Students’ life is full of hustle. To ease your stress, we decided to share 12 habits to start your day productively, morning rituals for students to follow to succeed in life. 

I am a fan of this quote by Richard Whately: “lose an hour in the morning, and you’ll be all day hunting for it.” Mornings set the tone for the rest of our day. We all understand the importance of losing a day during exam preparations.

In this tech-driven world, the toughest thing to do in life is slowing down. We are always occupied, distracted, and beating a dead horse. The mind does not sit still. So, what are the steps you can take to increase productivity throughout the day?

Are You Struggling To Finish Your Daily Tasks?

Sharing A List of 12 Habits to Start Your Day Productively – Morning Rituals For Students

We strive to learn from the best and evolve. We know that what has worked for others and helped them succeed will prove helpful for us, too. And as a student, when it is your whole life that needs direction and stability, the best way to learn is to look up to the life experiences of those who lead.

Keeping a student’s daily progress in mind, here is a thoughtfully curated list of 12 habits to start your day productively.

Wake up an hour early

An extra hour in a day can make a lot of difference in your performance. A lot can be done in that one hour. From stretching to planning your day’s activities, setting priorities and clearing the clutter in mind. There is a sense of order in life, breaking old unhealthy habits, and creating new ways to improve your overall health. Sleeping early and waking up early has various health benefits.

Benefits of waking up an hour early:

• Improves concentration and memory
• Proper functioning of the body, that keeps you energized, reduces mood swings and temper tantrums.
• Mind is fresh in the morning. It helps study better throughout the day.
• Good time for revisions, reviews, and set daily targets.

Say Affirmations

Affirmations are short, powerful statements that consciously change your negative self-sabotaging thoughts into positive thoughts. When we repeat a statement, we start believing in it. That’s how affirmations work. It fosters a positive mental attitude that we can succeed in anything we do. Write your own affirmations on a piece of paper, and stick it on the mirror or your room wall where it is visible. Spend 10 minutes daily saying your affirmations, believing every word you say.

A few affirmations for your reference:

• I can do this
• I am calm and composed
• I can achieve my daily goals in time
• I have all the guidance I need to pass the exam
• I will do my best today

Positive Self-talk

Self-talk is an internal dialogue that can be both positive or negative, depending upon our state of mind. If you are an optimistic personality, you will find your thoughts, questions, and ideas driving you to perform better. You will pat yourself on small success, just as you would on bigger success. Positive self-talk comes easy to those who believe in themselves.

If you are someone, who thinks worse before you think positive and indulge in negative self-talk a lot, form a morning routine. Try out by saying simple statements written below, till they become an integral part of your belief system. That’s when you will not have to force a positive internal dialogue.

• I have the power to change my thoughts.
• I am proud of myself for trying. It took courage.
• It was an opportunity for me to learn and grow.
• I gave my best shot. I will try doing better next time.

Morning is a peaceful time to listen to your own needs and create beliefs that will help you grow daily.

Making Your Bed

It is a good habit to do our work ourselves and not bother other family members to pick up after us. A study reveals that making your bed in the morning can make you more productive. The belief behind this thought is that doing little things can change and improve the quality of your life. The small action of making your bed in the morning can give you a sense of achievement, however insignificant it may seem at the moment. Doing one little thing leads to taking action on another small task. By the end of the day, your daily goals would be complete. It is all about breaking the mindset.

Set Your Day’s Target

Did you know that setting daily goals can help you achieve bigger goals? Your mind is the only tool you need to set the right tone for your day ahead. And early mornings are the best time to begin daily goal setting.

How to Set the Daily Targets?

• Prioritize
• Time-management
• Call to Action

Simply, make a list of things you need to achieve throughout the day. As a student whose exams are nearing, it would be revision of chapters. Prioritize according to the subject, chapter, and topics. This will ease your pressure of how much to cover in a day.

Next, schedule a time for each topic revision on your list, with a maximum of 10-minute break between each study session. 

Lastly, if you do exactly as you created the list, you will have achieved your daily target with flying colours. If it seems easy theoretically, believe me, it is achievable practically.

Clean Your Study Area

A dirty desk does not give good vibes. An unkempt room will not inspire you to study. Keeping your environment clean and tidy brings positive energy to keep you motivated. Make sure to clean your room every day. Keep your books in place after studying. Some people prefer to be messy and unorganized by choice or because of laziness. Remember, staying clumsy will not help you grow in life. Use your mornings to organize your room, as that’s where you will spend most of your time studying and preparing for exams. A cluttered room can make you edgy and irritated, which can affect the rest of your day.

Greet Your Loved Ones With A Smile

We usually take our loved ones for granted, when they are the ones closest to us. Make sure to greet them with a smile every morning. When we work on setting the tone of our day, it is directly linked to our family members. How we behave with them in the morning can alter their mood for the whole day. And vice-versa. Keep the family environment as peaceful as possible. You wouldn’t want your mood or others’ mood distracting your course of an otherwise happy day. Spend some quality time with your family in the morning. This is the best time to catch up, as everyone’s day gets busier after breakfast.

Avoid Screens Before Breakfast

The best way to kick-start your mornings is without distractions. Different kinds of screens today have taken over our time. Most of us spend our awake hours glued to our screens, be it television screens, smartphones, or laptops. Imagine a few hours of peace without hearing the notification sounds, the rush of reverting an email or a message. How does that make you feel? Heavenly, right! Do yourself a huge favour. Keep your phones switched off throughout the night. And turn it on only after you have eaten your breakfast. You will feel the difference as you go about your day.

Not using your phone immediately after waking up reduces the feeling of stress, anxiety, and exhaustion.

Use Mornings For Self-Study

The mind is fresh and sharp in the morning. The early hours of the day are perfect for studying and doing revision before an exam. As a student, you have many engagements throughout the day, college, group study, coaching, social commitments, family time. Utilize the morning hours to your benefit. Set a timer for 40 to 60 minutes, depending on how much time you feel sufficient to finish a particular topic. A suggestion here is to revise the topic that needs more practice during the early hours of the day.

Set a Health Routine

Pick up an exercise routine. If you like the early morning vibes before the sunrise, put your jogging shoes on or go for a brisk walk. If you prefer to be indoors after waking up, do some stretching/aerobics at home. Set a routine to keep your body in shape and healthy.

Eat Healthy

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Make sure to eat healthy food to keep you going till you get the next meal. Your complete day is filled with hustle to reach from one place to another. You require energy to keep going. Whenever you are stepping out of the house, keep a pack of healthy snacks in your bag.

Questions to Ask Yourself Daily

Before you begin your day, sit and contemplate.

Ask yourself these questions:

• What motivates me to get out of bed every day? If there is nothing that motivates you, it is time to make certain changes in your life. Start by stepping out of your comfort zone, doing things you haven’t done before.
• How am I feeling right now? Happy, sad, nervous, angry, fear, jealousy, loneliness. Try to put a name to your feeling. Once you know what you are going through, you can reason it out, let it go and heal.
• What is it that I am grateful for? Name 5 things you are grateful for. Eventually, increase the list to 10, 15, 20+ things.
• What did I learn yesterday?
• Was it helpful in my growth?

If you are not in a habit of journaling, these questions can be uncomfortable in the beginning. Most of us live on a surface level. So when it comes to understanding our emotions, it can be discomforting in the beginning. Keep going, as it will help you sort your feelings, and improve your emotional health.

The life of a student is always occupied with some commitments – study groups, coaching, regular college work, peer pressure, exam pressure and social commitments. Waking up an hour earlier than your usual time can help you cope with daily stress. Religiously follow the above listed 12 habits to start your day productively. You will be amazed by the quality of life you can create for yourself.

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