Hello! And welcome to Monday’s morning, beginning of the week, a fresh start, the day to start that project you’ve been putting off, bla, bla, bla…

Truth be told, you might be reading this after 12 because you (as most of us) had a very busy, yet avoidable, beginning of the day. Jumping from unfinished activity to unfinished activity because you made the decision to hit the ‘snooze’ button.

The day feels overwhelming from the moment you open your eyes when you finally wake up, until the moment you close them at night when you go to sleep. That feeling is not because of the impending sense of doom lurking beneath the bed, it’s just because of disorganization (I know, not too philosophical).

The panic starts when we see our day full of activities…

and have no way to fulfilling them.

However, we want to give you something after reading all the words before this. It’s an important and unsuspected tool to cope with all the responsibilities you have to handle: a morning routine.

I know you did expect something else. Something that could turn your mornings around and help you accomplish everything you desire in a day. Sorry, we’re no magicians. We’re just young people with some procrastination and disorganization issues (such as you, yay!). After a few iterations of trial and error we came up with these 5 things you have to have in your morning routine for it to kickstart it.

1-Make your bed

Feeling you achieved something in your day as soon as it starts it’s a motivation boost to go on and finish all the objectives you set for the day. Yes, it is a motivational video (you can watch it here) and some inspiration can take you a long way.

2-Meditate

5 minutes of focusing on your breath everyday can improve your day. When life gets crazy, enjoying a moment of silence just for you will not just make it better but will help relieving you from stress. An increased focus throughout the day is another reward.

3-Schedule your day

Actually this is something you have to do the night before, before going to bed. It’s easier to start your day with something already planned. Instead of losing time setting the activities for the day in the middle of your morning rush, you can seize that time tackling those tasks.

Optional: Chunk down a project (or task) into manageable steps.

4-Pack a Meal, Snack, and Coffee

Not just your body will thank you for it, your wallet as well sigh in relief. Moreover, you will eat everything you wanted in the portions you wanted them. Needless to say that good alimentation will keep you full of energy and delighted.

5- Morning workout

Whether you are planning getting in shape or not, not putting out this activity can benefit you a lot. No need to go to a gym, there a lot of options of bodyweight workouts to do at home. It will not only give you more energy but a sense of power, and feeling stronger when the struggle comes will give you an edge over it.

Kickstart your day by finding an opportunity on aiesec.org.