What do you want to start doing?
What do you want to stop doing?
What is working well?
What is not working well?
These are important ideas to ponder. So often we get stuck in a rut or a routine and do things because that’s what we’ve always done or that’s how we’ve always done it in the past. We, as humans, fall into habits without really thinking about whether or not we are being efficient with our limited hours in each day.
It’s Not About Overstuffing
Making over your morning isn’t about figuring out how to stuff more tasks into fewer hours. It’s also not about going high speed and racing through functions that may need focus and careful attention. While it is sometimes useful to sprint through some mundane activities and just get them completed quickly, that’s not a good long-term strategy for meaningful change. You’ll reach a limit of how much faster and how much more efficient you can get. And you will likely get frustrated with the program and return to old habits.
Make Smart Choices About Your Time – Stop Doing
Instead, think about the best use of your time in the morning. Compare your perfect morning with your current morning routine. What are the differences in the two scenarios? If you can start by eliminating some activities, finding time to do what’s important to you becomes much more comfortable.
There are two great ways to find things you can stop doing. The first is to look for busy work. This is something you do out of habit that doesn’t necessarily need doing every day. Maybe it’s checking your email first thing in the morning or playing around on Facebook for half an hour while you drink your coffee. If that’s how you choose to spend your time, that’s perfectly fine, but if you’re doing it out of habit and it does not align with your big goals, dreams, and desires, it may be time to reconsider the activity.
The second way to quickly earn back time is to see if you’re doing things for others that they can do themselves. Are there any routine chores that can be consolidated? A few small changes may be all it takes to find time in your busy morning for what’s important to you. Spend some time thinking about things that you want to stop doing.
Make Smart Choices About Your Time – Start Doing
Go back to that vision of a perfect morning. This morning may include the normal hygiene activities, but also could consist of time for a hobby, physical workouts, mental exercises, or pure relaxation. Whatever you want to achieve, you can.
In the beginning, I set a 15-minute timer and would work on either hand-written journaling or typing at my computer. When the 15 minutes ended, it was time for breakfast and to prepare for my job. The morning routine in our household is relatively simple. We keep a variety of breakfast items on hand (purchased in the weekly grocery trip), and we have only two potential changes to gain even more morning time…
Maybe…Set our alarm clocks even earlier so that we can spend time on some of our bigger goals before breakfast for 15 to 30 minutes on weekdays.
Maybe…Buy an automated cat feeder, which is an interesting idea, but only saves us a few minutes each day when we are at home. However, if we are away overnight, this would be a good investment and eliminate the need for a cat sitter at our house. http://gwyng.housecare.hop.clickbank.net
Morning routines are valuable, but keep in mind that your method will evolve as you learn and master techniques to simplify your life. We’re all continually changing with internal thoughts and external influences. Enjoy the process and focus on just a few “stops” and a few “starts” to begin building your personal morning routine.
Read the entire series in these blog posts:
The Impact of a Daily Morning Routine
Ideas for Creating a Perfect Morning Routine
Finding Time in a Busy Morning Using Lean Principles
Best Things First: A Morning Routine Makeover
Starting Over with an Inspiring Morning Routine
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I love this! I think many people have a problem with trying to stuff more tasks into the hours they have available each day. I am also a proponent of starting the day with a morning journaling routine. It really helps start the day right.
Journal writing is such an important part of my life. Your printable journal pages are beautiful.
Great article. I like the idea of a 15 minute timer to journal. Hopefully I can add that to my routine somewhere. My transition into work is to make sure I have every thing done before going into my office so I don’t have to think about work – just like the people that leave their house. lol I also, get completely dressed each day – shoes and all. I feel that transition works best for me.
Katrina – I’ve been working from home for several years. I also find that dressing for work puts me in a mental state for focus and accuracy in my job. My routine has some clear separations between “at work” and “not at work” time.
I like that you did the contrast of what to add AND what to remove. I feel like so many people who talk about routines only add more to my load. This is a great gentle reminder that it’s ok to let some stuff go too. Thank you.
Sunnie, I absolutely agree with you. I had to let go first to find mental space for making important changes.
Routine is so important and helps us get into the habit of progress and peace. Loved this post and what a great reminder!
These small habits mean so much in the long run and add to wellness in many ways. Glad you enjoyed the article.
What a great reminder of what a great routine is! It is really important to be careful not to overwhelm ourselves by adding too much to our plates the basis on being productive. Great post!
I agree! For me, too much to do results in a much lower productivity level. It’s all about balance.
A morning routine is so so so important -it helps set me for the rest of the day! I find if I get up everyday, just 30-60 minutes earlier and do something totally just for me – that I enjoy – I feel like I am ready to go! I actually make sure I use that time for “fun or enjoyable” things and not “have tos”. ..I love all your ideas and look forward to reading the rest of the blog posts!
The timer idea is a great one. And figuring out what you want to add and/or stop doing. It does make you realize how you are valuing your own time and how you can find the time to improve various areas of your life. Nice blog post!