Summary

The author shares a personal morning routine designed to enhance productivity, which includes gratitude journaling the night before and a series of health-focused activities the next morning.

Abstract

The article outlines a 7-step morning routine that the author has honed over decades to maximize personal productivity. The routine begins with writing in a gratitude journal before bed, setting a positive tone for the morning. Upon waking, the steps include splashing the face with cold water, massaging coconut oil on the face and neck, drinking several glasses of water, performing yoga, eating fresh fruit, meditating, and consuming muesli with probiotic yogurt. Each action is intentional and aimed at nurturing the body, mind, and soul, with benefits ranging from improved circulation and hydration to mental clarity and digestive health. The author emphasizes the importance of executing these actions mindfully and suggests that while not all steps may be scientifically proven, they have been personally effective and can be adapted to suit individual preferences.

Opinions

The author believes that a gratitude mindset established the night before can significantly improve the next day's positivity.
Cold water on the face is seen as invigorating and beneficial for skin circulation, providing a healthy glow.
Virgin organic coconut oil is highly recommended by the author for its moisturizing properties and ability to lock in skin hydration.
Hydration upon waking is considered crucial for increasing oxygen flow, promoting cell growth, boosting metabolism, and flushing out toxins.
Yoga, specifically Sun Salutations, is advocated for its ability to provide deep stretches, improve balance, and enhance agility.
Eating fresh fruit on an empty stomach is a personal preference of the author, who believes it aids digestion, despite the lack of scientific evidence.
Meditation is touted as a way to achieve clarity, focus, energy, and internal peace.
The author endorses a breakfast of muesli with probiotic yogurt for gut health and overall well-being, suggesting a homemade mix of oats, nuts, seeds, and dried cranberries.
While the routine is presented as a sequence that works for the author, there is an acknowledgment that individuals should adapt the routine to what feels best for them.
The author expresses a personal conviction that writing in a gratitude journal at night, rather than in the morning, is more beneficial for a restful and positive sleep experience.

My Productivity Soars When Following This Morning Routine

Rise to the top of your game, too

It’s taken me decades of experimenting with ways to bolster my productivity. Now I can finally say that I’ve found a magical combination of actions that do the trick. But…it’s no trick. It’s a routine that’s so effective I can’t keep it to myself any longer. It just feels — well — selfish to not share it. So here goes.

My routine starts the night before. I know. I know. You’re thinking Is it a morning or a night routine? Let me explain.

The last thing I do before turning off the light to sleep is write in a gratitude journal. I simply write bullets — things I’m grateful for that day. Then I go to sleep.

The next morning I feel good. I don’t think consciously about what I wrote in my journal the night before. But a gratitude mindset paves the way for positivity the next morning. Read on and see how to rise to the top of your game.

7-Step Routine That Nurtures You

Upon rising, I ‘mindfully’ complete this set of actions. I execute each action with intention. This includes an acute awareness of how I feel every moment.

These 7 actions nurture my body, mind, and soul. Each action is followed by benefits.

1/ Wash your face by splashing it several times with cold water. I simply can’t start a day without doing this because cold water wakes and refreshes me. It’s bound to do the same for you. It also stimulates circulation in your skin, giving you a healthy glow.

2/ Massage virgin organic coconut oil on face and neck. Virgin organic coconut oil not only replenishes moisture in your skin, but locks it in too.

3/ Drink 2–3 16-oz glasses of water to rehydrate your body after sleeping. It increases the flow of oxygen, promotes development of new cells, boosts metabolism, and helps flush toxins from your body. That’s just for starters! Room temperature or slightly cooled is best.

4/ Do yoga — I prefer several repetitions of Sun Salutation. If you’re not sure how to do Sun Salutations, just go to YouTube and drop it in the search bar. Doing this type of movement provides gentle, deep stretches, promotes good balance, and will make you feel like an agile yogi.

5/ Eat some fresh fruit. One of my favourite combinations is a large orange and 1/2 cup of blueberries. Eating fresh fruit before anything else, might be better for your digestion than mixing it with other food. There’s no scientific evidence of it, though. I feel better when I eat my fruit separately like this, and you might too. Do whatever feels best.

In any case, fruit is full of fibre and nutrients, including inflammation-fighting antioxidants, so I try to eat a substantial amount every day.

6/ Meditate (5–20 minutes) This brings clarity and focus, boosts energy, and helps quiet internal “noise”.

7/ Eat 1/2–1 cup muesli with enough plain probiotic yogurt to moisten it. This heavenly morning food benefits your gut, overall health, and tastes great! You might want to make your own muesli with oats, nuts, seeds, and dried cranberries like I do.

Takeaway

So now you have the recipe to rise to the top of your game. To get full benefits, follow the steps in the same order as they appear above. As I mention above, it’s not proven that eating fruit separately and well before other foods is beneficial. But for me, it feels good. You should do what feels best for you. I like the idea that meditating after I eat fruit gives the fruit time to digest before eating anything else.

So again, do what feels best for you. In fact, if you want to change things up a bit, you could try doing your gratitude journal in the morning. But I prefer nights when the memories of the day are still fresh. And I feel it benefits me to go to sleep with thoughts of gratitude. I wake up feeling happy.

Otherwise, follow these 7 steps every morning. You’ll reap heaps of benefits. What’s more is that staying on track with this routine will get you to the top of your game!