“You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” – Zig Ziglar
It’s talked about a great deal; you could Google this topic and find many different morning routines of many people who work for them. I am not saying that my practice is the be and end-all of morning routines; this is what works for me based on my current life situations and my schedule.
Initially, I started using the Hal Elrod method, “The Miracle Morning,” SAVERS, but I modified his method into something that works for me and gets me going in the morning. It’s very similar, and the theme is the same; however, the order is slightly different.
I found that bookends to the day are very useful, and it keeps me productive, clear-minded, and focused throughout the day. In another post, I will discuss my evening routine, which sometimes is a bit more hectic and less in control than my morning routine, which I would say 90% of the time I have full control over.
The SAVER method is a great way to start and see what works; the key is getting up earlier, which might mean going to bed earlier. I try to wake up at least 1.5 hours before anyone else in the house, in my case, just my son. And everyone is different; each individual reading this may have other morning routines and commitments.
My routine is as follows. I wake up around 5:30 am; I know some people in my industry are up by 5:30 and out the door by 6:00, grab a cup of coffee full of sugar and milk and eat something on their commute to work, probably not the healthiest thing either. So depending on your schedule, I would recommend getting up earlier, so you are not rushed, frantic, and in a reactive mode. And things get worse if you have a long commute, and in the area I am from, most people do, and traffic is a mess every day. Try getting up even 30 minutes earlier, so you have some quiet time to reflect, plan your day, and do a little self-care. If you start out your day in a reactive mode, most of the day will be playing catch-up and reactive. Emergencies happen, life happens, but the morning is yours to own.
Most people I know and who work hard in the area I live tend to ignore the healthy morning routine. They wake up early as I do, but they start with email review, which then jump-starts their day, they become reactive, and the day goes from there. If you get up early, not saying others aren’t up, but going and starting their day rushing out the door chugging coffee and caffeine, eating crap on a commute. If they slow down and give themselves even a simple 30 minutes to themselves, the day becomes theirs to own. Additionally, this sets you off for a great happy start with less stress.
In short, my routine doesn’t have an acronym or something to remember the process by, but if you form a habit of it, which in turn becomes a ritual, you don’t need the abbreviation. Again, if starting out with something like this, the “Miracle Morning” is a great read, easy to read, and a quick read.
To reiterate, my routine begins at 5:30 am and goes for about an hour or so. Sometimes my routine is longer if I am in a zone, engrossed in reading, or something of that nature.
As most people do when they get up, the first thing I do is go to the bathroom and do their business. I do the same, brush my teeth, get a glass of water with some Himalayan sea salts; this provides some extra electrolytes your body needs after the dehydration state you are in. If you suffer from high blood pressure or are restricted on sodium, please check with your doctor first. Once I down that, usually at room temperature, I head back up to my room, meditate, use the Transcendental Meditation technique, but there are some great apps out there like Headspace and Calm to get you started.
Once I meditate, which takes me about 20-25 minutes, I grab my 5 Minute Journal (5MJ), which is a great start and very easy if you aren’t into journaling. The journal kick starts my day with gratitude, affirmations, and what would make the day great. The 5MJ gets me motivated for the day and puts me in a positive mindset.
Once I have completed meditating and journaling, I head downstairs to grab a cup of coffee and plan my day; at this point, keep in mind, I haven’t looked at my cell phone or emails or text. I usually save those for when I am done with my routine because it puts me in reactive mode. I put my phone on Do Not Disturb from 10:00 pm to 9:00 am. I do have it set so certain people can reach me in case of emergencies, etc.
Once I am done with my planning for the day, I make my workout shakes and pre-workout shakes, including greens and a pre-workout amino complex, and chug the pre-workout shake before getting my son up and ready to go to school. Some days I drop him off, and some days he takes the bus; we determine that usually the night before. My workout shake consists of creatine and amino.
Once he is up and getting ready, I pull out my Kindle and read until he is prepared to go, and while he is eating and I am having my second cup of coffee, we chat and catch-up. I use a Kindle so that notifications don’t distract me. If you aren’t into the e-reading concept, and many people I know prefer a real book and turning pages, a regular book would do the trick as well.
If I don’t take him to school, then we chat for a few minutes, and I head straight to the gym; if I take him to school, we talk a bit longer, and I drop him off and head to the gym. Exercise is an essential component of my life; it’s another meditation form for me and gets my circulation going. For many, it’s much easier to work out in the evenings, and I get it, for me though, if I don’t, I tend to not go in the evenings because my energy is pretty much drained and my other evening obligations.
Once I am done with my workout, I journal again; this is something I do if time permits, but I found that it helps me get things on paper and a massive brain dump so my mind can focus on the true tasks at hand and not wander. My Journal takes me about 10-15 minutes and sometimes 2 minutes, depending on what needs to be dumped on paper. Once I am done journaling, my day begins. If I don’t take my son to school, for instance, when he takes the bus, or he is with his mother, then I am usually done with everything and working by 9:00 and sometimes earlier, depending on the workout.
In a nutshell, that’s my morning routine. One key component of this routine is not looking at my phone or iPad until 9:00. All my devices go into Do Not Disturb mode at 10:00 pm and goes off DND at 9:00. And at that point, if there is something pressing and urgent, I deal with it, but I can say that I am ready for the day to start and whatever work or obligations need to be addressed. I bet some people are saying, that’s impossible, I don’t have that luxury, or that time or whatnot, I am not saying do my routine or even Mr. Elrod’s routine, just saying that it’s great to have a morning routine that is not rushed and just even a little quiet and silence and a bit of journaling can get you started on the right foot and your mind primed for the day. Plus, an added bonus of a little “Me” time.
Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and it would be great to hear others’ comments on their routines, who knows, maybe I might try something different.
– Sumit