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BUILDING A POWERFUL MORNING ROUTINE
Autumn is my favorite time of the year-perhaps because I grew up in Colorado surrounded by the splendor of changing leaves. I revel in the season’s crisp winds, golden light and harvest foods because to me they provide a sense of inspiration to change in sync with the seasonal metamorphosis. Whether you live in a city with tangible change or not, a new season represents the opportunity to embrace new goals, new habits and ultimately new rituals. As I’ve studied the daily rituals of many creative thinkers, scientists, and producers around the globe I’ve seen one brilliant trend… a consistent morning routine.
THE DEEPER MEANING BEHIND A MORNING ROUTINE
Having experienced first-hand the potency of a consistent + intentional morning routine, it’s now one of the first things I address with my clients. Why? Because morning routines are a reflection of your priorities [not only for the day but really in your own life]. The way we tee up our mornings sets the tone for the entire day. To give you something to work off of I’m going to break out my morning routine and let you cherry pick what resonates the most with you.
MY MORNING ROUTINE
5:00 am: wake-up [only looking at my phone to turn off my alarm and put it away.] Take a few moments to box breathe.
5:15 am: drink 16 oz water with 1/4 lemon. Heat up water for a Matcha Tea Latte, Coffee, or an Earl Grey Breakfast tea– it just depends on my mood that morning!
5:30 am: now that I’m fully hydrated I find my cozy sit spot- [designed just for my morning journaling]. This is the time I dive into my version of a 5 minute journal. My [robotic] therapeutic entries are:
how I will nourish myself today
how I will infuse self-care into my day
how I will engage in someone else’s life in a special way today
what I need to prioritize with my work
I call this my COMPASS for the day because if you look closely each portion relates to a direction. And all 4 compliment each other beautifully.
After I take a few moments to jot this down I take a moment to just quietly sip on my brewed tea/coffee d’jour and Grati-tate which is my oh so clever way of meditating on what truly brings me gratitude instead of falling prey to any fears that are pounding at my mind’s doorstep.
6:00 am: it’s time to get the blood pumping! This is when I hit my yoga mat, go for a quick run or walk my pup. I find it’s therapeutic to bring blood to the brain and to bring fresh new oxygen + life to tissue you are about to depend upon greatly for the rest of the day.
7:30 am: high time for nourishment. Now that I’ve “set my compass,” supercharged my cells + mind with new energy it’s time to nourish with some nosh. My favorite breakfasts are fat-forward as fat tends to give a longer sustained energy release.
8ish am: open up the first project of the day feeling refreshed + focused + energized to be my best self. I show up. [And you can too.] With a sound morning routine, you’ll be delighted by the impact it has on your productivity, the quality of your work and most importantly the clarity with which you respond to the big and not so big issues that arise [because they always do!].
6 TIPS FOR CREATING SPACE FOR A MORNING ROUTINE
[because that’s sometimes half the battle!]
Set your alarm 30 minutes earlier… that means, going to bed 30 minutes earlier! #beautysleep
Write out your morning routine
Start with 5-10 min and only add 1 new thing at a time.
Be “selfish.” Embrace this time to just be you.
Change your morning routine with the seasons!
Just. Do. It. You absolutely must commit to this for 2 weeks straight before you kick it to the curb.
Now off you go. It’s time to diligently practice your own version of a morning routine.
LOVING YOUR MORNING ROUTINE?
We would love to hear about it.