Many successful people say the key to a productive day starts with your morning routine. While I believe there is truth in this from what I've learned from personal experience, there's a misconception that your morning routine has to be perfect every day.
Let me share a little bit about mine and what works best for me. This might give you a fresh perspective on morning routines.
My mornings usually start out with my hubby and I playing chicken with who's going to get out of bed to make coffee. We brew pour over coffee by hand so we can't just fill the coffee pot with water, place coffee grounds in the filter and press brew. It's a bit more of a process for us (and totally worth the extra effort).
After we decide who's getting out of our warm, comfy bed to brew coffee, this is how the morning usually plays out. If my hubby gets out of bed to make coffee, I usually stay in bed until he brings me coffee in bed. Yup! This is why I keep him around. He brings me coffee in bed.
Before I take a sip of coffee, I always drink some water first. This is the only consistent part of my morning routine that I do every single day. This habit to me is like brushing my teeth at night. It’s a no brainer in my world and I can’t not do it in the morning.
My hubby and I drink our coffee together almost every morning. Sometimes we’ll have a conversation and other times we’ll read. I like to read inspirational and educational books that get me a positive mental space first thing in the morning. However, sometimes I grab my phone and check my email or read the news. While I’m fully aware this isn’t the most productive way to start the day I’m ok with it. I remind myself that I’m human and I don’t always do things that move me in the direction I want to go in. I view this as a learning experience.
After enjoying coffee with my hubby, I usually get up and do the coffee dishes. I put my workout clothes on even if I don’t feel like working out. This helps motivate me to do some sort of physical activity in the morning even if it’s stretching. If I have my workout clothes on I will eventually workout because I’ll tell myself, “I have my workout clothes on so I might as well exercise.” I never regret exercising in the morning because I always feel so positive and energized after my workout. After my workout, I shower and get myself dressed for the work day.
My morning routine is not always perfect and I like the fact that it’s not. While I like routine and structure I like being flexible and not so rigid. Being flexible with my morning routine has taught me to be flexible in other areas of my life. When the pandemic started in March of 2020, I had to pivot within my health coaching and personal training practice which was not an easy task. Leaning how to adapt to what’s happening around me has helped reduce my stress levels significantly. I believe we should all develop the skill of navigating life when things change that are out of our control. This happens even when we’re not living through a global pandemic.
Starting my mornings off on a positive note with some form structure whenever possible is a key component of the rest of my day being productive and successful. I encourage you to evaluate your morning routine. Make a list of habits you want to implement in your morning routine such as reading, journaling, showing gratitude, or meditating. Choose one and start doing it the following morning.
Keep doing it and tweaking your routine until you find what works best for you. Take note of how your day goes and how you feel throughout the day. Make sure it’s a routine that’s enjoyable to you otherwise you won’t stick to it. Most importantly, be creative and have fun with it. I believe if we all added more fun and creativity to our lives we’d be so much happier.