A morning routine is a must for me. My routine helps me get organized and start my day on the right path and I’ve learned just how important this impacts my day being productive. Getting through my to-do list is important to me. I have lots to do and seeing things moving forward makes me feel good about myself.
I’ve been massaging my morning routine for several months now and I continue to adjust and change it as necessary. I also made it flexible and here’s why:
When my routine gets interrupted I tend to flounder aimlessly and can take days or sometimes months to get the groove back. I’m slowly learning that flexibility is the key to getting back into routine more quickly. And so far, so good.
I’ll share with you some of the things that fit into my morning routine:
- Wake up on time to get the child breakfasted and on the school bus.
- As soon as my son is out the door I go straight to the living room and unroll my yoga mat which naturally leads into getting a DVD, lighting my candle, picking an episode and doing a session. (I use DVDs from NamasteTV and I do highly recommend, especially Seasons 1 and 2)
Meditate for 5 minutes after yoga while the end credits run and the music is lovely. (As much as I’d love to fit in longer meditations, I have yet to be successful so, I’m happy with my current 5-minute practice.)- Into the kitchen to make a raw vegan smoothie. 9/10 times I’m blending up my favourite chocolate banana smoothie; recipe here.
- While sipping my smoothie, I write a letter to myself by way of journaling, and I require my journal entries to be 100% positive. Seriously, it’s a no negative zone. Entries are generally short and then I spend a few minutes being creative by zen doodling around my entry.
- If it’s Monday, Wednesday, or Friday at this point I’m off to the gym for a class. This is new to my schedule so still a bit hit or miss, but when I hit, I love it. If it’s Tuesday or Thursday, I get straight into number 7 as I’ll hit the gym in the evening with my other half when he gets home from work.
- I spend a few minutes looking at yesterday’s to-do list, carry over anything pressing, plus jot down today’s to-do. Pick the top two priorities that must get done today and start there.
My morning routine takes about an hour, or on gym days, then about two and half hours.
I’m super energized by the time I’m at the point of getting down to business. If I have an early appointment that interrupts any part of of my routine, I just let it go. Tomorrow is a new day. I do make a conscious effort to book appointments after my morning routine if at all possible. It really does make a big difference in my day and I’ve learned that it’s okay to prioritize myself.
If you struggle with getting organized in your morning, I highly suggest starting with one thing, just one, that makes you feel good to start your day. Let me repeat, the key is, do something that makes you feel good. My one thing was yoga. Everything else was added on slowly, one at a time.
I’ll be honest with you, I don’t always sleep very well and mornings are not my favourite time of day. I have so many days that I’m dragging myself out of bed to get my son up for school and I’m thinking to myself, when he gets on the bus I’m going back to bed. But then this conversation crosses my mind — ‘but you’ll mess up your day.’ And I answer myself with, ‘yeah, I know.’ So, I brush my hair, get dressed, etc, and by the time I’ve brushed my teeth, I’m awake and ready to send my son off and unroll that yoga mat.
I have this quote hanging in my bedroom – “There’s no such thing as motivation, you have to force yourself.” ~ Mel Robbins.
It’s true.
A Flexitarian Journey 