Morning Rituals

What is the normal time that you usually get up in the morning?

Are you an early riser or a late riser?

I hope all of us know that how we start our day has a significant impact throughout the rest of the particular day.

I firmly believe that a well planned morning routine can be a good foundation for a productive day.

Life as a lecturer, researcher, speaker, writer, STEM activist and education consultant is really crazy. Life is even unpredictable while juggling with my two kids and husband. I am even prepared to face any unexpected tasks almost every single day. So, how do I hit the equilibrium bottom in most of my days? The answer is by sticking to structured morning rituals.

Hence, this month I would like to talk about morning rituals.

What are morning rituals?

It is a specific set of activities or habits that you do every morning before starting the particular day. These rituals can be different from person to person.

Here are few morning rituals of mine.

1.????? Waking up early is my main step of success. I usually start my day by 3.00 am and this has become a habit for more than 25 years of my life. During the early morning time I am most productive. Honestly, I prefer calm and quiet environment without chaos. So, by waking up early, I have all the time in the world to have a time for myself. I feel like I am in control over my day without stress as I have enough time to focus on my tasks before the rest of the world wakes up.

?2.????? Prioritize and communicate what you need to accomplish. I normally have a to-do list that is written according to the priority per each day. I keep my family involved by communicating them about my activities. In fact, we have a Family Schedule Planner where all are on the same page with written tasks, meetings, functions, deadlines etc.

?3.????? For success I added exercise for my morning ritual with low intensity workouts. I believe that exercise is important for a healthy body and mind. On top of all, I am with a weight reduction goal to be achieved.

4.????? Hydration is also important in my morning ritual. I hydrate my body to kick start my metabolism. Improved skin health and digestion are my proven witnesses of increased water intake.

?5.????? Healthy breakfast is my next ritual. It is really important to fuel your body to keep going throughout the day. I normally have my breakfast as a brunch around 10 am as I am on intermittent fasting these days.

?6.????? Quiet time with positive affirmations is included in my morning ritual. Because in this bustling world we rarely have time to enjoy a quiet time. During this quiet time you can listen to a podcast, read a book, meditate or plan your daily goals.? While enjoying the quiet time, I clear my mind to focus the day with less anxious feelings using affirmations. I really believe that positive affirmations help to fight with the self-doubt and bring out the confident individual in you. For a positive outlook you can say out loud to other people as well. Examples of positive affirmations can be “I am super excited for today”, “I will have a nice day”, “I am grateful for my day”, “I will finish this week productively” etc.

?Honestly, your day does not have to be according to my rituals.

You also can create similar, nonnegotiable habits for yourself for a better version which in return will transform you to be energetic every day.

(This article originally appeared in Probe - June 2024)