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These 8 Morning Hacks Will Make All The Difference

By Hilary Sheinbaum

This might sound crazy, but I am proud to be a morning person. I love coffee. I feel excited for the day ahead. I get organized early before I embark on my daily to-do list, and I feel the least amount of stress during the first few hours of the day. I’m the most enthusiastic when many people are still sleeping in or hitting the snooze button. You get it. Needless to say (judging by the eye rolls I’ve received while openly declaring this over the past few years), I know this isn’t everyone’s reality.

While I’ve developed my own morning routine, I’ve noticed that some pretty productive people participate in similar practices (and different ones too). With that, I decided to ping some entrepreneurs I admire and compile a list of morning hacks that make all the difference. (After all, the more the merrier in the morning!)

Set A Peaceful Alarm

“The Loftie alarm clock ensures that I wake up on the right side of the bed,” says Katie Wilkes, a certified life/spiritual coach at Growing Pains Coaching in Austin. “Loftie plays white noise throughout the entire night and wakes me up with soft, classical music slowly. I want my bedroom to be the most peaceful space in my home.”

The 4x4x4 Method

“This is one that I developed to help my clients stick to their routines,” says Wilkes. “Essentially, I have 4 things I have to do every morning, 4 things I have to do throughout every day, and 4 things I do before bed. My four morning musts are 1) make my bed, 2) take my vitamins, 3) wash my face and 4) meditate.”

“Taking control of my day before I interact with anyone else makes me feel invincible!”

 

Meditation, Meditation, Meditation

“Right after I wake up, I meditate,” says Wilkes. “My most basic routine includes The Five Minute Journal, The Daily Stoic, and a lesson from A Course in Miracles. I’ve been an avid meditator for almost two years now and cannot overstate how much calmer and less reactive I am throughout my day. I’m also a huge fan of Headspace when I am in a rush and have literally only one minute to meditate.”

Chug Water

“Most people start their day with caffeine,” says Natalie Zfat, a social media expert at Natalie Zfat, Inc. in New York. “Don’t worry, I’m not trying to take away your coffee! — but chugging room temperature water before coffee helps to wake me up and also gets my digestive system moving. Leave a reusable water bottle or jug by your bedside so you can gulp the second you open your eyes — before you get hit with any distractions.”

 

Stretch

“Use your bed frame, post, headboard — whatever you’ve got — to get your body moving and ready for the day,” says Zfat. “It’s amazing how much better sitting in a desk chair feels after you’ve arched your back.”

Avoid the Snooze Button

“It’s tempting to hit snooze — as a newborn mom, no one fantasizes about sleep more than me! — but the quality of “snooze sleep” isn’t great,” says Zfat. “Psychologically, ‘snooze’ feels like a sad way of delaying the inevitable. Also, it annoys the hell out of your sleeping partner.”

 

Put Together a Puzzle

“Fifteen minutes of puzzling is my form of meditation,” says Kaylin Marcotte, the founder of JIGGY, a puzzle company. “I’ll either listen to The Daily for a dose of news or just in silence. Having no screens makes me very present and sets the tone for the day. Puzzles are a lesson in patience and perspective!”

Plan and Review Your Agenda

“I live by my calendar, so every morning I like to walk through and pre-visualize the day,” says Marcotte, who is based in Brooklyn, NY. “I’ll imagine each meeting or call and work block I have.  It makes me feel like I have a grasp on the day and how it’ll look.”

With these tips and tricks, you’ll be a morning person in no time!