Number One

Slap the snooze first thing in the morning the snooze button feels like your best friend right? Imagine your alarm pulls you out of the happiest dream and the last thing you want to do right then is get out of bed. In those moments, the snooze button looks incredibly tempting. Getting more sleep is the only thing on your mind, so you convince yourself that 10 extra minutes will do you a favor. You press the snooze button and doze off into dreamland. But here's something most people don't realize: the snooze button is hurting you far more than it's helping you. The snooze button may seem like your best friend at the time, but it's actually stabbing you in the back. The moment you press the snooze button, this is what happens: you drift back to sleep and your brain restarts your sleep cycle. Most of the time you fall into a deep sleep right away. This is why you dream so heavily during those short 10 minute naps. In fact, waking up and going back to bed is one of the most efficient ways to induce lucid dreaming. But these naps are terrible for your sleep cycle. When your alarm goes off a second time, it pulls you out of a deeper sleep. It shatters your sleep cycle and leaves you feeling even drowsier than before. And to make matters worse, you feel compelled to press that snooze button again and again. It gets more tempting every time because your brain's sleep cycle is getting more and more confused. The best thing you can do is avoid the snooze button altogether.

Number Two

Hide in the dark in the morning. No one wants a blinding light in their face. You want the shades drawn, the lights off, and the room dark. But hiding in the dark is actually preventing you from waking up. Why is that? Because it tells your body that it's still nighttime, so your brain gets confused about whether or not it's supposed to wake up or to go back to bed. This confusion leaves you feeling foggy and drowsy throughout the day. So do yourself a favor: open the blinds and turn on the lights. Let your brain know that it's time to start the day because that light wakes up your senses and it encourages your brain to get to work. If you struggle with this bad habit, here's a helpful trick: leave your curtains open the night before, and that way the sun will naturally wake you up in the morning. Not only does this brighten your room, it also trains your brain to wake up smoothly and naturally.

Number Three

Stay horizontal. Your bed may feel like the most comfortable place in the world. The pillows are shaped just right, the blankets wrap around you like a warm hug. Compared to your bed, the outside world is a cold place full of stress and discomfort. But I've got some bad news: your bed is making it harder for you to start your day. The longer you stay in bed, the groggier you feel. When sitting in bed, your brain doesn't wake up all the way. Why is that? Because your brain associates your bed with sleep. Many studies recommend exercising right after you wake up. Exercise gets you up, out, and moving. But morning workouts aren't for everyone, so you might like simpler activities like stretching or a little walk around your room. Anything that gets you out of bed will help you wake up your brain.

Number Four

Waste your time. Do you look at your phone every morning? Do you spend 15 minutes browsing social media before stepping out of bed? This brief habit is causing much more damage than you think. Your first morning activity sets the tone for the rest of your day. Those initial thoughts will stick in your brain for hours after, so it's very important to do things that motivate and energize you. So if you start the morning by looking at social media, you're damaging your day in a few different ways. First, you're taking precious time which you need for your morning routine. Second, you're flooding your brain with harmful expectations and bad habits. And third, you're giving yourself an excuse to stay in bed, which we know makes you drowsier. Luckily, there's an easy trick to avoid this bad habit: simply put your phone on the other side of the room each night, and that way you have to get out of bed to grab your phone. When you stand up and turn on the light, you'll find yourself less tempted to browse the internet or check social media.

Number Five

Stay comfortable. This subtle but significant habit can change your morning entirely, especially if you work from home. Your pajamas are probably your most comfortable clothes. Most people would wear them 24/7 if they could, but your clothing can actually affect the way you perform and focus. Your brain associates all kinds of things with work. Sitting at a desk can improve organization. Working with the lights on can help you focus. In the same way, professional clothing can affect your work ethic. Different outfits trick your brain into adopting different mindsets. When wearing work clothes, your brain puts on a work state of mind. But if you spend the day in your pajamas, your brain is ready to rest and relax. Even if you work from home, act like you don't. Spend your work hours wearing professional clothing, and you'll find that your brain performs better when you dress the part.

Number Six

Work immediately. Do you start working right after you wake up? You may expect your brain to dive right into the thick of it, so you pile on all kinds of responsibilities as soon as possible. While your brain is fresh and efficient in the mornings, you should not work right away. Instead, use your morning to energize, motivate, and inspire yourself. Spend time doing things for your personal health, not for your career. By changing the focus of your morning, you can prepare yourself for a full and productive day.

Number Seven

Ignore your routine. When you're drowsy, it can be difficult to maintain your routine. No matter how consistent you've been, a drowsy brain can make poor decisions. One morning, you may feel tempted to ditch your routine. You may be thinking of reasons to let yourself slide, but one lazy morning turns into two, and two lazy mornings turn into a lazy week. Before you know it, you've abandoned your routine and forgotten the good habits you worked so hard to create. Never skip your routine if you don't have to. Find ways to remind yourself why you put this routine in place and why this routine is important to you. Because you made your routine for a reason, right? By reminding yourself of that reason every day, you supply yourself with enough motivation to stay in control.

Number Eight

Tank your enthusiasm. Do you spend the mornings complaining? Do you dread the rest of your day? Complaining is a huge problem throughout your day, but it's especially destructive in the morning. Why? Well, because it steers you in a very negative direction. It stirs up all your mental stress then places that stress right in front of your mind. In other words, complaining changes your outlook on the day, and it starts you down a pessimistic path. So don't complain first thing in the morning. If you have to complain, let out your frustrations the night before, and then in the morning, find ways to be optimistic and encouraging.

Number Nine

Pile on sugar. Do you start your morning with a big bowl of sugary cereal? Sugar is a very problematic food in the morning. Outside of health concerns, sugar gives you the wrong kind of energy, which leaves you crashing way too early. By eating a sugary breakfast, you're cutting off your energy later in the day. You'll find yourself crashing before noon, right when you're supposed to be working. Instead of ingesting so much sugar, focus on stable energy sources. Proteins and complex carbs are a couple of good examples. Eggs, yogurts, and oats are all great sources of energy, which keep you productive throughout the day.

Number Ten

Compromise your core. One of the worst things you can do in the morning is rush. The morning should be an opportunity to de-stress before the day begins. But what happens if your entire morning is stressful? What if you're running behind, constantly worried you're going to be late? This stress can turn a healthy routine into a source of overwhelming anxiety, which weighs on you throughout the day. If you are running behind, try this: instead of rushing to finish your entire routine, do the two or three activities that are most important to you. Because not all mornings will go your way. Sometimes you have an early meeting or a phone call that interrupts your usual schedule. On those mornings, you need something to fall back on. You need a set of core activities that always motivate you. These core activities should be set in stone no matter what. For some people, it's a nice cleansing shower. For others, it's a cup of coffee and a quiet moment with a newspaper. Figure out what those core moments look like for you and make time for them no matter how busy you get.

Summary of Tips for Better Mornings

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