CREATING A MORNING ROUTINE

Get control of your day by creating an effective morning routine

Why Create a Morning Routine?

One of the benefits of creating a morning routine is that It helps build momentum for the rest of your day. Maybe you wake up in bed and are stifled by the effort it takes to get your day started. Perhaps you’d like to train yourself to have more focus or are looking for a way to kick-start your creativity. In each of these circumstances, a morning routine can be helpful for creating the day you desire.

STEP 1: Consider Your Circumstances

Creating a great morning routine starts with understanding your own circumstances and objectives. Really, the best plan is the one that fits your life. What works for someone else may not work for you. For example, do you have a family or roommates that you need to work around? Are you an early bird or a night owl?

Also, what is it that you want out of your routine? If you’re looking for a routine to create a calming portion of the what is otherwise a frantic schedule, then including meditation may be a good way to start the day. Or if you want to train yourself to make the most of each day and work toward a goal, then perhaps scheduling a little time to review your goals and plan and review your actions in the coming hours will be the motivation you need.

The routine should support what you feel that you need in your life.

STEP 2: Choose What to Include

Whether your routine is 15 minutes long or 45 minutes long, having a predictable set of actions that you carry out every morning can help usher in a smoother day. The cool thing is that you can tailor your actions to the things that are meaningful to you and your objectives.

 Some elements of a great morning routine could include:

Meditating/Gratitude/Prayer

Reading

Writing

Exercise

Drinking Tea or Coffee

Breakfast

Goal Setting/Scheduling the day

Let’s say you have 15 minutes in the morning to get started before the kids wake up and you would like to ensure a calm and healthful start to the day. You may decide your schedule includes waking up, brushing your teeth, then drinking a big glass of lemon water and taking your vitamins. From there you listen to a short meditation on from a phone app, then write a page in a gratitude journal. For many people, a few minutes like this to start the day would have a huge impact on their outlook. 

STEP 3: Follow Through

The idea is that you want to create a plan that you can follow. Don’t try to change everything at once. Make sure to play around with and only incorporate the things that work for you. If you can be consistent over a period of 2 weeks, you’ll find that you’ve developed a successful routine. And hopefully, it will have the benefit of transforming your mornings.