Morning routines for 2018

Do you have a morning routine? One that you actually designed?

Honestly, I do not. However, I’ve been doing some research into it and have put together a plan that I will put into practice for the new year. There are elements of it I do now, but there’s new stuff I’ll be doin’.

Why does it even matter?

Honestly, that was my first thought when I first came across this idea of a morning routine. The concept was popularized by Hal Elrod in his book The Miracle Morning. I’ve read the book and it gave me some fresh insight into why it matters. If you haven’t read it I recommend it.

How you begin your day sets the stage for how well the rest of it will go. It is also a good time to cement those habits that will lead to the goals you want accomplished. For instance, if one of your goals was to read more, then you can build that into your morning routine. Perhaps just read for 10 minutes over a cup of coffee.

So, a couple weeks ago while I was sitting over near Disney in my RV, I sat down and planned out a morning routine for myself. Here’s what I’ve come up with…

#1 – Drink a big glass of lemon water as soon as I wake up. 

I listen to a podcast called The Model Health Show (awesome podcast, BTW) and he calls this “the inner bath”. You’re dehydrated when you wake up. So, drink a big glass of water to kick things off. As he puts it, if you’re going to take a shower on the outside, you should clean the inside, too.

#2 – The 7-Minute Workout

Honestly, I really don’t like exercise. But, it is a necessary evil. The 7-minute workout is a scientifically proven workout that works all major muscle groups. And, the short length of it works well into a morning routine.

This isn’t gonna give you 6-pack abs, but it helps stay healthy.

#3 – Get All Pretty.

You know, shower and get dressed. Obvious stuff. But, the big thing is that… I work from home. I could technically work in my underwear.

(seriously, if you’re imagining that…. I apologize)

But, I think it is helpful to dress the part even if you’re working from home. If you want to be successful (however you define that), then it helps to DRESS the part. If you look like you just rolled out of bed, are you really going to be working on all cylinders?

#4 – Make a cup of Bulletproof coffee.

I don’t do it every morning, but most mornings I do intermittent fasting. In other words, I have dinner the night before, skip breakfast, and eat again at lunch. The only thing I will have in the morning is bulletproof coffee.

#5 – Read

With a cup of joe in hand, I’ll do some reading. Could be a book. Could be a book summary. Could even be catching up on the latest in cryptocurrency. Point is… it is a time to expand my knowledge of what’s going on.

#6 – Journaling

Journaling has never come naturally to me. Clearly, I can write. I do it all the time. But, somehow I always equated journaling with dumb stuff like how I feel.

But, I’ve done some research into this and I’m convinced of the power of journaling. It could be something as simple as journaling about what you did the previous day. What I think I’m going to do is a 5-minute journal entry where I answer certain questions…

• What am I grateful for?

• What went right / wrong yesterday?

• What did I learn yesterday? What can I do to improve something later?

#7 – Affirmations

OK, this one is a little woo-woo. And woo-woo isn’t exactly my specialty. But, I am a HUGE believer in the power of decision.

When I first heard about affirmations, I got pictures of Al Franken talking to the mirror in SNL. (which is ironic in a new sense now with the latest news on Al Franken, but I digress…)

Affirmation is about reaffirming where you’re going and setting up that future reality. So, I wrote up a short statement that summarizes what my future reality looks like and I will read it to myself every single morning.

#8 – Review my goals / plans for the day.

Nothing is more unproductive than launching into your day without a plan of action. So, I will end each day with the creation of a rough plan for the next day. Then, in the morning, I will review that plan, tidy it up. I will also visualize myself doing those actions and generally how the day is going to go.

…

So, that’s the plan.

Some people do other things – like meditation. That’s up to you. It is YOUR routine.

In addition to The Miracle Morning book, there’s also a site which talks about the morning routines of various people. MyMorningRoutine.com is that site. An interesting source for ideas.

Do you have a morning routine? If so, what is it? Reply back and let me know. I’m still learning and I’m up for new ideas.

– David