If you’ve delved into any sort of personal development material, you probably already know that most of the influencers in this space stress the importance of your morning routine. If you want to be successful in your day, your job, your parenting, and your life, shaping a morning routine that supports that is vital. There are two main ways that people can start their day. Reactively or proactively.
Starting your day reactively may look like waking up to your kids getting up, realizing they need breakfast and tossing some cereal at them, rushing to get everyone dressed, hair combed, ready to go, and starting to head out the door only to realize you forgot the permission slip for the field trip today. Just typing that scenario out stresses me out. But, that used to be how I’d start every morning. Not verbatim since my kid is not old enough for school, etc. But, the basic gist is how I used to roll. My dog was usually the one getting me up, or my alarm after being snoozed 8 times and I’d fly by the seat of my pants all the way out the door. Then the rest of my day would be coasting and reacting as well.
Starting your day proactively may look like getting up an hour before your kids and enjoying a cup of coffee in silence. It could mean enjoying a few moments of calm and quiet before the busy of the day. It could mean spending some time reading a good book, going for a walk, or planning your day. Being proactive means you’re setting your intention for your day early in the morning. You’re also starting your day with a moment alone where your brain can process, wake up, and prepare for the day ahead without distraction.
For me, changing my morning routine completely changed my life. I value my time in the morning to prepare for the day. The beauty of it is that my morning routine is ever-evolving. I can change bits of it or add things in as I see fit. If I find that part of it doesn’t really need to happen like I thought it did, I can edit those parts out. There’s no one-size-fits-all morning routine. You have to do what will light you up and make you feel like you’re starting your day on the right foot. But, I think there are 3 things that should be included in everyone’s morning routine to really set them up to succeed in whatever they need to tackle that day.
1. Movement
I think it’s important to move around a little in the morning. This helps to wake your body up and get your blood pumping. Improved circulation means more blood and oxygen to your brain and vital organs. This can help you think more clearly. It energizes you. It helps you to loosen up and releases those wonderful endorphins all those fitness folks talk about. Your movement doesn’t have to look like anyone else’s movement. You have the control over what kind of movement you do. Some people like to exercise for 30 minutes in the morning. Some people may want to just do 10 jumping jacks as their morning movement. For me, I do stretching and strengthening type exercises. I rarely do any kind of cardio workout. I save that for a different part of my day. In the mornings I like peaceful movements. Sometimes I’ll do a simple yoga routine or pilates. For the most part though I simply do some simple stretches, some core strengthening exercises, and some push ups or something. I usually only spend about 10 minutes on movement right after my morning trip to the bathroom. By the time I’m done, I’m feeling more awake, alert, and ready to move forward with my day.
2. Reading/Information Intake
This part of my morning routine has been a game changer for me. I personally love to read some sort of motivational or personal development book. Before I added reading to my morning routine, I hadn’t read a book in at least 3 years. I didn’t think it really mattered. Now, I’m running through books like crazy and it is the part of my morning routine that I love the most. I am a huge content consumer and love to intake all the tips, tricks, hacks, and life advice I can and use what I think will work best for me and what I’m trying to accomplish. Your morning reading or information intake doesn’t have to look like mine. You might like to read scriptures and do some prayers in your morning. Perhaps you prefer to dive deep into another world in a fiction novel for 10 minutes. Whatever you think will work best for you and will help you create the best mindset conducive to what you want to do in your day, read that, or listen to it on audio. Whatever feels right to you!
3. Output
This can be done in a number of ways. Many people love to do journaling as part of their morning routine. I tried this, and it wasn’t really for me. I would find myself forcing this part of my morning routine and that didn’t seem to serve me in the way that it may serve others. If I’m particularly grumpy, sometimes I’ll write down a list of 10 things I’m grateful for to reset my mindset. One of my preferred methods of output is creating a to do list for my day, or my week, or my month. More or less I do a brain dump. This is yet another tool I have to create the space in my mind for the day ahead. It helps me get centered and respond to my child’s whining, or whatever else may go on that’s frustrating in a more level-headed manner. Recently, I’ve added working on my blog for a short while to my morning routine and it’s been amazing! I get to already feel accomplished in my day and I get to use a creative outlet.
When you’re trying to decide how to be more intentional with your morning routine, start slow and small. Not all of us are “morning people”. But, even waking up 15 minutes before your kids can be so life-giving. Spend just 5 minutes on each of these things and notice the difference in your days. If you’re extra crunched for time, spend 2 minutes on each thing. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Let’s be honest, you’re a parent and/or a human, so it won’t always be perfect. But, the more you practice, the better it will get. I’ve come to cherish my morning time. It is so important to me and I’m excited to get up early in the morning. I don’t HAVE to. I GET to! And, it’s awesome. So, how can you change up your morning routine so that it serves you? What version of this simple template of movement, reading/information intake, and output are you going to try out?
For those of you who may be interested or think it will helpful for you, I’ve uploaded a copy of my morning routine here.
Now get ready to get up, and kick ass at life. You won’t regret it.
Much love and productive vibes,
Momma Caped Nerd ❤
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