How does your day start?
Sluggish?
Stimulating?
Don’t touch me ‘til I have my coffee?
Admittedly, I run through all of those.
Every morning.
Even though my body and mind are accustomed to getting up at roughly 4am Monday through Friday.
A couple of months ago, I started changing up my morning routine and it’s really helped to shape my day differently. You’re welcome to try any and all of these options to see if they make a positive impact on your day as well.
I normally give myself about 30-40 minutes in the morning to sift through everything in this list so be aware of any potential time investment.
Yes, I still start my morning with a strong cup of black coffee. This is right after I feed our rotten dog, Dempsey, and let him out to do his business.
I have two small journals. One for gratitude and one for rambling.
In my gratitude journal, I put the day’s date and 3 things I’m grateful for. It doesn’t have to be anything lengthy or poetic. It could be as simple as: I’m grateful for my busy day or I’m grateful I got to spend the afternoon with (my wife) Marissa.
In my rambling journal, it’s simply a brain dump. My mind races in the morning (all day really) and this helps me compile my thoughts. I even get a little bit geeky and use an old-fashioned fountain pen (you know, with the funky tip and the refillable ink cartridge that you have to hold at just the right angle?) It’s usually a few paragraphs of thoughts, musing, motivations or frustrations to give me some focus. Both journals together take up roughly 5 minutes of time.
At this point, I’m pouring my second cup of coffee (still black.) Then, I meditate for about 5 minutes. Unfortunately, there is still a funny stigma associated with meditating so I basically sit in the dark, back straight, hands on my thighs and focus on deep breathing. That’s it. I don’t set a time but I tend to get antsy about 5-6 minutes in so I know it’s time to get ready for work.
Anecdotally, it’s been a huge help. Yes, I still waste a little too much time on my phone, checking emails and getting on Facebook so this whole process could be as quick as 15-20 minutes for those on a time crunch who aren’t as phone-happy as I am.
But I find it filters a lot of mess out of my mind and gets me ready to conquer my day.
I’d love to hear what best practices work for you in the morning. Even better, I’d love to hear if one/all of these concepts work for you too.
With that, I’ll leave YOU to conquer the rest of your day!