For some reason this new year doesn’t feel any different to me. I didn’t go into it with a lot of plans for what I wanted to do or accomplish. In truth, my goals are rolling over from 2019 right into 2020. Still, I can’t help but to feel a bit buoyed by the newness of this decade just a bit.
Once I really sit down and compile my thoughts a bit, I’ll check in here for some public accountability. One thing I’m sure of is having a plan for how I start any day is key to how my year will go. That morning routine everyone talks about, is a must. Over the last year or so, I have gotten into a groove with mine. It’s paid off too. I’m going to be revamping a bit to accomodate some of the things I need to happen. For now, let’s talk about what you need for a good morning routine.
To get it right, you have to decide what you want to get done in the morning. I have to work out in the morning and plan out the rest of the day from there. Let’s say you want to work out, meditate, read and journal. You need to figure out how much time each of those things will take you to get done. Once you know that, you’ll be clear on how much time you’ll need and how early you’ll need to rise.
Once you figure it out, plug in those chunks of time to know what time you’d need to wake up. You can also help to set yourself up for success by prepping the night before. If you need to lay out your workout clothes, or have your journal open or anything else you’d need – prep it to make it easy to just roll into it in the morning. I know some people have even said that they sleep in their workout clothes so they have no excuses when they wake up. Ha! Whatever works.
What you definitely want to do is make it as easy as possible to slide into your morning. Being clear on what you plan to do with your morning helps. Once you’re ready, you may decide to take the plunge and set that alarm clock a full hour or two earlier. Or maybe you need to ease into it. If that’s the case, try giving yourself a 20 minute earlier wake up time for a week. Figure out the priorities in your morning routine and do those things with that 20 minutes. Then make your wake up time a bit earlier and earlier over the next few weeks as you move forward until you get to your goal time.
Notice how your day changes with a simple morning routine switch up. For me, I feel accomplished from the beginning of every day. That feeling carries and I end up being more productive as a result. My head is also clearer. Once, I’ve done my morning stuff, I move into mommy mode with getting the kids ready for school. I feel more control of our mornings because I’ve taken control of mine. I also feel like that little nudge in the morning helps me to get ahead of things and run the day instead of the day running me. If I wait and get up once I hear the kids, then I’m already behind. I’d love to know if you have a morning practice too? Next up, I need to overhaul my nighttime routine. It needs help!
