Have Calm + Energizing Mornings
If the first thing you do in the morning is roll over and reach for your cell phone, I've got news for you: You're setting yourself up for a crappy day. Here's what you could do instead:
Start with bedtime
I find it impossible to have a good morning if I had a crappy evening the night before. I try to set the tone for my evenings by ending my day 60 minutes before I try to go to sleep. That means I shut down Facebook, I stop writing, I stop compiling lists of things to do and I just focus on the task at hand: getting a good night's rest.
Note your sleep patterns
Years ago, I used an app called SleepBot because I noticed that it was almost impossible for me to wake up feeling refreshed. Even though my children have slept through the night for years, I'd still feel groggy for hours in the morning and wouldn't feel "alert" until lunchtime. I didn't want to get hooked on coffee; I just wanted my sleep to actually mean something.
What SleepBot did is three-fold: it tracks your movement while you sleep (letting you know how deep your sleep patterns are), it tracks your sleep sounds (read: snoring), and its Smart Alarm wakes you during your lightest sleep cycles so you aren't startled awake. I also love its ambient noise feature—the sound of waves crashing on the beach is blissful to me, and now that's the sound I fall asleep to. Newer versions aren’t as good now so try Sleep Cycle.
Go slow
The reason why waking up and immediately reaching for your phone will mess up your morning is because you haven't given yourself a chance to prepare for the day before you meet it.
Checking email in bed is a no-no. Seeing what you missed on Facebook or Twitter before you even sit up is a no-no.
Don't rush to join the world before you even get the crust out of your eyes.
Wake up fully. Stretch. Listen to the stillness. Go to the bathroom. Wash your face. Yawn a bit. If you have a boo, tell them good morning. Maybe drink some tea or some water.
Then you can join the real world. But not before.