Skip to main content

How to Develop an Empowering Morning Routine

Not a morning person? Would you like to get up earlier and feel more productive? Would you like to feel more in control of your day? Developing a morning routine that will boost your productivity can help you stay on top of your commitments for the day.

I was never a morning person. For years I worked the second shift and my kids were grown and out of the house so I did have a need or the ambition to get up early let alone be productive in the morning. Then I switched to the first shift so I could go to school at night. So I not only needed to wake up earlier I needed to get a lot of stuff done in a day and had to plan my day wisely. So I started slowly and got into a routine. Then I decided to develop my own online course online.  Not to mention the time with family and self-care, both of which I feel are so important. Over time I became very good at time management and making good use of my time. I now wake up at 4 AM (I know, right?!) so I can fit in my meditation time and work on my online course before I go to work. I work eight hours and travel 40 minutes each way. So I utilize the drive time with audibles, recording videos, or podcasts (for my online business). Then I come home and do homework/classwork until 8 pm and then get ready for bed and in bed by 9 pm. I usually journal for about 1/2 hour before sleep. I don't work Sundays so I have blocked out noon - 4 for family time, which may not happen every week but I'm available. I also have scheduled a Friday night meeting (via zoom) then I get to watch tv, Saturdays are my late day and I let myself sleep in (to about 7 AM). IT works for me. Now I didn't get there overnight and there are times I still struggle with motivation and getting things started. I feel it is a journey, not a destination and I allow myself to fail sometimes but I don't allow myself to stay down too long. In other words, I don't beat myself up for messing up from time to time. 

So I am sharing this list of things that may help you rise and shine. Many people benefit from rising early and following a set routine every morning. While this won't benefit everyone, it might be just what you need to feel more in control of your daily life! Remember it takes practice and it takes time so don't beat yourself up but also don't let yourself give up. Resilence is the key to success!!

 Consider these ideas when developing a morning routine: 

1.     Avoid making any drastic changes. Begin this process slowly. Start by waking up just 15 minutes earlier than you normally would. Allow yourself to get used to this over a few days to a week before waking even earlier. Continue this gradually until your goal wake-up time is met. 

2.     Allow yourself to go to sleep earlier. Staying up too late when you're trying to get up earlier will have negative consequences. Early rising will allow you to go to sleep more easily earlier in the evening so you can work on getting up earlier.

 3.     Keep your alarm clock away from your bed. If you keep your alarm clock close to your bed, you'll hit the snooze button and destroy your chances of improving your morning routine. Keep your alarm clock at a distance so you must get out of bed to deal with it and resolve not to climb back under the covers. 

4.     Leave the bedroom as soon as your alarm wakes you. Avoid rationalizing going back to bed. Make yourself leave the room. Create a habit, such as using the restroom as soon as you get up, so you don't convince yourself to go back to sleep. 

·       By the time you've used the restroom or otherwise distracted yourself, you'll no longer be thinking about going back to bed, so you can proceed with your daily routine. 

5.     Have your routine mapped out ahead of time. Plan something important to do first thing in the morning. If you have a specific task at hand early in the morning, then this will motivate you to wake up and get out of bed.

·       It's important to have a good reason to wake up in the morning. If you have a plan for your morning, you can slip out of bed and right into your routine.

6.     Follow the same basic routine daily. If you practice the same basic steps every day, you'll be able to automate many of your early morning tasks to make them easier.

7.     Take advantage of your extra time. Don't wake up earlier than usual just so you can lounge around and read Facebook updates. Avoid wasting the extra time that you've created in your schedule. 

·       Instead, get a jump on your day, doing tasks that are best done in the early morning, such as reading, writing, and planning for the day.

 Ultimately, you get to decide the best course of action when developing an early morning routine. These seven considerations should steer you in the right direction and can serve as a foundation for your own practice. When you customize and standardize your morning habits, they'll drive your productivity throughout the day.

If you like my post please follow me on Facebook or Instagram or check out my online courses at Recovery Enthusiast Youn can just click on the pink for any of those and it will bring you directly there.

I have also just started my own podcasts if you like to listen and please give me some feedback that would be great 👉 Motivations 4U 

And you really can't get enough lol I'm also on Youtube


Take care and as always, live life enthusiastically!!!

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Baby Shark Can Teach You About Success

 What makes Baby Shark so catchy? It’s a children’s song and a top 40 hit that appeals to kids and adults around the world. It has spawned dozens of variations and its own line of toys. It’s been viewed more than one and a half billion times on YouTube.   By now, you’ve probably seen the video regardless of whether you have any small children at home. Maybe you’ve even danced along as the family of sharks goes hunting and cheered for the happy ending where everyone winds up safe.   There’s plenty of unpredictable magic behind any internet sensation. However, you can tap into some of the ingredients that make these little sharks such a success and apply them to your recovery, starting with these 3 basic principles.   The Value of Simplicity The song is only 1 or 2 minutes long, and most of the lyrics consist of repeating the sound DO . Free up your time, save money, and reduce stress by getting down to basics. There is a lot of meaning to the old saying,...
Post a Comment
Read more

Celebrate Summer Mindfully

  6 Mindful Ways to Celebrate Summer If you are looking to create or experience rituals for summer solstice, there are several ways you can start celebrating this time of year. Consider the following six practices you can make a daily/weekly routine this summer. 1. Meditate with the Rising Sun Begin your day early, seated in the direction of the rising sun. Close your eyes and feel the expanding light against your skin and closed eyes. Cultivate gratitude for the sun and close your practice by reflecting on the gifts it brings. 2. Intention Setting Another practice is to set intentions – either for the day or for the year ahead. Many see the summer as a time ripe for new beginnings, so this could be a prime time to get clear on what you’d like to focus on in the year ahead. Write down your intentions in a journal. 3. Gratitude Journaling Another written practice to consider is gratitude journaling. Reflect on what this time of year means to you. What gifts does it bri...
Post a Comment
Read more

How to Streamline Your Daily Schedule and Increase Efficiency

 Do you usually feel like there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish everything you need to do? Sometimes it seems like the laundry or the dishes will just have to wait until later. I know for me, when I let things accumulate, I get overwhelmed, and then I either don't do anything at all, or I look for a distraction, usually food or shopping. The thing still doesn't get done, and it's a perpetual cycle.    That's why   as hard as it is, we must do things when we need to. Otherwise, they don't get done at all. Or we find ourselves having to do them when we truly don’t have the time for them. Then, inevitably, something else has to be put off.   This scenario also applies to work. When a project has a deadline, it’s important to devote all of your undivided attention to it, or it won't get completed. Time management is a critical aspect of every job – from planning to executing.   Your schedule needs to be structured to support efficienc...
Post a Comment
Read more