Hack Your Mornings and Your Self-Growth

Self-growth is a term often used alongside personal development. It is discovering and understanding your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. It is learning to grow stronger in every area: physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. It is developing skills that will help you pursue your dreams and goals. It is growing marketable skills to land a better-paying job or position.

Even if you work a full-time job, you can develop your self-growth by making minor tweaks to your morning routine.

Tips for self-growth

Your morning hours are precious. It is a time before the world awakens and children stir from their beds. It is often a quiet time, yet most people sleep through it. They wake up late for work, run around getting dressed, and leave work without breakfast or coffee, forcing them to stop during the commute, adding to their tardiness.

But what if you could have a calmer morning? The following tips for self-growth can get you started. A morning where you work on important tasks and learn new skills is only one decision away. You are the only person who can stop you from hacking your morning routine and developing your self-growth.

The night before: go to bed on time

To have a productive morning, you must go to bed on time the night before. If you are used to staying up late, this may take some adjustment. Instead, try going to bed fifteen minutes earlier every evening until you reach the bedtime you need for restorative sleep. Depending on your needs, this can mean seven to nine hours of sleep per night.

Creating a nightly routine will help you transition to bedtime easier. For example, try doing a relaxing activity like stretching poses or drinking hot tea. A routine triggers your mind to wind down and fall asleep quicker.

No more snooze button

To get a head start on your morning and have time to work on your self-growth, you need to set the alarm and fight the urge to hit the snooze button. Often, we hit the snooze and think we are resuming sleep for another nine to fifteen minutes. But you do not get any more rest. Instead, you are trading time for a few minutes of dozing in and out of sleep, expecting the alarm to go off at any moment.

Instead of hitting the snooze, go ahead and start your day. Those nine to fifteen minutes compounded can make a big difference in achieving your goals. What could you accomplish if, instead of hitting the snooze button three times every morning, you got up when it went off at five?

In the morning: prioritize your morning

What do you want to learn, to accomplish? Do you need to take an online course in communication skills or time management? Do you want to lose weight and start an exercise program? Planning your morning is a must to grow in personal development.

If you have different goals, consider breaking up your mornings to include those activities. For example, if your goals are to exercise consistently and take an online course, assign days to each goal: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays for exercise and Tuesdays and Thursdays mornings for your online course.

Read your Bible

Carve a few minutes every morning to read your Bible and study a devotional. Starting your day with God at the helm can give you confidence when remembering He is with you.

May the Lord our God be with us as he was with our ancestors; may he never leave us nor forsake us. – 1 Kings 8:57, NIV

The confidence from knowing that when you seek God’s face, He will walk with you shows in the way you carry yourself. Start your day off by giving God glory and asking Him to lead you to do His will.

Eat a relaxing breakfast

Too often, we sleep late, then rush out the door with little to no nourishment. This leaves us dragging and makes it easier to make poor food choices like grabbing a sugary coffee drink and donut on the way to work.

Self-growth also translates to our physical health and the food we consume. It recognizes that it is acceptable to treat ourselves occasionally, but those treats should not be the rule. By getting up earlier in the morning, we allow ourselves time to make a healthier breakfast and start our day with energy.

To save time in the mornings, you may want to prepare the night before with a list of quick and healthy breakfasts or prepare a dish like overnight oats.

During your commute: take water

Do you drink enough water? A dehydrated body does not function well. Dehydration also impairs cognitive function, making it easier to forget important details. Depending on your activity level, try to aim for at least eight glasses of water daily, more if you are active or live in a humid climate.

When you wake in the morning, your body is slightly dehydrated from sleep. Drink at least a cup of water as you get dressed. A great way to get in enough water is to bring a thermos or tumbler while you commute to work in the morning. Vow to yourself that you will drink your water before you have that second cup of coffee. Keeping cold water with you always makes it accessible, and you are more likely to reach for it.

Rehearse positive affirmations

Your self-talk determines your beliefs. The words you say to yourself can either help or harm your self-confidence. The more you hear something, the more you believe it. You might have experienced this during childhood if someone repeatedly said something means to you. After a while, you begin to believe that what that person said was true, even though it is not.

Write out a few positive affirmations you can say to yourself as you get dressed in the morning or during your commute. For example, you could say, “I am clever, and I have every resource I need to reach my goals.” Even more effective is choosing Scriptures from the Bible to speak over yourself. You can never go wrong when speaking out what your Creator says about you. Choose Scriptures and affirmations that reflect your goals.

Listen to music, an audiobook, or a podcast

Learning from others is key to self-growth. You want to learn from others who have reached the goals you have set for yourself. You should aim to read at least a few pages daily from a book in your chosen industry. But do not neglect the time you have to invest in your self-growth during your commute.

You can listen to music, audiobooks, or a podcast with one click. If you commute on public transportation, bring earphones or earbuds. You can find audiobooks and podcasts in almost every category. For motivation, choose music that gets your heart pumping and leaves you feeling like you could conquer the world.

At work: compliment someone

When we are stressed, we tend to turn our focus inward. Our thoughts and emotions become our number one focus while at work. Instead, flip this narrative when you arrive. Look for at least one person that you can compliment. It does not have to be something about their appearance. You can compliment someone on their work ethic, time management, or communication skills.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. – Colossians 3:12, NIV

Kindness goes a long way. When we show compassion to other people, it births something within us. We become kinder, gentler, and more confident. For example, if you can help someone at work, even by just holding a door open for them, you will see a difference in your outlook.

Help for personal development

If you need help with self-growth or learning marketable skills to improve your quality of life, contact me today. As your counselor, I will help you take an in-depth self-assessment and talk with you about areas you would like to strengthen to make an impact and reach your goals. I look forward to hearing from you and helping you on your journey.