We, humans, have this annoying tendency to over appreciate our own awareness. We like to think we act on our own will, whereas, most of the time, we’re doing almost everything on auto-pilot, without even realizing it.

Take mornings, for instance. How many times you left the house half awake, but with all the morning routine ritual finished? That morning routine probably included activities like brushing your teeth, getting dressed, having breakfast, but you barely remember you did any of them.

Yet, these morning activities are shaping your entire day in ways you’re seldom aware of.

Let me explain. Did it ever happen to you to hit a chair with your foot in the morning, by mistake, and then, during the day, to bump into a door, stumble on a stair or take a wrong step on a perfectly plane surface? How many times you asked yourself: “what’s wrong with to me today?”. Well, it all started with that foot hitting the chair in the morning. Yes, it did, and you know it.

If you never looked at your days from this angle, I urge you to start paying attention: you’d be surprised how much of your entire day is “programmed” during the first hour, or the first few minutes after you wake up.

So, knowing that, how can we “code” our first activities to ensure we’re having a “bug free” day? Here are just 3 things that are working for me.

10 – 15 Minutes Of Physical Exercise

That depends a lot on your preferences, age, fitness level and so on. It can go from a cardio workout, to some Tai Chi practice. For me, what works for years is a short yoga session. There were times when this session wasn’t that short, accounting for at least 40 minutes each morning, but lately I’m doing just a sun salutation and a bit of headstand, which, all in all, are just about 15 minutes.

Short Mental Rehearsal Of A Specific Train Of Thoughts

I know, this sounds more complicated than it really is. It’s just a fancy name for saying some nice stuff to yourself. You do it intently, and aware, and you try to say it the same every day. I practiced for years with morning phrases, and, lately, I replaced this with a short dedication after finishing my yoga practice. It takes just 1 or 2 minutes.

Positive Reinforcement For Your Significant Other

This obviously works only if you live with your significant other, but it may also work by saying something nice to a friend, or a close relative. Positive reinforcement means looking at a certain trait of your partner and saying it out loud. For instance: “you look great this morning, darling”. Just that. Just one positive trait that you train yourself to observe and acknowledge.

That’s it. Only 3 simple things to do in the morning.