Morning Routine!

Do these two words make you want to stay in bed and pull the covers over your head?  You might have tried a morning routine repeatedly, and have never stuck to it, even though you know on some level that your life would be a little easier and happier if you did have one. 

What are your mornings like? Do you jump out of bed at 8 am, even though you set your alarm for 7 am and slammed the snooze button five times? You have to leave your home by 8:30 am to make it to work on time, and you have 1/2 an hour to decide what to wear -hopefully, something that is clean and doesn’t need ironing, maybe a quick shower, find your keys, phone and bag, and you have no time for breakfast, so you grab a coffee and doughnut on your way to work. You arrive at work 10 minutes late again, and you are already exhausted. You inhale the doughnut and coffee, settle in at your desk and realize that you forgot your phone and an important file at home. Sound familiar? It was so easy for me to write that passage because that is how I used to start my days when I was working full time and didn’t have a morning routine. 

There is a way out of this chaos! A few simple changes to your morning will ensure that you have some me time, you don’t forget anything, that you eat something that doesn’t feed a sugar addiction and you show up to work early. 

Currently, morning routines are popular topics discussed by self-help gurus because some of the most successful people on the planet-think Elon Musk, Arianna Huffington, Warren Buffet, and Oprah Winfrey, to name a few, practice a consistent morning ritual that focuses on self-care.

Uber successful people are very inspiring, but this is not the focus of this blog.  I want to encourage you to have a consistent morning routine so you will experience less stress, more joy and productivity.  You do not need to get up at 4 am to have a sustainable practice. You can do this with some organization and creating a plan that is easy and simple. 

What’s your why?

Before I dive into how and why you should have a morning routine, ask yourself, why do I feel that I need a morning routine?  Perhaps you’re satisfied with your mornings and feel you don’t need a routine, but if your typical morning resembles the chaotic one that I described above, then you should consider it.  

What are your goals?

·      You’re tired of being late, rushed and stressed in the morning?

·      You have very little time for yourself because of work and family responsibilities and would like to carve out some me time to exercise, meditate, pray, write, journal, or read.

·      You would like to squeeze in a few chores like laundry or dinner prep, so the end of your day runs more smoothly.  

Whatever your why, start small and make it simple.  Depending on your objectives, you can adjust your morning routine accordingly. There is no one-size-fits-all ‘morning routine’. Experiment with time and routine. 

Helpful Strategies

·      Ease into It

This is especially important if you have been struggling with your mornings for a long time and have a history of not being consistent with your goals.  Start small and wake up 30 minutes earlier than you usually do.  Depending on your objectives, decide how you want to spend those 30 minutes.  Maybe you would just like to read for 30 minutes; perhaps those 30 minutes can be spent ensuring you have everything you need to make the day productive-check that you have keys, phone, or break up your 30 minutes into 10 minutes of movement, 10 minutes of stillness, and 10 minutes of journaling.

If you have a family, set up a morning routine for the entire family.  If you have young kids, this level of structure will decrease anxiety and chaos.  If you are looking for some me-time, you will likely need to arise at least 30 minutes before the rest of your family appears.

AVOID SOCIAL MEDIA COMPLETELY-because spending 30 minutes of your morning doing this, is not going to make your mornings stress free and productive.  

·      Train yourself to get up when your alarm goes off

Don't hit snooze! Set your alarm on the other side of your bedroom, so you have to get out of bed to turn it off.  Once you turn off your alarm, do not return to bed.  Splash some water on your face, brush your teeth, drink some water and carry with your routine.  

If you are anything like me, you dread it when the alarm goes off and have no desire to get out of bed.  I will only engage this deterrent for a second and remind myself how much better my day is when I get up and get on with my routine.  

·      Eat well 

Don't allow yourself to make impulsive decisions about food. Ensure that you have healthy breakfast options on hand-items that include protein, fat, and fibre that will keep you satiated, so you are not craving a doughnut and coffee by 10 am. 

·      Be Consistent 

Commit to your well-being and make your morning routine non-negotiable.  It’s not a once in a while thing- it must be an everyday practice for you to reap the benefits.  It’s essential to sleep well so that you can get out of bed quickly in the morning.  

·      Take Charge of Technology 

This is worth repeating.  If you find yourself letting aimless screen time invade your morning routine, place some boundaries on access to your devices.  Don’t waste your morning routine on social media.  

·      Plan at Night

You can do a few things in the evening that will help your mornings run smoothly.  This is such an important topic that I will be writing about nighttime routines in next week’s blog.

Benefits of a morning routine

·      More structure

Promotes more control over our life.  Control your schedule instead of allowing it to control you.  

·      Less stress

You won’t have so many surprises. You decide what your morning will look like and set the pace. Less stress improves physical and emotional health for you and everyone in your household.

·      Increased productivity

A morning routine will have a tremendous impact on how the rest of the day goes. You won’t forget things, and when you do show up at work (because you will be early and not rushed) you will be focused instead of recovering from the chaos of the morning.  

My Routine

I’m not a morning person, at all.  I’m naturally a night owl and can easily stay up to 1 am.  I’m not one to sleep the morning away but would be ok to stay in bed every day until 7/8 am.  I just know that when I follow a consistent morning routine, I am so much happier, healthier and productive.  Every single morning, I’m tempted to hit the snooze button repeatedly and stay in bed, but I force myself up, and within about a minute I’m ok with being up.   

My health is my #1 priority, and the only way that I make this happen is to make my morning routine non-negotiable.  

My usual routine since I semi-retired;

6 am-alarm goes off, drink full glass of water

6-7 am - meditate /prayers for 15 minutes, breathing exercises for 5 minutes, journal for 5 minutes

On MWF-at the gym from 7:15-9 am 

9-10 am physio stretches and yoga 

10 am -have a smoothie

On Tuesdays and Thursdays- I follow the same routine except instead of the gym, I do more yoga and go for hikes. 

Before retirement, my routine was much shorter because I didn’t have time to go to the gym in the morning. However, I was still up at 6 am, meditated, did some yoga and made sure I gave myself plenty of time to get to work. 

There is great comfort in knowing what I will be doing when.  A consistent routine and structure alleviate second-guessing and procrastination.   

Start your day off with peace and presence.  You deserve it.

Keep well.

Anita