When you wake up in the morning, how do you feel? Are you hitting the snooze button 5 times then finding yourself rushed to get out the door on time?
When I first started working in the corporate world, I made it a habit to wake up an hour before I had to start getting ready for work. Every morning I would make a cup of coffee, journal for 15 minutes and read for 30 minutes. Little did I know that those morning habits made me more relaxed and more productive during my day.
Then I had a son, stayed at home and completely through my habits out the window!
After a few years of struggling to find the peace in the morning that I once had, I started bringing back those old habits into my morning routine again. I quickly noticed that when I streamlined my day I was more productive and reached my goals quicker. I was also happier in the evening because for once I felt like I had time for myself!
The more of a routine you have the calmer your life can be. Routines literally make room in your life, so that you can fit in the things you’d rather be doing. It takes 30 days to form a habit so you just need to start and then keep it up to establish a routine or revamp your old routine.
It’s amazing what a little routine can do to a person! 😉
Here is a sample routine and some tips that you can start using right away!
1. Wake up 30 minutes – 1 hour before you have to / or before anyone in your house does. When you have time in the morning to peacefully wake up it sets the tone for your entire day. Ease into the morning and your day. We all wake up with a blank slate – this your chance to fill it with positive choices!
2. Drink Water, preferably with lemon.
3. Journal 2 pages. When I first started reading The Artist’s Way a few years back is when the idea of Morning Pages were first introduced to me. The idea is that these morning pages are a way to wake up your mind and soul by simply writing any and all thoughts that come in to your head. It could be a intimate thought, a short story or the same word over and over. The point is to write and to keep writing. These morning pages need to happen before you do anything else because your mind is still raw and not persuaded by the day.
4. Sit in silence and meditate or pray. Take some time to just be. Be calm. Be still. Find peace. Breath. You could swap this out for exercise, too. Walking, running, yoga…
5. Write your goals and To-Do list for the day. We all have certain things that we need to accomplish every single day. Write them down, make a list and let your productivity soar!
Getting up earlier may require you to go to be earlier. And if you are one to love your mornings in bed and have a difficult time getting up, try 15 minute intervals. And if you already have to get up early in the morning, get up even earlier. Give yourself 30 minutes of peace and love.
The Clean Eating Mama 