As 21st century people, we love getting our hands on tips, tricks, and hacks that will (hopefully) prepare us for more productive days and a brighter future. But when it comes to changing our sleep patterns (especially our morning routines), less is usually more.

If you Google a famous person or browse social media long enough, you will find someone who boasts of having a perfectly crafted image. morning routine. These may seem riddled with specific tasks you need to check off to have a good day, which is unbearable for the average person.

But the key to remember these morning rituals shouldn’t be the details: it’s the fact that there is a reliable routine that gives structure to their lives and helps them start the day off on the right foot.

If you feel like you’re starting your day chaotically and in a rush, here are some tips to help you create your own specialized morning routine.

Read more: The Time I Tried Polyphasic Sleep and Lost My Mind

Wake up at a time that suits you

Not everyone is made to wake up at 5 a.m., so don’t force it. Our internal clocks that drive our sleep-wake cycles are mostly biological, so some people just aren’t meant to be. super early bird. If you wake up too early without getting enough rest, you’ll likely feel groggy and miserable…not a good way to start your day.

Instead, try setting up a The evening routine and a wake-up time that lets you sleep between seven and nine hours. Once you’ve found the right time to set the alarm, don’t turn it off on weekends. Sleeping for more than an hour will disrupt your whole routine.

Read more: The key to better sleep

Establish a tech-free zone

Very few phrases can be easier said than done than this: don’t check your phone first thing in the morning. Even if it’s only 10 minutes, try to establish a certain amount of time after you wake up to not look at any screens (turning off your phone alarm probably doesn’t count, but don’t linger). It will help you start the day with a focused and intentional mindset.

In addition to the instant stress mode you get into while skimming the headlines or responding to a work email before your feet even hit the ground, checking your phone first thing in the morning can disrupt your brain’s transition from the day before on full alert, which could hurt your creativity and even disrupt your vision for the day, week and beyond.

So while you may think you’re getting a head start on the day by replying to a few texts and immediately checking in on the state of the world, you may actually be tiring yourself out before you get out of bed.

Get some natural light right away

Sunlight is an important signal that our body uses to know when it’s time to sleep or wake up. Try to open a window or go outside in the morning light right after you wake up: this will help you feel more awake and alert, and it should also make it easier to fall asleep later in the night.

If you wake up before sunrise, you can buy a alarm clock that will imitate a sunrise
as the Philips light alarm clock or the HomeLabs Sunrise Alarm Clock. You can also use a little DIY spirit to Transform your smart lighting in a simulated sunrise clock.

Let the rays hit your face before you start the day.

Drink a glass of water right away

If you always wake up feeling tired and lethargic, or have a headache, it may be because you’re dehydrated from a night’s sleep. Drinking a glass of water in the morning will help you feel more awake and full of energy. Moreover, it will remind you to keep drink water throughout the day so you can experience all of the amazing side effects of good hydration.

We recommend that you hydrate before having a cup of coffee or having breakfast.

Make your bed

We may not be your mother, but we’re still going to tell you to always make your bed in the morning. It will help your self-esteem – it feels good to get a simple task done right away, and it can even reinforce the idea that you are someone who deserves to live in a clean and tidy space.

The National Sleep Foundation even conducted a survey showing that people who make their bed in the morning sleep better at night because their bedroom is cleaner and more comfortable.

Do some morning pages

The “Morning Pages” are essentially an unstructured stream of consciousness journal entries with no specific design or purpose. The purpose of morning pages is to put pen to paper first thing in the morning and jot down whatever comes to mind (feelings, regrets, goals, dream sequences, ideas, random thoughts) for a page or three . Don’t think about what you’re writing or think it must make sense.

This is a practice touted by some creatives as not only a way to get the idea flowing, but it can also help clear your mind of whatever’s bothering you by knocking gunk out of your head and onto paper.

Write a short to-do list

Once you’ve woken up, drank some water, and maybe dabbled in a few morning pages, try make a list the most important things you would like to do that day. Make sure to keep it brief: writing a 25-task checklist will probably feel like stress and overwhelmed. Instead, list three or four major goals for the day. This way you can focus your energy on the tasks that matter most.

Eat a nutritious breakfast. Or not

Browse through a bunch of morning routines from successful people and you’re sure to see lots of different approaches to breakfast. Some say nutrient-dense meals like oatmeal or eggs are necessary to start their day, while others swear by it. intermittent fasting and skipping food for several hours after waking up.

There’s no one-size-fits-all good breakfast: it depends on your nutritional goals, preferences, and morning schedule. It also depends on your natural hunger in the morning. (Some people tend to be much hungrier later in the day and have no appetite the first few hours they’re awake, for example.)

If you can’t concentrate on an empty stomach, a simple breakfast you can make ahead (like oatmeal or egg white bites) will be key to starting your day.

Get your blood flowing by moving or stretching

If you want practice in the morning, excellent. Some people swear by a morning exercise to wake them up and energize them for the rest of the day.

But you may find that stretching or a few yoga poses are enough for an energizing boost that grounds you and may even increase your flexibility. (But don’t push your body beyond its limits.) Stretching too it feels good and maybe an extra thing you do for yourself in the morning.

Bonus: don’t overload your morning routine

After a long list of advice, it seems silly to say. But the key is choosing the morning habits that work best for you. Try to keep the list short enough that it doesn’t feel like a burden. If your morning checklist is stress you out before you even wake up, it’s probably not sustainable.

As sure as the sun rises, you can always change up your routine.

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical or health advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.