My NEW Morning Routine…What’s Yours?

Humans are creatures of habits….said many people a million times…and over the last few months I have realized that over the last few years I had formed some good and bad habits…and in some cases no habits at all!  In general, I think that good habits can help us be efficient and do things more quickly through repetition…and thus do more things…ie. knowing the order of cleaning yourself in the shower helps you move from one to the next without thinking in between and also helps make sure you don’t miss a spot…sounds obsessive but certainly helps the process…save 5 minutes in the shower…gain 5 more minutes to read an article before work.

So I have tried a few things to help form new habits…first was a weekly evernote checklist of all the things I wanted to do (see blog on my Tech Assistant Evernote)….but I ended up doing many things on one day and nothing on others…then I tried a daily Evernote checklist that I created at the end of each day for the next day…that was annoying to have to add things I wanted to do every day…every day…now I am working off of a “Morning Routine” checklist….its working better…still need to tighten it up because it can range anywhere from 1h30min to 2hrs…which, though important, I simply don’t have that much time in the morning….here is my NEW Morning Routine…and some explanation to go with it…what’s yours?

MY MORNING ROUTINE (as of 7/25/18)

• Morning Prayers – Combination of My Dad’s Summer Camp Morning Prayer, The Shehecheyanu, and a “Thank You” prayer that I wrote for myself
• Gratitude Journal – List 1-3 Things I’m grateful for in My Gratitude Journal (hint: its an Evernote)
• Glass of Lemon Water – This Ladders Article says its a good idea to drink a full glass of lemon water because its “chock full of nutrients”…I think its a great way to start off the day hydrated.
• Read Positive Attitude – easy ~5-10min…currently reading Attitude 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell…starting off positive!
• Nutritious Breakfast – usually some good carbs and protein (eggs and wheat toast, greek yogurt, fruit smoothie, etc)…if I can eat a half a grapefruit before the meal that helps suppress hunger for over eating and provides additional nutrients.
• Multi-Vitamin + Probiotic + Omega-3 Fish Oil + Biotin (may or may not help retain any of my last remaining strands of hair…it’s the thought that counts right!?!?!)…best when taken with a meal!
• Bergamot Essential Oil – a few drops in my palm….deep breaths with my hands cupped over my nose and rub the excess over my belly…has many benefits…calming, digestion, blood circulation, anti-anxiety/depression…see here for full explanation…overall just a nice bright aroma that is a good transition from eating to breathing/meditating.
• Full Body Yawn in to Sigh of Relief – Imagine the Lion/Dog/Cat opening wide, stretching, and breathing life into all parts of my face, lungs and body then resting in to a fuller relaxation to prepare for some breathwork and meditation.
• Breathwork – 10min….set the timer and practice…im still new to this (see my Blog on Breathing) …practice makes perfect…taking time to try different styles and tactics and strengthen my breathing muscles (fyi this is also a form of meditation)
• Meditation – 10min of guided meditation ideally (ie. Headspace) …but other forms of meditation work as well (see my other Blog on Cooking as Meditation)
• Review Daily Plan – now that I am finished nourishing my mind and body, I am ready to review what goals I have for the day and what my plan of tasks are to accomplish those goals…this is an opportunity to prioritize, edit, re-order, add-to, etc
• Smiling Shower – this is a new concept I’m experimenting with…but makes sense…just the act of smiling can make you happy and can positively impact your attitude (subject for another blog)…walking around smiling can feel foolish at first so what better place to practice than in the shower…smile the whole time…come out and smile in the mirror…and get real in to it….even profess in to the mirror “I LOVE YOU”…it will make you smile even more…quoth Buddy the Elf “I just like to smile…smiling’s my favorite!”
• GET TO WORK

This is just my latest morning routine…always evolving…and currently having the most positive impact on my daily activities and how good I feel at any given moment every day….what works for you…anything I can steal or incorporate in to my routine…and even better…next on the docket….what is your evening routine???