Start Your Day Right With an Effective Morning Routine Before School
Have you wondered “What should I do before school in the morning?” or “What is a good school morning routine?” Obviously, there is no perfect one-size-fits-all school morning routine! BUT there are certain (scientifically-proven) do-s and don’t-s for your morning routine! So, considering those things, I created a really basic morning routine that is super effective before leaving for school.
It is my real morning routine and it works wonders for me:
- Makes me feel fresh and happy
- Helps me with having a productive school day
- Super simple and practical morning routine for any student to implement!
Read: How to be productive at home AFTER school!
Things I DON’T have in my morning routine before school:
I try to avoid doing these things in the morning. I do these the previous night instead.
1. Pack your schoolbag.
Firstly, it saves a lot of time in the morning. I tend to be quite slow in the morning so it’s more efficient to pack my bag the previous night when I feel more awake. Since you have more time at night, you are less likely to forget something. Have it all packed and ready at your front door. This way you don’t need to stress or rush too much in the morning!
2. Picking your outfit.
If you are following my Instagram, you probably know about decision fatigue.
If you are not following, follow @highlybasicblog for tips & tricks that make your life better 🙂
Basically, decision fatigue lowers your productivity as your brain is tired from making decisions. To prevent that, you have to try to avoid decision-making tasks as much as possible, especially in the morning.
Things like choosing an outfit can be a stressful decision sometimes. So, avoid choosing your outfit in the morning before school. Decide it the previous night and leave it on a hook on your door or somewhere.
3. Doing your to-do list/plan your day.
Your morning is precious as that is when your brain is supposedly active. So, I always try my best to plan my to-do list the previous night.
But I took really long before I could make it a habit. By the time I sleep, I am way too tired to think about planning the next day! But with proper planning and time-management, I managed to make it a habit.
Read: How I developed good habits by doing daily reflection in my journal
Other things I do the previous night to have an effective morning routine before school:
1. Charge your devices.
If you bring your laptop, tablet, phone or any other device to school, remember to charge them! It ruins my morning when I see my wireless earphones or phone uncharged because I forgot the previous night!!!
2. Put your alarm clock far away. Put your phone even further away.
This ONE step can literally make your mornings a thousand times better! When you put your alarm clock far away, you will need to get up to walk over and turn it off.
But if it’s close to you, you will surely tend to snooze your alarm and snoozing is actually really bad for you! (which you already know about if you have seen @highlybasicblog Instagram Post on snoozing :P)
Next, put your phone even further way! I used to pick up my phone when I wake up because I felt that the “bright screen” will help to make me less sleepy.
But all it does is make me waste my precious first 20 minutes of the day scrolling through Instagram! I will then feel much lazier to get off my bed and I end up rushing to school.
Recommended Read: How I cut down my Instagram Screen Time from 5 hours to 20mins a day!
So, as much as you are tempted, leave your phone far, far away and avoid picking it up as long as possible in the morning!
3. Have the curtains open.
The light streaming in will help you wake up in the morning. So, remember to open your curtains at night.
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My Simple Morning Routine for School:
1. My mum wakes me up.
But if you have an alarm to wake you up, get up and walk over to switch off your alarm.
2. Make your bed.
It doesn’t take long and you will get a little sense of “achievement” which is quite nice to have early in the morning.
If you wanna change the world, start off by making your bed.
William H. McRaven
3. Then make it a rule in your head to go to the bathroom immediately.
I shower and brush my teeth. But you can just wash your face. This will really help you feel more awake.
4. Get dressed.
This won’t take too long since you prepared it last night.
Recommended Read: How to Find your Style| A Guide to Dressing Better
5. Have your breakfast.
You can make something simple like a grilled cheese sandwich and eat it on the go. But why not start your morning even better by eating something more nutritious?
If you want to make something super quick: How to make a Yogurt Bowl
If you have more time: How to make a Perfect Smoothie Bowl?
Want something warm instead? How to make a delicious bowl of oatmeal?
6. Style your hair.
Looking neater helps you feel better and more confident.
7. Pick up your bag.
You should have packed this the previous night!
8. Morning Reflection on Notion.
My father drops me. During the 25 min drive to school, I do my morning reflection on my phone using an app called Notion.
It is my absolute favourite productivity app and I am going to write an article about it soon. So, make sure you are subscribed to The Highly Basic List!
Also, notice that I only start to use my phone when I am in the car. It really helps you to be efficient in the morning when you avoid using your phone. Ideally, you would not want to laze around or rush to school as this affects your overall mood and productivity.
9. Listen to something.
My reflection takes about 5mins.
It’s a super quick template (I will share it with my Highly Basic Subscribers soon!)
Anyways, for the rest of the time, I listen to a Podcast or some upbeat music to lift my spirits and not feel so sleepy!
10. Reach school!
And there you go, my morning routine before school! It is really simple but it actually takes time to make it a habit.
That’s why I have created a printable for you! You can download it and make sure you stick to this routine so that you can have a productive school day too 🙂
Grab your “Morning Routine for School” Printable Now!