How you start your day can have a massive effect on how the rest of it turns out. But it’s surprising that despite many of us being aware of this, we still like to totally mess things up for ourselves first thing.
Here are five things you should steer clear of doing as soon as morning breaks – you can thank us for them later.
Don’t hit snooze
You’ve probably heard this before, but snoozing is actually not a great idea. When you hit that button and drift back to sleep, you often go into a deeper one than before, leaving you feeling groggy as you try to come round.
Don’t check your mail
It’s hard to resist the temptation to check your emails straight away, just to make sure something terrible isn’t happening at work. This heightens stress levels and gives you anxiety before you can actually do anything about it. Save it till you get to work.
Don’t drink coffee
Our bodies naturally produce cortisol that makes us feel more awake. But if you drink coffee, caffeine can interfere with our natural production of cortisol – meaning we become dependent on caffeine and produce less cortisol. To balance this effect, aim to have a coffee post 10AM.
Streamline your routine
One of the most successful people in the world, Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg, says he bought the same T-shirt 20 times so he didn’t have to waste his time on “silly or frivolous” decisions. This is an extreme case – but working out your week’s wardrobe on a Sunday can definitely help you streamline your morning.
Let there be light
Our body clock, or circadian rhythm to use the technical term, is influenced by light exposure. You need light to help suppress the release of melatonin, which tells your body it’s time to sleep. So whatever you do, draw the curtain and let some light into your room.
