Does your morning “routine” consist of hitting the snooze button, then rushing around to get yourself (and maybe your children) out the door? Let’s change that pattern & develop a morning routine that works for you!
WHY HAVE A MORNING ROUTINE?
Why have a morning routine?
*it sets the tone for your day
*it reduces anxiety & stress
*it boosts productivity & focus
*it helps you focus on your goals & priorities before the busy-ness of the day sets in
*it makes you healthier
According to Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander, authors of MY MORNING ROUTINE:
“The way you spend your morning has an outsized effect on the rest of your day. The choices we make during the first hour or so of our morning determines whether we have productivity and peace of mind for the rest of the day, or whether it will clobber us over the head. . . .”
“If you don’t dip into your inner reservoirs of energy, focus, and calm first thing, you won’t stand a chance. Start your morning with intentionality, and you can then bring these “wins” with you into the rest of your day.”
Let’s get started!
ROUTINES
So – what is a routine anyway? Routines are things that you do on a regular basis and that you have to intentionally practice. You might have to do them a certain number of times before they become “automatic” to you. It often helps to set a reminder on your phone or to leave post-it notes around to remind you to practice the routine
The authors of My Morning Routine share several people’s morning routines as examples. Another great resource is Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning. Hal suggests six different categories of activities to include in a morning routine. He uses the acronym SAVERS to help remember all six categories.
S = Silence
A = Affirmations
V = Visualization
E = Exercise
R = Reading
S = Scribing (writing)
You might change or adapt your morning routines throughout your life (or even throughout the year). For example, as a teacher, I have a very different morning routine during the school year (when I have to be at work by 7:15 a.m.) than I do during my summer break. If you have kids, your morning routine will be very different from that of someone who does not have kids (or no longer has kids living at home).
You have to decide what appeals to you, what you want to include, what is important for you to do in YOUR morning routine. The following suggestions are just that — suggestions. Pick and choose one or two things to try, then add on or change as you see fit.
Another tip: YOU decide the amounts of time you want to devote to different aspects of your routine. I will share some tips, but you need to choose what might work best for you!
As you read through the categories that follow and think about what might work for you, keep these guidelines in mind:
GUIDELINES FOR PLANNING YOUR MORNING ROUTINE
*YOU choose the amount of time to spend on each category. You might also consider spending a brief time on a category, such as reading, and then spending more time reading later in the day.
*Switch the order of the categories to best suit your needs. For example, maybe you want to spend some time reading or exercising BEFORE taking time for silence.
*Plan backward from the time you need to leave your home. Think about how long each part of your routine might take.
*If you are getting kids ready to leave the house in the morning, factor in more time than what you think you will need.
*If you are not getting enough sleep at night (which varies for everyone), work on going to bed just 5 minutes earlier every night until you hit your “sweet spot”.
*When the alarm goes off, DO NOT HIT SNOOZE! Go ahead and hop out of bed. Well, maybe hopping is a little too ambitious, but at least get out of bed as if you are ready to take on the day!
*Other than the apps listed in the Miracle Morning categories below, try to avoid using your phone. If you must use it, at least try to avoid work emails and social media until you have had time to do the most important parts of your morning routine.
*Turn on some lights OR play music OR turn on the morning news (but only if it is not a stressor or a distraction). Just like hopping out of bed when the alarm goes off, this sends the message to your body and your brain that you are up and ready to take on the day. Turning on a news station sometimes helps to remind you that other people are awake too!
NOTE: this may not be an option for you if you want other people to continue to sleep! You also might want to postpone turning on anything with sound until after you do the Silence part of your routine.
*Open your blinds or curtains or step outside for a deep breath of fresh air. Just like the lights/music/news tip above, this may not be an option if you want others to continue to sleep.
*Make your bed – unless someone else is still in it!
*Wash your face or splash water on your face and then look in the mirror and tell yourself that it’s going to be an amazing day! (It may sound silly, but it really works!)
*Diffuse essential oils or light a scented candle – if that is something you enjoy and if it brings you calm and focus.
*Hydrate! Drink hot lemon water, water, tea or coffee.
Here are some tips for incorporating Hal Elrod’s Miracle Morning SAVERS into your routine.
SILENCE
Spend the first few minutes of your routine just sitting in silence and doing some deep breathing. The whole idea here is to start your day in a calm, focused state of mind. I also think of this as a time when I just listen.
How long? Try for 1 minute at first, and build up to 5 minutes or more!
Some ideas:
*say a prayer of gratitude or ask for guidance and direction for the day
*try meditation
*try a guided meditation app such as Headspace or Calm
AFFIRMATIONS
You become what you tell yourself. If you are always telling yourself that you are no good at something, guess what happens? Likewise, if you tell yourself things like, “I am strong. I am confident. I share joy with everyone I meet,” then you will begin to believe those things and will act accordingly. This might sound a little silly (similar to looking in the mirror and telling yourself it’s going to be a great day), but it really works!
Choose some affirmations from this site. You might just choose 3-5 affirmations to start. Write them down and read them out loud during your Affirmation time. Then, try to review them throughout your day. Change your affirmations as often as you like.
VISUALIZATION
Some people create a vision board, basically a collage of images that reflect their dreams and goals. If that appeals to you, create your own board on paper (using your own pictures or online images).
If vision boards are not your thing, you can just spend a minute or so visualizing your entire day from start to finish. Imagine yourself in all of the different settings you will be in on this day and imagine going through your day as your best self. Watch THIS VIDEO to see how athletes use visualization!
EXERCISE
Some people love to exercise first thing in the morning. Some people hate it! Even if you are not interested in doing a full workout routine in the morning, try doing something for just a few minutes to get your body moving.
Some ideas for quick morning workouts:
*Yoga with Adriene
*7 Minute Workout
*Blogilates
*Craig Ballentyne’s Turbulence Training metabolic resistance workouts
*see my PINTEREST BOARD for more ideas!
READING
Spend a few minutes reading something that inspires you. It could be a daily devotional, a Bible study passage, or just 10 pages from a book that helps you to be better and do better.
Some suggestions:
*Girl, Stop Apologizing by Rachel Hollis
*The Next Right Thing by Emily P. Freeman
*Deep Work by Cal Newport
*You Are a Badass by Jen Sincero
*Think & Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill
*The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson
SCRIBING (WRITING)
The idea here is to write something that inspires and empowers you for the day ahead. There are many options for this writing. Some people keep a gratitude journal and list five things they are grateful for every day. Some people like to keep lists of goals or dreams or prayers.
Another form of writing is called Morning Pages. I learned about Morning Pages in Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. Julia explains the process HERE.
WANT MORE IDEAS?
In addition to the Miracle Morning categories, you might consider adding some of these activities. (And remember that some of these activities could also be done later in the day as part of your afternoon or evening routine.)
*Take one day a week to set goals for yourself. Think about areas of your life such as personal (your own health or emotional well-being), marriage/relationship, parenting, career, financial, spiritual. Set some long-term goals, then identify short-term goals that will lead to the completion of your long-term goal.
*In the morning, check your short-term goals and set ONE goal for the day. This should be a goal that is helping you to improve some area of your life – not a “things to do” or “errands to run” kind of goal. What is one thing that would make you feel as if you are making progress on one of your bigger goals?
*Do a “brain dump” of things you would like to do today. Some of these items may come to mind while you are exercising or writing your daily pages.
*Check your things to do list and set up your time in “blocks”. For instance:
commute/work – 7:15 a.m. – 4:15 p.m.
errands – 4:15 – 5:15 p.m.
dinner prep – 5:15 – 6 p.m.
dinner with family – 6 – 6:30 p.m.
homework and bedtime routine – 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.; etc.
*Spend a few minutes (at least 10) working on some project BESIDES your day job. For teachers, this might involve doing some small task related to National Board certification, working towards a master’s degree or other continuing education, developing a product for Teachers Pay Teachers or for an Etsy shop. 10 minutes a day keeps your momentum going towards a larger goal. (This could also be done at another time of the day.)
*Think about how you could send love out into the world — call or text someone to let them you know are thinking about them.
*When you are ready to shower, use good smelling products that make you happy!
*Try to leave enough time to shower/dress without feeling frazzled.
*Eat something for breakfast. OR save yourself some time and try intermittent fasting!
*If you have an Amazon Echo, consider using Alexa flash briefing to get weather and news highlights.
Here is how you might structure your SAVERS and other parts of your morning routine:
Wake up at 5 a.m.
Silence – 5 min.
Affirmations – 2 min.
Visualization – 3 min.
Exercise – 15 min.
Reading – 5 min.
Scribing – 15 min.
Schedule your day – 5 min.
Work on non-day job project – 10 min.
Shower & dress; prep for the day – 45 min.
Send love to the world (via text, email, quick note, phone call) – 5 min.
I hope that these tips have helped you think about how to structure your own morning routine! Email me at stillteachingstilllearning@gmail.com if you have any questions or if you need some encouragement!
