How to Start Your Day with Clarity and Focus

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Do you start your day with clarity and focus?

The way you start your morning sets the tone for your entire day.

Picture this: you hit snooze one time too many and are scrambling to get out the door.

You are already starting the day impatient and with a negative mindset.

Somehow, everything seems to snowball until you are having a self-proclaimed “worst day ever”.

Does that sound familiar? I have a feeling that we have all been there.

What if you skipped the scramble and started the day intentionally?

You would have more of a positive mindset that is prepared to take on whatever life throws at you that day.

This is why some of the most successful people in the world swear by their morning routines.

When you are focused, you are able to live an aligned life.

Here are some ways you can start your day with clarity and focus.

Get a reasonable amount of sleep

Have you ever tried to focus on something but you keep yawning and drifting off instead?

If you don’t even start the day with a good night’s rest, you can pretty much kiss clarity and focus goodbye.

The amount of sleep that you get each night should be non-negotiable, just like your morning routine.

Aim for 7-8 hours of sleep each night, depending on what your body needs.

Try to go to bed around the same time and wake up around the same time each day to stay consistent.

When you wake up feeling well-rested and refreshed, you will feel more confident to take on the day. 

Drink a full glass of water before your coffee

I know I know, most of us cannot even function without drinking coffee. Instead of crawling out of bed and reaching straight for the coffee pot, try having some water first.

Drinking water in the morning helps you shake off that groggy feeling you typically get, which is often caused by dehydration from sleeping.

When you drink water first thing in the morning, it sets you on a path to stay properly hydrated throughout the rest of your day. 

Related reads:

• 10 Morning Habits That Will Change Your Life
• How to Create a Better Sleep Routine
• 10 Habits of People Who Are Always Productive
• 5 Positive Affirmations to Repeat Every Day

Stay away from screens for at least an hour after you wake up

It is tempting to scroll on Instagram for 20 minutes before getting out of bed, but try to avoid that when you can.

Screens are just distractions that will stand in the way of you finding clarity and focus in your morning.

Your morning routine should be centered around you and what your soul desires—not on what your Facebook friend just posted.

Avoiding screens in the morning helps you start your day on a productive note and a clean slate.

Take five minutes for stillness 

Our brains nowadays like to move at 5000 mph.

Slowing down and just being still takes practice and willpower.

Starting your day with stillness will bring about the clarity and focus you are so desiring.

This stillness may come in the form of yoga, meditation, breathwork, or just simply closing your eyes.

Set a timer for five minutes, be still, and then notice how much lighter you feel afterward. 

Write down your big three tasks to accomplish for the day

Have you ever felt like your to-do list continually grows even though you are consistently crossing items off?

The issue with this is that you never actually feel productive, and therefore, your motivation decreases.

You can limit this by choosing three big tasks that you will accomplish each day.

These tasks should be crossed off before moving onto anything else, so you can close out of those 20 tabs.

Then by the end of the day, you will be able to say you accomplished at least three things!

Jot down ten things you are grateful for

Gratitude helps quiet the negative voices in your head.

Practicing gratitude daily will make it easy to see that there is already so much good in your life!

Not to mention, the more you practice gratitude, the easier it will be to pick out things to be grateful for in real-time.

Eat a balanced breakfast, starting with fruit

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You need energy in order to stay focused and have a clear headspace.

Fruit is kind of like nature’s caffeine—it gives you natural energy.

Fruit also digests the fastest, so it is a great thing to eat before heavier breakfast foods like cereal, eggs, or bacon.

Eat an enjoyable, balanced breakfast that will give you an energy boost.

Make your bed and declutter your workspace 

Your environment strongly impacts your headspace and productivity.

Things like an unmade bed, dusty computer screen, and a pile of dirty laundry can all serve as stress factors and distractions that pull you away from your goal of productivity.

Use your time in the mornings to clean up your outer environment so that your inner environment feels refreshed and clear.

Go on a walk to get some fresh air

Natural light and fresh air work hand-in-hand to wake you up and give you a boost of positive mental energy.

Try to keep your phone inside and go for a walk or just spend some time outside in the morning.

Notice the sights, sounds, and scents of nature.

This is one way to practice the focus and mindfulness you will take with you throughout the rest of your day. 

Take a cold shower

The thought of a cold shower in the morning when you are already struggling to get out of your warm bed might sound daunting, but it does have its benefits.

Taking a cold shower will be a bit of a shock to your system that will immediately wake you up.

Cold showers also build mental strength, as it takes a whole lot of mental power to keep the temperature turned on cold!

Final Thoughts

The way you start your day should serve you and bring you joy.

If you feel overwhelmed by your morning routine, then it probably is not going to be sustainable.

Remember that the way you start your day will impact how the rest of it goes, so it is worth putting some time and thought into it.

Hopefully, these tips serve you and will help guide you toward a morning routine full of clarity and focus!