I’ve had a morning routine for many years now, but since becoming self-employed it’s become an essential part of my day.
I find that starting my day correctly ensures the rest of the day flows. A negative start to the day can put a downer on the rest of the day.
That’s where the morning routine comes in – it gives me time to set the tone for the rest of the day.
Benefits of a morning routine
My morning routine gives me time to pause and reflect before the day begins. It’s part of the day that I have all to myself, no interruptions, distractions or work commitments. It truly is my time, a gift I give myself every day and there’s a magical feel to that.
It gives me time to focus on myself, plan ahead and evaluate my progress. A time to check in with myself and focus on where I am right now and what I need. It’s my indulgent time to spend however I choose.
Building a morning routine
My morning routine grew organically. It wasn’t something I rushed into. There was no tick list to complete. It was a slow process of adding things that felt good. And that’s the key when building your own morning routine too – establishing what feels good or nourishing for you.
Start off with something that you know you’ll enjoy and set your alarm 15-30 minutes earlier to create space for it in your day. You may choose to begin with reading, meditation, an early morning walk or workout. Go with your inspiration on this one and trust yourself. You’re about to embark upon a transformational journey.
Whatever you choose, commit to it for a month and see how you feel. Pay close attention to your feelings during the day. Do you feel different? I did. I went from feeling rushed and like I had no time to myself, to feeling abundant because I’d started my day by doing things that I loved.
I’d recommend building your morning routine slowly and taking time to feel the results. I added to mine very gradually.
Morning pages
For me, it all started with journaling. Inspired by Julia Cameron’s morning pages in The Artist’s Way, morning pages are a time to get everything out of your head and onto the page. They provide the opportunity for a daily mental declutter, but often there are gems lurking beneath the words.
The concept behind morning pages is that you write three pages of uncensored script. There’s no need to reread it, in fact, it’s recommended that you don’t. You’re just having a good old brain dump to start the day – basically, you’re writing your way to clarity. And there is something magical about the process, I’ve often found that I come up with a revelatory nugget beneath the word avalanche. It’s how I unearthed my own desires for time freedom and nurtured my tiny spark of confidence about leaving my job.
Exercise
I then added exercise to my routine. Running on an evening wasn’t working for me, so I tried going out first thing and loved it. It lifted the lethargy I often felt at the start of the day and left me with a post-workout buzz. Some days I felt like I could take on the whole world, others, I just felt happier and energised. Since then, I’ve adapted my routine to incorporate running, yoga and strength training and it’s something I continue to develop.
Meditation
Meditation came next in the form of 5-10 minutes of breathwork. There are no instant effects of meditation, it’s more of a gradual accumulation of calm. If I neglect my meditation routine (which I find myself doing when life gets busy), I find that I become scattered, cranky and I lose that sense of inner calm. It’s hard to put a feeling into words, but that’s how it feels to me.
Juicing
I like to prepare a fresh juice or smoothie each morning. After watching Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead I began to incorporate juices into my life.
As a teacher, I found that I was constantly catching coughs or colds but as soon as I started juicing regularly, the little blighters could no longer take hold of me.
By starting my day with a mini health kick, I found I was much more likely to make healthier choices throughout the day. I watched as my lunches changed from peanut butter sandwiches, crisps and a satsuma (yes, I used to take the same thing to work every day), to salads, soups, sandwiches made from homemade bread (seriously, you can’t beat homemade bread) and fruit. Of course, I still enjoyed biscuits and treats but there was no denying that juicing opened me up to taking more responsibility for what I put into my body through the day.
Daily review
I also take a couple of minutes to quickly review the day ahead. I decide what I want to do and choose my priority for the day. That way I feel focused and less scattered as I head into my workday.
Pick one thing
So what about you? If you already have a morning routine, I’d love to hear about it. If you haven’t but feel inspired to start one, what one thing will you do? Once you’ve decided, set your alarm a little bit earlier and begin to create your own marvellous morning routine.
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Image courtesy of Emily Rudolph