Eight Ways to Make Your WFH Morning Routine Marvelus
Eight Ways to Make Your WFH Morning Routine Marvelus
Feb 10, 2023
By Stef Ziegler
When I used to work in an office my morning routine was structured, predictable, and simple. As I transitioned to working from home my morning routine became a dumpster fire. I’d hit snooze 10 times, scroll on instagram for 20 minutes in bed, and overall felt scattered as I learned to transition into my new routine. After a few months of trial and error, I’ve developed a new system that has helped me feel more energized, excited, and eager to start my day. If you can incorporate even a few of these habits into your morning routine, I am confident you will feel better too.
Here are the 8 things I do to start my day off right:
1. Prepare for the next day the night before.
The success of your next morning really starts the evening before. You can prepare for the next day by doing anything that will make your life easier in the morning. Some examples of the things I like to do the night before that have helped my mornings be less stressful are: plan out my breakfast, make a to do list of my most important tasks for the morning, and pick out the podcast or meditation I plan to do for the next day. These small adjustments help me to alleviate any unnecessary stress for the next day.
2. Do not check your phone, email, or social media! (Seriously!)
I don’t check any of these until 9 am. I have a 30 minute window where I allow myself to reply to texts, emails, and do a quick check of social media. Otherwise, the phone is not being opened aside from accessing a Marvelus mental fitness workout, meditation, or podcast. It’s so easy to get sucked into our phones and if you aren’t diligent with this boundary, you will look up wondering where an hour of your morning went. Plus, it alleviates stress and prevents your brain from thinking about your to-do list.
3. Go to sleep around the same time every night.
A good morning routine starts the night before. According to sleepfoundation.org, blue light from screens or devices impact your body’s circadian rhythm and prevents the release of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that makes you feel drowsy. Turn off the Netflix, put down your phone, and allow yourself to wind down. I aim to be in bed by 10pm every night. That means I need to start winding down at 9pm. The time will vary depending on your schedule, but pick a time and stick to it. Going to bed at the same time every night helps to reinforce your circadian rhythm. Your circadian rhythm helps your body to run efficiently and regulates your cycles of alertness and sleepiness. Put down your devices, your body will thank you the next morning.
4. Wake up when your alarm goes off.
This one is really tempting to ignore. It’s so easy to make the excuse of ‘5, 10, or 15 more minutes’ when you don’t have a commute anymore. Instead of making excuses and hitting snooze, try out Mel Robbins’ 5 second rule to help you get out of bed. Robbins explains in her book The High 5 Habit,If you have an instinct to act on a goal, you must physically move within 5 seconds or your brain will kill it. Hesitation is the kiss of death. You might hesitate for a just nanosecond, but that’s all it takes. That one small hesitation triggers a mental system that’s designed to stop you. And it happens in less than—you guessed it—five seconds. When you feel yourself hesitate before doing something that you know you should do, count 5-4-3-2-1-GO and move towards action.” So next time you are eager to hit snooze, try the 5 second rule.
5. Go for a walk first thing when you wake up.
One thing that has helped me immensely is hopping right out of bed to my coffee machine, making a cup of Joe, and going on a 30 minute walk first thing in the morning. This habit has transformed my mornings. It gets the blood flowing and I’m able to enjoy the coffee as the caffeine kicks in mid-walk. Now, I know this can be challenging depending where you live, but I promise the benefits are worth it. Make an effort to get out and go, even if it’s a bit chilly outside.
6. Get sunlight in your eyes the first 5-10 minutes of waking up.
The morning walk makes this a lot easier. If a morning walk isn’t a part of your routine, it’s important to get sunlight into your eyes the first 5-10 minutes of the day. According to Stanford neuroscientist, Andrew Huberman, “Getting sunlight in your eyes first thing in the morning is absolutely vital to mental and physical health. It is perhaps the most important thing that any and all of us can and should do in order to promote metabolic well-being, promote the positive function of your hormone system, get your mental health steering in the right direction.”
Huberman suggests viewing sunlight for 2-10 minutes every morning upon waking up. He explains that you want bright light in your eyes because it does two important things. Huberman states, “First of all, it triggers the timed release of cortisol, a healthy level of cortisol, into your system, which acts as a wake-up signal and will promote wakefulness and the ability to focus throughout the day. It also starts a timer for the onset of melatonin.” Make sure you go outside for your morning sunlight. Viewing sunlight through a window reduces the impact and is not as beneficial.
7. Set a time block for your morning.
I wake up at 7:30am every morning. I give myself 90 minutes of uninterrupted time for my morning routine. I know that in those 90 minutes I will not do anything outside of my routine. The world can wait.
8. Practice Mental Fitness for at least 10 minutes.
Whether it’s a meditation, breathwork, qi gong, vagus nerve exercises, gratitude practice journaling, etc., make sure to incorporate a mental fitness routine into your morning. Personally, mine changes from day to day, but it’s something I do not skip. My mental fitness routine greatly impacts my brain and mood for the day, so I make it a priority.
If you don’t know where to start, we’re here to help. (You can join Marvelus to get your daily dose of mental fitness delivered fresh each morning!)
Try these 8 daily morning routines and see how much happier, more grounded, and more productive your mornings can become. Give it a try, and let us know how your morning routine has transformed in the comments below!
