It only took me 49 years to figure this out. Having a morning routine is KEY to having a day that is productive, stress-free and focused on healthy habits.
Do you have a morning routine? Like, one or more things that you do every morning no matter what? I bet you do, but you don’t think about it. You probably wake up, head to the bathroom to pee, head to the kitchen to put on a pot of coffee or tea, have a bite to eat and then brush your teeth. And you might fit in some exercise if you are motivated. Am I right?
Even if that isn’t your exact routine, you probably do something similar. It’s become a habit, so you don’t even put any thought into it – it just happens.
I recently read the book, Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. If you haven’t read it, get it and read it immediately. It will transform your days going forward. Anywho – I read the book knowing that I needed/wanted to create some sort of morning routine that fit into my lifestyle but also focused on things that I wanted to incorporate into my daily routine. You see, I’m a HUGE procrastinator, but if I can get in the habit of doing something every morning it will stick, and I do it religiously.
In his book, Elrod introduces his S.A.V.E.R.S. – Six activities that are performed for ten mins every morning, creating a one hour Miracle Morning routine. The activities are Silence, Affirmations, Visualization, Exercise, Reading, and Scribing (Writing). He states that they can be done in any order, but they have to be done first thing in the morning. Turning this routine into a habit can transform the tone of our day and put you into the right frame of mind to tackle anything that comes at you.
That’s exactly what I need now that I am learning how to deal with feelings of anxiety. My brain has a way of taking me into uncharted thinking territory that can create havoc for my wellbeing. So, I started experimenting with a few things to see what might work for my morning routine. I found there are 12 activities that, when I do them in the morning, make me more productive, more positive-focused, more motivated, and I have way more energy. And no, I don’t do all 12 of them every day. I’m still in the stages of trying to figure out which six I will choose for my permanent morning routine (until I feel it needs to change), so I am trying out a few to see how my day goes.
What I noticed was my level of productivity. The office was pretty quiet when I got to the office that earlier, so there were very few distractions. I planned my day, checked my schedule, reviewed and responded to all email, and started on one of my project, all before the rest of the office got to work. I was telling everyone how I wish I had come to this realization about 20 years sooner. It was a complete game-changer. Had I stayed in my job I am pretty sure I would have kept that schedule forever because I loved the feeling of accomplishment I had every day.
Now that I run my own company and work from home I have, unfortunately, fallen into old habits of going to bed late (I get a lot of my work accomplished after 9 PM) and waking up in the late morning. When I do get going I feel lethargic, and I drag myself around the house until Noon, trying to get myself going.
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Let me know what you try and how your design your morning routine. Post a comment here on the blog, or join the conversation over at our new Facebook Group: The Clean Body Project Community.
Corrie Ann Gray is a writer, researcher, coach, and cookie enthusiast who lives in Los Angeles, CA. She started the Clean Body Project to share all of her knowledge and resources with others who are interested in running their own experiment into clean holistic living. She is also known as The Renaissance Soul Writer at www.corrieanngray.com.