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!!!