I was never a morning person.
I decided I needed to be one, and here’s why:
I needed time to myself, without interruptions to focus on my personal development. This had to be a priority, and I decided if I could commit to getting it done first thing in the morning before anything else, I would start my day off with great accomplishment.
At first I started getting up 30 minutes earlier than usual. Then, it gradually increased because I found it to be such a valuable use of my time, that I wanted even more. Depending on evening schedules, my alarm is set for 4:55-5:10am.
When my alarm goes off at 4:55am, I don’t hit the snooze button. I get up. Before my mind can convince me to stay cozy in bed my feet are on the floor.
As soon as I’m up, I grab a drink of water and splash some water on my face.
5:00 I’m downstairs in the basement. Everything is ready – I am always certain before I go to bed at night that all of my gear is ready for the morning. My gear is simple. A couple books, some exercise equipment, and head phones.
5:05 I’m changed and on my mat ready for meditation. My meditation will last anywhere from 10 minutes to 30 minutes.
5:30 (ish) I move into exercise. I have limited equipment and it works well for me. I gave up listening to my workout music and instead listen to something that I find interesting. Something that will fill my brain with inspiration and learning. I feel like my mind is so open at this time of day, it really absorbs new learnings. Often whatever talk, podcast, etc I’m listening during my workout, I will finish listening to on my drive into work.
6:00 I move to my writing. I first read through my affirmation notebook. These are short affirmations I’ve added along the way, many come from books or TED talks. Throughout my day I always have my notebook with me. That way, I can jot down thoughts or phrases, and later add a select few to my affirmation book.
After reading my affirmations, I write one daily goal in my goal journal. This goal is short and realistic and by writing it down, I’m committing myself to make it happen.
I then move onto reading something positive. A few pages in a book, or sometimes more.
I take a moment to visualize how I want my day to go, and then I am done.
I do keep an eye on the clock, but I allow myself the freedom to extend or shorten certain aspects on my routine, depending on how I’m feeling that particular day.
By the time I head to the shower by 6:30, I’m so ready for the day. This would normally be the time my alarm would have started to go off, and I’d begin the routine of hitting snooze until I reached a time of panic and the mad rush would begin.
If you find you are guilty of hitting the snooze button, a couple weeks ago I came across this talk, and I think Mel explains things so perfectly. Her 5 second rule sums up exactly how I feel when I make myself get up. You either choose to GO, or your mind will convince you otherwise.
Suggested TEDx talk: Mel Robbins, How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over