Time after time again, I need to be reminded that my best days usually involve me waking up early after a good night’s sleep to get a good head start on the day. Having the whole morning to myself to meditate, eat breakfast and to feel unrushed really sets a positive tone for the rest of my work day. I feel creatively productive, more relaxed, and more mindful to the present moment. On the other hand, when I start late and am rushed right into work mode, my mind feels extremely scattered, and I lose the mindfulness that I would have had if I had woken up earlier. 
Certainly, there is something magical about the early morning air. There is a still hush in the world–the peaceful break before the rest of the city stirs into busy activity.
In many cultures, the morning hours carry a lot of spiritual significance, as it symbolizes the beginning of a new day, and a new life. Many religions call for devotees to wake up at the break of dawn to engage in prayer, meditation, and other spiritual practices. After all, the early dawn hours come with its own special energy, that only the truly disciplined can experience while the rest of the world sleeps.
So what to do in that extra hour or two in the mornings before you head off to work? Take advantage of your morning power hour by expanding yourself in mind, body and spirit. Below are 20 ideas to make the most of your weekday mornings:
1. Meditate in the mornings.
2. Go for a morning jog, morning yoga class, morning swim.
3. De-clutter your space. That way, you will come home to a nice and clean living space instead of being bogged down by the mess in the kitchen, living room and bedroom.
4. Write in your journal.
5. Treat yourself to a local bakery treat.
6. Have a positive intention for the day.
7. Plan something fun to do in the evening after work. One of the many secrets of happiness? Having something to look forward to, and the joy is elongated the more anticipation time there is. Jump on that principle by proactively planning fun things for yourself–right at the beginning of the day.
8. E-mail a friend you haven’t spoken to in a long time. Even better: write an actual physical letter.
9. Prepare something you will use later in the day for dinner when you get home from work. It can get tedious preparing dinner after a long work day. So it’s a huge relief when you’ve spent the morning hours preparing something before hand: a pot of cooked rice, pre-chopped veggies, or pre-cooked spaghetti noodles that just needs sauce.
10. Chill out with your pet.
11. Sneak in some reading time.
12. Whip yourself up a kick-ass breakfast that is also good for you. Don’t pre-emptively sabotage the rest of your day by skipping the most important meal of the day. Brownie points: enjoying an unrushed breakfast with a loved one or loved ones.
13. Actually take the time to make your bed–it’s quite satisfying.
14. Drink freshly squeezed juice. You don’t have to buy yourself a fancy expensive juicer to enjoy freshly squeezed fruit juice in the morning. You can get a cheap, plastic manual juicer and squeeze yourself some orange juice, grapefruit juice, or whatever suits your fancy.
15. Have two glasses of water. Early morning hydration will ensure that you won’t get dehydrated and thus tired or mentally foggy later in the day.
16. Make time to reflect on your short-term and long-term goals: are you where you need to be, and what do you need to do in order to improve yourself?
17. Take a sunbath in direct sunlight for 10 to 20 minutes. The majority of Americans are vitamin D deficient. Don’t be one of those people. Soak in those rays.
18. Get your finances in working order (paying your bills, calculating your monthly budget, etc.) so you don’t have to worry about it during the day or forget about it when you are too tired from work.
19. Completely unplug before work. Rather than busily checking your e-mail and iPhone alerts, how about soaking in the sunshine and savoring this sweet moment of morning silence?
20. Come up with a challenge you will dare yourself to fulfill by the end of today. Today’s challenge: ask for a promotion. Speak up with that outrageous idea at a meeting. Make that phone call you’ve been afraid of doing. Write that business plan for your up-and-coming start-up. Nothing like a little adrenaline rush with high stakes to excite you throughout the day.
PHOTO (cc): Flickr / thristian
Great tips, Yumi. I particularly enjoy #17; and have tried to incorporate this into my day more. Communing with nature and sunlight can be so uplifting when in the office all day.
I'm taking this list to heart during my #30dayslearning month…Thanks for your well-written article, Yumi!