Last Updated on August 20, 2022 by Keri
Don’t you just hate waking up feeling exhausted knowing that you have a really busy day ahead of you? Need a way to boost your energy so that you can still have a productive day? In this blog post, I share my top morning routine strategies that I use to help me have a productive day when I wake up feeling tired and just blah.
Unfortunately, we all have days where we wake up feeling tired. Whether you didn’t get the best night of sleep, if you stayed up too late, or if you just feel a little bit drained, these tips will be a life-saver!
What is a morning routine?
First and foremost, let’s talk about morning routines.
Simply put, a morning routine is a sequence of small tasks and habits put together into a sequence to make up a routine.
Morning routines are extremely common among successful people because they set you up with the right state of mind right off the hop. You can experience this for yourself by implementing just a couple of these habits every day for the next week. Notice how you are more productive and efficient.
Why do I wake up feeling tired?
Did you know it is actually normal to wake up feeling tired everyday? This is commonly known as sleep inertia, and it is a 60-minute process, (approximately), where your brain is transitioning into a wakened state.
But, if your exhaustion continues on past these 60 minutes, you might be feeling tired for any variety of reasons.
- Are you getting enough sleep every night? According the Sleep Foundation, most adults should aim for 7-9 hours of sleep per night.
- Is your environment set up for good, quality sleep?
- Are you consuming caffeine before you go to sleep?
- Do your bed times vary night to night?
- Do you struggle with a disorder?
Healthline has this really helpful article about why you might feel tired everyday when you wake up. If this is something you struggle with consistently, be sure to give read it!
How can a morning routine help boost my energy?
No matter why you are waking up feeling so tired, it still makes having a productive day all the more challenging. But having an intentional morning routine can help you boost your energy levels.
When it comes to creating an energy boosting morning routine, you will want to focus on these things:
#1 – Starting your morning slow
#2 – Focusing on your physical and mental health
#3 – Setting yourself up for success for the day ahead
7 Morning Routine Ideas When You Feel Tired
Do Some Body Movement or Light Exercise
Personally, I don’t like to do any intense exercising when I am first waking up because I don’t feel like my workout is nearly as effective in this sleepy state.
But, I do like to some light exercise or body movement. This can include stretching, doing yoga, or going for a walk, preferably outside.
This slow movement will help release endorphins which is proven to boost your energy levels, but does it in a slow way to allow your brain and body time to transition to being fully awake.
Take Time For Personal Development
Once you have taken some time to do some light movement or exercise, it’s time to shift to your mental health and personal development.
It’s important to take time for personal development every morning because:
- it encourages personal growth
- when you approach your day from a place of peace, calm and gratitude, you are setting an intention with the universe for the rest of your day
- a positive mindset will boost your inspiration and motivation
What you do for your personal development time block is completely up to you and how much time you have. But I recommend choosing the activities that will boost your energy the most. Some things I like to do in this time block include reading a personal development book, writing affirmations that match my current mood and desired outcome for the day, journaling, and meditating.
Tidy Your Space
Keeping your physical space clean is just as important as keeping your mental space clean. So, I like to take a little bit of time every morning to tidy my space.
If you work from home, you will definitely want to make sure your office space is clean and organized for the day ahead.
If you work outside of your house, you might decide to focus on cleaning the kitchen so that you have a clean space to cook dinner in when you get home.
Or you might rotate which rooms you do on each day of the week.
Plan Your Day
Next up, you should plan out your day. This can include planning out your to-do list, setting time blocks, getting organized for meetings, errands, and anything else you need to do.
It is very important when you are planning out your day that you are not overloading your schedule. That will result in overwhelm which is not healthy. If you are struggling with overwhelming to-do lists, check out this blog post on how to create a realistic to-do list.
Eat A Healthy Breakfast
One thing that is often overlooked in today’s society is that food and water is fuel to our bodies. So, if you are waking up with low energy, eating a healthy, balanced breakfast will help boost your energy levels.
Another thing that can boost your energy is switching up your meals because it can help to keep things exciting.
Get Ready For The Day
By now, you should be feeling a lot more energized, but another really great thing you can do to boost your energy is to get ready for the day.
As someone who has worked from home for the past two years, I can personally attest to the importance of this daily habit. While we have the luxury of being able to stay in our pyjamas all day, it doesn’t mean we should.
By getting ready for the day, you are setting an intention that you want to have an energetic and productive day. So, take some time to get dressed in “human” clothes and get ready.
Get Out Of Your Environment
And my last tip is something that is more specific to people who work from home, but it can even be applicable if it is your day off from work and you still want to have a productive day.
There is just something about being at home that can make us feel more tired. First of all, its our safe place, so we naturally feel more relaxed in this environment. On the flip side of that, there are usually a million little things that need to be done which can result in feeling distracted and overwhelmed which in turn leads to procrastination.
So, if you have woken up feeling tired and sluggish, plan to get out of your environment first thing.
This can look like going to work at your local library or a coffee shop. Perhaps you go and run your errands first thing in the morning.
Flexible Morning Routines
Before we end this blog post, I wanted to take a moment to address keeping your morning routine flexible.
So many people view morning routines as something that is extremely structured and can’t be changed, but this does not have to be the case.
I am a big believer in keeping your morning routines flexible to match your mood and energy levels for the day.
For example, if I wake up hopping out of bed, I might actually do an intense exercise instead of the light exercise.
Versus another day where I wake up feeling sluggish and tired, I might add in an additional element of self-care like doing a face mask while I read my book.
The whole point in having a morning routine is to set an intention for the day and to set your day up for success. This does not mean having a routine with no flexibility.
Instead, focus on doing things within your morning routine that match your energy levels when you wake up, and then gradually bring yourself to where you want to be through those intentional actions.
Let me know in the comments which morning routine elements you are going to try the next time you wake up feeling exhausted!