A Different Kind of Morning Routine
Many years ago I set out searching for the perfect morning routine — one that would set me up for productivity and success for the day ahead.
Maybe you’ve done the same. Maybe that’s even how you landed on this blog now.
And if your current search has gone anything like mine did, you’ve almost certainly seen that about 99% of the morning routines out there include some combination of journaling, meditation, and/or yoga.
I am here to tell you that while all of these practices are wonderful in their own rights, they may not be the best way to set YOU up for success each morning.
Trust me. I’ve done the leg work on this!
At one point, I even read the book The Miracle Morning, and as someone who already more or less considered herself a “morning person,” I committed to doing it for 60 days to see what kind of difference it made.
Let me tell you, I was miserable! I begin to dread the mornings, and it always left me feeling out of sorts at the start of the day.
Naturally, I did what most women do... I thought it was me. Why didn’t I like yoga? Why couldn’t I make myself meditate? What was wrong with ME?
As it turns out, nothing. And if you’re struggling with this, there’s nothing wrong with you either.
In the midst of Miracle Morning “failure”, I found that one evening I couldn't sleep, and as I was scrolling through the web attempting to dive more into this elusive morning routine phenomenon, I stumbled across a study that had been done linking morning routines to Myers Briggs personality types.
And this was a definitive aha moment for me!
Not all morning routines work for all people because we all have different personalities.
As I dug into this more, I discovered that there were different activities that were going to likely be a better fit for me based on my personality type. And these activities were going to set me up for a much more successful day!
Now, I define a successful day as one where you don't feel like your wheels are spinning and you don't start the day in panic mode. Also, you don't end the day completely exhausted.
So with this version of “success” in my mind, I set about creating a new morning routine for myself. I loved it, and I had this morning routine for several years!
Now this school year, we have a completely different morning schedule that includes my daughter having to get up an hour earlier. And because my previous, tried and true morning routine had me getting up at 5:30 am — and I knew 4:30 am wasn’t going to happen! — it was back to the drawing board.
So, I went back to the morning routine worksheets I created inside Master Your Morning that have now helped thousands of women create their own ideal morning routine, and I got to work.
I would say the first couple of weeks with the new routine, what I tried wasn't working really well, so I just kept iterating and iterating. Now, I've fallen on one that is going pretty well.
And this is partially because I've actually split my morning routine into two parts. (Hey, you have to do what works for YOU, your personality, and your life!)
The first part of my routine takes place in the small window of time between 5:30 am and 6:00 am, and the second part takes place AFTER I take my daughter to school.
Again, this is something new for me — a morning where I'm not getting it all in within one solid chunk of time. But again, what is so important to understand here is there is no one right morning routine for everybody. And there's likely no one right morning routine that you're going to be able to have forever and ever.
Your morning routine may have to change with you and the seasons of your life, and that’s okay!
If you’re currently struggling to create a morning routine that works for you and that actually sets you up for YOUR version of success, I’ve got fantastic news!
My Master Your Mornings mini-course has now been turned into a FREE 5-Day workshop that I’m hosting LIVE on Monday, November 8th - Friday, November 12th. And you can claim your spot HERE now.
And in the meantime, I want you to start with this: Consider what allows you to wake up feeling good with a smile and not stressed out.
Is it waking up and having quiet, even if it's just for 5 or 10 minutes? Is it waking up to music?
Maybe you love when a significant other wakes you up. Or maybe it’s your kids running and jumping into bed with you and waking you up that way.
Whatever it is, knowing this about yourself is the first step we need to create a morning routine that works for YOU.
Bottom line: Your perfect morning routine always comes back to you and your needs.
So, if you’re like me, and you’ve tried starting the day with yoga or meditation or journaling (or all of the above!), and it didn’t work, take heart.
It’s time to quit trying to force that square peg into the round hole, and instead, let's work together to uncover what is going to be a great setup for success for you.
For more tips on all the things, time management, organization, and productivity, check out more blogs or podcast episodes!
