CREATE A MORNING ROUTINE THAT HELPS YOU BUILD A STRONGER MINDSET
Waking up at 4 am can be a great habit for you to implement into your daily and morning routine. However, it does come with its challenges. If you want to set a lofty goal for yourself such as waking up at 4 am consistently, then you should be prepared. Preparation is going to help you with the consistency. I wrote about it in a previous blog what I learned waking up at 4am.
I was introduced to waking up at 4 am through a job requirement. As I was not well versed in getting up at such an hour, I needed to figure it out and figure it out quick. Through that process, I learned a few things. One of those things is a morning routine.
Here is how I chose to structure my morning routine and some tips that helped me boost my productivity.
Preparation is Key
If waking up early is on your list of habits to implement, then preparation is going to become your best friend. The better you prepare yourself the night before the better off you are going to be. This requires a little bit of planning in the beginning, but once you memorize your routine and all the little facets, it will become easier.
Preparation includes having every little thing that will make your 4 am morning routine running like clock work. I want clothes set out the night prior. Little details such as the coffee maker prepped the night before, timer set and timed, so by the time I make it to my kitchen, coffee is ready. Now that I think about it, coffee is the key 😂
Wake up Earlier
When creating a morning routine, you need to give some thought as to what time you want to start waking up in order to increase your productivity throughout your day. As you take time to figure out that time, I would just consider stretching it back an hour or two in order to give you some uninterrupted time for yourself. This requires you to wake up earlier, but once you get over that initial morning fog, you’ll be glad you did it.
Alarm Sounds Off
I set my phone alarm on and I wear my Apple watch to sleep. When the alarm goes off, the watch vibrates and it wakes you up gently with no loud obnoxious noises. It’s great if you have a partner and don’t want to wake them up.
Once the alarm goes off, I immediately get out of bed. There shouldn’t be much thought going on here. The brain is either going to say yes or hell no. At that moment, you just get up regardless. Don’t allow for your mind to find excuses. Believe me, it will.
I also make sure that my phone is away from my bed. For those who may not have a smartwatch, keeping your phone far away from your bed will force you to get up out of bed. A good distance will keep you from getting back in. Hopefully 🤞
Choose Priorities
Choose what priorities are necessary for you to have a productive day. I am not a morning person. It can take me quite some time to break out of that morning fog. In order for me to boost productivity I need to drink coffee and then break a sweat and get the blood flowing.
The biggest piece of my morning routine consists of journaling and a one hour exercise session. The combination of the two help me to map out my day, check in with myself, and get the mind and body dialed in. These are big for me. It helps me to be who I need to be for my family. I structure my morning routine around these priorities.
Put Your Plan On Paper
Everyone has their own process as to how they get certain things done. If you are serious about setting up a morning routine for yourself; other than waking up, getting dressed and heading out the door — you should map your plan out on paper.
I like to start jotting a whole bunch of random thoughts down. Everything I would like to do, regardless if I end up doing it or not, I write it down. Once you have enough on that paper, you can now go into editing what you have and giving it structure. This is your baby, you do what you please. But, just make sure you get it on paper.
Look for Longevity
The key to a great morning routine is putting something in place that will not only make you more productive, but also something you can sustain over time. If you put together a routine that is just too much, chances are that routine is gone quicker than it arrived. Start slow. Implement little morning habits and hacks that are going to make your life more efficient and enjoyable.
Establish Framework
Whether you are building your morning routine or your evening routine, you want to make sure that you have some foundation behind it. There needs to be a clear and concise reason for what you are doing and what actions you are putting into place.
Maybe you want more time to gain perspective on your day and you want to wake up earlier just to have some more time for yourself. Or, maybe you just need to work and you want create a routine that can help you get to work faster and easier. This needs to be defined. That framework will be the driving force.
Increase Organization
Part of the reason you want to get these things on paper is because a solid morning routine demands organization. The more organized and prepared you make things for yourself, the better. A solid routine will give you what you put into it. Don’t skimp out on organization. Don’t try to cut corners on anything that pertains to your routines. You want to apply a high level of detail towards all the different facets of your routines.
We all have our own routines in place. A large majority of us just go through motions without giving the routines we have in place already much thought. Take some time to custom build a morning routine for yourself. If you can stay consistent with it, you’ll be glad you did it.
