A simple step by step guide to learn how to create a morning routine that works for you!
About The Importance Of a Morning Routine
The first time my significant other woke up by my side, he discovered something amusing about me. He asked, rhetorically, “You’re not a morning person are you?” It took him all of 10 minutes to work it out. It was a useful thing to know because from that moment on and throughout our marriage he’s understood ‘no questions before coffee!’ Coincidently, my own mother still doesn’t get it after 38 years!
Maybe you’re like me, for which the morning is a steep mountain to climb, without harness – or you might be one of those people who has already achieved a day’s house duties by the time they step foot outside, ready to begin a day’s work.
Either way, there is no denying how good it feels when you start your day, with your best foot forward.
A successful morning is the building block for a successful day. The main way you can achieve this is by engaging in a morning routine;
this might start with an energetic wake-up call or you might prefer a calming sunrise greeting.
However, you go about it, a morning routine that works save time and rewards – peace of mind.
How To Create A Morning Routine From Scratch
1. Be Realistic
We are all different. Some of us keep pets, others have children or both! Some might battle long commutes, while others work from home. While there are those who like grinding and cold-brewing their coffee!
Morning Routines come with a convenient feature, they can be set on your own terms. You can create the morning routine that works for you!
Don’t be too adventurous, because a 15-minute morning routine can benefit you just as much as a two hour one. It’s not a time for you to play ‘catch-up’, instead, it should ease you into your day.
It’s quality not quantity in this business. If you struggle to get up when the alarm clock goes off, set it 10 to 15 minutes earlier, to allow time for yourself.
A Morning routine shouldn’t feel like a chore, it should be something you look forward to – so do go for a slower pace if you need it.
2. Random Acts Of Randomness
A consistent morning routine is not a chaotic race to finish a gauntlet (with Ski Sunday’s theme tune in the background); it should be a relief from mental fatigue.
E. C. Segar was the pioneer of this then, unwritten rule, when he decided in 1929 that Popeye The Sailor should stick to the same outfit and only eat spinach. An ideology later embraced by current such visionaries as Mark Zuckerberg… and that simple, grey t-shirt.
The amount of stamina and drive that gets absorbed by the multitude of small decisions you have to make each morning is a lot.
Tweaking habits here and there makes a big difference in setting the tone for the day. Knowing exactly what you are going to eat, wear and do is a powerful tool that will give you focus for the hours ahead.
Your morning routine will be further effective, if paired with an evening one where you gather items needed for the following day.
So, at night, before bed, prepare your clothes, decide your breakfast, put together your paperwork and pack your children’s school bag too.
3. Focus On Your Intentions
Waking up with the mere thought of random aimless hours ahead is often the worst way to start your day.
The liberating truth is, it doesn’t have to be like this.
Plan your day with the question, ‘what do I want to achieve?` Next, you set the most important task first.
Organizing your schedule means confronting what you have to do with what you want to do.
In How to start living intentionally in 7 essential steps we talked about the importance of setting goals.
However, how do we distinguish between the urgent goals and the not-so-urgent ones? And how do we progress towards achieving those goals?
Identifying your MITs (Most Important Task) makes life easier. My suggestion is to find the three tasks that have the biggest impact on your day. This will avoid overscheduling duties that you don’t need to do just yet and prioritize the ones that are crucial.
Jotting down a to-do list will give you the chance to fulfill your tasks, knowing exactly what you have to do, how much time it will take and what you want to get out of it.
4. Curb Those Distractions
Once you know what you want to accomplish and in what time frame it will be possible to carve out times for things you want to do for yourself, establishing those distracting, time-wasting exploits that get in your way.
One way you can do this is by implementing the 80/20 rule known also as the Pareto Principle (a gift from the Italians – art and pizza excluded of course;-)
The rule states that 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts.
The central argument of this logic is that your biggest results are often the consequence of small but important actions.
Being intentional about how you use your time is the key teaching behind the Pareto Principle.
The rule can apply to many areas in life; take your email inbox, about 20% are important emails while the rest is probably junk mail.
Scheduling an 8 am to 5 pm working day in your calendar, together with your to-do list is probably not enough when it comes to living intentionally; because no matter what you do for a living, the important stuff is probably mirrored in those percentages mentioned.
So, what doesn’t need your attention today? How long does it take you to figure out what to wear in the morning? Could you curb scrolling social media, where that five-minute, check-through quickly turns into 20 minutes? Well, that could be the time for a workout, a walk or the next chapter of your new favorite read.
Set boundaries if you must. For example, no phone-checking before 9am and you could leave your phone on-charge in another room to help with this new boundary.
There are several apps that can help you to curb social media addiction and help you stay focused while you carry on with your tasks. Flipd is one of them. According to different researches, Flipd is the leading app that effectively helps you to stay focused and on-task. It’s free and you can even challenge yourself to stay off of your phone and track your productivity and progress on time.
After all, mindless scrolling, while motionless – is the new smoking!
You can read more about Top 10 Hacks that will Simplify your Life.
5. Start With You… But Do Start.
Your morning routine is a gift you give to yourself every day. Therefore it stands to reason that you should dedicate a portion of your morning routine to taking care of yourself. Think along the lines of the following morning treats, meditation, yoga, exercise followed by a fresh, antioxidant smoothie or a nutritious breakfast.
Making the most of ‘me time’ moments, during the day is essential for ‘re-centering’, which prepares you for the day’s journey ahead.
Clearing your mind is the most important part of your morning routine. It will avoid you committing disorganized actions and feeling overwhelmed. Instead, you’ll be in control and remain proactive for longer.
You can do this in many other ways like writing a journal, spending 10 minutes in your garden, or practicing deep breathing.
Implementing small, 30 minute ‘me time’ habits during your day will lead to a happier, more meaningful life. There is no wrong or right way here – just whatever works for you and your own particular situation.
Every time I sat down with my daughter to help her with school homework, it was always the same, “oh God why do I have to do this? It’s really hard!”
Starting is always the hardest part. It can be so easy to ignore the chore – true for so many projects in life.
Even me, having implemented these established habits and enjoying the fruits of my labor for a number of years now, it can still be hard to put on my trainers – and start.
But I do, every day I start.
Starting can be the real sticking point but just remember, the task at hand is never that bad really. And before you know it won’t feel like a chore anymore but something essential, that you must do (wondering why you hesitated to do it at all!)
No more waiting at the starting line, do what you have to do and start!
