I wouldn’t say I completely have my morning routine locked in yet, but I will say, having a routine in place helps keep me on track in the morning.
I get a lot of comments and questions asking “How do you get so much done?” “Or how are you so active with 4 kids?” Honestly, without being rude, I explain that it’s because I prioritize my sanity. Seriously, I need a creative outlet and networking helps me grow as a person, a podcast host, a creative, a business person AND a wife and mom. I don’t see it as doing a lot, I just see it as life. A life I’m cultivating to bring me emotional and financial dividends. I’m understatedly blessed to have the support system I have.
My husband is building his own dream, and we have dreams and goals we work on together. My mom lives with us and helps watch the kids when we need a date night to dial in our marriage - which I suggest a weekly date night to every married or committed couple, but that’s another conversation. A lot of times, though, we divide and conquer. If I have an event or social engagement, Josh will watch the kids. When he does his own thing, I’m watching the little ones.
Building my morning routine has helped me accomplish the things I need and want to do without taking time away from my family. They are generally all still asleep when until after I leave for work. Where some of the time is taken away, I’ll admit, is evenings. I end up going to sleep pretty early, but luckily, having little kids still, they ALSO go to sleep early.
Having been in the Army, I’m just conditioned to get up and work out in the morning. There have been seasons in my life where I’ve shifted my exercise to the afternoons, but I find, that’s when the excuses can creep in. That’s when having a bad day can make me choose to go home for a glass of champagne instead of working out. Also, the endorphins early in the morning improve my mood for the whole day! So not only am I doing something good for my body, but my attitude and spirit are more positive, and that’s a win for everyone!
So here’s rough outline of my routine on nearly all weekdays:
4:05am - alarm goes off (probably hit snooze at least once, to be honest)
4:20am - set coffee pot and workout
4:55am - meditation and post workout stretching
5:00am - Journal and affirmations
5:20am - shower, get dressed, hair, makeup, clean/tidy up a little
6:15am - rush around because I should already be in the car on the way to work
6:22am - commute to work while listening to a podcast, pump me up playlist, or audiobook
I’ve put together this routine based on learning from podcasts and books about what works for other people, and trial and error, really.
I used to dedicate 10-15 minutes of reading a physical book in the morning, but found I was always looking at the clock or rushing and not really absorbing any of the information I was reading, so I reserve my learning time for my commute now.
I love journaling in a paper journal. Something about putting pen to paper is super cathartic for me. Right now, I use a simple dotted journal and these Pilot pens are my favorite. I just want to keep writing with them forever!
The book that helped me develop my current morning routine most profoundly was Hal Elrod's The Miracle Morning. Seriously, get this book. Listen to it. Implement it.
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