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5 Reasons To Add Morning Reading To Your Routine

Morning routines are pretty popular these days. They’re all about getting a fresh start so you can have the best day ever. Here’s why you should add reading to your morning routine.

If your morning routine consists of hitting the snooze alarm ten times and rushing out the door without brushing your hair, let alone eating anything, you might want to rethink your choices. Morning routines are pretty popular these days. We love to talk about how to start our days on the right foot. Do we make a big breakfast like a bowl of oatmeal and fruit? Do we enjoy a cup of coffee or trade it for lemon water or a green smoothie (or both)?

No matter how else you want to start your day, you want to consider reading a book. Here’s why reading in the morning is going to make your productivity totally soar.

1. You’ll have a real break

Modern life isn’t exactly for the faint of heart. It’s all texting and Instagram notifications and tons of stress. You’re pretty much on the go from morning to night. From the moment you leave your apartment and commute to the office in the morning, you’re putting out fires, dealing with office gossip, meeting deadlines…and that’s just your work stuff.

You don’t even relax when you’re supposed to because you’re always answering work emails, scrolling through social media and thinking about work. You might as well be at the office 24/7 considering how little you actually relax.

When you read a book in the morning, you give yourself an actual break. It’s pretty awesome to chill out as soon as you open your eyes.

Think of it this way: what’s going to calm you down? Scrolling through Instagram yet again, wondering why people’s lives seem so much more perfect than yours? Or, picking up that juicy novel your best friend is raving about or Mindy Kaling’s latest memoir? The choice is pretty obvious, right? Trust that and give this morning trick a try.

2. You’ll be inspired

If you start your day off by spending half an hour or so reading a non-fiction book, you’re going to be inspired—bonus points if you can find something business-related or even a book that talks about your chosen industry.

Even if you read a novel, though, you will still be inspired. Reading has always been a pretty magical activity. It’s all about getting transported to another world, and thinking about society and how people act, feel and think.

If you have really rushed days, you might want to consider setting your alarm for an hour earlier so you have this dedicated reading time. That will inspire you, too. There’s something about the act of waking up early that makes you totally ready to get to work—probably because you know you wouldn’t get up at that time unless you were planning on getting a ton of stuff done.

3. You’ll be meditating

Sure, you’re not going to be sitting cross-legged on your apartment floor with your eyes closed and your palms open and resting against your knees. That’s basically the exact definition of meditation.

But you can meditate in different ways. Even just sitting quietly by yourself and focusing on something that doesn’t involve technology or your iPhone can honestly count as meditation. And meditation is definitely good for you: you’ll stress less, which is definitely a good thing in this crazy world.

Try it; you won’t believe how your entire day changes. Think of it like yoga for your mind. You shouldn’t feel any guilt because you deserve to take some time out of your day to calm down and chill out. After a week of this routine, you won’t believe you waited so long to try this.

4. You’ll have some me-time

Me-time is a huge deal these days. It’s right up there with wondering if a work-life balance can ever happen. People usually wish they had more time to themselves (probably because everyone spends their free time staring at their iPhones instead of actually taking advantage).

Adding reading to your morning routine will absolutely guarantee that you have some me time even before the day really and truly begins. You won’t even care if your boss piles even more work on your desk or if your friend cancels your long-standing dinner plan.

Taking some time for yourself will do wonders for your productivity because you won’t resent your workload. You won’t wish it was Sunday and that you could be lazy, lying on the couch watching Netflix. You’ll feel like you had enough of a rest and can get to work, no problem.

5. You’ll have time to think

It can be really easy to get lost in your thoughts on busy days. If you’re dealing with an annoying situation or trying to solve a problem, it’s going to haunt you during your morning and evening commute, and while you’re sitting at your desk trying to get some work done.

If you read for a bit in the morning, that gives you some real time to think. Sure, you’ll focus on the story or the advice, depending on whether you’re diving into a novel or non-fiction book, but your brain is definitely going to wander if you’ve got something on your mind—and that’s a good thing.

By the end of your reading session, you’ll have worked out your issues, and that will free you up to have your most productive day yet. It’s amazing how distracted you can get by the things that are going on in your personal life, from your best friend who is acting distant to your boyfriend who won’t open up about his true feelings. So, you’ll be doing your emotional health a favor, and your relationships will all benefit, too. Who knew the simple act of reading a book could do so much?

Do you read in the morning? How do you usually start your day? Do you think that reading fiction or non-fiction would be a better idea for some morning reading material? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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