Happy Sunday from the icy tundra. We had freezing rain overnight which has turned our roads and streets into the equivalent of a skating rink. Which has meant that I’m working hard to not leave my house today!  Let’s talk about Mondays. Do you get the Sunday afternoon scaries? Are you one of the people that loves or loathes Mondays?  I fall firmly into the second camp but am working on my attitude towards Monday.   I’ll let you know how that goes. 

I mentioned in a previous post, 2020 Goals and Dreams, that I’ve been focused on habits over the past year.  Really over the past two years.  As a part of that, I’ve focused on my morning routine.  On what sets me up for a great day, or at least a great start to the day, and allows me to feel more in control of my day.   

I’ll share below what my ideal morning routine is.  I don’t always make this happen, because of well, life.  Sometimes I hit the snooze button (although not as often as I did before hearing Rachel Hollis say that every time you hit snooze, you are breaking a promise to yourself before you are even out of bed)  And sometimes I need to start my work day earlier but don’t want to get up that much earlier to ensure my morning routine happens.  That’s why this is my ideal morning routine.  Also, the wake up time is what works most consistently for me.  I’m a morning person – love the quiet morning hours.  And I need to wake up fairly early because I am a SLOW mover in the morning.  I like to take my time, ease into the day.  Moral of the story – craft a morning routine that works for YOU. 

4:45- 5:00 – Wake up, let dogs out, make coffee ( I know I could program the coffee.  Unfortunately I can’t program the dogs, and I like the flavor of my French press coffee, so I craft that while they do their business)
5:00 – 5:20 – Meditate (I use either the headspace or calm app), enjoy my coffee, write in my Start Today journal
5:20 – 6:00 – Read, create, write – something that pushes me closer to my goals.  
6:00 – 6:45 – Shower and get ready
6:45 – 7:15 – Breakfast 
7:15 – 7:45 – Head to work and get settled in. 

Again, this is my ideal routine.  Quite often, I hit snooze and only get to making coffee, meditation and my Start Today Journal.    Sometimes, I add movement into my morning routine, and it would consistently be in my ideal morning routine if I didn’t need to be to the office around 8.  Instead, I have found that I prefer to fit in the things I listed above in the morning and then go to a yoga class or do a yoga video in the evening. One thing I used to do EVERY morning that I am trying to break the habit of is checking email or social media. I used to start every morning by checking my work email while I made coffee.  Then on to Facebook and Instagram.  I’d waste the best hours of my day with mindless scrolling.   

When I get serious about my morning routine I’m able to handle the unknowns of each day better.  I’m calmer, more centered and more focused because I’ve already taken time for myself before the day even started.  Do you have a morning routine that you follow?