10 Things I Do Everyday Before Work
Are you a morning person?
I can tell you that I am not a morning person, or even a night person really – I LOVE my sleep!
Have you read the book Miracle Morning? It’s a great read! While I am not a 5’amer, and I don’t see that in my future, I do aim to get up around 6 am every morning. The only real exception may be Sunday’s.
Why does a person who loves sleep get up so early? Because without starting my day off with a morning routine, I am not as productive, nor do I feel as good about myself throughout the day. I always feel “off”, or one step behind.
How does a non-morning person get up in the morning?
Some people say that to have a good morning, you must start preparing the night before. I believe this to be true! I go to bed around 9-9:30 pm and listen to a podcast or audio book, falling asleep around 10 pm.
To wake up the next morning, I use this alarm clock. There are all sorts of research articles about sleep rhythms, and what kind of damage can be done by waking up during the wrong stage of your sleep cycle. This clock may seem a little extravagant, but I am the kind of person that will hit the snooze button ten times before getting out of bed. The gradual light of this alarm clock has helped me wake up feeling a little less groggy. Sometimes I even wake up before the alarm goes off. It has been an amazing tool in helping me improve my mornings!
So what are the ten things in my morning ritual?
Devotion. While lying in bed, still in my morning fog, I read a verse from the Daily Bible Inspirations app and Daily Bible Devotion app. For me, it is important to start my day with reading God’s word and having a conversation with Him first thing. It helps me to get my mind set on what is important to me.
Get dressed. This can seem like a no brainer and even harder for those of us that work from home but it is important to get dressed for your day, every day. This is also something that I prepare the night before to help make my morning as easy as possible. Some days I workout in the morning, so I am sure to lay out my workout and after workout clothes as well. Shhh… don’t tell, but there are some days that I stay in my pajamas and head downstairs. I have also been known to hop on my computer and work all day in my PJs. Now, this may be super comfy, but it doesn’t always make me feel confident or intentional.
Fix my coffee. Thank you Keurig! This is a necessity for me. I know that caffeine is not the healthiest of options, but most mornings there is nothing better than a hot cup of coffee to truly perk me up (pun intended!).
Eat a banana. People have said for years that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Studies now show that having something light in the morning or delaying breakfast can be just as effective. Of course, this is all a personal preference and can be different for each person. I personally can’t delay eating, but I do better only eating something small first thing to get going. I sometimes will add in a Kind bar as well. Here’s my favorite.
Take my supplemental multivitamins. I am a fan of the New Chapter Vitamins and take them every morning.
Meditate. I had always heard so many wonderful things about meditation. While I am still learning the practice, I already see great value in starting the day off this way. I use the app Calm to help guide me.
Stretch. I have been going to the chiropractor for neck and back issues for years. I cannot emphasize the importance of stretching, and how much better I feel from just 10 minutes of stretching every day. This is especially important if you sit at a computer most of the day.
Listen to podcasts. I use a great app for my Android called Stitcher to listen to podcasts while I go about my morning routine. I enjoy learning new things and don’t always have time to read, so this lets me multitask. Check out this post to see some of my favorites.
Exercise. Being an entrepreneur and working for myself, I am so lucky to be able to make my own schedule. I have adjusted my work hours to accommodate exercise in the mornings. When I am working, I am at a desk, straight and focused, for hours. I have found that if I do that from 8 am to 5 pm my productivity and happiness fall dramatically after a few hours; I can even sometimes forget to eat. This is not healthy. To help me I broke up my days to allow for work in 5-6 hour increments. This allows me to take advantage of my peak productivity and fit in exercise – and meals!
Shakeology. I love my Shakeology. It’s my treat after a hard workout and gets my work day started with a focused energy boost. It also helps with muscle soreness and sugar cravings (sugar is my weakness!)
And then it is off to my home office around 10 am.
Full disclosure. I do have a little girl at home, and I would say 1 or 2 days a week I actually get all of these done… and that’s okay! The purpose is to be intentional, not perfect. Having this routine in place and the tools available helps me be a better Christian, wife, mom, and entrepreneur.
I would love to hear what you do in the morning, or any tool or apps you use. Please share them with me… I am only an email away!
