You wake up. Then what do you do?
I have spoken with hundreds of successful and effective people from all walks of life during my travels, and one topic we routinely cover is how they structure their morning routines. When I first started asking about this topic, I did not have a morning routine; in fact, I did not have nearly as much structure in my life as I do now. Regardless, I was expecting their answers to be along the line of completing large tasks every single morning so the rest of their day would be just as productive. I was shocked to find that nearly every person I asked did tasks that seem very small. One person I met traveling through Dallas-Fort Worth said it best: “The small things are the big things.”
I have tested the majority of their morning routines (I’ll pass more routines in a later post as well as update this post with pictures when I’m no longer stuck overseas). I selected the five daily routines that work best for me and described them below. To be honest, if I accomplish three out of these five, I consider myself as having won the morning. Under most circumstances, the first 60 minutes of my day is framed by these tasks and they facilitate or hinder the remaining 12+ hours. Even when I am overseas for work, or traveling the World for fun, I still use these morning rituals to start my day off feeling accomplished.
#1. Make Your Bed
Seriously, make it! It takes me less than three minutes to make my bed, but it is THE BEST way I have found to start my day. Honestly, I have rolled out of bed so groggy that I don’t remember making my bed at all; however, once the caffeine hit me and I’d woken up, I walked into my room to be greeted by my bed being made and looking nice. It was a great feeling that elevated my mood.
Now, “making your bed” means different things to different people. To me, making my bed is bringing the sheet up, bringing the blanket or duvet up, and smoothing it out. Then, I place the pillows symmetrically on top of the blanket, and that’s it. Personally, I leave my sheets untucked on the sides as I am looking for visual tidiness, not military tautness. It’s very simple.
Life is very unpredictable. Often times there are many things that we cannot control. I find peace in mastering the things I can control; making my bed is something I can control. And, it’ll give you the feeling that you managed to be productive, even in the worst of times; that you were able to control at least one aspect of your life and still make forward progress. I cannot overstate how important this ritual has become to my life. I made my bed today. I made it yesterday. And, the day before that and the one before that. You get the idea. Make your bed.
#2 Conduct a Mindfulness Practice
I either meditate or conduct another mindfulness practice of some type. Mindfulness practices have been shown to break negative thought patterns, reduce stress and anxiety, and sharpen your ability to focus. If I do not meditate, then I will conduct either mindful walking or mindful showering (yes, those are real). Both mindful walking and showering are deliberate decisions and actions; but instead of simply walking or showering while being trapped in your thoughts, bring your attention to the physical movement of walking or showering. Notice your feet on the ground, your arms swinging, the temperature around you. Pay attention to whatever your senses can notice. There are many other mindful practices, the main takeaway here is to find one that works for you.
If you need some friendly guidance and dozens of proven, practice-based exercises to relieve stress, improve your mental health, and build gratitude, then I recommend the book Practicing Mindfulness: 75 Essential Meditations to Reduce Stress, Improve Mental Health, and Find Peace in the Everyday. It is an easy to read book that has helped me reduce stress during one of the most stressful periods of my life (Deployed to Iraq while enduring a divorce that cost over $70,000 in attorneys fees…). Seriously, this book has helped me focus my energy on the positive and remain productive in the most trying of times.
#3 Do Something Active
I’m not talking about hopping out of bed and immediately running ten miles (if that works for you, then be my guest and go get it!!). I am not a runner by choice. My preference is to do five to ten repetitions of something; my usual choice is pushups, squats, lunges, or crunches. Let me be clear, these reps are not intended to be a workout. They are intended to set a baseline and wake me up. By getting into my body, even for less than a minute, significantly affects my mood and quiets my mental chatter.
I used to instantly reach for my phone when I woke up; primarily because it was usually my alarm, but also for the reason that I would use it to instantly check my email. Checking email or social media was one of the biggest tasks that the people I spoke with avoided; they would schedule time later in the day for emails and/or social media. I made the decision to follow their lead and instead of checking my email I shut off my alarm, roll out of bed, and conduct those repetitions. Deliberately focusing my mental capacity on those reps instead of email has allowed me to focus more and be more pleasant during the day (much to the delight of my family, friends, and coworkers).
#4 Prepare Your Beverage of Choice
For me, it’s coffee. The closer it is to an espresso shot, the more excited I become. There is just something about the smell of fresh brewed coffee. For a close friend of mine, it is tea (I will occasionally prepare myself some Black or Green Tea in the mornings). Some of those I spoke with instantly pour themselves a glass of water. Creating a beverage or pouring water is another small task for you to accomplish while also hydrating or providing nutrients for your body. And, in my case, it gives me the caffeine boost I crave to get myself moving faster in the mornings.
#5 Create a To-Do List or Journal
I do both. Some mornings I will create or verify my to-do list. Other mornings, I journal to help clarify my thoughts and focus my mindset for the day. On the rare occasion I awake with thoughts from the previous day’s activities, I will jot those in my journal. If something has carried from one day to the next, then it is affecting me in a manner that will likely need to be addressed at some point and annotating it in my journal allows me to come back later to it.
As for creating or reviewing my to-do list, I like to have five items on my to-do list and no more. That gives me a list that is meaningful and attainable; my experience with long lists is that most items will not be completed. Creating a list with only five items for the day allows me flexibility to handle those five tasks plus all of the other stuff that manages to pop up throughout the day. Having that flexibility is key to me staying balanced and being productive.
That’s it. Now Go Try Them Out!!
Go give those rituals a try. Implement them into your life for 30 days and see how they work for you. I was surprised by how positive my experience was by changing my morning routine. Again, I don’t always get through all five rituals every single day; my goal is to accomplish at least three of those items. If I accomplish at least three, I feel as though I have conquered the morning and I am driven to continue conquering the day and all that it brings.
Feel free to leave a comment as to what worked for you or what rituals you complete during your mornings. I wish you all the very best and hope you and yours are safe during these trying times!! Remember that even in trying times, happiness is a choice. Cheers!