Mornings are a big deal. That first, conscious, breath of fresh air is something to savor and be thankful for.

But more than that, mornings are important for the obvious reason — it’s the start of a whole day ahead.

And we all know that how it starts has an awful lot of influence on everything else.

That’s why it’s imperative that you make your mornings count.

How to do that exactly? We’ll give you a few tips!

#1. Be early

Oh yes, set that alarm at least 30 minutes or an hour before you actually need to get up. I know it sounds horrible, “get up earlier?!”, but yes. That’s a habit you need to pick up now or later, but now is a much better time.

If you get up earlier, you don’t risk rushing to do things.

You don’t feel anxious, your tendency to forget things will get smaller, you’ll feel more relaxed in the long run.

When you wake up ‘just in time’, you’re making everything out to be an exact science, but not every factor in your mornings are.

There is always a chance that unforeseen circumstances will happen and cause a domino effect on your day.

To avoid that, leave more room for error. Be early.

(A tip within a tip: sleep earlier too!)

#2. Don’t reach for your devices

Personally, if I wake up in the middle of the night, I have to consciously stop myself from looking at my phone to see what time it is.

Why?

Because 1) it will make you anxious about the number of hours/minutes you have left to sleep, 2) the light will signal your body to kind of wake up, and 3) you’ll see all the messages you haven’t read, the calls you’ve missed, the Facebook notifications on your last post, and so on and so forth.

Before you know it, you’re fully awake and exhausted before your day even officially starts.

Don’t do that to yourself.

Our devices remind us of the world that keeps turning even when we’re not participating in it.

They remind us of the things we still need to do, the people who need to talk to us, the problems that won’t solve themselves, etc.

Avoid looking at them first thing in the morning.

#3. Drink water

This is one of the first things you should do!

Before going to bed, put a glass of water beside you already.

Drinking water will wake you and your system up in a refreshing manner and will get your hydration going and all that.

By doing this, you’re signaling to your body that you are awake, alert, and ready to start your day the right way.

You are reminding yourself that this is a new day, and that you are awarded a clean start.

#4. Direct your day

After you have gotten yourself ready and almost out the door, make a list of a few things you’re grateful for, as well as some of your tasks or goals for the day.

This will set the tone for how you will conduct your affairs within the day. By writing them down, you will have a clear picture of the progress in your day.

That will make you feel more accomplished and energized to keep moving forward.

You won’t have to scramble to find the time to do this and that, you won’t need to squeeze in appointments that you know won’t fit, and you won’t be cramming everything into a time frame that just won’t do.

Take charge of what you can early on.