There is no shortage of information out there about morning routines. Zealous celebrities will tell you they rise at 4:30 after sleeping for 9 hours, meditate for an hour, and mix a special vitamin supplement into a glass of filtered water which gives them more energy for their 5:30am yoga workout. The question is, should that really be your morning routine? And actually, everybody has a routine. Whether you know it or not, there is a set of activities you perform daily between waking up and beginning your work day (or your day of leisure because you don’t have to work).
There are three helpful questions we can ask before adopting a new morning routine: “What is my current morning routine? How is it serving me? How can I craft my routine to better serve my goals?”
Morning routines are important for 2 critical reasons: First, they shape how we feel going into the rest of our day. And second, our morning habits have a cumulative effect over time. Our mornings are a significant portion of how we spend what I believe is our most precious resource: our discretionary time. This block of time can keep us in a cycle of feeling frazzled, stressed, and rushing around, or it can help us accomplish our goals and live with purpose: writing a novel, learning to play an instrument, losing weight, or just feeling healthier or more grateful. Whatever your goal, consistent action over time is what can get you there. Let your morning routine serve you and move you toward a happier day.
Here’s a quick activity that can help you find your best possible morning routine in 3 steps: 1) Write down your existing routine. I’ll share mine as an example:
6am Wake up
6:15 Put the kettle on, brew my tea, drink a glass of water
Hug my cat, feed the cat, let the dog out, give dog a biscuit
Go to the bathroom, brush teeth
6:30 Drink tea and write
7:00 Wake up my husband & son
Help my son with clothes & breakfast
Check on finances/enter transactions/pay bills
Start a load of laundry or wash a few dishes
Pack lunch & water bottle
7:30 Stretch, put on clothes for my walk/jog
7:45 Walk my son to school, walk/jog around the park a few times
8:10 Have breakfast/make a smoothie
8:15 Shower & dress
Make bed
Do hair & makeup
Kiss family goodbye
8:30 Drive to work
Now, what did you notice as you made your list? Did you appreciate the amount you manage to accomplish in 2 hours each morning? Did you feel guilt for something you’re not doing? Did you think about having breakfast earlier? Packing your lunch the night before? You are already on your way to optimizing, which is the next step.
2) Revise your routine to optimize it. Maybe you have been wanting to get more exercise or spend more time outdoors: how could you change things around to squeeze in a morning walk? Or maybe one of your goals this year is to read more. Could you swap a book in for the time you normally check social media? You may also be considering whether waking up earlier would help make your morning less stressful. Whatever the change you are working on, play around with the order of your morning activities, and see what could serve you better. If you’re not sure where to start, consider incorporating one of the habits that are proven to increase health and happiness: meditation, exercise, practicing gratitude, and even making your bed.
3) Post your new routine somewhere visible, and reflect regularly on how it is serving you. Do this until you can look at your written routine and feel happy & confident that you have made changes that have improved how you feel when you wake up. When I recently revamped my morning routine to prioritize creative time, I noticed how much easier it was to get out of bed at 6am because I looked forward to that part of my morning routine so much. When we align our priorities with how we spend our time, it can help us to feel more energized and motivated to accomplish the things that really matter to us. And it can all begin by starting our morning with purpose.
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