The Kat Life

how I'm choosing to live my best life

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Katherine Moon
Katherine Isabella Moon
Meow, hello there, my name is Katherine, but you can call me Kat; because I basically am a cat. Anyways, I am a 26-year-old, lifestyle blogger, with an INFP-T personality type, from the United States. I love fashion, the color pink, cats, dogs, and spending all my time on my computer. I'm often seen wearing cat ears headbands.
The Kat Life
The Kat Life

how I'm choosing to live my best life

Friday, June 5, 2020

Morning Habits That Make Or Break My Day

Cat laying in bed in the morning
Photo courtesy of Gaelle Marcel on Unsplash

Through a little bit of trial and error, I have created a daily routine that works well for me and helps me to feel great, thus making me more productive while working from home. For me, it has always been crucial to have some sort of a daily routine in place to keep me motivated and to help me productively go about my day, starting first thing in the morning. As a matter of fact, my morning routine is actually the most crucial part of my entire daily routine, as the choices I make in the morning often dictate what the rest of my day is going to look like. While the majority of my morning routine is focused on self-care and making the most of the early hours of the day, and can sometimes be omitted if I'm in a rush, some parts of my morning routine are absolutely vital to getting on the right path for the day.

Seriously though, not only do the choices I make in the early hours of my day affect my productivity, but how I end up feeling mentally and physically throughout the day. The path I choose to take in the morning influences the choices I make throughout the rest of my day and into the evening. As a matter of fact, I was quite surprised at just how much some of my choices influence my entire day once I started to notice a pattern with them. There's actually one habit in particular that I didn't realize was essential for me at all until I started noticing how it influenced my day!


Morning Habits That Make Or Break My Day




Getting out of bed at a reasonable time


Woman sitting in bed in pajamas in the morning
Photo courtesy of Kristina Petrick on Unsplash

Even though I do my work from home, and I don't feel the need to wake up before 6:00 AM, I do still like to wake up decently early in the morning. For me, the ideal time to wake up is around 7:00 AM, as it gives me plenty of time to enjoy the quiet early morning hours without feeling like I need to rush my morning routine. Admittedly, some days I do like to sleep in a little bit longer if I had a long night or I'm extra tired, and I'm often okay with waking up at 8:00 or even 9:00 AM. However, I find that if I don't get out of bed before 10:00, it affects my day for the worst. Not only will I feel as if I have wasted so much of my day away, and like I have to rush through my morning routine and cut out a lot of it, but I'll also feel groggy all throughout the day.

For me, there is such a thing as too much sleep, and I actually think I feel worse when I oversleep than when I don't get enough sleep. When I oversleep, I will feel tired all throughout the day, and I'll only want to keep sleeping. I won't have any motivation to do anything, and it's nearly impossible to get anything productive done, even if I try to force myself to get stuff done. So needless to say, for me, getting out of bed at a reasonable hour is essential if I want to have a productive day. I know sometimes it can be hard to get out of bed, but I have found a few little things that help me to get out of bed when I really don't feel like getting out from under the covers...




Having breakfast


Morning breakfast with coffee
Photo courtesy of Lorilee E. on Pexels

Throughout my teen years and my early twenties, I rarely ever ate breakfast. When I was still in school, I'd often walk out the door without eating so much as a granola bar, even though I had plenty of time to eat breakfast after I was done getting ready for school in the mornings. In my early twenties, I just couldn't be bothered to have breakfast, as it seemed like an unnecessary decision to decide what to eat for breakfast, especially as I seldom actually felt hungry in the morning. In all honesty, I still rarely feel hungry in the morning. But regardless of whether I feel hungry or not, having at least a small breakfast is a crucial part of my morning routine.

When I don't eat breakfast, not only am I usually hangry by noon, but I often find myself making poor decisions on what to eat throughout the rest of the day. I also notice that when I skip breakfast, I often feel low on energy and unmotivated, and I'm more likely to waste my day away and spend the whole day sitting in my chair if I don't end up getting back into bed and sleeping the rest of the day away. To think I never believed it when they'd say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. For me, even the smallest breakfast makes a world of difference over not having breakfast at all.



Making the bed


Freshly made bed
Photo courtesy of Polly Alexandra on Unsplash

This is the one habit that took me by complete surprise at just how much it affects my day. Seriously, I never would have thought of something as simple as whether or not I chose to make my bed that morning as being a choice that could make or break my day. I mean, for years, I would rarely ever make my bed, thinking it made no difference. Besides, it was only going to get messy again, so why would I take the time to make my bed every day?! Sure, it looks better when it's made, and it makes my small room look cleaner. It's also more comfortable to get into at the end of the day when my blankets aren't twisted up in a ball. Those are the reasons why I originally why I started making my bed daily. But then I noticed something, I noticed that making my bed actually had a more significant impact on my day than I would have ever thought. 

By choosing whether or not to make my bed, I'm choosing my path for the day. Seriously, when I don't make my bed, it's almost as if my day never truly started, and I'll be very tempted to just go back to bed. The bed is already messy, so why not? Why not hop back into bed and take a four-hour nap? Even though I certainly don't need one, and I know it'll keep me up all night and ruin my sleep schedule. If I don't put any effort into making my bed look presentable, what difference does it make if I mess it up a little more by hopping back into it midday? So on the flip side to that, if I make my bed, I don't want to mess it up until it's time to go to bed, as it takes quite some time for me to make my bed to my liking.

Making my bed in the morning essentially forces me to stay out of it for the rest of the day, and prevents me from needlessly taking long naps and sleeping the day away. Because my room, which also happens to be my office space, is such a small space, making my bed makes it feel significantly tidier. And when my space feels tidier, it's easier to stay focused and productive. Then when it is time to get into bed, I can't argue that my bed is a lot more comfortable when my bed is made than when my blankets are twisted up. Needless to say, making my bed makes all the difference in the world on my entire day, from morning to night.



Waking up in the morning
Photo courtesy of Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

While most of my morning routine is focused on self-care and habits that enhance my day, such as working out, taking a moment to meditate, and taking a moment to plan out my day, some parts of my morning routine are absolutely vital to my day. For me personally, a good day starts with getting out of bed at a decent hour so I can go through my entire morning routine without feeling the need to rush. A good day begins with making the bed so that I won't be tempted to go back to bed at noon. It starts with eating breakfast and giving myself the energy to go about my day. 

Of course, it's also necessary for me to get some movement in and relax in the early hours of the day, but let's be real when I fail to do the three most vital parts of my morning routine, I'm often not doing the other parts of it either. When I don't make the right choices in the morning, I'll often find myself falling into bad habits, which is definitely not something I want. So it's best that I take action and choose the right path early on in the day.

Morning Habits That Can Make Or Break My Day
Thank you for reading, and I hope the rest of your day is wonderful!
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