Your Morning Routine Might Not Be as Important as You Might Think
To start with, don’t get me wrong, morning routines are great. I can’t stress how important can morning routines be for people looking for productivity and making a change in themselves and the world.
Morning routines are the rituals that you decide to do every single day. The proposed list of activities you go through — preplanned for — and accomplish on time before going on your day.
Morning routines can include getting up at a specific time every day, doing some exercise, going for a walk, running, having coffee or tea, and so on…
The good thing about morning routines is that — from the name — they begin in the morning as soon as you wake up. There are many mental and health benefits to having a morning routine tailored for you.
You get to choose what to include in your morning routine. You can test certain things and replace them if you did not like them or are no longer enjoyable. Sometimes you have to get rid of certain activities that you might think are good for you because someone else is doing it. Still, the truth to be told is that if you add unsustainable morning activities that are hard to replicate every day, you might fall behind, and that defeats the purpose of a routine.
I’m Confused, so Morning Routines are Important?
Yes and No. Here’s why…
Yes,
they are important, as mentioned above. Having to wake up every day in the morning and doing a healthy routine can enhance your daily mood, increase your happiness, strengthen your immune system, and make your day better and more enjoyable.
If you plan for your morning routine in a way that can be enjoyable for you and you are not doing something only to do it, you are on the right track.
No, for the following reasons:
1- I’m doing it because everyone is.
When you are doing it, just for the heck of it, some people think that replicating what successful people are doing will get them somewhere similar. It might be true to a certain extent, but doing something you don’t believe in is the worst thing you can do.
2- Not getting enough sleep.
Another important aspect is sleep. Sleeping is crucial for your health and mental clarity, mood, immune system, and overall well-being. According to the neuroscientist and sleep expert Matthew Walker, the author of New York Time’s best-seller, “Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams,” we need to have a good 7 to 9 hours of sleep every day. Adequate sleep is tied to the health of our cardiovascular system and lowering blood pressure.
Another shocking fact:
“Routinely sleeping less than six hours a night weakens your immune system, substantially increasing your risk of certain forms of cancer.” — Matthew Walker
3- You are not programmed to be a morning person.
According to Matthew Walker, some people are not meant to be morning people but night owls — people that stay up at night and sleep in the morning hours.
“…night owls are not owls by choice. They are bound to a delayed schedule by unavoidable DNA hardwiring. It is not their conscious fault, but rather their genetic fate.” — Matthew Walker
Unfortunately, night owls are more sleep-deprived than everyone else, thanks to our daily work systems (The 9 to 5). Having to wake up with morning people, night owls are thus often forced to work in the morning. They can not make themselves go to bed early the night before, and they are now sleep-deprived. Night owls can not get to bed early, which means that they are burning their sleep clock. Making them less healthy and at a greater risk.
“Greater ill health caused by a lack of sleep therefore befalls owls, including higher rates of depression, anxiety, diabetes, cancer, heart attack, and stroke.” — Matthew Walker
If you find yourself in one of the 3 points above, have an evening routine instead of a morning routine. Try to get a job that allows you to get up later in the morning.
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Have a lovely day!
