Demystifying the chaos of the morning rush

How do you kick-start a day right when all circumstances are against you? There’s already so many guides out there – “what do successful people do in the morning”, “morning routines of highly effective people”, etc. That all sounds like a lot of effort. No worries –  we prepared some of our favorite, simple tips that can help you transform your morning routine and make your day more productive.

1. Stop hitting the snooze button!

We all think that those extra 9 minutes of snooze seem like a lifetime and will save the day. Truth is, they won’t. Instead, they are actually more likely to make you a bit spaced-out. Our PRO TIP? When the alarm rings and you don’t feel like getting up, count down from 10 to 1 and be ready to get up at the end of the count. We practiced – it works. By all means, don’t get up last minute. Give yourself time to get ready and enjoy the morning without unnecessary rush.

2. Do 10-15 minutes of stretching.

Are you a yoga fan? How about a couple of sun salutations? A bit of exercise in the morning can naturally stimulate your body to produce endorphins, triggering positive feelings. One challenge: how to spark some motivation? Can be hard in the morning right? The best is to plan it upfront. If you plan your day ahead, you can get going on those tasks without thinking too much. Just treat it as a natural part of your daily routine.

3. Eat a healthy breakfast!

Don’t overdo it – just try to make it as healthy and nutritious as possible. This can only bring benefits – more energy, better memory and concentration!

PRO TIP! Some people love having a glass of warm water with lemon before eating anything! A very energetic beverage that supports your metabolism to help you stay in shape.
PRO TIP! You know what makes the morning more pleasurable? A clean kitchen! Try to clean up dishes and surfaces the evening before, so that you can walk in the next morning without additional stress of having to organize it.

4. Plan your day the day before.

Some of our colleagues here at Gorenje can’t live without to-do lists. You can create them the night before and your day will look more manageable from the very start! Don’t forget to fill in the exercise slot. Keep a little notebook and pen by your bed to jot down anything that pops into your head while dozing off to keep your mind clear and reassured you won’t forget anything.

PRO TIP! Leave some buffer time for unexpected events. Worse case scenario: you will have some extra time for a coffee or a little chilling out time during the day. We are big fans of doing things that make you happy! So why not get this coffee from your favorite shop when you have some spare time?
PRO TIP! You can set different goals for the day – the minimum and maximum you would like to achieve. Depending on how your day flows, you will always have completed something.
PRO TIP! Get the things that are the hardest or least pleasurable to do out of the way first. If possible, try to plan those for right away in the morning, so you can move on to nicer ones as the day advances.

5. By all means – avoid screen time in the morning.

Save the social media updates and stories from your friends for your commute – if possible. Remember – no driving and using your phone! On a more serious note, diving straight into emails and social media will do no good – just distract you from your course of the day. One step at a time and keep the mornings for you.

6. If you’re a busy parent – it’s probably best if you get up first before the kids wake up.

Reserve some time for yourself and then take care of the kids, their breakfast, getting ready for school and all the other activities. You can plan the day before together with your kids as well.

PRO TIP! If your kid spends too much time wondering what to wear in the morning, you can try to settle that the day before. Best is to make a pact with them so that it’s harder to break in the morning.

7. Learn to say no to things or requests.

If you feel like your morning is way too packed and you simply don’t have time and energy to do something that is required of you, learn to decline and plan it for another day.