I’ve been wanting to develop a strict morning routine for a really long time now. I’ve read about it, I’ve listened to podcast after podcast, and I’ve even put together my own plan for “said” routine and failed when the next morning came around.
WHY is it so tough to wake up with an alarm but on the weekends when you don’t use an alarm (for the most part), you wake up well before your weekly alarm even thinks of going off? I’ve never been a huge fan of my alarm anyways because I don’t like waking up abruptly to a loud annoying noise that isn’t welcome in my morning world. Saying that, I’ve definitely been lucky the past few years to work from home and not be bothered with an alarm which is a huge blessing! But, without a doubt- I’m completely over letting my days take over instead of me taking control of them the way I choose!
Anyone else wake up and instantly start scrolling or looking through your e-mails, starting your day in a stressed out mood before you even step one foot out of the bed? Yeah….GUILTY!! I realize that it happens almost without even thinking which is absolutely a habit that I want to kick! The good news is that habits are breakable and that’s what I’m setting out to do from here on out! See ya bad, non-productive habits!
While I may not have a 5:00AM wake up call for littles or a corporate 8-5 job, I honestly believe that EVERYONE can benefit from implementing a morning routine that sets them up for success no matter the circumstances.
Today, I want to share with you guys the routine I’m developing for my mornings that I’m hoping will become more concrete the longer I stick to it. I’m adding more and more to it with each day to make it even more of a stronger habit too! Here’s to progress! (Woo hoo!) Plus, sharing it here is even more added accountability, which is just what I need!
What’s really been lighting my fire lately is a personal development book called “The Miracle Morning.” Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t, but you SHOULD check it out ASAP! You can read more on it here. Basically what it is, is creating a morning ritual that you do without fail before you start your day every single day of the week. These habits are so ingrained in your routine that you don’t even want to go back to hitting the snooze button ever again! You take control of your day before it controls you, which is what I’ve been after FOR SO LONG!
Here’s what I’ve taken away from the Miracle Morning so far:
1) You have to physically wake up and get out of bed before your brain figures out what you’re doing.
2) Creating consistent daily routines become habits, which you can turn into your benefit.
3) Quiet time filled with prayer, affirmations and visualization are a necessity to creating the life you want to live, vs letting life choose it for you. (#goaldigger)
4) Starting your day with exercise of any kind is best for your body AND your brain that lasts throughout the day.
5) Choosing to take control of your day feels much more rewarding than the other way around.
*Bonus takeaway: Personal development should be a DAILY non-negotiable for everyone. Whether it’s through books, podcasts, whichever you prefer to help build you up every single day. Even if you only have 10 minutes to spare, putting personal development as a top priority is a MUST!
So, taking all of that away from the book so far has highlighted a few things in my own daily habits that need to change ASAP.
I’m zoning in, focusing and getting my butt into gear to FINALLY put together and IMPLEMENT this morning routine of mine.
These are my current pain-points that will soon turn into used-to-be pain points.
a) I need to get rid of time wasters that suck up the most productive time of day for me personally, which is the morning.
b) I need to lay out all of my morning necessities before I lay down at night to be on top of my game the next morning. (ex. coffee ready to go, workout clothes laid out, water bottle filled on my nightstand.)
c) Whether I like it or not, I have to get my butt dressed and out the door for my workouts, or dressed pressing play on my at-home workouts before 8AM. (No, if’s, and’s or but’s about it.) –I’m slowly but surely trying to inch up my workout times each day to get closer and closer to the early morning workouts. This is a work in progress!
So, here’s the morning routine I’m working on and building onto each day:
1) Wake up before 7:00AM every day.
2) Drink 10-15 ounces of water BEFORE getting out of bed.
3) Gratitude prayer + Spend 10-15 minutes journaling. Write out 3 things I’m grateful for each morning. Then, write out something that I’m grateful for that I have coming my way, aka a “gratitude intention.”
4) Write out my to-do list for the day with the top 3 as my top priority that WILL get done by the end of the day as my biggest priorities.
5) Take 3 SOLID deep breaths. (Repeat as many times as needed.)
6) Spend 5 minutes visualizing and seeing out my goals, short term and long term. (What do I want and why do I want it.)
7) Spend 2-3 minutes listening to my daily devotional. (This is what I listen to each morning!)
8) Get out of bed, brush teeth and get into my workout clothes.
9) Have coffee (with collagen) and drink the rest of my 24 ounce bottle of water.
10) Workout + Stretch/Morning yoga.
11) Then, start with my top 3 priorities on my to-do list for the day and proceed with the day.
See, each of these things are NOT overly complicated, or too time consuming. They are all tasks that are 100% do-able if I can just be intentional with each task and get focused from the get-go each morning. Plus, who doesn’t like feeling like they’ve tackled a majority of their to-do list before everyone else even starts their breakfast? I know I sure do! The mornings where I start slow, sluggish and grumpy only lead to the worst, most un-productive and unfulfilling days that I can definitely do without!
So, here’s to productive mornings that lead to productive days filled with happiness, accomplishments and self-satisfaction! I can’t wait to see what’s in store for my new morning routine and everything that will come out of these new habits. And, let me just tell you that if I can do this–I KNOW you can! If you’ve been struggling the same way I have for a long time, I encourage you to take a look at the Miracle Morning book and try to find a way to carve out your mornings to work for you instead of being a slave to that dang alarm clock anymore! Maybe your routine won’t look identical to mine, but do what works best for YOU! We can do this, no doubt in my mind! Challenge yourself, set your goals high and get to digging out that path towards your wildest dreams! I believe in you and I’ll be in your corner cheering you on whenever you need!
Questions for YOU:
Are you a morning person or a night owl?
I’ve never been more or less either one. I like to get to bed pretty early because I need a good 7-8 hours of sleep to function best, but I also don’t like to get up at 5AM either….So I’m a happy medium! Hopefully that changes with this new routine though!! I’ll keep you posted on my sunrise workouts coming soon! 😉
What time does your alarm go off in the morning?
What’s one of your favorite affirmations that you like to use?
Have a fabulous Thursday!! Weekend, here we come!!
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