When you spend your early mornings rolling over after hitting “snooze” for the third (or tenth) time, you don’t get a lot done. In fact, your mornings might look a lot more chaotic. If you run from your bed to your car in about 5 minutes every day, it might be time to re-evaluate your early morning habits. Waking up early will give you the chance to enjoy the quiet of the morning and prepare for your day. These simple early morning habits can make your day run more smoothly.

It’s easy to let the day get away from you if you don’t plan - especially when you're working from home. Instead of wasting your time on a lot of “not so important” tasks, spend time on your top priorities. Take a few minutes every morning to think about the things you need to accomplish throughout your day. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Simply write down a few things that matter the most to you that day

One of the easiest things you can do for your health first thing in the morning is drink water. It’ll help wake you up. It also wakes up your body and prepares your cells and digestive track for the rest of the day.

The world is quiet early in the morning. Before the world wakes up, take some time to enjoy the quiet. Use this time to meditate and prepare yourself for the rigors of the upcoming day. You can also use this time to set goals, pray, or read a book. Think of this as “me time”. Intermountain has many resources to help you start a mindfulness practice of your own.

Most early risers use at least some of the time to exercise. If you have a tough time fitting exercise into your regular day, morning might be a good time to get your sweat on. When you get exercise done early in the day, you are more likely to do it. Not only that, but you can easily jump in the shower afterwards, but before your day officially begins.

Waiting until the last possible second to wake up, means you aren’t leaving a lot of time for breakfast. If you're skipping breakfast, rising earlier will give you enough time to eat at home. Slowing down for breakfast will help you make healthier choices.

It’s hard to be productive when you are exhausted or overly tired. Maybe you’ve convinced yourself that you can’t get up early in the morning because you are just not a morning person. But even night owls can get up early in the mornings if they plan ahead. Try these tips for getting out of bed.

• Go to bed early. Sleep is an essential. If you aren’t getting enough, you won’t be able to drag yourself out of bed in the morning. Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to go to bed at a certain time.
• Put down the screens. Not only do they emit blue light that affects your circadian rhythm, but screens will keep you awake. Turn off any screen at least 1-2 hours before bedtime.
• Skip the snooze button. Instead of giving yourself the option to snooze, tell yourself you need to get up right away. Often, getting up immediately is all you need to do to wake up.

Getting up early in the morning is a great way to get your day off to a great start. Use the time in the early morning to complete important tasks, plan ahead, and give yourself some “me time”.