Do you wake up thinking that your day is going to be a bad one before you even get out of bed?
Stanford scientists have found out that 85% of people program their own failures by repeating the same mistakes in the morning. Check if you are one of them!
"Five minutes" after the alarm
By delaying getting up, you disrupt your sleep cycles. Your body enters a phase of superficial rest, which causes lethargy and irritability.
The journal Sleep Health (2023) has proven that “sleeping in” for 5–10 minutes reduces concentration by 34% and increases the level of cortisol (“stress hormone”).
What to do:
- Set your alarm for 7:00 and get up right away.
- Move your phone away from your bed.
Checking social media in the first 15 minutes
Scrolling through your feed triggers a dopamine rush, but kills motivation. Your brain switches to passive consumption mode rather than action mode.
According to the Journal of Social Psychology, morning scrolling increases anxiety by 27%, and 60% of users admit to losing track of time and running late.
What to do:
- The first hour is just tea, exercise, planning the day.
- Turn on Do Not Disturb mode until 9:00 AM.
Skipping breakfast
Skipping your morning meal slows your metabolism, causing you to overeat in the evening. Your blood sugar levels drop, reducing your productivity.
The University of Bath (2022) found that people who skip breakfast are 40% more likely to make mistakes at work before lunch.
What to do:
- Eat protein + complex carbohydrates (eggs + oatmeal).
- Don't like breakfast? Drink a fiber smoothie.
Multitasking in the morning
Trying to cook, listen to a podcast, and answer emails all at once overloads your brain. By 10:00 a.m., you're already feeling drained.
According to the American Psychological Association, multitasking reduces productivity by 60%. Morning stress sets the tone for the entire day.
What to do:
- Make a list of your top 3 tasks for the day.
- Perform them sequentially, without switching.
Negative affirmations
Phrases like “Back to work” or “Today is going to be a terrible day” act as self-programming.
A Harvard Business Review study (2021) found that 78% of people who start their day complaining fail to achieve their goals.
Negativity increases cortisol levels, blocking creativity.
What to do:
- Replace complaints with gratitude (“I will solve this problem today”).
- Say out loud 1 goal for the day.
How to change your morning in 3 days?
Day 1. Wake up immediately when the alarm goes off, don’t pick up your phone.
Day 2: Add 10 minutes of exercise and breakfast.
Day 3: Make a task plan and speak it out loud.
Conclusion
Morning determines 80% of your day. Stop feeding failures - start with simple changes tomorrow. In a week you won't recognize your life!
Author: Dmitry Bobrov
