Some people do mornings better than others, but whether you’re a morning person or not, there’s no denying that kicking your day off on the right note helps set you up for success all day long. To help you make the most of every morning – and every day, as a result – we’ve rounded up some of the best ways to start off your day right out of bed. 

1. Exercise bright and early.

Everybody has a personal preference about the time of the day that they like to hit the gym. But even if you’re partial to evening workouts, you might want to try to opt for an a.m. sweat session to make the most of your morning. For starters, squeezing a workout in before work helps you pep up in the morning and get energized to tackle the day, which means you’ll be able to power through a morning meeting or tackle a pile of early morning paperwork with no trouble. Plus, working out in the morning helps to ensure that you actually do workout at all, since it’s a lot easier to flake out on evening workouts – you can't help it that you got stuck late at work, or got hit with unexpected dinner plans – than it is to flake out on morning ones, since chances are you're schedule is pretty open at 6 a.m.

2. Plan out your day.

Organization, organization, organization. Try to start off your morning by mapping out your whole day. This means penciling in the usual – meetings, calls, and any other engagements – but also figuring out where to squeeze in the things that don't usually earn a place on your physical calendar (think things like meals, workouts, and social activities). Work on trying to schedule the bigger and harder tasks earlier into your day since you’ll want to get those out of the way before you start to lose momentum later in the afternoon. The key to using a schedule to strike balance in your day is to figure out how your day breaks down – beyond just work – which helps you feel like you’re ready to take on the day since it helps you feel like you’ve got everything under control. That’s not to say that you shouldn’t leave room for unexpected changes in your schedule, but just make sure that you’re organized enough to feel like even unexpected switch-ups can’t throw you off your game.   

3. Have a healthy breakfast.

If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. While that may or may not be the case, there’s no denying that starting your day off with a healthy meal is a great way to get you energized to tackle the day ahead. Opt for breakfast foods that are scientifically proven to help boost brain functions like memory and concentration, like oatmeal with fruits and seeds, or eggs with healthy fats, like avocado. Any of these options will help you harness the brainpower you need to take on the day, plus they’re super filling, which means that they’ll help you stay on track all morning without getting distracted by a growling stomach before lunchtime.