Your Morning Starts at Night

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1959

Abstract

r me now starts at 5:00 AM and includes activities such as meditation, journaling, and walking. My routine is nearly the same every day, but not always. My goal is to fill my own cup before the world starts draining it but avoid making the routine a burden. To make this work, I have taken and continue to take steps to make it as easy as possible to start my day off well.</p><p id="83f0" type="7">“Your current life is the result of your previous choices, if you want something different, begin to choose differently.” — Joe Tichio</p><h2 id="72a1">Use and Lose Your Phone</h2><p id="f991">I’ve started to use the functionality of my iPhone to help me stay more on track with my evening and morning routines. I use the “Do Not Disturb” settings to mute all notifications starting an hour before my usual bedtime and ending ninety minutes after I usually wake. I put my phone face down on the other side of the room an hour before bed. When my alarm sounds in the morning, I must get out of bed to get to the phone, which helps me not use the snooze button. I have only a few apps on the home screen so that I can access some affirmation videos, my meditation app, and my planner app without being tempted to start exploring anything else. These small changes have reduced my screen time, my exposure to blue light near bedtime, and my urge to start poking through apps first thing in the morning.</p><h2 id="dd1a">Make Food in Advance</h2><p id="bbcc">I drink lemon water and a green smoothie every morning, but I prep most of it in advance. I wasn’t a fan of having to measure or cut ingredients in the morning, so I automated. I make my lemon water the night before, and every few weeks, I prep several days of smoothie packets. To make my smoothie each morning, all I have to do is pour my coconut milk into the blender, drop in the packet, and blend. Because I don’t have to do a lot of work for this, I do it every day.</p><h2 id="6a03">Set Your Space U

Options

p</h2><p id="c0e9">Most mornings I meditate, read a little, journal, and review my planner. I grabbed a few cushions and put them in a corner to encourage morning meditation. Each night before I go to bed, I clear my desk so that my journal, my planner, and a book that encourages reflection are all on my desk. I don’t have to search for them in the morning, and that makes it harder to make excuses.</p><h2 id="2fe9">Pack Up Ahead of Time</h2><p id="4a9c">I don’t work every day, but I work 12-hour shifts on the days I do, and I have to leave the house by 6:10 AM. On those days, I have to alter my morning routine, but also that I have to do more prep the night before. Before I go to bed, I prep my lunch and any snacks I need, locate my work beverage cups and make sure any items I need for work are all with my keys. In the morning, I need only to grab and go.</p><h2 id="cbe3">Cluster Your Habits</h2><p id="a570">Of all the books that have influenced me in 2020, James Clear’s <i>Atomic Habits</i> has taught me the importance of clustering habits together to have more success. I started my new morning routine by drinking lemon water and built from there, adding one or two small habits at a time. These days, my morning routine looks something like this:</p><ul><li>Drink lemon water</li><li>Take a quick cold shower</li><li>Watch affirmation videos on YouTube</li><li>Meditate</li><li>Read and Journal</li><li>Review Planner</li><li>Walk 2 -3 miles</li><li>Drink green smoothie</li><li>Start the day</li></ul><p id="ddd0">Usually, I can do these things and start in on some projects before my daughter’s feet even hit the floor. I’m in a better mood when she wakes up, and I have been more productive these last few months than I had been in years. On my workdays, I arrive more alert, in a more positive space, and ready to hit the ground running. I wish I had found out sooner that my morning success started the day before!</p></article></body>

Setting Yourself up for Success as You Start the Day

White coffee mug with the word “begin” on a table. Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

Mornings in my twenties looked a lot different than my mornings in my forties. In my twenties, I hit snooze on the alarm several times. I would leave myself just enough time to get ready, and that’s being kind. In reality, I would run chaotically through my apartment searching for the items I needed to get ready, run to my car, and then pretend that I didn’t know the speed limit as I drove hurriedly to work. I didn’t always make it on time, but I did always arrive feeling rushed — not the best way to start the day.

Over time, my mornings have changed. The most obvious reason for this change is a decade of sobriety. The lack of hangover does make for a more pleasant morning, but not necessarily a more organized one. I’ve had more than my fair share of hectic sober mornings.

I have learned to get up earlier. I started taking the time to enjoy my coffee and wake up before the rest of the house began to stir. I’m responsible for helping another human learn how to get herself ready to leave the house each morning, and, admittedly, I haven’t always been a good example. So, in the last couple of years, I began to take steps to improve the flow of our mornings and, in reality, our days.

A typical morning for me now starts at 5:00 AM and includes activities such as meditation, journaling, and walking. My routine is nearly the same every day, but not always. My goal is to fill my own cup before the world starts draining it but avoid making the routine a burden. To make this work, I have taken and continue to take steps to make it as easy as possible to start my day off well.

“Your current life is the result of your previous choices, if you want something different, begin to choose differently.” — Joe Tichio

Use and Lose Your Phone

I’ve started to use the functionality of my iPhone to help me stay more on track with my evening and morning routines. I use the “Do Not Disturb” settings to mute all notifications starting an hour before my usual bedtime and ending ninety minutes after I usually wake. I put my phone face down on the other side of the room an hour before bed. When my alarm sounds in the morning, I must get out of bed to get to the phone, which helps me not use the snooze button. I have only a few apps on the home screen so that I can access some affirmation videos, my meditation app, and my planner app without being tempted to start exploring anything else. These small changes have reduced my screen time, my exposure to blue light near bedtime, and my urge to start poking through apps first thing in the morning.

Make Food in Advance

I drink lemon water and a green smoothie every morning, but I prep most of it in advance. I wasn’t a fan of having to measure or cut ingredients in the morning, so I automated. I make my lemon water the night before, and every few weeks, I prep several days of smoothie packets. To make my smoothie each morning, all I have to do is pour my coconut milk into the blender, drop in the packet, and blend. Because I don’t have to do a lot of work for this, I do it every day.

Set Your Space Up

Most mornings I meditate, read a little, journal, and review my planner. I grabbed a few cushions and put them in a corner to encourage morning meditation. Each night before I go to bed, I clear my desk so that my journal, my planner, and a book that encourages reflection are all on my desk. I don’t have to search for them in the morning, and that makes it harder to make excuses.

Pack Up Ahead of Time

I don’t work every day, but I work 12-hour shifts on the days I do, and I have to leave the house by 6:10 AM. On those days, I have to alter my morning routine, but also that I have to do more prep the night before. Before I go to bed, I prep my lunch and any snacks I need, locate my work beverage cups and make sure any items I need for work are all with my keys. In the morning, I need only to grab and go.

Cluster Your Habits

Of all the books that have influenced me in 2020, James Clear’s Atomic Habits has taught me the importance of clustering habits together to have more success. I started my new morning routine by drinking lemon water and built from there, adding one or two small habits at a time. These days, my morning routine looks something like this:

Drink lemon water

Take a quick cold shower

Watch affirmation videos on YouTube

Meditate

Read and Journal

Review Planner

Walk 2 -3 miles

Drink green smoothie

Start the day

Usually, I can do these things and start in on some projects before my daughter’s feet even hit the floor. I’m in a better mood when she wakes up, and I have been more productive these last few months than I had been in years. On my workdays, I arrive more alert, in a more positive space, and ready to hit the ground running. I wish I had found out sooner that my morning success started the day before!