5 Ways to Ensure Your A.M. Routine Sets You Up for Success  

Have you heard the expression “The way you do anything is the way you do everything”?   It begs the question—how do you do mornings?

For most of us, getting up and out the door becomes a series of timed obstacles similar to the TV show America Ninja Warrior.  Once we finish trying on three outfits we don’t particularly like, we realize we are late and need to grab something to eat on our way to work – typically with a commute laced with traffic, leading to impatience and an overall sense of being overwhelmed before we have started our work day.

Years ago, this was me.  It took me awhile to realize I was awakening in a fight or flight state every morning.  And this state took a heavy toll on my health, my mind and my spirit.  My solution at the time – a great one, I thought! — was to create an alter ego named Minute Girl.   She was born out of the idea that every minute in the morning must lead to a productive outcome.  She outlined how long each activity should take and kept me focused on these timed outcomes (shower, dress, breakfast, out the door).  And yet, with her in charge, it felt like the day owned me rather than the other way around.

If you have a Minute Girl inside of you— how can you alleviate her fears of getting it all done on time but simultaneously design a morning that nurtures your mind, body and spirit practices? Here are some ideas:

Design a Wake-Up Ritual
What is the first thing you do as you wake up —  hit snooze and avoid getting up? Or open up your inbox and begin worrying about all the things you have to do today? Instead, take back your awakening.  Use five minutes while still in bed to open your eyes slowly and notice you.  How do the sheets feel against your body? Next, do a gentle body scan by giving attention to your body starting with your feet and toes and moving your attention upward until you get to your head.  What do you notice? Lastly, ask yourself, “What do I want the day to feel like?”  Envision your day and those feelings before you step out of bed each morning.

Build Micro-Habits
Appease your Minute Girl by creating morning routines that are seamless and don’t require too much thought in the moment, thus helping to move things along at a good clip.  The term micro-habit comes from Dr. Christine Carter’s best-selling book called The Sweet Spot where she recommends building a series of small habits and batching them together in order to help use our brain’s natural inclination to run on autopilot.  If your morning looks different each day, you may be using more brainpower to remember all the things that need to get done, vs. allowing your brain’s muscle memory to guide you through you’re a.m. tasks.  Establish a rhythm and order to the things you want to accomplish; rinse and repeat each morning (so to speak!).

Create an Anything Goes Bubble 
Build a buffer of time each morning that is solely devoted to you and your pleasure.  This may be five minutes to savor a really good cup of coffee and a magazine article you want to read. Or it could be a 30-minute walk with your dog—sauntering through your neighborhood or a nearby trail. It could also be a time to develop a meditation practice.  Experiment by adding this as a 5 or 10 minute time slot and allow yourself to do whatever you want (even if this is doing nothing) in this time.  By building it into your morning routine at the same time each morning, it will lend itself to becoming a micro-habit and will be easier to honor rather than to skip.

Fashion a Closet that Sparks Joy
Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up asks readers a fundamental question as they evaluate the things in their lives (and particularly their closets, drawers and other hiding spaces).  “Does this spark joy?”

Imagine walking into your closet and everything in your space answered yes to sparking joy.   Take some time to evaluate what’s in your closet.  Can you find pieces that you absolutely love and feel great when you wear them?  If not, have a friend or a professional assist you in helping you have your outsides match the fabulousness of your insides.  How you start your morning each day in your closet can reveal a lot about how you face your day.  You can take this exercise a step further and ask yourself the same joy-sparking question for the make-up you choose, the jewelry you select and the shoes that you slip on each morning.

Nourish Your Body
One of the last things we typically consider is breakfast.  When we are short on time, we may choose to skip it altogether or grab something quickly.   However, when we make that choice, we are telling ourselves that our own nourishment is not that important.  When in fact, the act of sitting down and enjoying breakfast can be one of the first acts of self-care we do each day.

Our metabolisms rise each morning as we awaken, and it’s our bodies signal to recharge and fuel ourselves for the day.  So consider adding a few more minutes to your routine to enjoy something you love each morning that fuels your body and supports your health.  This act will tell your body that you want to take excellent love and care of it.

If your mornings seemed rushed and driven by the ability to see how fast you can get out the door, consider trying one of the above suggestions each week for the next five weeks.  Be gentle with yourself and allow each experiment to give you more feedback about what is best for you as your start your day.