This is my morning routine: hit the snooze button about a MILLION times, roll out of bed, complain about being cold, sit at the end of my bed for way too long and then leggit out the door with a mouthful of a banana to join the cranky morning rush of commuters.
Ah, the glories of modern day life.
Business Insider has rounded up seven little things you can do in the morning (that only take 10 minutes or less) that are apparently proven to make you a happier person.
All about making the most of the small things in life, here’s some things you can try for a calmer, less stressful morning. Not even the DART delay will get you down.
1. Write down your thoughts and feelings
Author and investor Tim Ferris recommends writing down your thoughts in a journal every morning, saying that it doesn’t matter what you write as long as you process it.
2. Talk to a commuter
This is scary, we know, but a 2014 study found that people are much happier during their commutes when they have some sort of engagement with another passenger.
3. Take a pretty photo on your way into work
This is a tip from Mo Gawdat, the author of “Solve for Happy.” Every day on his walk to the office, he searches for something beautiful and takes a photo of it.
His idea behind this is that it’s a form of meditation, and means that he is focused on something beautiful before his day starts.
4. Plan to do something that brings you joy
A study in Scientific American said that you should “reflect on the activities that bring you contentment or joy and make time for these events in your daily life.”
It found that the key to optimising happiness was planning something nice and knowing you have that to look forward to.
5. Set yourself one task to do that evening
Productivity expert (yep, it’s a real job) Laura Vanderkam recommends setting one simple task for every weekday evening.
Whether that’s to read 100 pages of a book, go for a walk, or finally make that phone call home to your mam to fill her in on your life, you’ll feel great for getting it done.
6. Organise to outsource a chore
A published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that people who spend money to save time tend to be happier than those who don’t.
It’s pretty simple to either order lunch to your desk or arrange for your laundry to be picked up, and it’s proven that it’s well worth it.
7. List three things you’re grateful for
The “three good things” exercise found that people who used it felt happier and less depressed for six months.
Here’s how it works: every morning, write down three things that went well for you the day before and why you think they went well. It could be something as small as managing to drink your full 3l of water.
Now, ya could get all that done in the time it takes you to get to work on the bus.
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