How you start your day can have an incredible impact on how the rest of it goes. How much energy you have, how efficient and productive you are, if you achieve the right things, and how much you enjoy the journey. There are millions of others out there trying to beat you. There are only so many days to make progress. So, while many workers see morning routines as a luxury, top performers are very mindful of what they do.
If you’re anything like me you have fully grasped the importance of a morning routine but putting one together and sticking to it not so much. There are SO many opinions out there about how to do it and what works best. A google search alone will leave you feeling overwhelmed and ready to abandon the whole bit if you’re not careful. It took me two years of searching and sorting and trying other people’s methods before I landed on my own and started practicing a morning routine consistently. There are a few things that I wish I hadn’t had to learn the hard way. If I had realized these three (3) simple principle I probably would have found my way faster:
- KEEP IT SIMPLE:
It’s easy to overcomplicate what can really just be a simple and gentle process as you’re starting out. I was the queen of going overboard when trying to kick start myself into a new routine or habit. “Drive it home” was the thought process. It turns out that approach contributed as much to my success as it did to my failures at times. Forcing things doesn’t last. Being kind to yourself and allowing a gradual transition is the best way to approach long term change.
In my challenge groups and with my one-on-one coaching one of the things that I suggest is starting with a glass of water in the morning. Setting out a glass on the nightstand before bed is a great way to prepare. Make finishing that glass that the first thing you do every day for 3 weeks before adding on another practice and continue to build from there. I like the glass of water routine as a starting point because its so simple that messing it up is virtually impossible, and because it encourages preparing for a good morning the night before, which I’ve come to learn is an essential tool to incorporate over time.
- KEEP IT TO YOURSELF
Your morning routine is YOURS. Whatever it is that you end up designing should be for YOU and you alone. No incorporating daily tasks like making lunches for the kids, or making breakfast for the spouse. Those might be daily routines but a wellness morning routine really should be centered around you, mindfulness and awareness. You can’t get the full benefit of those with others in the room. If you spend part of your mornings with others, make sure at least one of your rituals is a solo gig.
- KEEP IT PERSONALLY TAILORED
What works for you is going to work for you and nobody else. You can read thousands of examples of morning habits and rituals online (and try them all) but the only ones that will stick are the ones that really fit who you are as a person. Who we are as people changes over time as we grow and evolve. Be open to your morning routine growing and evolving. Embrace that it will as you start. There is no need to be wed to one practice forever. Its routine practice that matters, not what is looks like.
[4. *KEEP IT GOING UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPENS] Don’t quit on your routine before the miracle happens. You wouldn’t be reading this if there wasn’t some desire o create change in your life. If you’re willing and you want change then it will come so long as you keep showing up.
For inspiration, motivation and outside-the-box ideas for living a healthy and happy work life follow me on Instagram @SahmraStevensonEsq or @OfficeWithoutWalls
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