hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're gonna learn about how to wake up every
morning feeling motivated now let's begin number one experimentation different morning routines
work for different people if you're searching for the most efficient and motivating morning rituals
then you probably notice the sheer volume of options at your disposal everything from
exercise to meditation to reading the news can boost your productivity in the morning
but there's no way you'll have time for every single one if you tried to squeeze them all in
your morning would be the most stressful part of your day instead you should be searching for
a combination of say three to five rituals that fits your tastes and that way you're motivating
yourself in the most personal way that you can to discover the blend that works best for you it's
going to take some trial and error it's helpful to start by basing your first attempt on the morning
routine of someone you admire let's say you've always looked up to Howard Schultz the CEO of
Starbucks his mornings start at 4:30 a.m. making him one of the earliest risers among notable CEOs
so right after waking up Schultz exercises for around an hour and then enjoys a cup of coffee
while spending time with his family so what makes this routine so motivating well each ritual does
create an opportunity to be physically or mentally productive but that's not the most important part
Schultz sculpted a routine that works best for his individual preferences that's why plenty of
successful people do completely different things in the mornings so don't be afraid to experiment
with your routine you can start by copying Schultz try out his routine for a couple of
weeks you might realize you work better with a protein shake instead of coffee or squeezing in
some time to journal after your workout you don't have to decide right away on a single definitive
routine this is a mistake countless people make when trying to transform their morning's remember
that your rituals are going to keep changing as you get new jobs and experience new environments
you'll need to adapt your routine to your changing lifestyle this early experimentation
teaches you what your body and brain respond to the most when that way you know exactly how to
troubleshoot your routine when your motivation begins to fade number two physical dreams if I
asked you what your dreams are could you tell me in one sentence most people can't they've never
challenged themselves to be that specific in the realm of motivation specificity is
your best friend the more concrete and detailed that you are the easier it is to push yourself
in the right direction once you've landed on a specific definition of what you want you start
your morning by reminding yourself what that definition is I recommend getting a dry erase
board or a cork board use them to plaster your definition somewhere up on the wall you want
this to be the first thing that you see in the morning before you check your phone or take a
shower you should be internalizing your dreams but don't you already know what your dreams are
why go through all the efforts this strategy is designed to create accountability it forces you
to stare down a physical representation of your dreams you can't avoid them or get distracted
you can't forget what they are or change your definition on a whim if you see your dreams
written on the wall every single morning you have to acknowledge them this immediately gives your
day purpose and direction you'll feel more driven to achieve so don't let your dreams waste away in
the back of your mind use physical definitions to add productivity and motivation to your morning's
number 3 build momentum motivation works a lot like a snowball after you get it started it'll
grow larger and larger as long as you keep up momentum to wake up feeling motivated you have to
get your snowball rolling the night before so even though there's an eight hour gap in-between your
morning and night the momentum still carries over let's say you spend hours every night watching TV
time or just avoiding your responsibilities you feel sluggish and unproductive so you blame
your lack of motivation on the time of day you tell yourself I'm too tired right now but I'll
feel motivated in the morning but how often does that actually happen when you slack off at night
you wake in the same inefficient headspace the good night sleeps important but it can't create
motivation out of thin air you have to start building productive momentum before your morning
even starts while it is important to relax in the evening relaxation isn't an excuse to do nothing
you should be focusing on activities that leave you feeling happy inspired and creative use this
time to mentally recharge without undercutting the momentum you built up throughout the day that way
your motivation will keep snowballing when you wake up you can take this one step further by
applying it to your week as a whole today's momentum will carry you into a productive
tomorrow and if you keep that up your motivation will grow exponentially over weeks months or even
years number four the short list to-do lists are a great way to organize your life they help
you rearrange your priorities and prevent little things from slipping through the cracks but a long
to-do list can sometimes be more intimidating than productive you might find your motivation blending
when staring down the barrel of a 20-item to-do list the longer it gets the more impossible it
might seem so even if each individual item would only take a few minutes your brain feels helpless
and overwhelmed this effect is especially potent in the morning if you start off on the wrong foot
your entire day can quickly spiral down the drain so how can you make sure your to-do list
isn't diminishing your motivation before you go to bed ask yourself what you absolutely need to
have done the next day try and narrow that 20 item lists down to your top three priorities
keep them specific concise and manageable in other words don't write something vague like
be successful not only is it unhelpful but this kind of ambiguous goal also creates confusion
and anxiety when you wake up in the morning you should know exactly what's expected of you you
should understand what your goals are why they're important and how you're gonna accomplish them if
you keep your list short and sweet holding you'll wake up feeling confident motivated and ready to
face the day number five shunning electronics when you go to sleep where do you put your phone your
tablet and your computer do you leave them right next to you on your nightstand most people place
their electronics within arm's reach at night so when they wake up in the morning those electronics
are easily accessible on the surface this seems like a convenient idea if someone calls you you
can reach over and grab your phone that sounds a lot better than jumping out of bed just to click
one button right well it may be convenient but this accessibility cripples both productivity and
motivation spending the first fifteen minutes of your day browsing social media or watching random
videos puts you in the wrong mindset it doesn't stimulate your brain or body when you do finally
get out of bed you'll feel lazy and inefficient even if you created your routine specifically
to inspire yourself a bad attitude can ruin your morning so don't let yourself fall into this trap
keep yourself from grabbing nearby electronics by placing them further away before you fall asleep
now I know it's more annoying but this small change will boost your productivity and focus
once you're standing you're much less likely to lie back down that means you spend less time on
your phone and more time on your morning routine if you use your phone as an alarm this strategy
also saves you from over sleeping it's especially helpful for people who loved it hmm hit the snooze
button you'll be amazed at how much extra time and energy you have in the morning all because
you moved your phone a few extra feet away number six morning stretches 10 minutes of stretching
can turn a lazy morning into a productive one stretching doesn't increase motivation
directly like some of the other strategies on this list instead it boosts your energy levels
and improves your mood which are both correlated with increased motivation physically ten minutes
of stretching will relieve tension in your joints and muscles it also stimulates blood
circulation and reduces soreness which affects a lot of people first thing in the morning after
eight hours of sitting horizontally your spine and joints often fill up with excess fluid that fluid
makes you feel stiff and uncomfortable and when you're uncomfortable your brain can't perform at
its best by stretching every morning you ensure that your physical body is helping you instead
of hurting you you'll feel more energetic and enthusiastic because you're not thinking about
how much your back or shoulders hurt more blood is also circulating through your brain so you can
concentrate and think clearly many people start to notice less anxiety as well the deep breathing
that you do while stretching effectively calms your nerves it stops your mind from racing and it
lets you take a more optimistic approach to your day so if you're looking for a healthy motivating
way to wake up see for yourself how stretching can revolutionize your morning thank you for
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