Lately I’ve been really into morning routines. Specifically, I’m trying to lock in a pretty solid one of my own. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve read about the importance of a morning routine. It truly has such an impact on how your day then unfolds.
By nature, I’m not an early, early riser. No no, that doesn’t mean I sleep in until 10am everyday (though, on the weekends sometimes I do like to do that!), but I typically set my alarm for 7 or 7:30am, hit snooze a couple times (a bad habit I’m trying to break), lay in bed a bit, and then I’m up around 8/8:30am. Of course, this is dependent on a lot of things (i.e. morning meetings, morning training sessions, morning appointments, so forth and so on).
I have friends who wake up at 5:30am daily, hit the gym by 6, and are back and showering and getting ready for work by 7. Yeah, that’s going to be a hard no for me. However, kudos to you if that’s what you do!!
So, back to that morning routine situation –
Once I’m up, I check my emails and texts to see if there’s anything super important I need to respond to. Yes, I know I likely shouldn’t check my phone first thing in the morning – another habit I’m working on breaking. I then check a few of my favorite websites and read some articles online.
I then like to do a daily meditation via the Calm app (literally the greatest app, as I’ve mentioned before..highly recommend). After that, if I’m feeling like it, I’ll write a couple pages in my journal. I don’t force it, though, if I’m not in the mood. My job(s) consist of lots of writing, and sometimes I’m just not in the mood to write even more. And then, what I’ve been doing more lately that’s really been helping me to get amped up for a productive day is to organize something in my house.
I’m going to get into this more in a future blog post, but I’ve been really into the idea of getting into alignment everyday. Through Jess Lively, Abraham Hicks, and most important to note, one of my best girls Megan Silianoff (who turned me onto Jess Lively a few years back, who I then learned about Abraham Hicks from), alignment has been on my mind lately. And organizing and getting things in order is one of the ways I get into said alignment.
So, with that being said, I try to organize something (literally anything) as part of my morning routine. That might be folding some laundry. That might be putting away some laundry. That might be organizing my desk. That might be clearing up my bathroom counter. Whatever it is, it works for me.
And then I’m ready to start my day (i.e. get dressed, have breakfast, work, so forth and so on…).
Now, if you’re going to ask if I do this everyday, the answer is no. Do I want to do this everyday? Hell yes. But if I don’t do this everyday (meditation, journal, organize, etc), it’s ok. No need to beat myself up over it. I do it when I can (hopefully more often than not), and if I don’t one day, it is what it is. I do notice, however, that the days I don’t do it I feel slightly off, so for my well being, I try to do it as much as I can, and I’d like to be doing this every damn day!!
And because I’m super interested in people’s morning routines (does that make me creepy? maybe.), I decided to start a series on my blog featuring bad ass women and men and what their morning routines look like to set themselves up for a successful day.
Today I’m kicking it off with three incredibly inspiring people who run incredibly awesome companies.
So, don’t hit the snooze button this morning, and keep on reading…
Brett Novek, Founder of good hYOUman
I like to stay up late so I wake up around 8:00am. It is a MUST that I go to the gym first thing.
I brush my teeth, throw on some clothes, fill up my 64 ounce jug of water for the day and walk to the gym.
When I get there I run a mile on the treadmill and work out really hard for 40 minutes. I usually do one muscle a day to crush it, but get in and out so I can get to work.
At the gym I either listen to Spotify or podcasts.
The music I’m listening to right now includes Chance the Rapper, The 1975, and Drake.
The podcasts I’m listening to right now include Tim Ferriss, The Ezra Klein Show, James Altucher, How I Built This, Tony Robbins, Start Up, and Masters of Scale.
When I get home I make a smoothie with all organic ingredients from Trader Joe’s: almond milk – non sweetened, blueberries, almond butter, banana, Garden of Life protein powder, half an avocado, cinnamon, and turmeric.
Then I head into work around 10:30am.
Daniel Goetz, Founder & CEO of GoodPop
But first, coffee: wake up @ 6:18 am to a fresh cup of coffee (key here is to set the previous night on a timer to brew @ 6:03 am) and some fresh licks from our puppy Dalli.
Puppy time, me time: Once Dalli’s been fed breakfast, she goes back to sleep and I’ve got a nice little 35 minute window to catch a workout OR catch up on some outstanding emails from the night before. Always best to start each day eliminating any pending work from yesterday work so I feel I’m getting a fresh start.
Sustenance: Then I head to the kitchen to make a smoothie, which in theory could get me through my entire workday if I don’t have time to get lunch. I’m currently doing a blend of frozen ripe bananas, almond milk, chia seeds, spinach, sunflower seeds, hemp protein, Primal Kitchen collagen and pitted dates.
Work time: I’ll head into the office around 7:45 and open the doors by 8. I’ll have another 30 minutes to be proactive, tie up any loose ends from the day before while it’s still calm and quiet in the office. Then, the day is off to the races!
Laura Hertz, CEO & Co-Founder of Gifts for Good
First thing when I wake up, I write in my Five Minute Journal. Journaling twice a day for two minutes has changed me as both a person and as an entrepreneur. In the morning, I write down three things I have to be grateful for, three things that would make that day great, and one daily “I am…” affirmation (such as “I am a successful female social entrepreneur helping to make the world a better place”).
Next, I do five minutes of meditation sitting on my yoga mat on my deck outside. Then I take my dog outside for either a short run or a couple mile walk around my neighborhood (usually while listening to one of my favorite podcasts, like NPR’s How I Built This).
When I get home, I make some french press coffee and eat a big breakfast – typically a smoothie and eggs – while answering any urgent e-mails. I then shower, get dressed, and head to work while rocking out to some of my favorite tunes.
Once I arrive at my office, my first order of business is customer service. I usually spend my first half hour at work writing thank you cards to all of the wonderful people who order gifts that give back from our website. Focusing on what I have to be thankful for helps me to start my day happy and with a positive mindset!
I’d love to hear about your morning routines. What do you do each morning to set yourself up for the best day possible?
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