"Our day is our life in miniature, set it up to win." —James McPartland
Why is having a morning routine so important?
Do you ever feel like you’re just going through the motions of your week and suddenly it's Friday? You can barely fit in time for yourself, always hopping from one meeting to the next. The dishes are piling up, the laundry isn’t done, and you’ve got an essay-sized list of things that need to get done.
Research shows that being more intentional with how we start our day can decrease stress and anxiety and leave you feeling more productive. It can help give you more energy to get to the things you want to get to.
Being more in control of your schedule can help eliminate the feeling of things being out of your control.
You often hear the phrase "morning routine of successful people". And people usually assume that it means waking up at 5:00 am, hitting the gym, meal prepping, etc.
While that would be an ideal morning routine, that’s not doable for some, but that doesn’t mean they can’t set their days up for success.
You don’t have to make huge adjustments to your morning, even the smallest tweaks can help you win the day.
Here are some tips on how to set your day up to win and kick-start your mornings:
Reflect on how you want to set up your day.
What do I want to accomplish? What action steps will help me move the needle tomorrow? What commitments did I make to others and to myself?
Don’t hit the snooze!
Research shows hitting the snooze will make you feel more tired and foggy.
Eliminate distractions and meditate.
Give yourself 5-25 minutes of breathing and meditation exercises before your check your phone. Reflect on who you want to be and what you want to get out of today.
Evaluate the backend of your day.
Take 15-30 minutes to reflect on how the day went. What distracted you? What didn’t you get to? What did you accomplish?
Remember, our days are our life in miniature. As we stack our days, we stack our lives.
