Designing Routines that Work

Morning Edition: 8 Tips to Starting Your Day Off Right

I know that there are a lot of posts about mornings and how to make the most of them. This is sort of one of those posts, but I'm going to try and keep it as real and as honest as possible. This is the first of a few posts about routines. I am very a very passionate organiser (I think it's a positive attribute but to each their own!), and routines are one of those things that make me feel in control and productive.

Creating Habits are Hard

Having a routine in the morning and having the feeling of getting all sorts of things done before you even leave the house, is IMPORTANT. The article Can a morning routine make you better at your job? by the BBC, provides evidence from individuals experiences and suggest that the morning routine is the ideal time for personal priorities. The morning is the best time to get things done without distractions. One principle of the psychology of habits is the idea of “decision fatigue”. This states that towards the end of the day we are more likely to make “bad” decisions or choose to do nothing at all (Source: Developing Good Habits). For example, you are more likely to work out if you do it right when you get up in the morning opposed to waiting until after work or class, especially if you’ve had a long day of thinking, problem-solving, and concentration. At that point you’re more likely to decide that you are tired and just want to go home. I know I have been guilty of this. Therefore, getting things done in the morning and having a routine of what you do is suppose to help you achieve more, at the time of day when you are most motivated.

Life Happens, Routines Change

I know that everyone has busy lives and someone who can really achieve all their new years goals, stick to their routines of constant journaling, and not break their healthy no-sugar diets, must be a miracle worker. We all slip up once and a while. Sometimes we need that sleep in instead of the work out. From time to time we have down days and need that comfort food. These tiny obstacles that divert us from our goals are okay. I think we get the feeling that when you plan something you have to do it exactly as you’ve imagined, or else you have failed. I do not think that is the case.

I want to propose how I have created routines in my life that motivate me and inspire me to keep going. At the same time, life happens. Not everything goes as planned and routines need to shift and be adjusted accordingly. Routines are not there to make you feel unsuccessful or shitty about how you are unable stick to habits or achieve your goals. They are there to bring structure to your life, in this case your morning, in little ways and create a feeling of fulfillment because you are doing things for yourself and making time for you.

Here is my morning and some tips and approaches in regards to not letting these plans and goals take over your life. Here are also some reminders so that the routine you create doesn’t have an opposite, negative affect, where you feel like you are unable to achieve everything opposed to adjusting and feeling fulfilled in what you have done.

My Morning Routine

I have a short list of things that I would like to do in the morning. I created this list and started sticking to it back in February. It worked really well while I was at school, but since I’ve been back at home for the summer, I’ve had to adjust it to my new schedule. I have a job instead of school which random hour shifts, where I can’t always get to bed when I want and need days of sleeping in to be alert during later shifts. The list of my morning to-do’s still stays pretty consistent; working out is my priority, and then I adjust the rest according to the day.

I put the small things on my list as well, like showering and making my bed because the more you can check off your list, the more productive you end up feeling.

Aspects that Make for a Good Morning
… Based on my own Experience

First, watching the day begin. I LOVE mornings - being up early when all is quiet, seeing the sunrise - but I also love my sleep. I need about 8 hours of sleep so getting up early works if I go to bed by 11pm. However, this isn’t always the case because I have a lot of work to do, I had a late night class, or it takes me longer to fall asleep. Therefore, I give myself that wake up period, but I usually wake up more towards 7.30. Still, getting up “early” is a huge influence on how I feel.

I follow my morning routine every day of the week. I follow it closely on the days I have lots going on and I even try to incorporate it on the weekends, but truthfully thats usually after a nice sleep-in. Even on days when my classes start later, I still do my best to stick to a 7.30 wake up. That way I can get a decent amount of work hours in before classes start, and have less to do later in the day when my brain starts to shut down. Sometimes I stretch my wake up time until 8 but I find that I need an “early” start in order to feel productive. The later it gets, the less I want to do this routine because I start stressing and want to get a start on my work to-do list.

Second, a positive mindset. Mediating or doing Tony Robinsons “Priming” in the morning is a nice “in-between” stage from sleeping to actually getting out of bed. You are still sleepy, so it’s nice to have a slow wake-up where you can stay in bed 10-20 min longer to mediate or focus your mind on all the positives in order to create an optimistic and gratitude filled mindset to continue into the day with. I try not to look at my phone until I have finished this part of my routine.

MEDITATION: Oprah and Deepak have FREE 21 day Mediations where they focus on a topic such as “stress” or “Desires and Destiny” (their upcoming one). It’s an app that I have downloaded and the mediations are about 20 min … max. 10 min of talking and then about 10 min to mediate. I find the guidance helpful and they raise some interesting and insightful ideas to think about.

PRIMING: My mom introduced my to Tony Robinson, who supports people in creating their best life, whether that is in regards to work and business, love and relationships, or personal issues and goals. He has a 15 min priming exercise (also free audio) that wakes me up mentally in the morning. It is less in the direction of mediation since he talks the entire time, but this guided audio reminds me about all the things I have to be grateful for and encourages me to refocus my attention and energy on the things I want to achieve this day/week/month. Sometimes there is so much going on we loose focus on what is actually important and instead we become overwhelmed with all the things on our “to-do lists” that aren’t actually that important.

Third, the feeling of accomplishment before work. Working out in the morning before you start your day at school or the office creates a sense of accomplishment. If I feel as though I have accomplished something before I have even eaten breakfast, I feel motivated to get even more done in the day. Alternatively, if I am having a rough day with getting things done, I can always remind myself that I already worked out this morning, which makes me feel a bit better. I also feel the change in my body. Working out gets the blood flowing and energies me and my brain. I don’t feel as tired after sweating it out!

MY FAVE WORKOUTS:

Since January I have been doing Beach Body’s “21 Day Fix” which I love. I found it for $30 on Amazon and there is a 30 min work-out video for each day of the week. I don’t have time or a want to do a long work out, so this is perfect and it's hard! Also, I like when there is a schedule that tells me what work out to do on what day, instead of me searching through videos or being indecisive about what video I want to do. This review gives an overview of the program with lots of info about 21 Day Fix if you are interested!

I was also recently introduced to “Blogalties” on YouTube which has a variety of videos from 10-30 minutes that are a great alternative on those days that 30 minutes doesn’t even seem possible.

Some days, especially when there is a lack of positivity in my morning attitude, I prefer to do a Yoga practice. I use an online Yoga Community called Gaia. They have thousands of different yoga classes you can follow from home from your computer/iPhone, as well as Films and Documentaries that can be insightful and helpful in refocusing your attention on the right things.

Fourth, planning to make it a healthy day. I LOVE food, so I am someone who is always very concerned about what I will be eating. I also like to have lots of snacks because I get hungry throughout the day, at non-eating times. I have a board on interested called “Cooking for One” with all kinds of healthy lunch ideas, bowls, and combos. I don't want to eat a sandwich everyday, and salads are a lot of prep I find… also cause I love avocados and you really have to cut the avocado up right before you eat it… so yes, the struggle. Here, meal prep is key. Have some veggies and snacks ready in plastic bags or Tupperware. Often I’ll also have a tuna salad ready to just spread on bread in the morning. you get out the door on time and have a yummy lunch to look forward to!

8 Tips for the BEST Morning EVER!

Make your Own List
What is important to you? What do you want to do for yourself that would make you feel positive and fulfilled going into your day? Maybe it’s important for you to talk a walk and clear your head. Maybe watching the sunrise each morning can help fill you with that positive energy. Maybe you need a cup of coffee before anything else. I have incorporated my morning routine into this post, but that does not mean this is the best or only way to do a routine. The things you do in the morning are

I also like to put all the little things on the list as well: showering, getting dressed, etc. This mentally gives me a lot to “check-off” and makes me feel like I’ve already got a lot done since I’ve woken up (even if its just having showered!).

Pick a Time Frame
I try to give myself 2 hours in the morning from when I have to get up to when I have to leave. The first hour allows me to mediate or work-out, as well as shower. The second gives me enough time to get dressed and eat breakfast while I make my lunch. The second hour is the things I would have to do anyways, even if I did not have a routine set.

Try different things to discover what makes your mornings happy!
This is just my list and how I feel that these factors improve my morning. Everyone is different and maybe there is just one thing you’d like to do in order to create your morning routine. Again, this time is YOURS!

Do things that you actually want to do in the morning!
I know that if i put journaling on this list, it wouldn’t happen… that is something I really have to do when I feel like it, and it cannot be a “to-do” for me. On another note, I was super excited about the 21 day Fix video when I got it, and I still am excited to get up and do it for 30 min.

Baby Steps
The Routine will develop over time. You will try different things, see if they improve your morning or if you are energized after your routine. Additionally, choose 3-4 mornings a week where you will stick to your routine. This will make the mornings you have to get up earlier to get your list done less daunting, if you know you have 3 days when you can sleep in longer. This approach can also be an interesting way to compare how you feel on the days you follow your routine versus the days you don’t. It might motivate you to increase the days of morning routines.

Try to do at least one thing on your list each morning
If you only have time for a short work out or would rather mediate, or want to make a fancy breakfast because that’s what you are craving, then go with that feeling. Don’t force yourself and don’t ridicule yourself for not following each very specific rule and part of your morning routine. Let if flow and allow yourself over time to step into it a bit more naturally.

The longer you do it, the easier it gets
This goes hand in hand with taking baby steps in building up a routine that works for you, and the need to result to just doing one thing because you snoozed your alarm 5 times. When you have found a routine that works for you and you are excited about it and dedicated to it, do you best to really incorporate it into your life.

Back-ups
Some days you just don’t feel like working out… In those cases, have a short work out video you can do as an alternative, do yoga, or even simply stretch for a bit … main thing is to feel like you’ve done something. Same goes for mediation or whatever other things you’d like to do in the morning… if you’re feeling stressed, do it for 5 minutes or journal if that’s what you are feeling like instead.

Its not a matter of failing … its about working towards building a Routine that YOU like and the works for you, so that you can actually stick to it!