5 Motivating Ideas to Stimulate Your Morning

Not a morning person? We’ve got you covered. It may be true that the early bird gets the worm...but what if you’re reluctant to wake up? These productivity-hacking tips will help you spring out of bed and embrace the day so you can maximize your potential and get the most out of your mornings.

Do you feel grumpy in the morning? In this age of ‘time is money’, those who wake up early automatically boost their prospects of success. Some night owls have even gone the extra mile of forcing themselves to be morning people, just to keep their jobs.   

But what if you are not just that kind of person? Waking up early is already a challenge, let alone getting your home workspace organized, and setting up your brain to be productive for the day.  

The early hours of the day at work can prove to be difficult. Here are 5 things you can proactively do to be more productive and have a positive attitude in the morning.

1. Eat well and in the right proportions

Nutrition plays an important role in the quality of sleep you get. Eating big meals just before you go to bed can make you feel tired, because of the drop in energy levels. This means that you will wake up feeling tired in the morning, further worsening your mood.

You should also avoid going to bed immediately after eating. Nutritionists recommend waiting about three hours after your last meal before going to bed. This time interval allows digestion to occur, and thus prevent problems like insomnia.

Avoid drinking caffeine which can stimulate wakefulness at night.

2. Get enough sleep

The main reason why you find mornings unpleasant could be that you don’t get enough quality sleep. You need to sleep for about 6-9 hours every night as recommended by the National Sleep Foundation.

Not getting enough sleep can make you more irritable and vulnerable to stress. Studies have shown that sleeping for 4.5 hours can make you wake up feeling sad, stressed, and mentally exhausted.

Getting to work with such negative emotions can have an impact on your performance. If you often feel moody in the morning, get enough rest at night and you will wake up feeling rejuvenated, ready to work.

Adequate sleep leads to an improved mood.

3. Listen to your favorite music

Music has formed an integral part of human society for ages. Music affects our mood and can influence our outlook on the work environment. Research at Durham University showed that music can help regulate a person’s mood, and promote comfort and enjoyment.

Your office workspace can be a boring environment in the morning. You can improve your mood by listening to some upbeat music, or play your favorite playlist, as soon as you get into the office.

Listening to music will make you happy and thus be more productive.

4. Exercise at your office desk

Most of the employed people are tied up in a 9 to 5 job and don’t have time for exercise. Sitting for long hours is bad for your health. You need to be able to take short breaks and perform simple exercises, so you can keep in good shape.

Exercise is great if you don’t get along with people in the morning. A Michigan research study found that exercise was strongly related to happiness.

The good news is that you do not have to leave your office to do these simple exercises. Most of these workouts can be done right in your office chair.

·   Leg planks:  sit at the edge of your chair and bend your knees forward while your feet stay flat on the floor. Stretch your right leg in front of you until it is parallel with the floor. Stay in this position for about 10 or 15 seconds. Slowly release the leg and repeat the exercise on the left leg. The good thing about this workout is that no one in the office will even realize you are exercising.

·   Shoulder raises:  sitting for long hours in the office can create tension in the neck area. shoulder raises help to relieve this tension. Raise your left shoulder towards your ear and hold this position for about 10 seconds. Repeat this on the right shoulder.

Exercise before going to work is one of the morning habits of happy people.

5. Sit in a comfortable chair

An uncomfortable office chair can not only affect an employer’s productivity, but it can also lead to mental health problems. If you are not a morning person, it is easy to become irritable when sitting in an uncomfortable chair.

It is almost impossible to concentrate while sitting in an uncomfortable chair. Employees feel good about themselves, and the organization they are working for, when sitting on a comfortable chair.

An organization that does not make an effort in providing good quality chairs for its employees will make its staff feel neglected. An uncomfortable chair results in a poor sitting posture, which can be detrimental to the health of an employee. It can result in frustration at work, and this can add to grumpiness in an employee who is already not a morning person.

6. Stick to routines for a high-quality morning

Your mornings can never be reproductive if you are cranky, disorganized, and lack motivation. Getting into office with no specific schedule for the day is an obstacle to your general happiness.

A routine helps one to decide exactly what they hope to achieve for that day, right in the morning.

Sticking to a specific schedule is also a good way to end procrastination, and is a good source of motivation. One will no longer dread going to the office in the mornings if they have a routine and stick to it.

Research at the University of Wisconsin proved that when one sees progress towards achieving their daily goals, this increases happiness.

Final Thoughts

It can be hard to be productive in your workplace when you feel less motivated because you are not a morning person. Everything seems annoying to you, and you become irritable. Getting along with others in the office can prove to be wearisome.

There are things you can do to improve your mood in the morning and stimulate your mental health. Avoid large meals when going to bed, perform simple exercises in the office, listen to your favorite music, and sit in a comfortable chair. Ergonomic chairs in an office can boost employees’ mood and motivate them to work.

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