Routines are important to me. They prime my brain to get in a desired mental state quickly. I know what I need to do, and I do them without thinking.
My morning routine shapes my entire day. It sets me up for success. It sets me up for focus. A focus to achieve and to get that which I desire.
After I completed my morning routine, I know my day will be strong, productive and pleasurable. This has been burned inside my brain.
Below I’m sharing my most current morning routine with you guys.
This routine was written down using Notion at 05-09-2020.
I wake up between 07:25 and 07:50 every day during the workweek.
- 07:45 } Wake Up and Read 5 mins in bed
- What I use to wake up fresh:
I use a Phillips Wake Up Light set to start at 07:25. - What I use to wake up fresh:
I use the Sleep Cycle App on my phone, which is set to wake me up between 07:25 and 07:50. - Currently, I’m reading:
How I Built This from Guy Raz
- What I use to wake up fresh:
- 08:00 } Write in Morning Journal in bed
- What I use to write:
I have a Notion page specifically designed in the Notion app that has 365 pre-written questions listed. I follow the list and do one question and answer every day.
- What I use to write:
- 08:10 } Take a shit and read my most current Morning Affirmations
- What I use to read my morning affirmations:
Again, I use a specific page in Notion. The morning affirmation is typed out in a format that’s easy to read on my phone. The entire piece of text takes 2-3 mins to read. I truly feel the difference after reading.
- What I use to read my morning affirmations:
- 08:15 } Take a shower and do my visualize practice
- My current visualisation practice is mostly me fantasizing about a life that I want to have in 5 to 10 years. I see all things that I want in my life, and I try to visualize myself in such a life. It’s fun to do and always gives me a happy feeling when stepping out of the shower.
- 08:30 } Get dressed and eat a wholesome breakfast
- My current breakfast:
2 scrambled eggs (baked in high grade organic olive oil)
60 grams of oatmeal but almond milk
25 grams of blueberries in the oatmeal
5 grams of mixed nuts and seeds in the oatmeal
a hot cup of green tea
a whole bottle of water from my Hidrate Spark Water bottle
one spray of vitamin D
a Supradin multi-vitamin tabled
(NO, I don’t drink coffee, I’m too sensitive for the caffeine, unfortunately)
- My current breakfast:
- 08:30 } Meditate for at least 10 mins
- For meditation, I’ve been using the Inside Timer App for a while now. I started with Calm and Head Space, and those were fine but not amazing. Ever since I started with Inside Times a few years ago, I really started to enjoy meditation so much more. It’s a daily practice for me which I do multiple times a day.
- 09:00 } Go to work. My mind is set for an amazing day.
Always consider the following when reading the above list:
- I’ve been honing the craft of a strong morning routine for years now. A good morning routine does not come out of the blue.
- I’ve cultivated this routine like a nice rose garden. I’ve spent many weeks and months trying out different routines that didn’t work.
- I the end I’ve combined certain activities and habits to make them stick. That is what works for me. What works for me might work for you, but there are no guarantees.
- For instance, you can see that I do many things while doing other things. Writing while on the toilet, visualizing while taking a shower. That makes me stick to it since I’m doing activities that I would normally also do.
How to start for yourself
In the beginning, a routine in the morning will feel like work, hard work. I can still remember in the beginning when after completing my morning routine, I felt like I just finished an entire day of work, and it was true in a sense.
For my brain, it was extremely intense since I was very conscious while cultivating the habits. It felt like I had to complete the list. It actually gave me extra stress since it was something to focus on in the morning.
This extra stress is normal. That is the learning curve. Just ride the curve and get on it.
Later on, things will start to feel effortless. Trust me. But to get there, I think you’ll need 60+ days of conscious action and sticking to the routine for it to become just a part of you.
It will get effortless. Just stick to it, and it will become an unconscious process that sets you up for a strong rest of the day.
When you start for real, I would recommend you start with the reading in bed. Download the kindle app on your phone and download a fiction book you loved when you were a child. Just start by rereading it for 5 mins every morning. Once that feels effortless and totally part of your routine, go to the next step and combine an activity that you normally do with something else, a visualization or a writing practice, for instance.
Try it tomorrow or check out my current evening routine.
Have a great one, and I hope you’ll create a strong morning routine for yourself.
See you on the flip-side, my dear friend!
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