How often have you felt frustrated when you overslept in the morning and missed your perfectly planned, productive morning routine? I guess we’ve all been there.
For graduate students especially, a well-thought-out and productive morning routine could be the key to their professional success. However, being disciplined and consistent isn’t easy, especially if you’re not an early riser.
Why do most graduate students struggle to establish a productive morning routine? I have been asking myself this question for more than four years.
Being someone who always seeks a productive morning routine, I have searched books, podcasts, and basically all over the internet for that perfect morning routine. As time went on, 99 percent of those attempts failed, which was obviously frustrating to experience. As I have gained experience, I have realized that most of those routines failed for one simple reason.
The reason for this was that I overlooked a very important step before selecting a routine to test. I refer to this step as “Step Zero.”
The “Step Zero”
Understand who you are.
There will be an undeniable resistance when you adapt a morning routine, no matter how many videos you watch and how many book chapters you read about productive morning routines, if you do not consider how it applies to YOU. In the end, you are going to have to give up and get up 10 minutes early to walk that inner-mind “walk of shame” to your class.
My point was that if you look at some people’s morning routines on YouTube, which have millions of views, or read a book about the morning routines of influential people, there is one very important thing you would probably overlook. That is, they are discussing their current morning routine — probably not the routine they followed at your age!
This is extremely important to understand before you begin setting up your morning routine. The point I’m trying to make is that most hyper successful people have flexible schedules, but as students we don’t.
The first step should be to identify achievable daily goals that you can keep doing in the long run. Setting achievable goals will help you stay motivated and focused. It will also ensure that you are making progress and keep you accountable.
For instance, here is my thought process when planning my personal morning routine
- Whenever possible, I’d like to read something that isn’t related to my academic field every single day.
- Every single day, I should learn something new about my field
- Every day, I should spend 10 to 15 minutes learning a new language
You should ensure that you have the “effective” time in the morning or afternoon to accomplish these goals, especially if you don’t want to add any resistance to the routine.
This is to say that if your routine feels overwhelming, if it isn’t fun, chances are you won’t stick with it long-term. When you set goals, then come up with a routine, if you feel overwhelmed following that routine, it’s best to change your goals.
Consistency matters!
You might as well do a little every day rather than stiffening up your day and getting frustrated and ending up with very few done at the end of the month.
Biology is unbeatable!
In social media or on the internet, you’ve probably seen someone else’s morning routine that starts with, I wake up at 4 AM and do this and that. Well, that’s great for them, and most people are scientifically and most importantly, biologically programmed to wake up around in that early in the morning. As a result, it has become a “universal standard” that if you want to succeed, you have to get up really early.
Is this really true for everyone?
Not necessarily. Studies have shown that there are more than a dozen chronotypes. Chronotype is the natural inclination of your body to sleep at a certain time, or what most people understand as being an early bird versus a night owl.
And most importantly, each person’s chronotype is determined by their genetic makeup and external environmental factors. Knowing your chronotype can help you to plan your day more effectively and maximize your energy levels.
In other words, our biological clock is already ingrained into our bodies from birth. Changing it will not do you any good, definitely not in the long run.
Working hard and trying to keep your eyes open in the morning does not necessarily mean growth. It’s totally okay to work an extra hour or two at night if your body doesn’t agree to work in the morning.
Having a good understanding of your circadian rhythm is therefore very important.
What is “Circadian rhythm”?
The circadian rhythm is the body’s internal clock that helps to regulate sleep-wake cycles and affects many aspects of our lives, including our energy levels, mood, and appetite. Knowing how it affects us can help us better manage our daily activities and make better decisions regarding our health and wellbeing.
In his book Why We Sleep, Matthew Walker, a professor of neuroscience and psychology at the University of California, suggests that 30 percent of the population prefers to wake up later in the day and sleep later at night, while 40 percent prefers the opposite. “Night owls are not night owls by choice,” he says. “They are bound to a delayed schedule by their DNA. It is not their conscious fault, but rather their genetic fate.”
For instance, my sleep patterns are somewhere between a night owl and a morning lark. That led me to wake up around 7 AM and go to bed at around midnight.
Find out where you are on the spectrum
A doctor can give you information about your circadian clock these days. Alternatively, you might be able to approximate your circadian rhythm by taking some online questionnaires.
However, if you’re in your mid-twenties, and you’ve finished your undergraduate studies at this point, chances are youalready know it!
The 20/20/20 method
Once you have determined the best hours to work, the next step is to figure out what to do during those hours. My morning work hours are between one and one and a half hours since I wake up at 7 AM. I structured my morning routine using a method called 20/20/20.
Motivational speaker and author Robin Sharma often shares a productive morning routine that will get your day off to a great start. He refers to it as the 20 + 20 + 20 Rule. This product puts your brain into gear, increases focus and stamina, and keeps you motivated all day long. In his book, “The 5 AM Club,” he outlines this morning routine, which has proven to be very beneficial for me.
The 20/20/20 method is extended to one hour, with 20-minute segments.
- First 20 minutes – exercise/ go for a walk to clean up your mind.
- Second 20 minutes – reviewing your goals and daily schedule.
- Last 20 minutes – reading a book or writing.
Although what you choose to do in the morning depends on your priorities, these actions might apply to most graduate students.
In any case, there is no reason not to adjust the routine according to your preferences. I call my method 10/30/20, where I do home exercise for 10 minutes, read for 30 minutes, and review the day for 20 minutes (mostly 10 minutes for planning the day, and the final 10 minutes for unorganized writing).
Conclusions
Make sure you adjust this routine according to your personal preferences and circumstances. Be consistent with these habits and gradually incorporate them into your morning routine. Being organized and intentional with your morning routine can enhance your productivity, mental health, and overall success as a graduate student.
How do you make your morning routine more productive? We’d love to hear from you in the comments section.
Image courtesy: Image by pikisuperstar on Freepik
