduce the amount of thinking power that you’ll need when your day begins. When you plan the night before, you’ll know exactly what you’ll be doing the next day, what you need, how much time you need for each activity, and so on!<\/p>\n\n\n\n What you do the night before will have a domino effect on how your morning will unfold. So if you want to be your most productive self when the day comes, then write three to five of the most important things you want to get done the night before and block off the time you’ll need to knock those out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2b50\ufe0f Pro Tip:<\/strong> Create create a task for each important item of business in ClickUp, add time estimate<\/a>, task checklists<\/a>, and priority flags<\/a>, and view your tasks in Calendar view to ensure your to-dos are easily visible and trackable!<\/p>\n\n\nQuick Poll: Which Type of Person Are You in the Morning?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
A.) The Early (and Super Happy) Riser<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image1-1.gif\")
B.) The “Always Late” Person<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image2-2.gif\")
C.) The “Coffee First”<\/strong> Person<\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Roy](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image11-1.gif\")
D.) The Night Owl (who tends to oversleep)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image14.gif\")
E.) The Snoozer \ud83d\udc40<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image10-2.gif\")
F.) The “Not a Morning Person at All” Person<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"Bill](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/giphy-14.gif\")
Benefits of a Solid Morning Routine<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Calming your Morning Anxiety<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Tips for Creating a Solid Morning Routine \u2600\ufe0f<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Set up a wake-up time and don’t hit snooze! \ud83d\udea8<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n
![\"multiple](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image15-691x1400.jpg\")
2. Eat according to your needs \ud83c\udf7d<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"a](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image16.gif\")
3. Get a sweat sesh in or practice breathwork \ud83e\udd38\u200d\u2640\ufe0f<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"exercise](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image13.jpg\")
![\"Calendar](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image7-5-1400x639.png\")
![\"Scorecards](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image12-4-e1640125236647-1400x920.png\")
4. Journal or create a checklist for the day \u270d\ufe0f<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"ClickUp](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/docs-combo-features-1-1-e1640125349201.png\")
5. Invest time for learning \ud83e\udd13 \ud83d\udcda<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"ClickUp's](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image3-6-1400x944.png\")
I grow by dedicating 10 minutes to learning and reading every single day.
What are some ways you ensure you’re growing?<\/p><\/blockquote>![\"Zeb](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/zeb.jpeg\")
6. Spend time with loved ones \ud83d\udc68\u200d\ud83d\udc69\u200d\ud83d\udc67\u200d\ud83d\udc66<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
7. Prepare the night before \ud83c\udf19 \ud83d\udc40<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"Setting](\"https:\/\/clickup.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/image6-4-e1640125115328.png\")