Morning Rituals
How do you usually start your mornings? Do you hit the snooze button? If so, how many times? Do you dread trying to get out of bed? Do you feel disorganized when you’re up and about during the day?
Not all of us start our “days” in the mornings – whether you’re up at 6:00am. or 6:00pm., setting a routine sets your focus and gets your brain revved up to tackle the day. You don’t need a lengthy routine, but you’re welcome to have one if it suits you.
Why Have a Morning Ritual?
The first hour after waking has a considerable influence on how you’ll handle your day, and getting out of bed is the first and biggest challenge for many of us to conquer. Exercising a morning ritual is important for building momentum right off the bat. It also creates having some kind of efficiency in what may turn out to be an unpredictable day.
Don’t, however, mistake this for forcing yourself to wake up early. If you can and do and it works for you, great! If not, make sure you wake up at YOUR right time, according to your schedule. For example, don’t stress yourself to be up at 5:00am. if you can’t get to sleep before midnight. You’re setting yourself up for burning out and will likely end up waking with a less than positive attitude.
This also doesn’t mean keep hitting your snooze button. (In the past, I’ve been very admittedly guilty of this.) If you have a time to wake up, just wake up then and there. Hitting snooze once or more doesn’t start your mind off right. You’re already beginning your day with a habit that involves procrastinating.
Stack Your Ritual. What does that mean?
Put your morning ritual in an order that makes sense for you. Say, if there are chunks of your morning involving different areas of your home, put them together in a logical order. This eliminates the need to be shuffling unnecessarily back and forth. Sure, hustle and bustle can be great, but it’s not efficient.
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Here’s a glimpse into my morning routine:
Bedroom
Bathroom
Kitchen
Living Room
Stretch
Make Bed
Shower, brush teeth/floss, get dressed, do hair & makeup.
Have a glass of water (I like to hydrate before caffeinating.)
Make coffee and a protein shake to go, fill up water bottle, pack healthy snacks
Check calendar for daily tasks or events
Gather my daily essentials (phone, planner, school books, etc.)
I’ve been experimenting with different routines for just over a year, and finally came up with one that works for me. It wasn’t always that way. I used to hit snooze – and before I knew it, I’d be scrambling and forget at least one thing in the process. Now, in just under an hour, I’m OUT the door with everything I need for a successful and productive day.
By stacking your routine in an order that makes sense, you minimize the risk of forgetting anything before you’re out the
door.
Write out a morning ritual the night before. Practice it for a week, and adjust as you see fit. See how long it takes you.
Find what works for you. Like any habit, they take practice and persistence, and practice makes permanent.
- MJ