During the first two years of college, all I wanted to do was sleep in every morning. I then realized that when I had a productive morning, the rest of my day would be great. So, I did some research and experimenting to put together a productive school morning routine. So what the 5 steps to a productive school morning routine?
- Get on your feet and make your bed as soon as you wake up
- Head to the washroom to freshen up
- Do some basic stretching and then change into your school clothes
- Eat a nutritious breakfast while listening to a podcast or reading a book
- Go over your to-do list and prepare yourself for the day
Now that you know the steps, let’s go over them in more detail. I can tell you from my experience, following a morning routine like this will increase your productivity for the day. So, if you want to be more productive in college, stick to this routine!
1. Get on your feet and make your bed as soon as you wake up
I talk a lot about this step in my How to get motivated for school in the morning guide. This is the most important step in this entire guide. As soon as you wake up in the morning, you need to immediately get on your feet and make your bed. DO NOT hit the snooze button on your alarm, because if you do, you’re going to ruin the momentum of your productive morning!
I know it’s tempting to grab your phone and go through social media, text messages, and emails, but you shouldn’t do it. If you do, you’re keeping yourself in a comfortable position in bed, and this may cause you to feel too lazy to get up.
If you decide to get on your feet and make your bed in the morning, you’re already completing two productive tasks for the day. On the other hand, lazy students who hit the snooze button and sleep in for another 20-minutes have completed zero tasks.
If you find yourself struggling to wake up, think about what I just said. Tell yourself that if you get up now, you’ll have a productive morning which will prepare you for the rest of the day. If you don’t get up now, you’re only going to feel slobbish and lazy throughout the day.
2. Head to the washroom to freshen up
Once you’re done making your bed, head to the washroom to freshen up. Make sure to wash your hands with soap after you use the restroom. I know it’s strange to hear me say that, but believe me when I say if you keep following a productive routine like this, you’ll gain a lot of momentum going forward.
Now, if you don’t have a cleansing routine, it’s time to make one. If you’ve never used face wash before, start using it! Who doesn’t want clean and healthy skin? There are also many other benefits to using face wash, so don’t skip over it. For the people that say using face wash is for women only, you’re highly mistaken.
Here’s a time-saving cleansing routine you can follow (assuming the products you use are safe for you):
- Wash your hands with soap
- Apply face wash
- Brush your teeth for 45-seconds in each quadrant of your mouth (use a timer)
- Brush your tongue
- Wash off the face wash
- Apply moisturizer on your face
I know this looks like a lot of steps, but it won’t feel that way. You can go through this entire cleansing routine in less than 7-minutes. Once you’re done, look at yourself in the mirror and smile. Make sure your face and mouth are clean and freshened up. You can also take a quick shower if you’d like. I recommend taking a shower before you go to sleep so that you have more time in the morning.
Now, it’s time to pretty yourself up, both guys and girls. Follow your normal beauty to style your hair, groom yourself, or apply makeup. Remember, when you look good, you feel good. However, I want to make something very clear. Your entire trip to the washroom shouldn’t take more than 25-minutes. This includes your cleansing routine.
I know some of you perfectionists out there like to make yourself look perfect. Unfortunately, it’s not productive for your morning. It’s also a huge waste of time. I even listed “Making yourself look perfect every day” as one of the biggest time wasters in another blog.
I’ll explain why it’s a big waste of time. You could spend one hour in the morning making yourself look good, but when you get to school, nobody cares for more than a couple of seconds! Always be proud of what you look like. You don’t have to spend an hour to make every strand of hair, or every dab of makeup look perfect.
3. Do some basic stretching and then change into your school clothes
Once you’re done using the washroom, get ready to do some stretching. Every productive morning routine should incorporate stretching. Aside from the obvious benefits of stretching like increased flexibility and tension reduction, stretching is a great way to warm up your body and improve circulation.
After sleeping like a rock for hours, your body is going to feel stiff in the morning. If you want to have a productive morning, you need to feel good. Always do some basic stretching during your routine.
Your body will feel warm, your muscles will feel loose, and you’ll get a nice boost of energy. Again, it’s all about following a morning routine that’ll get you ready for the day. So, don’t skip stretching. You don’t have to do difficult stretches either, keep it simple.
Pick five basic upper body and five lower body stretches to perform and hold each one for 10-seconds. I recommend checking out the morning stretches from Bupa. I’ll try to list some of them out, as well as my personal favorites. Stretching shouldn’t take you longer than 5-minutes.
Upper body stretches
- Shoulder stretch. Stand up and reach one arm across your body. Try to keep that arm as straight as possible. Use your other arm to pull the reaching arm closer to your body to deepen the stretch. Repeat this on your other arm.
- Overhead shoulder stretch. Stand up and reach one arm over your head and down your back. Use the other arm to pull the reaching arm farther down your back. Repeat this on your other arm.
- Upper back stretch. Stand up and interlock your fingers. Reach up towards the sky until the middle of your back is slightly bent.
- Neck stretch. Stand up and place one hand on the opposite side of your head. While looking straight, slowly pull your head towards your shoulder. Repeat this on the other side of your neck.
- Spinal rotations. Stand up and stick your arms out to the side of your body at shoulder level. While keeping your lower body still, rotate your upper body to one side. Repeat this by rotating your upper body on the other side.
- Arm circles. Stand up and raise your arms directly in front of you. Swing both of your arms backward in a large and circular motion at the same time. Repeat this by swinging your arms forward.
- Wrist stretch. Stand behind a cushiony and flat surface such as a bed. Place both of your hands down and face them inwards (towards each other). While keeping your arms straight, lean your body side to side. Repeat this on the backside of your hands.
Lower body stretches
- Quad stretch. Stand up bend your right foot behind you. Use your right arm to grab your foot and pull it towards your butt. Make sure to keep your thighs lined up beside each other. Repeat this with your other leg.
- Butterfly stretch. Sit on the floor and touch your feet together (your knees should be facing outwards). Keeping your back straight, push your elbows on your thighs to deepen the stretch.
- Lunge stretch. Get into a lunge position by placing your left foot in front of you and your right foot straight back. Bend your left leg to a 90-degree angle and slightly lean forward. Repeat this by switching the positions of your legs.
- Inner thigh stretch. Crouch down to your feet and place your hands on the ground in front of you for balance. Extend one leg out to the side and keep it straight. Repeat this on your other leg.
- Hamstring stretch. Stand up nice and tall. While keeping your legs straight, try to touch your toes with your hands. If you can’t, go as far as you can.
- Knee tuck stretch. Stand up and place your back against a wall or door for stability. Tuck one knee into your chest. Use your arms to pull your knee even closer to your chest. Repeat the same with your other knee.
- Ankle rotations. Stand up and place your hands on your hips. Move one foot slightly away from your body and rotate it clockwise and then counterclockwise. Repeat this on your other foot.
These stretches should not be too difficult to perform in the morning. If you decide to do some of your own stretches, try mixing them up every morning and target different muscle groups.
Finally, it’s time to change into your school clothes. To keep your productive morning going, wear some clothes that make you feel food. Keep it nice and casual. You shouldn’t be wearing clothes that make you feel uncomfortable, even if they look good.
Remember, you don’t need to look perfect. Don’t spend more than a couple of minutes picking and changing into your school clothes.
4. Eat a nutritious breakfast while listening to a podcast or reading a book
Every productive morning routine should incorporate a nutritious breakfast. According to WebMD, a healthy breakfast will give you energy throughout your day to help you focus at school. Notice how I said healthy breakfast; you can’t just eat a lot of sweets in the morning and call it breakfast.
I’d like to state that I am not a health expert, but here’s what experts from Healthline, Health, or Bustle say you should eat:
- Eggs
- Oatmeal
- Greek yogurt
- Toast with toppings such as almond butter
- Omega 3s such as walnuts, hemp seeds, and chia seeds
- Berries and nuts
- Fruits such as apples, oranges, bananas, watermelon, and grapefruit
- Coffee or tea
- Whole-grain cereal
- Beans and vegetables
The list could go on forever. The point is, if your breakfast has a lot of bright colors and looks healthy, it’s probably good for you. Be sure to not overeat. Make enough food for yourself so that you don’t feel heavy and bloated. Keep your portion light but generous enough to keep you energized until lunch.
While eating your breakfast, listen to a podcast to keep the momentum of your productive morning going! You don’t have to listen to productivity podcasts either. Listen to a podcast you’ll enjoy. You can find podcasts about all kinds of topics.
If you want to listen to podcasts on your phone, I suggest looking on free apps like Castbox, Podbean, Stitcher, Laughable, Spotify, and TuneIn Radio. You can even use YouTube. Listen to positive topics about life, happiness, and motivation instead of songs with a lot of profanity.
Alternatively, you can read a book while eating your breakfast. Unfortunately, I don’t know many students who actually own books anymore. I know it’s cliché, but there are tons of benefits of reading. With the right book, you can learn so much in a single session of reading, all while eating your breakfast!
5. Go over your to-do list and prepare yourself for the day
The last step to a productive school morning routine is going over your to-do list and preparing yourself for the day. If you want to create a comprehensive to-do list, check out my 5 steps to set priorities in school guide! If you don’t have a to-do list, you need to have one. A to-do list is a great way to make sure you take care of your priorities on time.
So, after you’re done eating your nutritious breakfast from step four, go over your to-do list. Make sure you’re aware of everything you have to complete in the next week or so. You should be checking your to-do list daily so you’re always keeping track of your priorities.
The best time to check your to-do list is during your morning routine. You can do this as soon as you wake up, or after you’ve eaten – whatever you prefer.
Once you check your to-do list, it’s time to prepare yourself for the day. Prepare everything you need to take care of your priorities for the day. For example, if you’re supposed to hand in a paper to your teacher, make sure you actually bring it with you.
Or, if you’re supposed to pick up your little brother from school today, set a reminder on your phone 30-minutes beforehand. Do all the preparations you need to make sure the rest of your day goes smoothly.
How long your productive school morning routine should take
In short, your routine should only take about an hour if you don’t waste time. If that’s not enough time, you can extend your routine to 1.5 hours. Remember, I’m teaching you to follow a productive morning routine to get you ready for the day. You’re free to do whatever you’d like afterward.
Ideally, you’ll want to freshen up in the washroom, stretch, and change into your school clothes within 30 minutes of waking up. The remaining 30 minutes should be towards making and eating your breakfast, going over your to-do list, and then preparing yourself for the day.
Conclusion
Give this morning routine a try if you always feel slobbish, groggy, and tired throughout the day. If you don’t leave your house feeling good, you’re not going to have a good day at school.
If you have any questions or comments, make sure to leave a comment down below!
What did you think about this blog? Comment below! Also, subscribe to my newsletter for updates on new content, including videos on YouTube!