Are you a routine person, or do you fly by the seat of your pants? I thrive on routine and to me honest, I think most people do. From the time we’re infants, we’re put on a schedule. It’s ingrained in us from the start!
I often find that if I am off my routine I feel disorganized, chaotic and less productive! Sure it can be fun sometimes to just “wing it”, but in all reality, we can’t truly live our lives that way if we want to be successful. It may come more natural to me because I’m type A, but I like to create a routine for everything, including my mornings.
How you spend your mornings is a good indicator as to how successful your day will be. If my mornings are off, it throws my whole day out of wack. There’s been plenty of research done to show that those who have a consistent morning routine are more successful in life.
I want to share with you my morning rituals that give you the perfect formula to win your mornings.
1. Rise Early
I’m a morning person, so this one isn’t as hard for me now, but it was! I couldn’t fathom getting up before 7 or 8 a.m. at one point in my post-grad life. Then when I finally committed to exercising in the morning, even 6:30 a.m. felt rough. But it really is those first 5-10 minutes that are the hardest. Now I get up about 5:30 a.m. every day. Sometimes earlier, occasionally later, but no later than 6 a.m. I find this quiet time in the morning is so peaceful and allows you time to get stuff done before the rest of the world begins functioning. Start by setting your alarm just 10 minutes earlier and then after a week or so move it back another 10 minutes. This small adjustment will be easier to manage than trying to move that alarm up by 30+minutes.
2. Be grateful and reflect
What’s that quote again, start each day with a grateful heart? It’s true. I start each day by writing 10 things I’m grateful for in a journal. Even if it’s a seemingly rough season of life, there is still so much to be grateful for. It can be as simple as your breath, a home to live in, air conditioning, a car to drive, etc. Or maybe a simple gesture from a friend. Or you can be grateful for the future you envision for yourself. Sometimes I write down that I’m grateful for the new client I onboarded (before the new client arrives), or I’m grateful for the $10k month I am having when I only have work totally $5k or whatever it is. Put that positive energy out into the universe.
I also take time to reflect. Journal on something that’s coming up for me. I write down my affirmations and spend time in prayer. Sometimes with a daily devotional to bring me closer to God. This 10-20 minutes of my day is MY time to be quiet and look inward.
3. Exercise
GET MOVING. Move your body in some capacity. There are SO many ways you can get in some exercise each day that you truly have no excuse. No money? Go run or walk in your neighborhood. Don’t want to leave you home because you have kids (or the drive is daunting in and of itself), invest in an online workout membership. I use Beachbody on Demand and it’s only $99 for the year, y’all. SO cheap. But whatever you do, move your body and get the blood flowing. Revving your heart rate early will be sure to give you more energy for the rest of your day and jumpstart that metabolism.
4. Eat breakfast
It’s true when they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Breakfast tells your body you’re ready to go! It gives you energy to take on whatever the day throws at you. After fasting for 8-12 hours while sleeping (or since dinner), your body NEEDS that food for energy.
5. Get organized
I start each day with a brain dump of ALLLLL the things I need to get done. Client/work related, personal, etc. I just write it all down. That appointment I need to schedule, the laundry that needs to get done, the deadline for the project I’m working on, etc. Getting everything OUT of my head gives me room to prioritize that list and focus on whatever task it is I’m working on. If something else comes up while I’m working I just add it to that list. It helps me to start taking action instead of feeling overwhelmed and having no idea where to start.
Now, if you have NO morning routine, don’t try to do all of these things at once. Pick 1-2 things that you feel like you can commit to to start and once you master those, add on something else. Those first few mornings may feel really rough, but I promise you that you’ll find you’ve accomplished so much more with each passing day. If you’re interested in others who have found success with a morning routine, check out this Forbes article about the Morning Routines of 12 Women Leaders.
Katelyn Hamilton is an Online Business Manager and Get Your Sh!t Together Strategist. She helps busy entrepreneurs organize, strategize and prioritize their business to go from overwhelmed to out-in-front.
After spending 6 years in the corporate world working with multimillion dollar companies, top-rated chefs and celebrities, she launched her own business to find more flexibility and freedom. She matched her corporate salary in just one year of starting her business.
Katelyn is also a soon-to-be wife, stepmom, dog mama of two furry friends, fitness lover, sports fanatic (Go Dawgs) and dreams of living at the beach.
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