How To Get Motivated In The Morning (Even When You’re Not Leaving Home)

Sometimes it’s easier to get motivated when you have somewhere to be. You wake up, shut off the alarm and immediately dive into your leaving-the-house-to-get-somewhere routine. But if you’re working from home, or even just looking at a weekend day with nothing planned, it’s easy to find yourself unshowered and still in your pajamas at 5pm. No judgment, that’s fine. 

But if you get into the habit of rolling out of bed and into your day without any sort of transition you may also start to feel a bit like a zombie running in a hamster wheel. A zombie hamster? 

So here are a few ideas to help break the cycle and get your day off to a productive start. 

Have Your Morning Coffee- But Try Something New

You’ve gotta have your coffee right? Of course, you do! So do we. And so do about 200 million other adults in the US. But if you’re drinking it with cream and sugar, maybe it’s time to make the switch. There are some health benefits to drinking your coffee black. It’s also the best way to become a true connoisseur of quality coffee beans. Condiments will cloud the nuanced flavors of coffee while drinking it black will help you become more acquainted with the subtle flavor differences between varieties. It will also help you cut down on calories and help you build a tortured artist image. 

Do 15 Minutes of Yoga

If the idea of getting out of bed and doing 30 minutes of cardio makes you cringe, you’re not alone. But there are less strenuous ways to get your mind and body moving in the morning. Doing a simple 15-minute yoga routine, with 5 or 6 yoga poses can help get your blood flowing, focus your breathing and clear your mind to dive into work, a schedule or plan for your next steps. If you want a more advanced routine try something like the yoga program on Openfit

Make Your Bed

In his book “Make Your Bed” former navy sea,l Naval Admiral William McRaven, notes, 

“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.”

Immediately making your bed, starts your day with a small victory and will instantly make your room look cleaner. Those two things alone can help you have the energy and mindset to say “what’s next?” with enthusiasm. 

Eat an Energy-Boosting Breakfast

Eating breakfast has been shown to help students who eat breakfast have more energy and better concentration. If it’s true for students in school, then it’s likely adults can reap these benefits as well. When you move seamlessly from bed-to-work it may come with a sense of sluggishness. But taking the time to eat breakfast in between can give you the jumpstart you need. While the act of eating breakfast is probably the most important part it helps when you make healthy choices. Healthy choices in the morning can also help you eat healthier throughout the day. Green smoothies are a great option, but if you’re not one to go for kale or spinach n the morning, try something hearty like pumpkin oat pancakes or something light like banana and oat breakfast cookies. 

Read or Keep a Journal

Reading or writing in the morning is an easy way to get your brain working. According to Medium as you’re reading “your brain is decoding a series of abstract symbols and synthesizing the results into complex ideas.” The entire process requires functions from multiple parts of your brain and reading first thing will initiate those processes as you begin your day. You can also choose reading material to help inspire and motivate you to take on new and challenging tasks. 

Keeping a journal and writing to start your day can also stimulate your brain. A study from researchers at a German University noted that once participants began writing they showed activity in the hippocampus region of the brain. The hippocampus is the part of the brain that deals with memory and long-term memory is important for learning. Writing will help strengthen your hippocampus which can also have long-term health benefits. Beyond that, writing the morning can help adjust your attitude for the day when you focus on topics to cultivate gratitude and positivity. If you’re more reflective, then try keeping a dream journal which is a natural partner to morning writing because the best time to capture dreams is right after you wake. 

As a bonus, you can pair reading or journaling with both a healthy breakfast and black coffee. If you want to make it a superfecta try it all in the child pose. Ok, maybe don’t do that. 

A Last Bit of Advice

Getting a new morning routine off the ground is difficult under the best of circumstances. If your current scenario for changing the norm isn’t exactly ideal start slow with one new positive habit. It’s also extremely helpful to prepare as much as possible the night before. If you’re going to try yoga, get your workout clothes, yoga map and routine laid out before bed. The same is true of placing your book or journal next to your bed. But most of all, give it time to take hold. When you’re starting something new, it’s easy to miss a day because life happens or you just really want that extra sleep. Don’t give up, just try again tomorrow.

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