“The early bird catches the worm“ I really can’t remember who said this...but well said. This comes from the idea that if you wan success in your day you have to wake up early and get things going. If you want to feel the feeling of accomplishment and get your day going, having a pretty good solid morning routine started is the most important thing you can do to start your day.
For many people this can be a daunting experience, but I tell them KISS (keep it simple son) and don't overwhelm yourself before getting started. Here I am going to share some of my simple tips I had gathered from several books and articles I have read about this subject. Please share with me your favorite routine and how you establish it in the comment section below!
Now, starting a morning routine or creating one for that matter is not as easy as you may think. You have to think about "what are the things that I want to accomplish today...what are my chores...what are my duties and my job". This is where I start. And I also look at my monthly planner of things that I want to accomplish that month. But for right now let’s focus on the day.
looking at your day as a whole - plan, plan, plan!
Having a daily planner would be a good place to start because I am a big believer of writing things down using pen and paper! When you make a list of your top things you want to accomplish that day sets the tone for the day and at the end of the day you get this amazing feeling of gratification when you check it off! First, I tell my patience to just make a list of three things they want to accomplish that day. As the days go by, you will start adding more things you want to accomplish. This happens when you look at the entire month, and the entire year through the lens of goals.
2. Meditate or pray...reflect
After you look at your list take some time to do some meditation or prayer to get those gear working in your creative brain! This allows your brain to get started for what's ahead with motivation and creativity. I encourage people to do some mindfulness exercises as well. Mindfulness is a great way to clear your mind and allows you to be present in the morning and in what you are going to accomplish that day!
Here is a really good mindfulness video that I'd like to use. Just five minutes every morning to get the gears working.
3. Be flexible
This is when you want to look at your day and not get so rigid with the list or the routine. Learn to mold as you go. This is kind of like a work of art, ceramic piece that you are constantly tweaking and slightly changing. Now for some people being flexible could be a very difficult task on it on. This is usually because they have a very active anterior cingulate gyrus. Having that cognitive and emotionally flexible mind can allow you to grow, mold and tweak the routine and yourself. Be more flexible.
4. do It!
The next step, it's to go out there and do the things you set out to do. Don't be afraid, and like Nike...just do it!
Enjoy the process and be ready to review redo and readjust at any time!