An Efficient Morning Routine

For the past couple of months, I have slowly developed a set of morning habits that are incredible for productivity and general well-being when used in simultaneoulsy. They are comfortable enough to be sustainable for the long-term.

• Waking up

  
  To start your morning it is imperative that you have had a good amount of sleep
  (I personally found that 7 hours works wonders). By going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day will allow your circadian rhythm to wake you up easily and eventually with no alarm if you apply it long enough. The first thing to be done when waking up is to drink a large glass of water.

• Remaining Fasted

  
  This one sounds like it is painful and annoying but I found that I focus better without any food in my stomach. I fast until about 16 hours have passed since my last meal the previous day. It may be difficult for people to adopt this one but simply looking up the benefits of intermittent fasting on YouTube may convince you that it is worth it. You can still have a cup of black coffee without sugar, chew sugar-free xylitol gum, drink tea, drink apple cider vinegar and other hacks to make the fast more pleasant.

• Meditation

  
  I found that doing any spiritual or reflective practice in the morning allows me to clear my mind from the day before and be ready for the day ahead. It also helps to have a list of things you are grateful for or reciting affirmations that you want to come true in your subconscious.

• Bathroom Routine

  
  I like to do my skincare routine which involves washing, toning then moisturizing my face. I brush my teeth and tongue.
  If I am not planning to work out on the day, I take a cold shower. If the glass of water didn't wake you up, a cold shower will surely do the job while also improving your skin and hair.

• Work

  
  I like to do a little bit of work before I eat because I like to do a workout just before it is time to break my fast so I can get some fat-burning going. The tasks that I do are usually not too mentally straining as I would get annoyed very quickly. I usually do some language training and I watch an episode of a Python coding video series where I follow along with the code to improve a little bit every day. If the task takes longer to complete, use the Pomodoro technique which entails taking a 5-minute break every 25 minutes of work (Research also supports 17 minutes rest to 52 minutes of work).

• Workout

  
  I do a 10-minute stretch every day then proceed to the designated workout for the day. My personal routine usually involves one day of yoga for every two days of resistance exercise. The resistance exercise cycles between chest, abs, arms, back, and legs. This workout usually takes about 30 minutes then I hop into a 5 minute cold shower ( I have a whole separate routine for that).

• Breaking the Fast

  
  This is usually the most refreshing part of the morning because I know that the hardest part of my day is behind me.
  This is the perfect time to take any supplements and vitamins as well as eat to a nutritionally strong breakfast. They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day but in my opinion, it is more important when it actually breaks a fast.

This is just The routine I do every day and it has done wonders to my body and my mind. Let me know what you think of it or maybe try it for yourself. If you have any more tips and morning routine hacks, feel free to add them in the comments.