Mornings are not for everyone. Especially not for that Pinoy commuter who lives an hour away from work but needs to wake up at least 4 hours before just to get to the office on time. Getting up early just so you won’t be late for your regular 8-hour shift plus 2 hours overtime without pay and getting home 4 hours after you actually clocked out at work is a test of one’s character. Some of us even do more than that for five straight days a week. Nightmare, right?
Let’s change that. Stop heading out of the house worried and stressed about how little time you have to get all your daily tasks done. While it’s easier to blame Manila traffic, let’s take a deep breath for a second and refocus. Get a good jumpstart to your day and have a more productive morning with these few tips:
- Get away from your phone, tablet, laptop, Kindle, etc.
Invest in an actual alarm clock that does not do anything else but tell time and ring loudly in the morning. Do not get sucked into the web the moment you wake up. If possible, leave your phone outside the bedroom so you can avoid distractions and get better sleep time, too.
- Ditch the morning coffee and go for a glass or warm lemon water, instead.
Warm lemon water (or you know, kalamansi juice is pretty effective, too) gives you that kick in the morning the way coffee can’t. Plus, it aids in activating your digestion and balancing your body’s pH levels.
- Make your bed.
It doesn’t take more than five minutes to fold your blanket, straighten your bed sheet, and pile your pillows. Apart from helping you clear your head by doing a task that involves moving your body without any thinking, a clean made up bed is a refreshing sight.
- Move.
Jog in place, stretch your arms, reach for your toes, and do a couple of jumping jacks. A light exercise in the morning helps to get your blood moving and your circulation working properly.
- Meditate.
Do not be intimidated by meditation. Even just for a couple of minutes, sit still, close your eyes, and focus on your breathing. Doing this helps your mind to focus better on how to strategically tackle the day ahead.
- Eat breakfast – coffee does not count.
Start your day with a well-fed tummy. Hungry people are grumpy people. And if you’re grumpy first thing in the morning, it messes up your attitude for the whole day. You’re impatient, you’re always masungit, and you’re not an effective worker bee.
- Write down your tasks and prioritize.
This can be done while commuting from work or while waiting in line at the bus terminal or when you’re having your breakfast, etc. Just list down all the tasks you have to do for the day and prioritize what needs to be done versus the number of hours you need to get it done. This way, you know what important tasks to do first and which ones are at the bottom of your daily report list.
- Listen to upbeat music.
Use your workout playlist to help keep you motivated for the day. Throw in songs you can dance to, songs you actually know all the lyrics to, songs from your most favorite ever artist in the whole wide world. Subjecting yourself to feel good music actually makes for a feel good start to your day.
Gawing Sulit ang weekday mornings and improve your overall attitude for the day. It’s never easy to incorporate all these things in your morning routine all at once but we’re positive you can do it. Better to start slow and steady than not do anything at all, right?
