For the past two years my routine has been bare. I barely had breakfast, read my bible and barely had a cup of water (if I reminded myself).

Here are some things I made a conscious effort to include in my daily morning routine, and they have changed my life! I now feel more refreshed, rejuvenated, and more confident to face whatever life throws at me each day.

Devotionals: Reading your Bible is not enough. Get a plan or a guide that speaks to your situation or inspires you towards achieving a set goal. Having a Bible plan guides you about God’s plan for your life, and provides you with daily inspiration. I’d recommend YouVersion Bible app for your devotionals. It’s one of my favorites.

Breakfast: Always drink coffee. I am a strong advocate for coffee even though I have been told it contains substances that are unhealthy and addictive. But oh well! Coffee helps stimulate my senses and makes me feel alert in the mornings, especially if I’m feeling tired.

Podcast/ Ted Talks: Listening to a morning inspirational podcast or Ted Talk not only diversifies your world view, but also gives you a confidence boost.

Meditation: Meditation is a deeply personal and spiritual practice. After indulging in meditation, the feeling of clarity one gets afterwards is so refreshing. I urge to you to include this in your daily routine.

Exercise: Exercise isn’t only meant for weight loss, and no; you do not necessarily need to hit the gym to be able to exercise effectively. Even if all you can spare is 20 to 30 minutes each morning, you can exercise at home. Get a skipping rope and skip a few hundred times. Download some workout apps on your phone and choose which muscle groups you would like to work on each day. Physical activity is not just great for your heart health, but also keeps you feeling energized all day long.

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Are there any other morning routines you partake in? Please share in the comments below.

Photo Credit: Getty Images

So, how do successful people spend their time after work? Here are a few tips:

Spend some time with yourself

Yes, spend some quality time with YOU.

Think about it, you spend most of your life at work, surrounded by co-workers. And when you come back from work, you probably spend time with your family or flat mates – which is great.

However, in order to feel rejuvenated and mentally prepared for the next day it is essential that you spend a few moments alone doing things that relax your mind.

For instance, if you have the luxury of time, after work, go and get a pedicure. Or a quick massage. Or go see a movie by yourself. But if you really don’t have the luxury of time and need to go home right after work every day to take care of your family, you can still spend time alone. Even 10 minutes spent alone can help calm your mind. Lock yourself in the bathroom if you have to! Just let the silence envelope you. You can do whatever you want within those 10 minutes. If you are the praying type, pray. Want to meditate? alright. Just want to sit in silence? Fabulous.

According to Psychology Today, ‘Being by yourself with no distractions gives you the chance to clear your mind, focus, and think more clearly. It’s an opportunity to revitalize your mind and body at the same time.’

You will find that when your mind and body are refreshed, you perform better at any tasks you engage in both in the workplace, your social life, and at home.

Read

Okay this may sound kind of boring to some of you at first, but hear us out.

While at work, the only information you are bombarded with is work-related. After work, it’s a great idea to get new inspiration and knowledge that isn’t necessarily related to your current job. Do some reading to get insight on how to achieve your dreams.

For instance, if you are working a 9 to 5 job but are looking to run your own business someday, take some time out to do some reading and research about the field you wish to be an entrepreneur in.

Come on girl, your goal of world domination isn’t going to materialize magically. Nope. You need to spend time after work reading about entrepreneurs that you look up to. What’s their business model like? How can you draw inspiration from them and adapt ideas to fit your own business ideas?

Let’s face it, this kind of reading/research isn’t something you can efficiently do at at work – no matter how hard you try to sneak in a few moments of reading here and there.

The only time you will have to do this reading is after work. You can spend 1o minutes a day doing the reading. Do this every day for a month and you’ll be amazed at just how much knowledge you are able to garner.

Reading for pleasure after work is also a great idea, and can be extremely therapeutic especially when done just before bed. If you are the type that doesn’t like to hold actual books, or you dislike staring at your iPad/tablet screen, you can get one of those audio books, and let it read you to sleep.

You will have successful, peaceful sleep, and feel lovely in the morning! By the way, Enid Blyton books are a personal favourite and are great for the soul (who cares if you are over the age of 18 and still love reading children’s books before bedtime? No judgement here!)

Spend quality time with loved ones

You probably spend most of your time at work with co-workers. After work, it is essential to take some time out to spend time with bae, your besties, or your family.

Go on a dinner date. Go see a play after work. Sit back, relax and let your hair down.

After all, you know what happened to Jack when he overworked himself right? All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.

Don’t be like Jack. Make time for play and you will find that your productivity level at work will skyrocket.

Work stress actually takes a toll on productivity. To be successful in any endeavour, play time is necessary.

Photo Credit: www.the-coreport.com

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Have some more tips? Do share in the comments section below.