Tips for Creating a Morning Routine
“If I had nine hours to chop down a tree, I’d spend the
first 6 sharpening my axe.” - Abe Lincoln
What was the first thing you did this morning? Hit the
snooze button? Check your phone and scroll through social media? Hop up and go
for a walk? Make a pot of coffee?
We all have different morning routines, and we
should. Regardless of your morning
routine, however, I am arguing today that IT MATTERS. Morning routines can set the tone for the
rest of our day physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.
Below are 10 tips on Creating a powerful morning routine:
1. Be consistent - Our bodies crave consistency in
regards to sleep and wake times. Having
a consistent wake time not only results in more quality sleep but also causes
us to naturally become more alert closer to our wake-up time.
2. Ditch the phone - If you open up a web browser, check
email, or get on Facebook or any other distracting website to start the day,
your focus is scattered for the next several hours and sometimes the entire
day. Do yourself a favor and ditch the phone in the mornings.
3. Make the bed - In a 2014 commencement speech at
University of Texas at Austin, Admiral McRaven said: “If you make your bed
every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will
give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task
and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will
have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the
fact that little things in life matter.”
4. Drink water - 20 ounces. Right after waking up. Put a cup in your bathroom. Most people need
more than 64 ounces per day. Starting
your day with water is a strong start toward that goal. It also fires up your metabolism, hydrates you,
helps your body flush out toxins, gives your brain fuel, and helps with
digestion.
5. Read - be it the paper, a new novel, an article
related to your vocation, or digging in to God’s word reading in the morning is
a great part of a healthy morning routine.
I find reading God’s word in the morning helps to give me a healthy
perspective on the rest of my day. There
are also typically less distractions to derail reading early in the morning.
6. Reflect/Journal/Pray - Chances are the rest of your
day is going to be full of the noise that often accompanies our busy
lifestyles. Take a few minutes first
thing to reflect, journal, or pray. This
helps to calm your mind and for me helps to put myself in a better position for
hearing the "still small" voice of God.
7. Speak life - The rest of your day, life may try to
speak other things to you. Know who God
says you are, who he says your spouse is, who he says your children
are...speaking it routinely to yourself, spouse or kids will serve as a
reminder of who they are no matter what the rest of the day holds.
8. Prioritize your day - Stephen Covey said “The key is
not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.”
Spending a few minutes to prioritize your day
in the morning can be a great way to ensure you accomplish what is most
important to you as well as making your day as efficient as possible.
9. Get moving - Moving first thing in the morning helps
to jumpstart your metabolism, gets your digestive system going, boosts your
mood, and helps you avoid the later in the day excuses.
10. Eat a good breakfast - This helps restore protein
stores and blood glucose levels from the nights sleep, kickstarts the energy
needed for the day, and may improve concentration and memory.
If these tips are helpful in creating your morning
routine, feel free to share via your favorite social media platform. If you are
looking for help to move better, eat better, or perform better, contact me via
the contact tab above to discuss how I can help you return to the things you
enjoy!
Request a FREE Phone Consultation!
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