Why is it important to have a morning routine that doesn’t include rolling over and checking your DMs?
Because even if you don’t consider yourself a morning person, how you start the day can affect your mood and efficacy level from sunup to sundown.
Lazing in bed may feel good at the moment, but it impacts your entire day … and NOT in a good way.
Studies have shown that successful people all stick to morning routines, and none of them involve hitting snooze 5 times.
Many of these routines are short and sweet, involving reading the paper or having an hour of family time before diving into work for the day.
Routines don’t need to be elaborate, they just need to be consistent and easy to follow to set you up for success. Establishing a morning practice helps you feel ready to tackle whatever the day has in store for you.
Sounds great, right? Well, let’s get you started creating your OWN morning routine!
How to develop a morning routine
There are about 23 billion articles out there insisting they’ve got the one true formula for morning routine success.
I say they’re all full of lies.
You’re a unique individual running a unique business, so YOU get to decide what your mornings will look like! And the routine you build should feel natural and energizing, so here’s how you map it out. Ask yourself these questions:
- What do you need to do every day? Start with your anchor tasks: items that have to be done every single day and are non-negotiable. Then fill in the less crucial ones.
- What would you like to do every day? In other words, which activities get pushed off? Exercise? Family time? Alone time? Think about things you’d do every day of your life if you just had the time.
- What do you struggle to get done on a regular basis? Identifying your points of procrastination is key to building a routine that actually generates more productivity!
- When do you have the most social energy? Are you more chatty and talkative in the morning or afternoon? When would you most enjoy making phone calls and meeting with clients?
- When do you have the most creative energy? Do you feel inspired and bursting with creativity early or late in the day?
If you are social or creative during the morning hours, consider incorporating tasks that align with those energies.
If you are generally a morning person, consider forcing a few procrastinatory pain points into your morning schedule!
Otherwise, sort the tasks into “better in the morning” and “better in the afternoon,” and list them in the order that makes the most sense to you.
Prepare the night before
Morning routines aren’t all about packing the morning with activity. They’re also about reducing your overall stress level and making your schedule feel a little looser.
To that end, consider what you can do the night before to prepare for your morning! Making lists, setting out supplies, even prepping the coffee maker so you can get your caffeine fix at the touch of a button will all make the morning a little less overwhelming.
Doing a little night-before prep also allows you to be flexible around your routine.
Some days you’ll need to take the kids to the doctor, or have an unexpected meeting and need to push off your typical tasks.
Taking 10 minutes in the evening to think about what the coming morning will hold allows you to mentally prepare, and be fully present when the sun rises.
A sample morning routine for an entrepreneur
Again, your own routine doesn’t need to be complex or challenging.
Even if billionaires tend to set their alarms at 4:15 a.m. to squeeze in an hour of jiu-jitsu, you can get up whenever you like and structure your time in ways that feel natural.
If you peruse the morning habits of these famous folks, you’ll notice plenty of them insist on a leisurely breakfast with their families instead of diving into work right away.
Here’s a sample routine you might use to start mulling your own:
- Intention-setting: Kick off the morning by deciding what will power you all day long.
- Journaling: Spend a few minutes writing about your intentions, or jotting down a few things you’re grateful for! If that doesn’t appeal, you can use this time to capture images from your dreams the night before.
- Reading: Either give yourself some time with your current favorite novel or spend this time doing industry research online.
- Workout: Morning workouts are beloved by SO many successful people! Consider using part of your routine to get your sweat on.
- Breakfast: This is a great time to connect with your family and make sure your body has the fuel it needs to start the day off right.
- Procrastination task: Try to schedule a task you have trouble tackling. Getting it out of the way will make you feel accomplished!
- Reward task: To make that procrastination task easier to bear, follow it up with something you love doing. This can be a work task like replying to emails, or a non-work task like listening to a podcast.
Successful people have developed a HUGE array of different types of morning rituals, so remember that there’s no wrong way to set yours up. The main thing is to create a routine that you will stick to almost every single day.
That repetition is what will help you feel energized, capable, and ready to tackle everything on your plate!
