Jun 4, 2009
Regaining Control with a Morning Routine
Part 2 of the series: The Get-Your-Life-Together Plan
Benefits of a Morning Routine
What you do with your morning effects your entire day. Energy begets energy. Order begets order. I don't always enjoy getting out of bed, but I enjoy what the rest of my day is like when I get out of bed on time and make myself go through my routine.
One morning not long ago, after a week of great consistency on my early rising and morning routine, I decided to try just going with the flow... ignoring routine, just doing what I felt like doing, taking it easy, rolling from one thing to the next 'as the spirit moved me.'
I decided that wasn't the right spirit for me. It's fine sometimes, for holidays and weekends, but the normal day of work requires order, energy, and a good dose of knowing who's in charge. When I just wander around, it's clear that I'm not in charge. I don't know who is, whether it's the kids, the phone, or the dirty dishes, but I found out that I like being in charge. Call me a control freak. I'd rather be up and doing, taking names and taking charge, than stumbling out into a world that's already set a course for the day without consulting me.
Having a clear morning routine and following it faithfully tells the world (in my case, that consists of me, my house, and my children) this: "Hey, I'm in charge here. Don't mess with me." I wonder how many disastrous days have been turned 'round simply by the act of going through a morning routine?
- Following a morning routine sets a successful tone for your day.
- Following a morning routine gives you time to make a plan.
- Following a morning routine enables you to get the big rocks done by 11 a.m.
- Following a morning routine helps you meet your goals.
- Following a morning routine allows you to maintain an orderly home.
- Following a morning routine frees you up for fun stuff later in the day.
- Following a morning routine gives you time for guilt-free afternoon naps.
- Following a morning routine creates quiet time for yourself.
Elements of a Morning Routine
- Consistent rise time: whenever you choose to get up, do it. Be in charge. Don't fall prey to the snooze button. Think about how much time you need in the morning, decide when you want to get up, set your alarm, and get up at that time.
- Earlier-than-the-family rise time: this is essential for the modern home makers, whether you are a stay-at-home mom, a work-at-home mom, or a work-out-of-the-home mom. You need enough time in the morning before the kids get up to get yourself dressed, minimum. It's even better if you have time to get a few other things in order, too.
- Specific goals: see below.
- Specific tasks: my tasks include the basics of getting up and dressed, plus whatever I need to do to meet my goals. What tasks do you need to accomplish to meet your morning goal?
- Specific order: start at a logical point and progress from there. Get yourself ready to go first, then take care of the most important tasks.
- Consistent follow-through: your morning routine is no good if you don't do it!
Goals of a Morning Routine for Modern Home Makers
The morning routine should accomplish five things:
- getting you dressed and physically ready for the day
- getting you inwardly ready for the day
- getting breakfast and lunch taken care of
- getting the right people, with the right stuff, out the door at the right time
- setting the tone and establishing what's next for the rest of the day.
Your goals may differ slightly. The idea is to get you ready and your day started in an orderly way, instead of last-minute rushing, and to prepare you for the rest of the day.
A Note on Getting Up Early
There are infinite articles on this topic. I don't want to add to the clutter, but I do want to encourage early rising. It is the single most effective habit I have for building a better life. Certainly there are successful people who don't rise early. But a trademark of a vast majority of energetic, productive, happy people is a consistent, early rise time. If you're a night person, maybe early rising won't work for you. I think you should try it, though, for at least a month. Give it a fair test run. If you find that staying up late and sleeping late helps you accomplish more and be happier doing it, then stick to that. Just don't write off early rising until you've made it a consistent habit and seen its effects for more than a few days at a time.
More...
- Steve Pavlina's article on How to Become an Early Riser
- Lifehack: How to Start Your Day at 5 a.m.
- ZenHabits: My Morning Routine
- eHow: How To Streamline Your Morning Routine
- Flylady's Morning Routine
- 43things: Develop a Daily Morning Routine
- Blisstree: Tips for the Morning Routine with Kids
- Making Your Home a Haven: 5-Item Morning Routine
- Heart of Wisdom: Homeschool Organization - Morning Routine
- Jamie Morgan: Setting a Morning Routine
Image courtesy of Arc-light.
[...] Regaining Control with a Morning Routine [...]
I have tried becoming a morning person, and it just did not work for me, even with the dogs (who are all morning creatures) encouraging me. I do agree that what happens immediately after rising, whatever time that might be, does set the tone for the day, so it is indeed up to us to take charge of making that a good tone!
:: a little late to Mingle! ::
Kathi: I think the main thing is figuring out what works for you. For me, early morning is great. My brain is MUSH by afternoon. But for my husband, it's better to stay up late when he's wired and thinking and sleep in a little later, too.