6-Step Morning Routine for Success
Since reading Atomic Habits by James Clear I’ve been obsessed with creating positive systems of habit in my life. He says “You do not rise to the level of your goals, but fall to the level of your systems.” So, while my goal might be to have a successful and satisfying life, that’s just too vague. It wouldn’t be acheivable on its own without an implementation plan.
What I’ve listed below is my morning system for success. Not that I’m so incredible. But I’ve certainly a better chance of having a good day if I stick to this regimen than if I prepare myself more spontaneously.
Coffee
Alright, I’m hardly original with this first step. Caffeine is a socially acceptable drug and its effects are unquestionable. While it is still a drug and should possibly be treated more like one than we commonly do, if you stay away from over-use it is easy enough to manage. For those who have trouble sleeping at night, the morning mug shouldn’t pose too many problems.
Breakfast
Again, it’s not unique to want to fill one’s tummy at the start of the day. Where I innovate in this habit is rather the content of breakfast; every day I have a big bowl of uncooked oats with water. I add raisins and peaches, pears, nectarines, or apples depending on the season.
This meal gives me plenty of calories that break down slowly. And it also ticks off a few of those ever so hard to reach daily servings of fruit that everyone recommends. It keeps me regular too :0 !
And since the meal hardly ever changes it frees my mind from processing too much before the caffeine does its magic.
No media
It can be tempting to get onto the phone first thing to watch youtube or to put the radio on. But I’ve found that once started in the day videos and audio treats are hard to turn off – leading to a last-minute dash out the door to make it to work on time, even when I rise early enough that it shouldn’t be a problem.
I consider media to be: radio, film, social media sites, news, sometimes email. Depending on how addictive your personality might be reading or audiobooks could be excluded from this list. But not if they keep your from getting out the door on time.
Journal
Journaling keeps me on track. I record my goals for the day, and I take pleasure in crossing them off. Later on, I appreciate being able to look back and relearn my thoughts and feelings at the time. This can be especially useful in times of crisis or when the rest of your life isn’t so orderly.
The Covid confinements, for example, were a wonderful boon to my journaling habits. I added objective Covid figures from government websites so I knew factually how America, France, and other countries compared in this 21st century battlefield. It gave me a better idea of the situation than most other people I ran across but did make me somewhat dour.
Rather than fixating on depressing figures, feel free to list two or three things you are grateful for. That will certainly give your day a boost!
Clean
What you clean is up to you. Whether you make the bed for the day, clean the dishes in the sink, or shower before work. The importance is that you are taking a little disorder in your environment and you are wrestling it into shape. This sets a good precedent for the rest of the day and will make you feel better. Besides, you’ll have the benefit of having a clean room or body!
Brush Teeth
The last step before heading out the door is to brush your teeth. Not just to save your colleagues from the accrued nightly grime and odors but to head off the desire to snack before lunchtime because your mouth goes sour and unpleasant. This is my little secret for after lunch too.
What are the elements of your morning routine? Anything you’d add or subtract from my list?