I’ve always been fascinated by the habits of entrepreneurs and successful people. Back when I had time to read through a blog feed, I loved the interviews of makers and what their day might look like. Over the years I’ve been able to cultivate my creative voice, process, and have found routine to be vital to having a successful day and outlook. When it comes to mornings I used to loathe them. I’ve been waking up early since I was six and dreaded the idea of not sleeping in. Now as an adult, I’ve come to love my early mornings. The achiever within me loves getting things accomplished early and having moments without being pulled in by the needs and demands of someone else.
Here are the five things that have changed everything in my morning routine.
1. Start Early
In the mornings I hate feeling like I’m in a rush. I love easing into the morning prior to anyone else getting up. It gives moments of quiet and solace, creating necessary margin. With posts going live at 9 AM, I always try to get up by 6:30 or 7.
2. A bit of quietÂ
I’m a firm believer in what you focus on you will become. As a Christian, for me this means time with a favorite vinyl record, my bible and the crispness of my moleskine journal. Here I reflect, journal, and find the source of inspiration for my day.
3. Laying out clothes and packing bags the night beforehand.
I’ve tried my best to make sure I do this every evening. By thinking about outfits beforehand I’m able to plan out some clever combinations and allows me to escape falling into wearing a uniform of sorts. While I typically gravitate toward neutrals, by planning my outfit out before the day of I am able to avoid those pesky last minute changes before heading out the door eating up valuable time.
4. Choose happiness, love, and abundance before your feet hit the ground.
Over the years we’ve learned to embrace Brene Brown’s ideas of shame, vulnerability, and being enough as we engage and relate to others. I place a great amount of value on what I believe and behold I become. With so many choices and decisions at stake, I’ve found that what I think about in the first few moments of waking up is a game changer. There are many decisions throughout the day that I can’t control. I can’t control traffic, the weather, or other people’s reactions. I can control the love I have for myself, an abundant outlook, and choosing happiness for the day.
5. Get moving.
Find a way to get active in morning. Whether it’s going for a walk or jog outside at a favorite park, pilates at home, or breaking a sweat at the gym, stretch and get your heart beat moving. I use a few apps on my phone to stay active and find that mixing up what kind of workout keeps my interest. I do this before anything else in my morning routine. It gets my heart rate up and produces those beautiful endorphins we all need.
What does your morning routine look like? Any tips or tricks that work for you?
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