My Morning Routine
Thoughts on How to Start Each Day
If you’ve been following us, then you’ve probably noticed how we’re fans of setting anchor habits to help support the lifestyle that we want to live. Grouping a few of these habits together can help us create routines (remember NOT the enemy) which allow us to practice the behaviors so much that they become second nature.
But here’s the thing, starting a new routine can be pretty difficult. Usually it’s because this requires changing something that you’ve done a certain way for weeks, months or even years. It often takes a lot of mental and physical energy. And on days when it’s difficult for whatever reason, (I’m too tired, I’m so unmotivated, I need a break, I’ll (re)start tomorrow, It’s only one bite, etc.) it can have you second-guessing your decision as to why you’re doing what you’re doing. Or even worse, it can lead you to thoughts that “this will never work” and then you stop.
I know this because I’ve been there. I can’t tell you how many times I vowed to:
Journal regularly…only to do a day or two then stop and restart every 3-6 months.
Become an avid reader…only to start a book and take so long that I forget how it started.
Consistently do mobility work…only to lay on a foam roller and scroll Instagram.
Get more sleep…only to watch one more episode, damn Netflix.
Warmup before my workouts…only to conveniently have to run to the bathroom or change my shoes or fix my ponytail.
The bottom line is that I started and stopped many, many, many times. But because I knew that incorporating these behaviors was something that I truly felt would help support the lifestyle I wanted, I kept at it. And finally, FINALLY, something clicked.
For me, my real start happened after reading The Miracle Morning by Hal Elrod. I was traveling back from an amazing trip with my husband where we explored the beautiful country of Bolivia*. We experienced such a vibrant culture and unbelievable landscapes, filled with such bright and beautiful colors that seemed unreal.
This epic experience filled me with such awe and appreciation for the opportunity, that it had me riding high even as we faced a 30+ hour travel day back home. Needless to say, I was in a good mental space while reading The Miracle Morning (TMM) which perhaps motivated me to implement the strategies suggested in the book the very next morning. The book is a relatively short read and considering the impact it had on me, I’d encourage anyone to check it out…or for the TLDR version, keep reading. 😉
Ok, so what is The Miracle Morning? It’s based on what Hal calls the SAVERS and he suggests that this is how every morning should begin:
Silence
Affirmations
Visualizations
Exercise
Reading
Scribing/Journaling
My Miracle Morning started on November 1, 2018. I know this because I remember flying back from Bolivia on Halloween night and because I can now refer back to my first real journal entry!
Over the years, I’ve experimented with variations of the 6 SAVERS in order to find what works best for me and I’m at a point now where my morning routine is literally such a routine that I don’t even think about it. The tables have actually turned so much that I actually get more concerned when I can’t do everything that I want to! How’s that for switching gears!?!
Here is how I start nearly every morning:
Wakeup, usual bathroom stuff, weigh myself.
Drink a glass of water, take Vitamin D supplement and put away last night’s dishes.
Meditate–usually for 10 mins.
Foam Roll while speaking my Affirmations aloud (yes, I can’t help but multitask here…don’t judge)
Make Americano.
Journal at least 1 page.
Read for at least 10 minutes.
Take Molly for a walk through the trail with the hubby–usually about 30 mins.
All of that (minus the trail walk)usually takes me an hour but I can shorten things up when I’m pressed for time -or- spend more time on anything if it’s a luxurious lazy day off.
Now you’re probably saying, “Jess, that’s good and fine for you but I don’t have an extra hour in the morning to do any of this.” I hear you. And honestly, that used to be me. Back when I started TMM, I used to coach 6am classes 4 days a week so I was already waking up early. Starting this new routine meant that I now had to get up even earlier (4am) if I wanted to do everything. And I did…for a relatively short time. Then I realized that I was putting too much pressure on myself to try to do it all and creating unnecessary stress. Instead of starting each day with mindful intent and purpose, I experienced anxiety as I was rushing to get everything done. And yes, I was damn tired because I sure as shit wasn’t going to bed any earlier to compensate!
So here’s what I had to do, and here’s what I’d suggest:
Be realistic about the time that you can carve out in the morning.
Take a look at the SAVERS and pick one maybe two to start with.
Again, be realistic about how much time you can devote to each one. If you just have 15mins, then maybe your time is best spent mindfully engaging in one than “going through the motions” of 3. (Again, I know this from experience!)
Set yourself up for success the night before. Set your book/journal in your favorite reading spot, layout your yoga mat, download a meditation app, go to bed a touch earlier.
Set your phone to Sleep mode or turn off notifications until AFTER you’re done with your morning routine.
Reevaluate and adjust any of the above as needed to fit your schedule and lifestyle.
Be kind to yourself when your schedule gets thrown off and you miss a day. As my husband likes to say, “It’s ok, keep going”.
Reap the benefits!
For me, while I was coaching those 6am classes, it meant adjusting my allotted morning routine time to 30 mins and prioritizing meditation, journaling and reading. Some days, I’d skip one or the other or all of them and do them later in the day. On days where my schedule was more flexible, I made time to do them all. And eventually, I reworked my schedule and lifestyle to be able to do all of this every single day. I feel very privileged to be where I’m at today but I also acknowledge and appreciate the hard work that I’ve done to be in a place where I get to choose how I start each day.
I didn’t expect big changes to my life when I started my Miracle Morning and really only wanted to get into the habit of scheduling “quiet” time for myself. But as it turns out, adding this to my life has been instrumental to my growth in more ways than one. I continue to reap the benefits daily.
Share with us!
What does your morning routine look like? Do you already do any of the SAVERS outlined above? If not, could you carve out some time to incorporate one or more to your daily life and start a new routine?
Until next time,
Jess
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Jess. Drinking coffee and staring at my phone is just as good, right?
Hey, we all have to start somewhere! 😉
Hi Jess, great piece, and chock-full of great advice. You might like this pointer to William James’ classic essay “Habit” – starts with a great quote from Aristotle and then references James: https://www.themarginalian.org/2012/09/25/william-james-on-habit
Awesome, thanks Samir! I’ll definitely check that out!